OK so I have a 2004 Toyota Prius which I have had NO problems with since I got it in January of 2011 with 98k miles. It now has 135K miles on it and still drives and runs great. I did replace the 12v battery in October with a Optima Yellow Top Battery which is SO much better than the OEM it's not even funny. I recently paid the car off and considered getting a 2013 Prius C in Habanero (LOVE THE COLOR) but decided to give my 04 another chance. Want to save money and drive it for a few years longer. Here's what I'm looking to do: 1. Install some sort of Bluetooth for my iPhone and hands free calling. I have no idea what head units work with the Prius/ work best but if I could get a head unit with GPS built in, that would be awesome (my Prius in the base model). This is an absolutely REQUIREMENT if I'm staying in my 04 Prius. If I can't get a GPS head unit.. can I modify the current base model screen to have GPS in it? 2. Headlights.. this is a major issue. My lighting at night is so weak and pathetic I sometimes fear my safety. I don't know if I can install HID, if I need a better bulb.. Please lead me where I need to go to get this issue addressed if you would! 3. Exterior- I LOVE the color orange. I would be so happy to get my Prius painted orange (It's currently white which is okay but I'm an orange fanatic really!) Can it be done without paying $2000+? 4. Performance- I see that you can buy better spark plugs that improve the performance? of the car. Does this make it accelerate faster? Improve MPG? Are the spark plugs all they are cracked up to be? I would consider the change if they really change the performance of the car. 5. Seats- I am considering getting the front seats replaced if the cost is right. I am 6'6 210 lbs so I have very long legs and can only go 2.5-3 hours in the car before I have to get out and stretch. It's miserable... and yes they aren't very comfortable at all. How hard is it to extend the length of the track/replace the seats with something that will give me more leg room? Any other things you can recommend for my Prius.. oh yeah, that brace that goes underneath. I want to replace that as well.. however where can I get it cheaper than $59? That's the price it's listed on ebay as now. Thanks for all your help guys.. I'm hoping this makes my Prius feel less like a daily driver and more like a car I've always WANTED to have. I want to get the car feeling almost as up to date as the new Prius C! BTW, I am looking to do all these modifications at a very inexpensive hit to the wallet. I just got my tax return. Thanks again.
Headlight? - do not change them to HID - you will just blind the oncoming cars. Perhaps you need to polish the plastic? Mid brace? $59 is a great price. They used to be $99. I have one on my 2008. Spark plugs? no magic plugs for high performance exist. Seats? they once made seat rail extender kits. But, the Gen II is out of production now. The time to buy was 5 years ago.
Lets see if I can help: 1. This a really good thread on address the BT/Nav Issue. Doesn't specifically address your problem but, you can glean info off of it to help you. Else, Best Buy can hook you up. Crutchfield might help as well. Do you have JBL or standard stereo? How about a cassette player? There are really numerous aftermarket BT adapters you can get. Here's an example. Stealth install an aftermarket stereo in Prius | PriusChat 2. Try Sylvania bulbs other than that, not much you can do. I do not recommend installing HID but, they are much brighter 3. A decent paint job will cost in excess of $2k. An excellent paint job will cost more likely $5k+. The best paint job your car will EVER have is the one that came with it. Incidentally, white paint lasts the longest and hides imperfections the best. You have the best paint job a Prius can get (even if you don't like it). 4. There is no real way to improve performance or mpg on the Prius b/c it is too tightly controlled by several ECU's. The ECU's will try to correct any mods you do and you'll end up spending a lot of money to get no improvement or the car will lose performance trying to undo the mod you did. 5. Does this help?
5. Seat Extension Brackets for 2004-2009 Toyota Prius - PriusChat Shop g7 plate prius in eBay Motors | eBay
I'm currently looking at In-dash GPS Head Units for my Prius. There's a Kenwood Excelon I have my eye on. Thoughts on those? I pretty much want to feel like I'm in a newer car with all the technology without a $400 a month payment. I think the seat extender is nice but I'm having a hard time paying $200 for two pieces of metal...
install a 2 din head unit in place of the crap oe radio. the ones with gps aren't cheap but it'll have all the features you need and sound better too. you can install some driving lights to replace the fog lights. the bumper has mounts even if you don't have the fog lights. rather than spend thousands on a paint job you could get some graphics or stripes to spiff it up a bit. there really is nothing you can do for performance improvements for any reasonable amount of money. and spark plugs have been tested by every car and motorcycle magazine on the planet and none make any more power. fabricate your own seat extenders. $200 is absurd. never mind the brace. buy some better sway bars. you will love the handling improvement. everyone who has upgraded their sway bars has agreed it is a fantastic mod.
