Gen 4 Prius Shopping - Punch List?

I have a 2017 Blizzard Pearl Two purchased last October
1. I traveled 150 miles to the DC are to get a better price from a salesman who also owns a Gen 1 Prius.White is the most visible color from a distance. I wanted a spare tire and felt the extra cost for a Trim Three was not worth it for me.

2. I got the beige interior because the black interior looked too dark for me.

3. Many people here run snow tires without TPM and just leave the light on. From what I understand, the carr cannot have 6 tires programmed t the same time.

4. Good idea. I had the dealer to this at the 5K mile tire rotation.

5. Probably a good idea.

6. My trim Two has survived a hail storm with minor pitting. I understand the Eco and higher may have a heat-reducing windshield that appears to be more fragile.

7. Why? It appears any option (including just carpeted floor mats) gets this sticker. Some dealers order all their cars with this option. ot a big deal, IMHO.

8. The 2017 has TSS-P safety features as standard and the headlights have reduced glare compared with the 2016. The 2017.5 added a couple more safety features. I enjoy my radar cruise control.If you do not want the safety features, you are limited to a 2016.

9. 2016 and some early 2017 (before mine) Prius had an airbag recall, IIRC.

10. A bug deflector sounds like a pretty good idea but I have not noticed excessive bugs on my windshield. YMMV.

 

Putting TPMS sensors on the snow tires will put you into a realm of hurt. New sensors require either an expensive visit to the dealership to initialize, or investment in equipment and know how. The dealership intervention in particular is onerous: a twice yearly service that makes snow tire implementation almost impossible.

Simplest is to just use conventional valves, and fugedabout TPMS for the winter. There will be a little amber light on the dash. Put the regular wheels back on in spring: light will go out. As long as: there's not some inspection in your area, that will fail your vehicle due to the light. If the latter is the case I don't know: move to Canada??

If you want to use a steel rim, this worked for us, has correct hub opening, so no spacer rings needed:

Corolla steel rim, part no: 42611-02471 (2003-2008 corolla or matrix, CE, LS, S)
steel rim lug nuts, part no: 90942-01007 (plain, open-ended, galvanized)

With our 3rd gen we alternate between 215/45R17 OEM and 195/65R15 (Michelin X-Ice), no problems.

Not sure about that. Leads to uneven appearance if you ever remove it. Prone to peeling, lifting, fraying? I put that in the same category as window tint, avoid it. Just use a generous following distance might mitigate a lot of the issues, though not all. That tends to help with your mpg too: allows you to coast up to slow downs ahead, avoid the need to brake.

 

welcome!
all the best with your search.

 

Just one person's opinion:
I would never discourage someone from applying the 3M protective film on the front of the Prius. Mine seems to scratch and nick more easily than any other car I've had. The 3M film has been a good investment. (I applied it to a previous Toyota I owned in the past, and it never peeled or faded or changed color. It worked great for many years.)

Window tint is fantastic, especially in the very sunny & hot areas I drive through. I would never be without it. (It's silly to tell people not to get it. must be the old guys. LOL. But that is their opinion and they are entitled to it. Some people love window tint, and others complain that they can't see out of it. To each his own.)

Some windshields have cracked during the first year. I've been lucky so far.

Yes there is a airbag recall for the '16 right passenger side. I can't get anyone at Toyota to confirm if it is a Takata airbag, or not.

Also a recall for the foot operated parking brake. And a technical service bulletin for the upper rear strut nuts.

My 2016 does not have any Toyota safety sense gizmos, and I drive just fine.

I've always preferred lighter interiors as black just feels too hot to me. But again that is just my personal opinion. Good luck to you.

 

The recalls mentioned also applied to early 2017. My car, delivered last October has not had any recalls.

 

The #2 might be harder than #1 with vehicles on lots - I would have gone with the moonstone interior if it were available, but saw a lot more black.

#9 Shouldn't be an issue if it's still on the lot. The dealer should have a hold on vehicles that have recalls associated - it's easy recall money for them anyways. Though they should also have paperwork if they already replaced the airbag or anything.

#10 It may be just me, but I've gotten more bugs on the front bumper than the windshield, presumably due to the airflow.

 

Costco works only on what they think the dealer currently has in stock.
I tried using them since my preferred dealer is on their program. Costco insisted on directing me to a different dealer. Apparently when they do that you can only go there for that Costco purchase.
I decided to buy from my preferred dealer without the Costco discount. My dealer had my car in stock but Costco would not change since their systems said it was not in stock at my dealer.

 

If you changed your color preference at Costco's auto site they would likely recommend another dealer. Costco only recommends a dealer if Costco's system says the dealer has that vehicle in stock. Their system is not always correct though.

 

If you get the moonstone interior, be sure to invest in 4-5 cans of Scotch-Gard. You will not regret it. My 2016 Three w/ATP, (delivered to the dealer March 2016 and purchased in June 2016, had none of the recalls you mentioned.

 

I believe your vehicle was eligible for at least one recall. Have you checked Toyota's site?

Lookup Safety Recalls & Service Campaigns by VIN

 

The only recall my vehicle was eligible for was the parking brake clip recall. It was not eligible for any of the recalls the OP mentioned.

 

You can view Toyota recalls at Voluntary Recalls | Toyota

The only ones affecting the Gen 4 Prius were the parking brake recall (affected all Gen 4's through mid-2016) and a front passenger seat airbag replacement that affected under 10,000 cars built before mid-2016 (mine was one of them).

The parking brake fix was relatively simple while the airbag replacement was a major job.

 

What should I pay for three touring with carpet option, blizzard pearl

 

I found Toyota all weather mats for my Gen 4 on Amazon from a dealer cheaper than getting them directly. I got the part numbers from my sales rep.

 

From what I've read on here, the wiper blades are quite long lived but YMMV.