Pruis 2014 C Level One - Back-up Keys, Seat Covers, Etc.

Just got a brand new (clearance price) 2014 Prius C Level One for $18,000 drive-off price (all taxes, fees, etc.). Two immediate needs arose: (1) back-up keys (hey, I lose my keys. . . .); and (2) seat covers.

BACK-UP KEYS: I asked the dealer how much for a back-up key. The guys said $260. I went to Home Depot and got one for $2.34.

How? Well, the Prius C Level One does NOT have the smart key system. And Home Depot has the key blank for it. And so for $2.34 apiece at the Pooler, GA Home Depot, I got a couple of back-up keys. One is now in my hide-a-key hiding place on the car.

Yes, of course, there's no remote door lock/unlock function. It's just a flat key. But see, I don't care. I just wanted something to get my sorry nice person home if I'm off somewhere and lose my original, "key fob" key.

Plus, I've never owned a car with a remote lock/unlock function (yep, base line models all the way, my other car is a 2003 Corolla-CE, 5-speed manual). So sure, I like that feature, but I'll certainly live without it if I ever lose my original, "full function" key while off somewhere (yes, the other full-function key that came with the car is safely stored at home; the "valet" key that also came with the car is only good for opening the door; the dealer guy told me it can't be used to drive the car more than a mile -- it's a "valet" key, after all).

So I thought I'd share my story because the dealership tried to con me into believing that I needed to spend a boat load of moolah just to have a back-up key. Also you do not want to put an electronic key fobbed key on the outside of your car, like under a fender or wherever you hide your hide-a-key. You want the simple, "mechanical key" if you can get one, as I just did, because the elements will screw up the full-function key.

Warning to higher-level Prius C owners: You're stuck. You have a smart key system. Check other forums for that and be prepared to drop some serious money on back-up keys.

SEAT COVERS: What amazes me when I go to Amazon and online auto stores is that these big players haven't made their vendors furnish a make/model list so that, if you want to buy a $50 or less set of seat covers, you can be assured that they'll fit.

I've found a couple places on the `net where they get north of $250 for "custom" seat covers. I'm not sure I want to invest that much. Maybe $100 for just the two front bucket seats. I'm not sure I want leather, either, as I live in Savannah, GA and it gets nasty-hot-sweaty for too many months out of the year.

But I'm willing to pay (within reason) for quality -- and to keep as cool and dry as I can during The Yuck Season -- so y'all's advice is welcome here. Whatever I get, I want easy installation, good fit, and for the seat covers to last at least 5 years (about what I got for the $29 Wal-Mart set that I used on my old Honda). Oh, and when some sweaty bubba gets in my car, I want to be able to say to myself hey no problem, easy wipe-clean later (so, leather? Synthetic leather?).

Can anyone point me to decent seat covers for my specific (2014 Prius C Level One) model? Bear in mind that my particular year went with uni-b0dy front bucket seats (no separate, detachable or telescopable head rests on them). And everyplace I look online, the photos depict only front bucket seats with detachable head-rests, not the uni-body seats like mine. So, I don't have a high level of confidence looking at ready-made stuff online.

 

Thanks! Clazzio -- I like it but geez, $450, and that's WITH the 10% off coupon.

The "chat" guy said $299 for just the two front seats. 3-year warranty.

Here's the Chat script:

Clazzio: 1 row price for leather, $299 / 1 row price for Suede or Quilted, $249

Clazzio: one row PVC is $199

I asked about "blem" deals and they have them, but nothing for a Prius C at the moment, only a regular Prius.

I also looked on their blog -- they say PVC is not worth it, only a 1-year warranty and not expected to last very long. Cheap can be costly, I reckon.

 

Thanks for the advice. The owner's manual talks about that irritating, "gotchya!" auto-lock process. That happened to me once with a rental car. I put the keys on the dashboard and got out to get my mom's wheelchair out of the trunk. My driver's door swung shut (parked on a hill) and "chi-chi-chi-chit!" -- all four doors locked. Cost me $75 to have the pop-a-lock guy unlock the car for me. Anyway, my Prius-C’s owner's manual explains how to undo that feature, and my Prius, which came with a free detail stripe and a nice window-tint job (a mix-up that unfolded in my favor) was preset not to auto-lock. Happily, it’s never auto-locked on me since.

That's interesting about the battery drain using ACC to power the radio. A design flaw to say the least.

