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Need urgent help from those with leather seats

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by toyolover, Dec 5, 2009.

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  1. toyolover

    toyolover Member

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    To all Prius friends, especially those in Canada - I need your urgent input regarding heated leather seats:

    My dealer failed to deliver the heated leather seats option on my 2010 Prius. I had no choice but to accept the fabric seats on the delivery date (because I have to have a car) a week ago. The dealer says all Canadian Prius with leather seats are installed at the Vancouver "Toyota Authorized Installer" after the cars are off the ship from Japan. They blame Toyota Canada for makin the mistake of not having the leather seats installed before shipping it to them in Toronto. As a result, they have to order the "leather kit", including the heating elements from Vancouver and have another "Toyota certified" shop to install it. Now that the kit arrived and they are telling me that the on/off switch will not be under the center console. Below is what they told me in their email today:

    I remembered you said you like the under console one but the under center console one available at Japan manufactory install only.
    The entire port install come with the seat mounted switches!!
    I talked to our Toyota assigned certify leather seat install company and they said if you don’t like the seat mounted one they have another set of switches for you to choose and the switches can install under the centre console.

    I think they are offering me the "after-market" solution instead of the factory original and I think "after-market" depreciates my car at the end and there is also a safety concern because of the intergrated airbag design. The demo with leather seats I tested belongs to the Sales Manager and it has the on/off switch under the center console. If what he says is right, how did this one get installed???

    For those Prius friends here who purchased the original leather seats option, can you please tell me if you all have the on/off switch under the center console, on the side or somewhere else. Do you think what they are offering is the "After-market"? Should I take this and get it over with?

    I am so disappointed with this dealer who claims to be owned and operated by Toyota Canada and biggest in town.:mad:

    Your help would be very much appreciated.
     
    #1 toyolover, Dec 5, 2009
    mollymudpie likes this.
  2. Sandollars

    Sandollars Prius Maven

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    Mine are under the center console. That would be the only place the factory installed them. Anything else would be considered aftermarket.
     
    #2 Sandollars, Dec 5, 2009
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  3. tharvey

    tharvey New Member

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    I am in vancouver and my switches are in the lower center console.

    Now having worked by the Annacis Island Terminal where the boats arrive I do personally know that some modifications are done at this location.

    The reason for this is to give the car a partial made in Canada for tax importation reasons.

    I do know that the Captain wheel plant is close by in Tilbury and that Toyota vehicles arrive with steel wheels and are switched at this facility for mag wheel produced at the Captain wheel plant in Tilbury.

    As for being after market it is possible that the leather package comes with various heater switches for different markets.

    I personally hate the present location and would prefer a different location for the switch and this might be why they are offering the on seat switch as the center console is extremely hard to get at while driving.

    Dealer might be trying to pull one on you, or you might have the most updated option, based on consumer complaints, as I did mention this in my customer survey along with other items.

    My seats are leather well stitched and perforated centers

    Hopes this helps you out a bit

    Tim from white rock
     
    #3 tharvey, Dec 6, 2009
    1 person likes this.
  4. Benggolf

    Benggolf Member

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    My car came with the Technology Package and leather seats are standard. The on-off switches for these heated seats are under the
    center console. I believe the leather seats came with the car from Japan and are not installed/retro-fitted at Annacis Island.
     
    #4 Benggolf, Dec 6, 2009
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  5. hsiaolc

    hsiaolc New Member

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    All leather seats are installed by others and not in Japan.
    The switches I don't know.
     
    #5 hsiaolc, Dec 6, 2009
    1 person likes this.
  6. Owentdc

    Owentdc Junior Member

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    As you know, I went with the leather heated seat option on my base Prius. After the dealer located my car with cloth seats, it was sent to an installer in Mississauga using the factory "kit" and they're GREAT!
    The switch is CONVENIENTLY located on each seat and is TWO POSITION; high and low.
    Leather was also installed on the back seats and on a small panel on each door but not the centre console/armrest.
    Are these seats considered aftermarket? Sure, I guess so, I do not know? I'll post up some pics if you want.
     
