Hi my name is Kaye and I live in Tucson, Az. I am the proud new owner of a "07" Prius. I haven't had alot of time to drive it, but am looking forward to learning all about it. I will enjoy learning from all of you. As you will notice I am disabled and have a Service Dog named Lola. So of course she went with me to shop for this car. Afterall if she isn't comfortable I'm not either.She seems to like it. Unfortunately with the large BLACK dash it gets pretty hot in the car and the air conditioner seems to take a long time to c ool the car. So the first thing I did was order a dash mat (light color) and a windsheild screen. Also a set of clear floor mats. I can't seem to keep the light colored interior clean. Looking forward to learning all about this car, so you all just keep posting.
Hi Kaye, welcome to PC! I went to U of A from 2000-2003. Are you a student also? Enjoy your car and say Hi to Lola from me.
Hi again, Kaye. I think I replied to your first post. Welcome! One thing you may want to consider is tinting for your windows there in the AZ sun. The Prius has special low-e glass, made with lots of iron, so it helps some, but the big windshield and back hatch glass make it a greenhouse. Standard procedure for getting into a hot car is to open the windows and drive a bit to blow out the air that's hotter than outside. The Prius has a great air conditioning system, which is a lot more than air cooling. Also, since the high-voltage battery is cooled from cabin air, if you are comfortable, so will be the battery. It is a false economy to not use the AC when it's hot since a hot battery is less efficient and your MPG will be lower. Put the system on automatic with the cabin temp where you are comfortable and leave it there. Another nice feature of the Prius air conditioning system is that it is all electric. When the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) stops running, the AC keeps running. You've made a great car choice for both you and Lola!
Welcome to PC, Kaye. For your interior, you might consider some add-on seat covers. I would find some that can be removed fairly easily and machine washed. Do some searching here and you will find a number of brands that others have used that might do the trick. I have the Exact Fit covers described here. As you read the thread you will see some of us had some installation problems that I attributed to a minor factory defect. An effective workaround is also described. Of course I understand that, depending on your disability, repeatedly removing, washing, and replacing seat covers may not be an option.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Mar 18 2007, 12:46 AM) [snapback]407740[/snapback]</div> Funny you should say that. I live in Arizona and am alergic to the sun. GO FIGURE! So I put the tinting in with the deal. I have as dark as I can have and even the windsheild is tinted. So I am covered there but I can't wait till I get my sunsheild and dashmat. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Mar 18 2007, 12:46 AM) [snapback]407740[/snapback]</div> Funny you should say that. I live in Arizona and am alergic to the sun. GO FIGURE! So I put the tinting in with the deal. I have as dark as I can have and even the windsheild is tinted. So I am covered there but I can't wait till I get my sunsheild and dashmat. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Mar 18 2007, 12:46 AM) [snapback]407740[/snapback]</div> Funny you should say that. I live in Arizona and am alergic to the sun. GO FIGURE! So I put the tinting in with the deal. I have as dark as I can have and even the windsheild is tinted. So I am covered there but I can't wait till I get my sunsheild and dashmat.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Michgal007 @ Mar 17 2007, 11:46 PM) [snapback]407723[/snapback]</div> No I originally came from Indiana (GO HOOSIERS!) I am an old married lady. LOL
