I just received my fully loaded 05 Prius. Are there any must-have accessories I should be purchasing? *I already plan to buy the heatshield through PC *I am considering coastal daves automatic door-lock add-in *I am slightly considering mud-flaps (How do these look? Is there any noticeable benefit?) Anything else?
A display shade - there are some sun angles that the display just washes out and the shade makes all the difference. Plus it just adds the homey touch to all the plastic. Check out the sponsor's page here. Oh - and it's not expensive either
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JShorr\";p=\"60141)</div> I'm very happy to have the mud flaps...they significantly reduce the spray from road grime and they look very nice, very OEM. "Must Have", of course, is different for everyone. Several folks felt they 'must have' the body side mouldings to prevent door dings. I'm probably going to get them, but not so much for that reason. I really wanted the horizontal cargo net...a real convenience for soccer balls and other sundry loose items in the back. I consider the Integrated XM Radio a "MUST HAVE" for me...so sweet. The MFD hood sold by RedRobin is handy...she's says there'll be a leather one soon so you might wait for that. See the Sponsored sales section for both the hood and the horizontal net. I bought a Wheelskins.com leather steeringwheel cover that I really like...should go great with the leather MFD hood when that's available.
I think I will get the mudflaps, especially if it keeps the car a bit cleaner. I love that integrated XM, unfortunately I'm switching from XM to Sirius. The good people at Sirius claim that an integrated Prius Sirius radio is forthcoming, but who knows... I purchased the standard cargo net with my car, though I have not yet installed it. Should I try to return it for the horizontal one? Anyone know of any positive or negative points with this horizontal one? personally not a big fan of the MFD cover (unless they make one of the same material and shade as the dash). I was looking for a steering wheel cover -- cold cleveland winters make for cold hands, and ever little bit helps. Keep 'em coming, if I'm going to spend money on this car, I want to do it now! Jeremy
Knowing first hand how Cleveland winters are , I would say mudguards. I don't have any good sources for the steering wheel cover though. ????
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JShorr\";p=\"60154)</div> I'd keep it and add the horizontal. The vertical one is pretty handy too, I keep my ice scraper in there, drop quick grocery bags in it to keep them from sliding around and dumping out, etc. The Horizontal one is better for larger items that will slide around if not secured...suit cases, boxes, balls, etc. Of the two I use the OEM vertical one more, but the horizontal is invaluable when you need it. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(JShorr\";p=\"60154)</div> Again, go to WheelSkins.com for the steeringwheel cover. The Sponsors Page is HERE
I didn't know about the norizontal net. My car came with two tie-down straps but that would seem to hold down one large thing only. I'm assuming that the horizontal net clips onto the for rings? I love my vertical net, though, for carrying cartons of milk or other liquids. I also got the clear floor mats for my floots and the cargo area. With the beige interior, they are a must. They are clear (as I said) and fit quite snuggly and are easy to wipe clean. Got them from MatDepot.com. They stink when you get them out of the box (vinyl smell) so wash them down and air them out first. Unless, of course, you are tired of that 'new car smell.
Definitely mudflaps. Also, depending on how much muck you track into your car, you might consider the clear plastic Exactmats that are custom-cut for the Prius. Those have been an interior-saver for me in in the soggy pacific northwest. I never thought about the cargo nets, but now have to consider those. Small bags do have a tendency to slide around and dump their contents, especially if placed in the lower, covered storage compartment in the hatch.
So far, the best accessory I've purchased was grey rubber floormats... No kidding! It's pretty incredible how much junk they catch that would've just gone onto the fabric instead. I think they were $30 at Costco. Dave
Dave's Automatic Door Lock kit is easy to do and works well. I also recommend the invisible bra and headlight cover kits. Really protects well against rock dings in the paint. The GT seat cover sets are an exact fit and include a cover for the fabric on the center console, very nice! Enjoy the new one!
Where can I get these GT seat covers and what color should I order (I have the tan interior). Thanks.
Try www.gtcovers.com. The Ivory velour is close enough to make people think they're the original seats. Enjoy!
The mud flaps are great, cut down on the side splash significantly. Of course they also hold snow nicely. If you have any sort of hill to climb in the winter snow, ditch the OEM tires. The OEMs were OK for me before the snow hit. I pondered long and hard on snows vs high end all seasons. There are other threads you can read. I'd like to save the garage space so I'm going to try the Goodyear TripleTreds, coming in next week. They have a 30 day money back so if they don't cut it, I'll go with snows and use the OEMs for summer.
Must haves for me I let go of my Saturn to voluntarily buy a Prius (two days ago) even though the Saturn was still running great and only had 50,000 miles on it after 9 years. Yeah. I bought a Black Prius with a beige interior, same as my Saturn. It reduced the shock of moving to a new car. But I did have to give up my all leather interior. So I went on eBay and bought a leather console cover, leather hood and leather shift cover. Last thing I need is a leather steering wheel cover which I see is available from a sponsor here. I wish I could afford to reupholster the car in leather but I can't. I see people are recommending the mudguards and clear mats so I'll probably look in to those. I did buy the cargo tote which I really like. Two will fit easily so I'm going to buy a second as well as a vertical net. I didn't know there was a horizontal net so I may look into that as well. Has anyone found a dash cover that will work without hindering the airbags? I'd sure like to put something on the dash. I'm trying to buy the window shades here but having trouble logging in to and checkout out of the shop. Does anyone think the clear plastic shields for the bumpers or lights are any good? I'm not that keen on glueing stuff on my car.
Anyone have a link for the Nav screen visor? I do not know why they just did not put it in when they built the car.
Since everyone has mentioned mudguards I won't bother saying anything more about them. Toyota makes a great little front end cover, black leather, looks sporty and keeps rocks from screwing up your new car groove. We also bought a rear bumper protector since we're always putting things in the back. Keeps the bumper from getting a scratched up and nasty looking. Also a Toyota accessory. If you want to rub your high mpg in the faces of suv drivers everywhere, get a custom license plate or frame. But be ready to dodge bullets and nasty remarks. Aside from that... get yourself a big container of Turtle Wax and I think you're set. Congrats!
After a lot of highway driving this winter resulting in more that a few chips in our hood I vote for a hood bug deflector (read gravel). Haven't found/chosen one yet. Never did like the bra thing that much.
