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Bought my prius from Alameda Toyota, not a big fan of them. I'm going to buy the Toyota Auto Care Maintenance Plan from Troy - does anyone know which Dealers in the Bay Area accept those coupons?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ilovemymutts @ May 31 2007, 05:52 PM) [snapback]452955[/snapback]</div>

Congratulations !

 

I got mine 10 days ago and so far am really enjoying the car. Yesterday I got the windows tinted to help preserve the leather and keep the interior cooler. Am looking into the HD Radio & iPod module but I still have questions that so far have not been answered by DICE. I am also looking for a NAV modification that works on DVD v6.1 or conformation that the one Coastal has works on the 2007 since the manual method doesn't work.

 

I got mine 2007 super white Prius with option #2 from Dublin Toyota on 6/22/07. I am waiting for my 3M clear bra kit to arrive so I can put it on and start driving it!!

 

Hola -

I've had Primrose for just under a month and she sure is sweet. She's a cranberry-colored 2005. I don't know what package # but she previous owners chose two-tone leather seats and light wood dashboard...accents? (Don't know how to describe.) She has tinted windows and HOV and I bought her at SF Toyota for what I think was a pretty good price. I used to think Prii were ugly but now I want to hug each one I see!

While it was sad to say goodbye to my 11-year-old Volvo, I actually miss it less than I thought - thanks to Primrose. I especially love gliding in to my garage at night, in serene silence. I literally talk to this car! (OK, I've talked to all my cars. All cars to me have their own personalities and my friends indulge me by letting me name their cars. Maybe I need to get out more.)

Nice to find this community; drive safely; tread lightly; legalize it; and enjoy every day on our beautiful planet.

Best,

Primrose's Driver

 

hi harperlee here. just got my magnetic grey 2007 2 days ago. am nervous and in awe after unloading the jetta wagon. any ideas for side/bumper moldings in the bay area, or if bought online, where to get instalkled in san fran? Thanks

 

hello! Just picked up an 07 Black Prius #6 this evening. Learned a lot from you guys here at PriusChat.com. Great community you got here. Hope to further educate myself from getting the most out of this great car. Just saying hello to the members based in the SF Bay Area.

 

WAVING from Half Moon Bay!

Just got our new Blue Beauty 2007 with package 6. Totally awesome!!!

Now I need to sell my 2003 BMW!

Victoria

 

Hi everyone
I bought my Prius on Easter Sunday. Still hoping for better MPG than current 43. Have about 600 miles on it. Any advice would be great.
Tiffani

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tiffani @ Jul 22 2007, 01:48 PM) [snapback]483247[/snapback]</div>

Hi Tiffani!

Congrats on the new purchase! I would try to stay within 60MPH range when you are driving on freeways and city..stay within 40 MPH range. I had to change my driving style to get the most out of my Prius. Also..inflate tires to 42 PSI in front tires and 40 PSI for rear tires. Pulse and Glide technique will help you to gain more MPG.

Good luck and enjoy the new ride!

- Jason

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(harperlee @ Jul 15 2007, 11:05 AM) [snapback]479084[/snapback]</div>

Hi Harper. It's Boo again.

I'm a big fan of the following 3 items (listed in the order of my rankings of them):

(1) BumperDefender.com's 2" wide, full-width, color-matched, front and rear bumper strips (I used their "Dark Grey", but I understand that they now have a perfect color match to Magnetic Gray called "Flint Mica Grey"). The total all-in costs for the bumper strips will be about $70.

(2) PriusChat Shop's color-keyed body side moldings, which cost $122.

(3) NoBump.com's small, round, front license plate screw bumpers, which cost under $20.

If you want to, you can order the bumper strips and body side moldings online, and have a good body shop in SF put them on (note that a poster in SF named Zang highly recommends Bryant Auto Body in SF --- www.BryantAutoBody.com). Anyone can put on the license plate screw bumpers themselves.

I post only 3 photos below showing how the BumperDefender.com bumper strips, the PriusChat Shop body side moldings, and the NoBump.com license plate screw bumpers look on my Magnetic Gray. You can find more photos and more detailed discussion of the issues by searching the words "bumper guards" or my exact name "Boo".

