Hi folks, Just found this board and have already learned a lot! We ordered a tideland pearl pkg #4 for MSRP from the dealer in Wichita last Wednesday and are expecting delivery in eight weeks, but I have a couple of questions I haven't seen addressed though I may have missed them. The first deals with the fob. The salesman said when it's battery becomes weak, you may need to set it above the start button and it will start the car probably one more time. You'd then need to get to a dealer and purchase a new one which would be programmed for the vehicle. Does any one have a concern about this? What if you're on vacation or something early into an extended weekend and you'll have to shut the car off several times before you can get it to a dealer? I understand the Road Assistance Program will help during the warranty period, but it seems this could be an expensive and major inconvenience down the road. My second question concerns the body side moldings. From the few pictures I've seen, they seem to be positioned fairly low along the doors. Are they too low to be effective? Also, do the installation instructions include a template or just measurement info? Thanks for the info and please excuse me If I've somehow violated message board protocol. I'm about as new to posting on message boards as I am to the Prius!!
<<The first deals with the fob. The salesman said when it's battery becomes weak, you may need to set it above the start button and it will start the car probably one more time. You'd then need to get to a dealer and purchase a new one which would be programmed for the vehicle. Does any one have a concern about this? What if you're on vacation or something early into an extended weekend and you'll have to shut the car off several times before you can get it to a dealer? I understand the Road Assistance Program will help during the warranty period, but it seems this could be an expensive and major inconvenience down the road.>> I'm certainly not a Prius expert--have only had mine since the middle of May. But my understanding is that when the battery goes weak/dead on the key fob, all you do is get a new battery to put in it. I'm not sure what kind of battery goes in it. In the manual it looks like a little watch battery. Barb in Lebanon PA
When she began explaining this process to me, I was hoping it was just a matter of replacing a battery, but she called the parts department and they said the fob itself would need to be replaced. I would hope that's the case, but I haven't seen a manual..
Sorry, meant to say I hope that's "not the case". The price of a new fob and having it programmed is nearly two hundred dollars as opposed to just a few for a battery. I hope she's mistaken, but it has me wondering.
My llimited understanding of fob operation is that the battery "powers" the SKS, so when the battery dies, you have a "normal" fob. You can use the embedded key to get in the car, and stick the fob in the slot in the dash to operate the car....am I wrong?
The owners manual explains how to replace the battery in the fob. A battery costs less than $3 at Radio Shack. It also explains how to use the fob/key manually if the battery is dead.
If your fob battery is completely dead, you open your doors with the manual key in the drivers door and start the car by putting the key in the slot, just liike the non-SKS cars do. The computer can read the key even with a dead battery when it's in the slot, a new battery is very cheap and common, I think it's a CR2032 that you'd buy at Target or wherever.
If you don't have to give your other fob to anyone, the suggestion on the board is to use it as your spare-if-the-other-gets-smooshed. What I did was take the physical key and put it in my purse. I took the battery out of the extra fob and put the extra in my car in a place that wouldn't be easily found by a thief. The great advantage to this is that now I've got an extra battery for when mine dies. I've also got a way in and to start my car should my fob get crushed by a meteor (it could happen ). Esther
Can I have the name and location of the dealer so I can go over and laugh at them, while I show them the truth in the OWNER'S MANUAL?
that's one of the more ridiculous dealership experiences i've heard. most places have no clue about the prius, they hand you the fob and hopw you know how to drive it away... come to us before going to your dealer, chances are you'll save some money. there are a lot of experts here and not so many at dealers! knowledge by experience, ya know. except DanMan, who's just prius-knowledge-inclined to begin with.
Thanks to everyone for your help. The saleslady has been there about six months and apparently needs more training. I've begun trying to catch up on the earlier threads in hopes of knowing more than she does when we pick it up. A lot of nice folks here with good info...glad I found this board!
Actually, I gleaned alot of information from here, from John's site, and from Grahm's site. I think Grahm was the first. I had no idea about the PSD, but it was fascinating. Then, after being on this site and PriusOnline, I decided to go for it and get the PDFs from Toyota. Best $20 and 2 weeks I ever spent. It did help that I have a background it electronics and computers, and since my dad was an automechanic as well as Jack of all trades, I have a broad background on how things work. Not so clued in on how a conventional automatic transmission works though, other than the torque converter.
