Just bought a 2008 Prius Touring, white with tan leather, navigation, bluetooth, backup camera. Have put about 20 miles on it so far I have been researching Prii for about 2 months now and I think I have a good one. It has 136,000 miles on it and I'm considering going ahead and buying one of the Prolong battery charging systems just to make sure the battery is in tip top shape. I do have a couple questions... in the middle of the lower dash there's a small box and it says SmartCard (with a Mute button, Alert, On lights)... any ideas what that is ? I was thinking it might be related to the smart key, but that doesn't seem right.... The other thing, there's a CAT3 cable hanging down from the top, where the roof meets the windshield and there's some sticky stuff on the window from where something was probably hanging....what the heck could that have been ? I bought it from a dealership and they didn't know.... figured I would see if the gurus here might know
Welcome to PriusChat, and congratulations on your acquisition. You've come to the right place to learn all you're ever likely to need to know about your Prius, and I'm sure you'll enjoy your Prius as much as I enjoy my 2009 Gen II (Touring). A Prolong Grid-Charging System is a very wise investment, and is great insurance for getting the best life out of the TractionBattery. There are lots of other tips and tricks to be learned here in PriusChat, but be warned, PriusChat can be addictive! PS: The 16" alloy rims on the touring model look much nicer (IMNSHO) sans wheel-trims, so get those wheels nekkid!!!
Congratulations. We love our similarly equipped 2008 Touring. To answer you wiring and "smartcard" questions, those would be from a radar detector. ESCORT Beltronics SmartCord Radar Detector Coil Cable Smart Cord Combo BLUE LED
Thanks srellim234, you are exactly correct...they appear to be left from a radar detector setup. I'll probably look at re-purposing the power cable for a dashcam instead
Ooooo! A Touring When, not if, our '05 needs new struts I will get the assemblies for the Touring, that should greatly improve the ride quality.