[IMGLINK]http://priuschat.com/forums/attachments/gen-ii-prius-modifications/4719d1185170324-here-where-buy-side-moldings-bumper-guards-prius___with_bumper_guards___side_moldings_067.jpg[/IMGLINK]

[IMGLINK]http://priuschat.com/forums/attachments/gen-ii-prius-modifications/4718d1185170280-here-where-buy-side-moldings-bumper-guards-prius___with_bumper_guards___side_moldings_052.jpg[/IMGLINK]

[IMGLINK]http://priuschat.com/forums/attachments/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/4720d1185170712-magnetic-gray-club-prius___with_bumper_guards___side_moldings_051.jpg[/IMGLINK]

So, all in all, for about $200 if you install them yourself, or for about $275 (I'm guessing) if you have a body shop install them, you can have all 3 protections and, in my opinion, still look great.

--- Boo

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Boo @ Jul 26 2007, 11:59 AM) [snapback]485511[/snapback]</div>

hey there Mr. Radley,
harperlee here. your car looks so great with moldings bumperguards and those little spool things on the license plate. i'm going for all of them. do you have a dog on your dash? i have 2 english setters, one actually named miss harper lee and the male is "hud" after paul newman. should've named him Jem. just checking.
appreciate the info. our cars may be identical.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(harperlee @ Jul 26 2007, 08:31 PM) [snapback]485813[/snapback]</div>

Hi Harper,

Whoa. You going for all 3? And you have a dog or two? All these similariities and shared desires are reaching critical mass. I wish I had a real dog though, but my evil landlord prohibits pets.

Anyway, back to the topic on hand. Here are some supplementary and repeat thoughts about the bumper strips and the side moldings:

I. BUMPERDEFENDER.COM BUMPER STRIPS:

* They come in different colors. You can get 3 free samples from BumperDefender.com. I put on "Dark Grey" which is a pretty close color match to Magnetic Gray. But after I installed them I understand that they came out with another gray called "Flint Mica Grey" which another PriusChat poster said was a better, almost identical match to Magnetic Gray. You can ask BumperDefender.com for color samples of both. But if I were you, I'd probably just go ahead and order the bumper strips in Flint Mica Grey.

* They also come in 1" or 2" widths. I got the 2" wide size in the following lengths: (i) For the Front - Two 3.5' strips (one for each side of the front license plate). (ii) For the Rear - One 8' strip.

* The total cost, including shipping, should be around $77.50. Then you get a $10 rebate when you email them 2 photos (front and rear) of your installed bumper strips, bringing the final cost to around $67.50.

* In terms of placement/location of the bumper strips:

(i) Rear - I installed the rear bumper strip immediately above/on that crease that runs the length of the rear bumper.

(ii) Front - This is more complicated because there is no similar crease that runs the length of the front bumper. It's Crease, Interrupted. You have the license plate holder with its rounded corners in the middle of the bumper. You have the front air dam spoiler which has a top edge that's slightly higher than the crease in the front bumper. You have the little round tow hole plug on the driver's side which you should try to obstruct as little as reasonably possible. (Note that I think you can get away with obstructing no more than the bottom 1/3 of the tow hole plug. Others, like Zang, have managed to obstruct even less --- like the bottom 1/6 or less of the plug. You have to take all this into consideration when installing the front bumper strips.

For both the front and rear bumper strips, I extended them to the crease that's about 3" away from and surrounds each wheel well opening.

II. PRIUSCHAT SHOP BODY SIDE MOLDINGS:

If you follow the instructions enclosed with the body side moldings, as I did, I believe that you will end up with moldings that are or appear parallel to the ground or the bottom edge of the car. If I had a do over, I would install them at an angle with a visible slope from rear to front --- more or less matching the angle and slope of the line at the top of the car doors/bottom of the windows. I think it would look better that way. But it's up to you.

III. SAN FRANCISCO INSTALLER: Zang recommends Bryant Auto Body to install the bumper strips and moldings. Their website is www.BryantAutoBody.com.


