I got my 06 Prius Pkg #7 a month ago and one of the things the salesman went into was the fact that I could watch DVDs on the MFD if I got the Nav system option (not with any other options, just "with the nav system"). He went into incredible detail about how it worked, all the details on what happens if you put it into D while the DVD is playing, etc. It's not like he just mentioned it in passing, he really did spend a few minutes describing it. I haven't had any need to watch a DVD on the MFD (especially since he described how the screen would shut off if you put it in gear, etc) so the other day I decided to try it out. Not thinking it would go into the CD player I tried both the DVD drive where the nav DVD and no luck. Same with the CD player. Nor can I find any information about this in the manual, which leads me to believe he was lying to me. Now, since he was dealing with someone who came in and said they wanted to order a Prius, I can't really fathom trying so hard to sell a car when I clearly indicated I was already planning on committing. Perhaps he misquoted a headrest LCD feature (which isn't factory-installed anyway so why bring it up?). This guy also seemed like he never sold cars, mostly because he has poor people skills and poor command of the English language, so another reason why I think he may not be lying but instead misquoting. Again, I need to stress the amount of detail he went into describing this "feature". And because of his lack of Enlgish ability, he explained every feature of the car at least three times to make sure I understood what he was saying. So to sum up, this feature really does not exist right? Not on the '05 and earlier and not on the '06?
That is correct. You cannot watch movies with the MFD without some type of modification. Coastal Tech sells a device that will add 2 video and 2 audio inputs to the MFD. They (Toyota) did this because of the laws. You are not suppose to have any video device within eye sight of the driver (except GPS). It is bad enough we have drivers on cell phones let alone watching movies.
As I said, he went into detail describing how the screen would shut off when the car was in gear. And I know about the mods (and the laws involving video visible to the driver), I'm just validating whether my salesman was on crack or not.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Adam Sills @ Jun 25 2006, 07:24 PM) [snapback]276729[/snapback]</div> He was not on crack, he just understands that his comission is increased if he sells you a higher package.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Adam Sills @ Jun 25 2006, 10:24 PM) [snapback]276729[/snapback]</div> He may not have been on crack. However, with his pants on fire, his crack may have become visible.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(seasalsa @ Jun 26 2006, 07:47 AM) [snapback]276763[/snapback]</div> Which leads me even more to believe he was either pretty dumb or just a really bad salesman. I literally said "I want to order a Prius with a nav system". To then try and upsell to a nav system package seems a little odd. Or perhaps he was trying to make me feel good about my purchase, which would make him an even worse salesman, because he could barely speak English and repeating the same sentence three times in a row kind of ruins the message.
Oh, here's a thought!! Buy the car just as you were going to and then, the next day, bring it in and tell them that they ripped you off! Get all hot and bothered because the saleman sold you a car which he said emphatically will play DVDs through the MFD. Insist that they either lower the cost of your car or install the feature. Don't forget to take pictures of the looks on their faces.
Salesmen do weird things. I remember a car buying experience where I wanted a white car. I had done the research that the option package I wanted (Civic Si) was not available in white. But the salesguy insisted that I could order it in white. Even after we tried to place the order and found it not orderable, he still wouldn't admit that he made a mistake. I think among car salesmen there is a culture of lying, where it's simply more effective for them to tell you what you want to hear than to tell the truth. They don't really even feel like they are lying, just "doing their job". This salesguy probably remembered some other vehicle that had DVD playback, and when he saw "DVD Nav" listed on the Prius equipment list, just lept to the conclusion that it was the same. A normal person might have doubts and double checked since they hadn't seen DVD playback on the Prius, but for a salesguy if it might sell cars there's no reason to verify.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tmorrowus @ Jun 26 2006, 12:13 PM) [snapback]276865[/snapback]</div> That's a good thought, I'd bet that's closest to the truth. I had done my own homework on the Prius and what it offered and I was really surprised when he told me about it playing DVDs on the MFD and didn't really believe him anyway. The good news is that I wouldn't have ever wanted to sit in an unmoving car and watch a DVD anyway, so even if it could, I wouldn't want to.
Yeah, it depends on the salesperson and their knowledge. In 2004 I saw my first Prius at an Energy Show. The rep said that the next year would have a DVD player. Obviously he was thinking of the NAV system.
He probably got fired form the Lexus shop, so he's mouthing off on you thinking you're trying to buy an IS. The IS will let you watch a DVD movie if your parking brake is enganged. I'd follow Tony/s advice. buy the car and then complain like crazy when you "find out" it does not play DVD. Tell them to get the one they have on the IS and put it in your Prius. (most Toyota dealers own a Lexus dealership).
My wife's RX330 with RES(Rear Entertainment System) will display the DVD video on both the rear and FRONT MFD. So, theoretically it can be done, but you will have to have a source and probably a mod to accept the video input.
Well it might be done if you really want it! So far it can be done on the 04-05's and I would guess that the technology will move on to the 06 but not just now. Remember the car is a computer network and all a few geeks need it time to crack the possibilities.
