Auto door lock and a 12v solar modifier? DIdn't really follow the description of the one too well... But either way... WOOHOO!
I've been wondering about this. My old Mitsubishi Galant had the autolocking feature. Most of the time, I just open the driver side door, but I am still curious about this mod. How "safe" is it, and would it void my warranty?
The safety just comes in the form of never having your doors accidently unlocked, in the event that somone tries to carjack you.
anyone buy the auto doorlock gizmo they sell? was it hard to install? where is it installed (inside dashboard wiring or engine compardment)? this is a great feature!
Fear of affecting the car's warranty and of installing something incorrectly that may fry your batteries seems to be the main factors keeping more Prius owners from installing these accessories. According to several posters, the Coastal Tech EV switch works well, but the installation is somewhat complicated due to the many wires and the little space available between them.
This is why I'm still interested in having Coastal do the mods for me, when I can get there to have it/them done. Of course, that'll be when the best MP3 or AUX solution I can afford is offered too...
Ok guys, somebody spell this out for me b/c I'm just not seeing it. Under the outlet mod description it talks about the ability to plug in a solar trickle charger for purposes of maintaining the battery and also the option of using one of those little emergency jumper batteries through that outlet. But I still can't find any wording about a 12v solar modifier anywhere. Where and what is the phrase that's causing confusion. FWIW, I have a solar charger for my 12v attached directly to the battery (I just plug in the panel when needed).
I just ordered both of the new items. I can't help it. If there's a new toy for this, I have to have it. I'll let you know how it works out.
Probably. In reality, it is a mod to allow the outlet to be 'hot' even when the car is not on, acc or otherwise. You could plug in any 12V appliance. The solar panel concept may have came about from the early discussions of how to keep the 12V charged when the car is sitting for several weeks. Someone suggested using a solar panel with a cigarette lighter plug, but that was a no go since the outlet isn't hot.
I'm likely to get the 12V kit and try to do it myself. It seems simple enough. That jumper I bought would work if the outlet was hot 24/7...
Goodness folks, Dave detailed exactly how to do this mod....you can go to Radio Shack and buy the parts to do this yourself for $2...you don't need his kit at all. I haven't decided if I'm going to do that mod...I mostly want it for charging my cell phone when I'm not in the car, but I tend to use that plug for my radar detector and I don't want it on all the time draining the little 12v. And yes, exactly what he means is that you can plug a solar panel into the 'hot' plug to keep the 12v battery trickle charged. There is no 12v "mod" of any kind mentioned or alluded to.
Funny thing is, I honestly don't think he feels that way. He didn't have to publish the information on how to do it right there on his web site, the same page he 'advertises' the modification on. He could have just listed the product description and price. I know Dave, met him once and have an online relationship with him and his wife Kelley. The Prius is a small offshoot of their main business and income generating source. The Prius is a passion and he's able to provide some products as a service to the Prius community, but he doesn't generate significant income from it. Sure, you can buy from him and he'll gladly take your money, but I don't think he'd feel the least bit slighted if you didn't. --evan
Power Outlet Mod - CoastalEtech http://www.coastaletech.com/power_outlet_mod.htm We got it, talked dealer into installing it (just one cable with a jumper clip at both ends) - since we are all left feet for installing electrical stuff(me). Works great for keeping the cell phone charging, when the car is off. Dave includes directions of what to hook to what which is worth the $10, especially for something that was a pain for us (no cell charging if car is turned off).
