Question about break-in period...

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by That_Prius_Car, May 1, 2015.

  1. That_Prius_Car

    That_Prius_Car Austin Kinser

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    Hey everyone! I'm loving my 2015 Prius Seaglass Pearl. I had to drive her from Wheeling, Wv to Pittsburgh, Pa today to the dealership to get my accessories and to give the second key I had for the Insight I traded.

    Now Pittsburgh traffic is awful. Awful in the way that it moves quickly and stops quickly with no warning. I left home this morning with 140 miles on the ODO and arrived at the dealer with probably 190 miles. I got there early, so traffic along the way was very minimal and I moved at my own, slow and steady pace.

    Now, on the way home is a different story. Two times I had to floor the pedal (not from a standstill obviously, while moving at 55-60 MPH.) for a couple seconds at a time, and also once, someone had me slamming on my brakes pretty hard. May have activated ABS. That hard. (I won't be driving in Pittsburgh anymore during Friday rush hour.)

    This is everyday driving to them, but to me, it's chaos. Anyhow, I'm sitting here tonight worried and feeling guilty. I looked at my brake pads and rotors and all looked new still.

    Did I hurt my Prius?
     
    #1 That_Prius_Car, May 1, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i think you're fine, modern cars don't really require break in. i think the manual recommends not staying at one speed for long periods of time for the first 500 miles.

    just think of what a used car has probably been through, it doesn't really affect anything. it's more about age and mileage.
     
    #2 bisco, May 1, 2015
    That_Prius_Car likes this.
  3. That_Prius_Car

    That_Prius_Car Austin Kinser

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    Thank you Bisco! That makes me feel better. I was sitting here tearing myself up. I know it's just a car and things will happen to it. I just like to take care of everything I have and protect it.
     
    #3 That_Prius_Car, May 1, 2015
  4. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Best buy used cars, you can drive like a mad man without worry
     
    #4 JC91006, May 1, 2015
  5. David Beale

    David Beale Senior Member

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    Even the "don't drive at a steady speed" doesn't apply to the Prius. It is constantly varying the engine speed due to not using "fixed" gears. -I- don't think you can harm the car, though I'm told it's possible to "glaze" the brake pads if you try hard enough. One panic stop won't do it.
    BTW, I doubt you used the full braking power of the Prius. It has "brake assist", and when you trigger that you'd better have fastened all items in the car down well! It is triggered when you press so hard and fast on the brake pedal you go -past- anti-lock triggering. It is startling or shocking to the driver what happens. And the fast part is as important as the hard press part. Pray nobody is tailgating you!
    Most drivers don't understand just how hard you need to press on the brake pedal to get maximum stopping power.
     
    #5 David Beale, May 2, 2015
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