I'm getting very tired of the following comments I get now throughout the week: "Is you car ok...is it part of the recall?" "Have you had accelerator problems?" "How much value has your car lost you think?" and today as soon as I walk into work "A lady in NY with a Prius just hit a wall and Toyota thinks its real"....I ask, "What year is it?" .."It's an 08" Arghhhhh! People are mixing up stories now. I'm getting tired of the folks who believe everything the press says. Even total strangers ask me odd questions now. Anyone else getting nailed with questions like this? I hope it subsides quickly.
I get the usual "surpised you got it to stop" comments now. I just tell them it adds to the excitement of driving.
That's why Prius brake components usually last 100k miles. Unless you really want to destroy them and try hard enough. A few people have asked me about the recalls, I just tell them I'm not at all worried, I figure I have a better chance winning a million $ in the lottery than having my Prius get a mind of its own. Although it IS very smart. And I read the manual unlike 95% of car owners so I know how the controls work. Feel sorry for the guy who rented the Lexus though, he probably had never seen a push button ignition before.
I have been asked questions like those above. My response has been that in an earlier life I used to work as an electronics technician. One of the techniques to ascertain the faulty component was to swap cards until you got it to work. Given the fact that the issue only seems to have hit the USA, it seems obvious that the only component that differs between the US of A and everywhere else is the nut behind the wheel. I generally follow that up with the thought that it is probably cheaper for Toyota to do a recall than attempt to teach 100 million Americans how to drive. Cheers Warwick
lol, so very very true. As many are saying, it is the dreaded PEBSWAC error (Problem Exists Between Steering Wheel And Chair).
Yes, I have been ask already if I had problems with my car. I just tell them, I am not having any problems
I have been asked a couple questions. i point out that in 10 years, 300,000 people have died in auto accident. AT MOST 30 have died of accelerator problems. I am 10,000 times more likely to die of someone's driver error (including mine), than I am of SUA.
I would give them a smug answer. Such as when passing a gas station my prius wont stop and drives right by.
No problems an don't expect to have any..... 07 Prius 2yr 9mos. 70k miles. No problems except too quick tire wear. 08 Camry Hybrid, 2yrs 30k miles No problems. I'm happy except for the idiots asking the same old questions.
When the story first hit the press I had a few customers ask me the above sort of questions. 4 weeks on and I don't even get a raised eyebrow when they ask what car it is and I say it's a Toyota. It's soo last weeks news. Yesterday I did have one customer ask if my brakes were ok, and he was serious! He was an American businessman so I guess it's still big news your side of the pond?
New one today. While parked in front of a Trader Joes in Portland an older couple noticed I was looking in my glove box and asked "Are you looking for the brake fuse or something?" He He Haw Haw. One of them commented that he thinks this guy in California (Sykes) is just out for fame and fortune. That was refreshing to hear. I informed him there is nothing wrong with the car and that's he's right about the guy.
I just thank them for being part of the flock that allowed me to get a very good deal on a very nice car and then recommend they get a Pinto. For a fine sense of irony, bozos in Calif are rabid because Toyota is closing the NUMMI plant in Freemont. I hope they do, talk about wanting your cake and eating it too. Wonder if, after all this, it's even still profitable for Toyota to continue doing business in this country. Wouldn't be the first industry the lawyers and their henchmen have driven out.
Aaaahhhh, this thread is EXACTLY why I am back on PriusChat having left for over 14 months. I am SO tired of the comments, the friends who offer to drive and decline to ride with me!!! Thank goodness, we have this place to come (back) to! Friday night dinner with 6 others, and I was asked how is the car, and how many recalls have I hadd on it? Answer: NONE! My car is just fine thanks. THEY WOULDN'T LET IT GO! Grrrrr I am so pleased to read this thread, I feel better already! :rockon:
Nobody's really said anything. No problems except premature tire wear and noisy brake actuator valve replaced on warranty. (Not dangerous;just noisy.)
I tell ya I'm loving the fallout from the Sikes and NY PriusSlam lady incidents. When anyone jokes with me about those stunts and/or the car I just forward them articles with the facts. They usually shut up now. It's interesting to see how the media has dropped stories now. I've got 67K on my car and nothing wrong. In an odd way I hope I can use that extended warranty I bought on something before 100K. Wheel bearing please?