New 2006 Prius guy here

[dslomer]

Hi, new guy here with '06 Prius--50+ mpg first 300 miles and loving it. If not for several daily short trips, it'd probably be over 55. But I have to admit I'm really, really trying to get the mpg, not driving like my former crazy self--dual benefit.

I have questions about the "faithfulness" of the energy and consumption monitors that I can't get answered by the manual, but I'll wait till I talk to my dealer's service dept and look through FAQs and do a search before I post.

I guess I'll ask in advance: if I have multiple questions, is it better to put each in a separate post or load all into one?

Speaking of service dept, as I was driving into the service area on day one to fix a minor "problem" [there was no problem], a service guy, drinking coffee and talking over his shoulder, almost walked into me--yes, it runs quiet.

Glad to have found a users group already and can't believe all the info available. Wow. And smilies.

Dave Slomer
Greenhills, OH

[TundraSoul]

Welcome aboard!

If they're different topics, it's better to place them in separate posts.

Originally Posted by dslomer

Hi, new guy here with '06 Prius--50+ mpg first 300 miles and loving it. If not for several daily short trips, it'd probably be over 55. But I have to admit I'm really, really trying to get the mpg, not driving like my former crazy self--dual benefit.

I have questions about the "faithfulness" of the energy and consumption monitors that I can't get answered by the manual, but I'll wait till I talk to my dealer's service dept and look through FAQs and do a search before I post.

I guess I'll ask in advance: if I have multiple questions, is it better to put each in a separate post or load all into one?

Speaking of service dept, as I was driving into the service area on day one to fix a minor "problem" [there was no problem], a service guy, drinking coffee and talking over his shoulder, almost walked into me--yes, it runs quiet.

Glad to have found a users group already and can't believe all the info available. Wow. And smilies.

Dave Slomer
Greenhills, OH

[friebele]

I haven't actually done a "faithfulness" test, but a friend of mine has ever since he bought a Prius about a year ago. He thinks the real-time monitors can be off by as much as 5 mpg.

[wjboe]

I had my Prius for just over a year when a drunk driver on a Canadian freeway came down the freeway the wrong way and plowed into us and totaled my beautiful Prius. During the time I had it, I filled up 70 times and the screen mileage differed from the calculated mileage for that tank an average of 2.2%, but that number masks a lot of variablilty. The highest percentage off was 27.7% and the lowest was -36.7%. The variability is in large part because of the differences in the gasoline pumps you use. Some just don't fill your tank. It also varies in winter and summer if you live in a cold climate. The most reliable number is the overall gas mileage. My overall average for the 13 months I had my car was 45.5 mpg and that includes driving in a hilly town and going through a cold Iowa winter. I tended to think that the monitor gave a pretty good indication of the mileage, but it certainly can be off.

[dslomer]

I've filled up twice since the initial one, which was bound to be inaccurate since the dealer apparently filled it only as much as it took to light all the fuel gauge bars. Both times it was right on the money [the monitor, not the gas price, which, yesterday was $2.09 for 87 at one station], probably close to being within wbjoe's 2.2%, but I made sure I was filling it all the way. I know you shouldn't [I had no idea there was a rubber bladder inside the tank till a week or 2 ago], and I won't any more, now that I know that the monitor is accurate enough. I just didn't want to see 50 mpg and fill up to get 45 or less. Of course, long-term average is what counts, but I didn't want to wait.

There are too many variables for the monitor to get it "right" since we're at our own mercies to fill up "right". Guess who's probably more accurate? Surely it's metering gas flow accurately [isn't it??] and miles driven is the only other variable, and we know that's accurate.

But wbjoe--I hope you were OK after your horrible wreck. I hope your your airbags did their jobs and your physical injuries were minor and that your psyche isn't as easily bruised as mine. It took me 10 years to get to where I could go through an intersection just after my light turns green without seeing and hearing a taxi screeching at me from the driver's side, and my wreck was NOTHING compared to yours.

Dave