Stupid Mistakes

I almost de-badged it because I do like the way it looks, plus it would make it more symmetric.
But I'm glad I didn't.


Oh.... def. be careful when parallel parking!! Those wheel covers scratch very easily!

 

The front of the car is pretty low. Watch out when entering a parking space that has a curb or concrete block limiting your forward travel into the space. It is easy to scrape the bottom of the front bumper cover, scratching the paint finish.

 

Shifting into "B" when slowing down, thinking it would more quickly recharge the battery.

Believing Toyota's recommended tire pressure.

PA P

 

One thing the 'B' is good for is slowing down if you see a cop.

I usually don't go more than 8-9 mph over the limit anyway, but if i see a cop the 2 things I immediately do are cancel the cruise control & shift to 'B'.
This way I slow down without braking.

 

My stupid thing was agreeing to help a friend move a large plasma TV and ended up scratching my rear bumper when he rested with his end down. I still haven't fixed this.

 

my mistake... well, not pulling up another inch (actually didnt need nowhere near an inch!!) when closing the garage door. the edge of the door caught the edge of the back bumper, putting a pretty impressive scratch on it.

oh well. i live with it. not planning on getting rid of it anytime soon anyhow.

 

Put a bicycle in the back before I got a bumper guard. Several gouges.

Put a bicycle in the back after I got a bumper guard. Several gouges.

Sprayed DEET on mosquito netting on the windows. It reacts with the plastic on the window frame, the dashboard, and the steering wheel.

Waited 3000 miles to upgrade the tires.

Hit a snow/ice bank and cracked the lower bumper.

Used steel wool to remove a stubborn bit of stuff from the windshield and scratched it.

Debadged the side hybrid signs. If I had done it right, I could have covered the holes up with graphics. I am still trying to get the fill and paint right.

Its a wonder this car is fit to display at car shows.

 

Or worse, separate the splashguard from the front lower bumper like this:

 

It's also a good idea to figure out the reverse camera.

Get to know how far you really are from the car behind you by how it looks on the screen.
Def. takes a few times of checking the actual distance vs. what the camera shows.

 

the back up camera does take a bit of getting used to it. but it actually shows a top down view. this allows you to inch up within a very short distance because when an object edge gets close enough it goes from a front on view to top down view making it easier to see close you really are

 

Well, I only have 400 miles on my new one--but I was stupid not to take a tire-pressure guage with me when I picked it up. Drove 80 miles home, getting 40 mpg (according to dash meter)--disappointed somewhat, but assumed it was just new-car mileage. Checked pressure at home--about 30 psi in each. Reset at 42/40 per recs here. Now averaging 53 mpg--driving only out of Manhattan, NYC-area parkways, upstate rural roads, back into NY-- somewhere on these forums is a list of what to check when taking delivery--can't find it now, but it was a good list. Anyway, take a guage! (Frankly, I'm not sure some car dealers could even find the valve stems.)

 

The second day I had Fiona I shifted into D instead of R by mistake & tried to back out of a parking place. Another good reason NOT to disable that annoying back-up beep! (No harm done, fortunately - just scared myself)

 

On my first two days with the car I tried to use the battery too much by getting up to speed too slow if no one was behind me.

 

I don't know if I'd call this a mistake, really. What happened?

 

Guess I was too excited when we took delivery and missed the part about pushing on the brake pedal before pushing the Power button. First time I got in it to go somewhere I couldn't go -- my wife still reminds me of this one.

 

The second time I did an oil change, I drove the Prius off the end of the ramps. That was fun getting it off. It also left big dents in the bottom of the car. I hope no structural damage was done.

 

Having owned my Prius for less than one month at the time: Had a tall filing cabinet on a hand truck in the garage, moving it down the half-stairs to go into the basement. It fell off the side of the hand truck ... right into the side of the Prius, above the left front wheel. Nice big dent. Stupid not to have simply moved the car out of the garage first before moving large objects near it. Anyway I cussed myself out for a short while and then pushed and pulled and yanked at it and eventually that panel kind of snapped back into place ... mostly. I can still see a small dent, but I don't know if anyone else would notice it without knowing to look for it. Oh, loading that filing cabinet into the car in the first place I scratched the paint on the rear bumper. That rear bumper applique the dealer had installed really didn't help in this case.