My 08 prius was rear-ended at about 25 mph. Not too bad, but the rear bumper had to be replaced. I was getting 45 mpg prior to the accident and immediately after the car came back from the shop, dropped down to 30 mpg. The shop said that the computer has to 'recalibrate' after the battery is disconnected, which could take 3 to 6 months. I spoke to the dealer and was told that the computer does have to recalibrate after the battery is disconnected and that it should do so in 3 tank fulls. I'm a bit skeptical and wonder whether the accident could have damaged something else. Does anyone have any thoughts on whether this info is correct or whether I should be looking at other possible causes for the sudden reduction in economy? THanks.
30 seems awfully low. Certainly any computer recalibration isn't any different than when the car was new. I would be concerned that the alignment might be off at this point. That could affect your mileage quite a bit. You may want to get a good 4 wheel alignment, and be sure to get a print out of before and after. (The repair show should have taken care of this in the first place.) Of course, have you checked your tire pressure?
In this case, I'd take the dealer's word. It's been documented on these forums that the prius has to re-learn quite a bit in order to return to optimal performance.