And yes, I suspected the "valet key" limitation claim was BS, though that guy seemed like a straight shooter. I should've just tried to key out myself.

The smart key, immobilizer thing: Yes, I consciously "went cheap" buying the Level One in no small part to avoid that crap layer. And btw, let's pause to acknowledge yet another cost that criminals inflict upon us (it's all anti-theft gizmodia, right?).

Forgive me, but what's an "engine blanket" and why would I want one?

Right. Good idea about the rear seat head rests. I'll use my larger Corolla for transporting guests anyway.

Question: When I open my driver's door the car makes this electronic "yawning" sound. Some process is activated, like the car's awakening itself in anticipation of being driven. No other door precipitates that. I presume it's normal. Is it? What is it? Maybe I missed that explanation while reading the nearly 500 page owner's manual.

GAS MILEAGE: I've now got 1617 miles on my car and I've been driving it nice and easy, about 1200 highway miles. I'm only getting about 43 mpg on average, maybe once or twice breaking 50 mpg, and as low as 34 mpg (doing 80 mph with maybe 200 pounds of stuff loaded in the back, though I did hit a moderate headwind). My morning commute, btw, is 7.8 miles and it's 85% highway mileage.

Now, I know it's cold season and I'm burning "winter fuel," and I've had to go through the break-in period. But geez, I'm seeing others here claiming higher mileage. And, I've meticulously kept my Bridgestone Turanza EL400 tires that came with the car inflated to 42 PSI front, 40 rear (max. 44 PSI). Is this mpg normal, or should I demand “full-scope analysis” when I go in for my first oil change?

OIL CHANGES: I've got that 2 year, 25,000 free maintenance (oil changes) deal from the dealer -- an incentive, as was the lifetime, power-train warranty. So for the moment I'm on easy street with oil changes. But otherwise, I've done all my own oil changes since I started driving in 1972. Have you researched what is the poop with the right oil for this car?

Like, is it worth using full synthetic? And is it an easy oil change, or does one need to buy a special filter-cap wrench, etc.?

EV vs. ECO mode: I’ve read the owners manual and conclude that I should just ignore this, leave it in ECO mode and regret that Toyota stupidly used up what would have been an excellent cup-holder spot to place two switches that I’ll never use and otherwise belong on the dash.

MISCELLANEOUS TIP TO OTHER TOYOTA CAR BUYERS: I read the fine print in the back of the Prius brochure. Told me I'd get 5 points for every dollar I spent on Toyota products if I opened up a Toyota VISA card. So, I got the dealer to let put $3000 on my Capital One, 1.5% cash rewards card ($45 back) plus the remaining $15,000 on my Toyota VISA card (paid it off right away, so no interest cost doing that, and there's no annual fee). Yep. 75,000 points -- can only be spent on Toyota products. So there's a free set of tires downwind (points expire after 5 years, though).

 

Yeah, I believe I actually found ($6.64 delivered) the precise key on E-bay for my Prius C, but really it's just a blank key with an empty fob shell. It thus contemplates that you "transfer" the original key's fob guts to its fob shell.

But in my scenario, you've already lost the original key, so there's nothing to transfer over. And in any event the Home Depot guy erred and rendered it a $6.64 pile of trash. The fob-less, $2.34 Home Depot key makes the most sense to me. Please post an update how it works out for you.

 

That's good to know. Thanks!

 

Thanks for your helpful responses.

RE: You MUST use full synthetic, I'm pretty sure you need to use 0w20.

Yeah, I think I read that in the owner's manual and just couldn't bring myself to believe it. That's one special engine, eh?

Note to Toyota Management: Move the ECO/EV switches to the dashboard (since I'll basically never use them) and free that spot up for my morning coffee (it's precisely where my coffee cup goes in my 2003 Corolla, btw, and I miss it).

 

New question for all of my knowledgeable friends above:

My 2003 Corolla-CE has the standard vinyl dashboard that necessitates Armor All treatments 1-2 times a year so that the punishing Georgia sun doesn't dry it out and enable cracking.

My 2014 Prius-C Level One, in contrast, has a hard, textured plastic dashboard. Some call it cheap; I think it's cool. Anyway, I intuitively sense that it's not something that would need any sort of preservational application like Armor All. I hope that’s the case because hey, that’s one less maintenance chore and thus another base-model upside.

Your thoughts?