If you want to, you can search "bumper guards" or my exact name "Boo", to find my other posts and photos regarding this stuff, plus the replies of others thereto.

Also, you can email me directly at [email protected] if you have any other questions, or if I can be of any other assistance.

Good luck. Let me know how you end up with the bumper strips, body side moldings, and tires.

--- Boo

 

<div align="left">I have owned my Driftwood Pearl 2007 Touring Package #6 Prius since late January 2007 and have been a member of the forum not long after I took possession. I just now stumbled on this thread so I thought I would chime in with my announcement.

I live in Cupertino and commute to San Francisco and have been averaging 47.5 mpg. Be seeing you fellow Bay Area residents on the road. I am the guy with the shark fin. Drive safely.</div>

 

I bought my used Driftwood Pearl Prius about a month ago. Truth to be told, the only reason I get it was for the carpool stickers, though averaging 45 mpg doesn't hurt

Here's the cool part: I got a 2007 package #5 with 13000 miles! The dealer told me that the former owners traded it in on a Lexus for their kid who was going off to college! Very clean and Toyota certified. They had sold the car to them in the first place.

The story of my getting the car is a bit funny. While the family was doing the trade-in paperwork, my salesman was on his iPhone, listing the car on Craigslist. I'd been checking Craigslist periodically for the previous month, watching for a good deal and saw this listing a few minutes after it had gone up. I immediately called him but that was 6 PM on a Saturday, they closed at 8 PM and I was 100 miles away in San Jose (dealer was in Santa Rosa). He told me that if I called him first thing Sunday, he would hold the car for me until I got up there.

Sunday, my wife and I drove up, I drove the Prius and I bought it. I paid about $1000 over new MSRP but with the magic stickers and only 13000 miles and I'm quite happy. They actually didn't have the car ready so they gave me a Yarus loaner and had an employee drive my Prius down to me a few days later.

Anyway, I'm commuting on 85 from Oakridge Mall to Mountain view. Wave as I go by

 

Hello,

My name is Ben & I'm from Sacramento ... I bought a 2007 Prius Package 6 about a month ago.

I like the car so far ... but still learning the "proper" techniques in driving it. (First gas tank was a bit disappointing - 37mpg)

Wish I could still get the carpool stickers, but I'll survive without them (hehe).

Also, interested in buying an Engine Block Heater & maybe an EV button.

Well, if you guys have any advice for me ... let me know.

 

Hi.

I live in Belmont, and I just picked up my brand new 2008 Prius (silver, Package #6). I actually rented a Prius from my local dealer for a week to make sure I could live with some of the tradeoffs and concluded "Yes!".

I ended up buying the car through a Sausalito-based broker called Cartelligent and it was a very smooth, hassle-free experience.

Looking forward to sharing more driving impressions!

 

Welcome to anyone new to our group. Feel free to say a quick hello so we know you're here. Some of us advertise this board. It would be nice to know if any of our efforts pay off. Have fun in your Prius. Keep up on the forums to get info on prius meets. :mrgreen:
( SF Bay Area Members Only )

hello here! I'm more than a little giddy, having just received my Spectra Blue 2008 last evening. I had been driving an 18 year old Honda Accord, no radio, just a little ratty you might say. I am amazed! Thanks for your welcome and for the SF Bay area group. I live just behind Stanford in Menlo Park, am a retired granny that takes care of my grandson during the week and it's his car too, but I pray I can keep him away from the buttons and levers which he dearly loves.

I already ordered an original bumper sticker, which may be frowned upon for interfering with the elegance of the exterior, but to me gentle but passionate revolution takes priority.

I found Prius Chat very useful for research. Thanks everyone

nancy

 

Nancy,
Welcome! This is a great place to find lots of information about the Prius. Happy motoring.

 

Hi to all I just got my 2007 Silver Pine Mica last August 18 and the dealer offer me to put a clear bra instead of a black leather Car bra I got it for free I'm Happy for that is there any group from stockton california ?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Dave @ Oct 19 2007, 09:33 AM) [snapback]527729[/snapback]</div>

Thanks, Dave. Sure glad I happened to read about the smart key being expensive to replace. I do keep learning valuable info.
nancy