Alterative Fuel Fair in Lacy

My nose will be there. Looking forward to seeing all the mods and meeting the other owners.

 

I have my hotel reservation now. I'll stay in Bellevue, which should be an easy freeway shot from home, and a compromise for travel to Lacy on the 6th and the circus on the 7th.

So you can count me as a definite for Lacy. The only mod I have is the "invisible" Costal Tech EV switch. Still not sure if I'll attempt the CANview installation myself, or wait and ask someone to do it for me at Lacy. But I have the CANview itself in hand.

 

Actually, I thought of that. It'll depend on: If I decide to wait that long rather than attempt it myself, and if Frank or someone else wants to do it.

 

By the term "Prius Master Tech," do you mean that Mike is a Toyota Certified Prius mechanic? Would you want to find out if he'd be interested? If someone truly qualified (not merely a do-it-yourselfer) is interested, I would make a definite decision. (Possibly ??? including the back-up camera.) Find out how much he'd want to do the job also, as I would not dream of asking someone to do it for nothing. (And what would be involved in installing the camera? How much dismantling, and how much time?) (I don't have the camera, but I'd seriously consider getting it.)

 

yes mike is a certified Prius mechanic and works at Toyota of Olympia

 

The camera will not work with the version 1 of CAN-view as far as I know. But check with Norm to be sure.

 

I have the version 2 of the CANview. I got the v2 so as to have the option of the back-up camera, although I don't yet have the camera.

I will write to Norm and ask him specifically what I need to connect a camera, and which he recommends.

 

sorry I thought that you had a Ver.1 yup backup camera will work with a 2

 

Norm says the camera requires a $100 converter from England, and the cameras range from $50 to $500. I don't know if those figures are CAD or USD.

Anybody got recommendations for cameras, and what the difference is between the cheap ones and the expensive ones? At $600 I think I'd pass. If the image is really poor on the cheap camera, I think I'd pass. In between, I'd have to think it over. My sister's Lexus has a back-up camera, and it's kind of cool, but definitely a frill, not a necessaity. And presumably (especially in winter) it would be useless unless the lens is kept clean.

 

Okay. So it looks like a total price around $500 if I get the Coastal camera kit and the U.K. converter. Although I could afford it, at that price I have to decide if I want it. What's your feeling about it? Do you like it? Is it worth the price? Is it a really useful feature, or a frill? A techno-geek gadget or a valuable addition to the car?

My own personal additional consideration is that I expect to trade in my car when the next major model revision comes out, and I'm guessing I would not get more for the car with the backup camera. After-market mods usually don't increase the value of a car unless you get lucky enough to find someone who really wants that feature, and trusts the particular installation. This, of course, is a decision I have to make for myself, but I'd be very interested in your subjective feelings/opinions about yours.

 

Hmmm. I've never backed into anything. For me, the main thing would be when parallel parking in a very tight spot, I could come closer than I'd otherwise dare. But in that situation, I'd want a front camera as well. ... And curb feelers while we're at it! My step-father's oldsmobile had curb feelers. That would have been early 1950's. I thought "oldsmobile" just meant any old car. He let me steer it once. I think he must have been drunk. I certainly steered it as though I was. I would have been 4 or 5.

 

I'd like to go this Lacey Fair. If my kitchen cabinets project isn't at a critical point, I'll try to make it. Road trip, road trip!

 

the more the merrier, if there is enough of us Prius owners there we might be able to push the military display out of the prominent location.

 

I guess I'm not getting the backup camera. I could afford it, but I don't need it.

I'm also not going to attempt the CANview installation on my own. Which means I definitely want someone to do it for me at Lacy. I'll pay a reasonable amount for the job. Frank? Mike?

Norm says he cannot go to Lacy.