TonyHSD

In this case this proof only one thing: lack of maintenance or improper maintenance are the reason for a high oil consumption, especially on the cars with low miles, I guess they might well been using 5w30 oil too.

Hi, this is a well known problem with some Toyota engines, design flaw on piston rings and or a stuck piston rings. There is a lot of information on the net, particularly YouTube. Don’t remember if Prius 1.8 engine has the problematic rings, probably not , because I had more than 5 of those cars and non of them had ever consumed any oil between changes. My last Auris Hybrid done Euro trip from London to Black Sea in Bulgaria and back on 0w20 oil with temperature of the air as high as 40c and no problems at all, never even topped up during the 6000 miles journey. Now the car travels 5000 miles per month mostly motorways and no consumption at all @ 90k miles on the clock. The main reason you can have piston rings stuck is neglecting oil changes or using a poor quality oil or wrong type of oil or any combination of the above done by the previous owner. There is an option to try to get the rings unstuck without opening the engine but has a bit of a risk and no guarantee that will help, if the cylinder wall is already glazed oil consumption will remain however can be more acceptable, but 1 litre per 1000 miles it’s a way too high.

Thanks for sharing. I did check mine completely dry and I am checking my friends one tonight to see if hers ok . Water and electricity doesn’t go together well. Cheers

Was it water in boot only for the older models non hybrid till 2010, or I am missing something?

Prius plus is the car to go for. I had a couple of those back in the days when they came out both pre 2015 and the facelift model, both amazing cars, and differences really minimal, cosmetic mostly but the best thing on the facelift model are the LED front lights, they are so bright and with greater coverage ahead, once you get use to lights like that it’s so difficult to return to standard halogen bulbs on older vehicles, that really matters for a night drivers like me. If the interior space and boot are at priority no doubt Plus beats them all, and that’s why exist. Good luck with looking 👍

Hi, there are some other factors to consider., cold weather at the moment, if asphalt is wet, wind, larger tyres with a low profile, these hybrids are very sensitive towards all above and slight changes affect the fuel consumption, some powerful petrol or diesel cars doesn’t count that much as they have a lot more torque to help. Toyota hasn’t changed anything for sure. 54mpg at present is more than adequate fuel consumption imo. Regards

I don’t think there is anything to worry about it, those cars are fine driving like that, but shorter oil change intervals will be a good idea just to be on the safe side. Only use 0w20 oil. Regards

Well in this case we should take an action and organise a good report of complaints so Toyota can fix it.

Yeap, well known fault and should be a recall from Toyota, all Priuses gen 3 , Auris and Prius plus has that. I have same on my current Auris Hybrid 1, before that had on 4 different Priuses gen 3 and Prius plus, as for the plus one the fault has developed at around 14000 miles, only two months after I had it brand new, it’s not the shaft that rattle and it’s the steering assy, the more expensive part, made by Mitsubishi, it’s where electric motor and steering gears are, there is something like a bearing that really wears out very quickly. To check your car just have the wheel with both hands at 12 and 6 a clock, try to moved up and down and you will hear the clank. It’s not a fault that would lead to an accident that’s why probably Toyota doesn’t care, btw a large fleet of Toyota cars that I used to work didn’t cared too, and when I complained they said that I am to crazy?! Anyway it’s not that of a big problem but for a car enthusiast can be very irritating 😠. I wouldn’t pay £1000 plus for something that just rattle.

Ok, may I said it depends your needs and where the car will be driven mostly. If you live in a big city there is no doubt Hybrid is the one to choose simply because it’s automatic and it’s most efficient auto and easiest and nicest to drive in town. If you live in a village or small town with little or no traffic jams and if you are enjoying driving manual than you have your answer, petrol manual, also if you are doing a lots of motorways petrol manual can do almost as good as the hybrid one. I am using my Auris Hybrid for my business driving and I am covering 1000+ miles every week mostly motorways average consumption around 50mpg winter and 60mpg summer, in the very cold I keep the car ready and ice running for hours and using heating a lot, not a big difference, maybe another 4-5mpg wasted but warm and cosy inside.

Hi, all info helpful and correct, only to notice that most of modern tyres has a direction so swapping front tyres left with right will not work unless tyres are taken off wheels, swapped and balanced again. You can rotate front left with rear left on your own and same on the right side of the car. Also tyre pressures should be checked when car hasn’t been driven for a few hours otherwise will not get correct pressures. Second important thing is to get all wheels alignment and suspension check, if your Auris has rear independent suspension that needs adjustment too, and if not correct can affect handling same as the front axle.

Yes , when air temperature below 0 the air con will not start , it’s a norm for any car don’t worry. If any grinding noises coming from your serpentine belt it’s likely wet due to a cold damp weather and salt that most likely been spread on the road. I don’t know if the belt is auto tension or you may have to adjust manually, you can have look yourself and adjust if you need it. It’s also a good idea to service your air con if you haven’t done so in the last two years but outside temperature should be above 5c at least to do so or even over 10c. Good luck

It depends how much you drive and how you drive, always good with new tyres if haven’t done one just before. If you are occasional driver and you drive les than a 10k per year once every 2 years its a good idea to check. Car can pull side to side from wrong tyre pressures or defective tyres too, but when the car is out of alignment you will feel it especially on speeds over 60mph . If in doubt I will get it check straight away.

Hi, yes all useful information members has already mentioned, referring Tesco fuel I can said that recently been better than Shell and as good as BP and Texaco garages. I usually experience poor fuel consumption and poor engine performance From Morrison’s and Sainsbury’s fuels, my local Tesco and Asda are doing just well.

I use similar to that one for pumping up the tyres and than get the exact measurements with digital One and things are going well. It is important to do so when car been stationary for more than an hour and never after even a short run, once the tyres are moving they heat up and pressures goes higher, i mean a lot higher.