    #6 Owentdc, Dec 6, 2009
  7. Airbalancer

    Airbalancer Active Member

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    All the cars I have seen with a leather package as a stand alone option have the hi/low switch on the seat
     
    #7 Airbalancer, Dec 6, 2009
  8. Benggolf

    Benggolf Member

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    I believe Tideland Prius has explained this in a previous post. Let me see if I can find it.

    Ahh, here it is. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii-2010-prius-main-forum/72280-your-leather-seats-wrinkled.html (Post #27)

    Technology Package have factory-installed leather seats. BTW, the center seat surface are not perforated. :)

    Perhaps the perforated ones are those installed at port.
     
    #8 Benggolf, Dec 6, 2009
  9. toyolover

    toyolover Member

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    Thanks for your valuable information.
     
    #9 toyolover, Dec 6, 2009
  10. toyolover

    toyolover Member

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    My original purchase plan was the Base and have aftermarket installer install the heating elements on the seats. However, it is hard to find these installers who I feel comfortable working on a hybrid (fearing a mistake will void the warranty.) It will be nice if you can post pictures of the leather and the location of the switch for all to see. Thanks.
     
    #10 toyolover, Dec 6, 2009
  11. toyolover

    toyolover Member

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    Thanks for posting the thread above. Tideland Prius seems to have some kind of inside knowledge on where and how Toyota Canada install the leather seats for Prius. Tharvey in BC also seems to have exclusive knowledge in this subject too. THANKS TO ALL PRIUS FRIENDS HERE. :rockon:
     
    #11 toyolover, Dec 6, 2009
  12. Owentdc

    Owentdc Junior Member

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    I'm confused. Is it not the dealer's responsibility to have a business lined up to do the work or do it in-house?
     
    #12 Owentdc, Dec 6, 2009
  13. freight48

    freight48 New Member

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    I'm looking into getting a 2010 Prius in the near future. Being that you are from Toronto, which dealer did you go to? I would like to make sure my order is sorted properly.
    Thank you.
     
    #13 freight48, Dec 6, 2009
  14. Owentdc

    Owentdc Junior Member

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    Here you go!
     

    Attached Files:

    #14 Owentdc, Dec 6, 2009
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  15. Benggolf

    Benggolf Member

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    Freight48 being located in Canada, I think you need to order a Technology Package with your 2010 to get a factory-installed leather seats.

    If you order any other package, the leather seats will be port-installed. Hopes this helps.
     
    #15 Benggolf, Dec 6, 2009
  16. toyolover

    toyolover Member

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    The dealer I purchased my Prius from didn't seem interest in offering me any aftermarket seat installer service as they fear may void the factory warranty. They said they don't do the seat service in house neither. That's also the reason I paid for the "Factory Option" of their leather seat. Looks like they are offering the aftermarket service to me now because of their own mistake in messing up my original order.
     
    #16 toyolover, Dec 6, 2009
  17. toyolover

    toyolover Member

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    Don't know if the rule in this forum allows the posting of the dealer's name. Try google it "dvnlt". That's the one I got mine from. My advice is to see the actual car is possible before you place your offer for it. In that case, there won't be any surprise.
     
    #17 toyolover, Dec 6, 2009
  18. hsiaolc

    hsiaolc New Member

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    Leather seats are not FACTORY Installed!!! Every dealer has their own leather seat installer!!! A lot of accessories are not FACTORY installed either but installed inhouse! My friend is a head mechanic at one of the Toyota dealer here and he installs accessories for new cars! Want DAB? Inhouse installation. Want Chrome Trims? Inhouse.
    As for leather seats it goes somewhere to get it installed and then comes back to the dealer.

    Things that are installed in factory are things such as the SUN ROOF and PAINT and SATNAV. OH btw the way when they install DAB radio and etc they strip the whole dash and the doors. You wouldn't believe it is a new car if you see what they do to it to install it for you. I've seen it.

    Oh I have parking sensor done (Toyota Prius Parking Sensor) and I did that myself with the help of my mechanic and thats INHOUSE too.

    So stop talking port installation for the leather seats!
     
    #18 hsiaolc, Dec 6, 2009
  19. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    #19 wvgasguy, Dec 6, 2009
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  20. wvgasguy

    wvgasguy New Member

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    #20 wvgasguy, Dec 6, 2009
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