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Can't start my "Pirus" rental car

Bill4728

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Can't start my "Prius" rental car

We are in SoCal and just had` to switch cars. The new car is a Prius.

Drove it yesterday and everytime we stopped and turned it off had a terrible time starting the car.
- The car doesn't have an ignition but a "start" button
-It would come on but would never say "ready" and allow us to put the car in drive. The start button would turn red.

:shrug:

Edited It seems that you must put your foot on the brake whenever you press "Start"

You'd think that the rental car company would have this very important info stuck in the car so everyone would know!!! :crash:
 
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rickandcindy23

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I agree that the rental car companies don't give enough information on those Priuses. Rick sat in the first Prius rental for about five minutes, looking at the controls and then had to read the manual, which was in the car, fortunately. Some cars don't have anything.

Those cars are great, though! 55 MPG is pretty awesome, and that is what we got every time, and we have rented them four times now. :whoopie:
 

T_R_Oglodyte

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The same things happened with me the first time I rented a Prius. Fortunately DW had ridden with a friend who had a Prius, and guided me through it.

She's a wonderful woman. Not once has she mentioned or even intimated about the time that she had to teach me how to drive a car.
 

DeniseM

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Doesn't everyone put their foot on the brake when you start a car? I thought that was a basic safety rule?
 

Luanne

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We bought a Prius after our experience with getting one as a rental. :D Sounds like we were lucky since the Avis rep we got it from (who was very excited he could let us have the Prius) went out to the lot and showed dh how to start it up.
 

Luanne

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Doesn't everyone put their foot on the brake when you start a car? I thought that was a basic safety rule?

Yes, it is. In fact when we got the new Prius I was saying how different it was to start, and how I had to make sure my foot was on the break. My dd said "But Mom, that's what you told me to do when I was learning to drive". For some reason something that had come so naturally to me seemed foreign in the Prius. :doh:
 

Icarus

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Doesn't everyone put their foot on the brake when you start a car? I thought that was a basic safety rule?

Actually no. I put my foot on the brake when I shift it out of park otherwise you can't shift it out of park, plus that seems like a good idea.

Of course, if it had a Mac inside of it, instead of whatever computer chip it has, you wouldn't have to do anything yourself.

-David
 

camachinist

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When I rented a Prius at CWA (Wausau, WI), the desk agent gave me a special printout of the procedures for starting and driving the Prius, along with tips for more economical driving. The lot person (this is a small airport, having maybe a couple dozen car slots for Hertz) also asked if they could be of assistance. Personally, I found the Prius to be quite easy to understand and operate. The upside was filling gas 70 miles from the airport and still having a "full tank" when arriving :)

Pat
 

Keitht

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I only ever drive automatics when I'm on holiday in the US or Canada. On many of the rental cars it has been necessary to put my foot on the brake before it would start, so I do it all the time now. I assumed it was standard judging from the pitying look I got when I went back into the office after picking up the first one and saying I couldn't get it to start:eek:
 

Icarus

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On many of the rental cars it has been necessary to put my foot on the brake before it would start, so I do it all the time now. I assumed it was standard judging from the pitying look I got when I went back into the office after picking up the first one and saying I couldn't get it to start:eek:

Really? I don't think I've ever had to do that, and I rent cars all the time. You have to step on the brake to get it out of park, but not to start the engine.

With a manual, you usually have to step on the clutch to start the engine.

-David
 

rickandcindy23

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Nissan Altimas now have the keyless start and entry, as long as you have the key near you. You must step on the brake to push the start button. I think this is going to be the standard someday.
 

Passepartout

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With a manual, you usually have to step on the clutch to start the engine.

-David

I just got a new Freightliner Cascadian. http://www.freightlinertrucks.com/trucks/find-by-model/cascadia/default.aspx It wouldn't start when I turned the key and I thought the batteries were dead and found a mechanic, who told me to depress the clutch. Presto! That was a first for me.

We had to instruct valet parking guys about starting our Prius when we first got it (2004), but they are not so unusual now and lots of cars have 'Start' buttons.

