Christmas presents for my wife

If you have the tools, time, and an electrical outlet I would look into an engine block heater. This is more effective, less wear on your engine, greater fuel economy and instant heat. Then you can get a timer or a remote control to run it

PriusChat sells one here and it looks like a great deal

LED is much more expensive ($1000-2000 OEM) to do correctly and avoid glare. Choose HID.

This is something my wife is nagging about... But her's is a Gen IV. If I come across a link I'll share.

 

Welcome to PriusChat! I'd recommend a trip to your local HarborFreight, or HomeBoyDespot to see what they might have on sale (…'tis the season, y'know!) - I was over at HF recently and noticed there are some great deals on floor-jacks, axle-stands, tool-sets, all PittsburgTools good stuff which should be in the arsenal of any good spousal-unit! Good luck, and take care, PriusChat can be addictive!!!

 

I'm a wife with a 2010 IV and I want a remote start! If you find one I want to tell my husband to buy it for me too!

 

Aftermarket HID headlight kits can be disastrously glaring to oncoming drivers – headlight engineering is a very complex science. Best solution, if available, is simply replacing the bulbs with brighter aftermarket ones such as Silverstars. Be aware, though, that you trade longevity for brightness.

 

If you don't have leather seats Clazzio makes leather interior seat covers that when installed look OEM. You don't need to tear the seat apart either. Clazzio also has heated seat pads to install with their leather seats. If you have more questions you can always ask me. Shoot me a PM.

 

Search H9 bulb conversion on here. Super easy to do, $10/ bulb on amazon and far brighter then stock. I had hid’s and didn’t like them as much. Hot spots, glare all over the place etc.

 

I'd suggest she consider shopping for a replacement car with everything she wants already on board. A Prius 5 would satisfy her wish list.

 

I have a viper two way remote start, it has a 1000ft range,I had that installed by the store I bought it from, forget the one from Toyota it has maybe a 50 ft range. Also I have HID bulbs, very easy to install, I got them from "the retrofit source", just google it to find. I'm thinking with the remote start maybe you could pass on the heated seats

 

No just Leather and PVC.

 

3- Not Very Helpful Suggestions.
If it was me? Of those 3 things, the one I would prioritize would be the brightness of the headlights. Driving visibility is a safety concern, if she's not happy with the headlights as is...that's what I'd want to improve first.
I don't know if it has to be as complicated as HID or LED replacement, there are aftermarket halogen bulbs that are suppose to significantly improve visibility. This could be Stocking Stuffer not a main present. But if you want to go HID, or LED...then I leave it to other members with their recommendations.

My second probably as useless suggestion?
It's been so many years that I can't even remember how or where I got it. But I have a portable 2 piece..back and seat bottom cushion, that plugs into the AC outlet and not only heats up, but also has a massage function, which I don't use in the car. BUT..
I love it.
Because I really don't want heated seats year round. I like that I can remove it, and use it in the home or office. And for the 2 or so months in the depth of winter? It's really nice in the automobile.
But I couldn't even give you a link to it...as this is something I bought about 10+ years ago. I think it's a Homedics product but could be wrong.
Plus I get the feeling you want to go more upscale with your gift.

To round out my not very helpful non-suggestions.
Remote Start?
I have no idea. Never wanted it. Consider a vehicle that starts remotely as being influenced by the devil. If I want my vehicle to go all "Christine" on me I'll ask Stephen King.
But again, if you want it? I'll leave it to others with the actual experience.

 

The easiest upgrade to dim headlights is polishing the headlight housings. I have a 2010 II with +140,000 miles and they were VERY frosted. Had this done while it was in the Body Shop for unrelated repairs and there was a big difference.

 

Sell the Prius and buy her a Mercedes if that’s all she has to complain about. Odds are she will find something to nitpick there too. Heated seats and remote starts are overrated.

 

If you don't mind... what's the price for the remote start? And who's the seller/installer?

 

The Toyota dealer in Keene NH tries to talk buyers out of leather heated seats so “they” can install their own aftermarket version and they offer remote starting also, I bought my car elsewhere

I’m suggesting, check your local dealer.