Jim Ricks
 
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Bill4728

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I had problems in the rental lot and the guy there was of no help ( well at least he didn't give me the key info) I'm pretty unhappy with Hertz at this moment.
 

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Nissan Altimas now have the keyless start and entry, as long as you have the key near you. You must step on the brake to push the start button. I think this is going to be the standard someday.

if you don't actually have to put the key in, sure, that makes sense.

-David
 

T_R_Oglodyte

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ricoba

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Jim - that's been the case for every stick shift vehicle I've driven for at least the last ten years.

Boy, I just realized it's been a long time since I drove a stick. My first new car was a stick, and I remember how fun it was, but now days, I guess I have gotten lazy!:eek: :D
 

Fern Modena

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I used to drive a stick, and had to depress the clutch to start it. And I remember driving automatics where you had to feed it a little bit of gas to start, too. I've never put my foot on the brake to start a car, so that would be something new to me, too.

I had a car once that had eight forward gears. It was a Dodge Colt "twin stick." It had four on the floor, and next to it another stick, a high-low. I loved that car! It could take anything, and I do mean anything, at a signal. It could crawl up the side of a building.

My current car, a 2008 Grand Caravan has an ignition switch that you insert a coded key fob into. You then click it to the right against a spring and let go. It bounces right back (you don't hold it at all, ever) and starts.

Also, somewhere along the line it seems like they made it so that you can't "grind" if you try to start your car after it is already running. Anybody know when this happened?

Fern
 

Passepartout

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Jim - that's been the case for every stick shift vehicle I've driven for at least the last ten years.

I guess that's just technology trickling down (or up) into heavy vehicles. Our 2008 Freightliners don't need the clutch depressed to start. Other changes I've noticed: The brake lights some on when the engine brake comes on, The light switch is a rotary thing like on a car instead of 'manly' toggle switches. The new satellite communication terminals won't allow keyboard input and the screen is blank when the vehicle is in motion. A safety thing, I suppose, but not too productive to find a safe place to stop to read or reply to messages. Oh well, progress!

Jim Ricks
 

ricoba

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Phill12

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Just wonder how you started the car at the rental lot the first time?:confused:

As far as people with foot on brake during starting all cars went out the door for most because of auto transmissions years ago.

People with stick would need to do it but most drivers now days have never driven a stick shift car.:whoopie:


PHIL
 

Malibu Sky

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I also rented a car, not a Prius, but one which had a "start" button....not a key. You also had to have your foot on the brake when you pushed the start button....got use to it after a while but it did take a while for me not to try to turn a key...lol:D .
 

Luanne

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I also rented a car, not a Prius, but one which had a "start" button....not a key. You also had to have your foot on the brake when you pushed the start button....got use to it after a while but it did take a while for me not to try to turn a key...lol:D .

I'm now so used to not only not needing a key to start the car, but not even needing to do anything more than stand next to my car to "unlock" and open it, that I think all cars should be this way. :whoopie:
 

dmharris

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We own a Prius, 2 years old in Sept past, 65,000 miles and LOVE IT! Got a great tax credit at the time from Uncle Sam and now get 50 mpg on the highway in warm weather, 45 to 46 in colder weather when the gas forumlas are the "winter weight" or when driving in city traffic. Better mileage on the highway. You cannot lock your keys in the car. Even if they're in the cupholder, the car beeps at you when you close the driver door to tell you, "not so fast, you forgot something". I can't tell you how many times I would have locked myself out of the car with normal keys.
 

Bill4728

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Just wonder how you started the car at the rental lot the first time?:confused:

As far as people with foot on brake during starting all cars went out the door for most because of auto transmissions years ago.

People with stick would need to do it but most drivers now days have never driven a stick shift car.:whoopie:


PHIL

I had problems from the very start ( pun intended) but I just never figured out how I was getting it started till the next day when I sat in the car and tried a whole bunch of different things. That doesn't mean the 15 minute ordeal in the parking garage at the Getty the first day, was any less painful.
 
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