34 things you may not know about your PRI.

If you have any information relevant to the Prius which has not been included in this list, but should be, please reply here my email address is at the end of this list ] and I will add it to the list. I intend to post this list every month or so to inform new owners about the features of our wonderful car. I cannot take credit for all of these tips. They are a compendium of tips and suggestions that have been left here by many of the members of this site
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1.`WHY YOU SHOULD INSTALL A MAGNETIC DRAIN PLUG.

The oil in your Prius contains small ferrous particles. These particles continually circulate through the engine because they remain suspended in your oil. They can cause premature engine or bearing wear since they are abrasive. Even if you change your oil regularly, it is likely that your engine will still contain these small bits of metal.

They are present in your engine due to normal wear of moving parts, chipping due to sub surface casting flaws or even as small bits of metal that remained in the engine after it was machined at the factory. Usually it is a combination of the these factors that account for the presence of the particles.

Magnetic drain plugs attract and hold ferrous metal particles that circulate through your lubrication or hydraulic system. It is a wise idea to use a Magnetic Drain Plug which will collect these bits of metal and when you have your oil changed at the dealer he will clean/remove these bits of metal from the drain plug.

Why Toyota does not install magnetic drain plugs in our Prius cars is a mystery to me. Such plugs are available from a number of sources. I purchased mine from C.G. Enterprises Automotive at a cost of about three dollars and fifty cents, plus postage. You also should purchase several small metal gaskets from them since the gasket should be replaced at each oil change. The gaskets cost about fifteen cents each.

Not only do the plugs collect and remove these metal particles. The magnetic drain plugs can alert you of potential problems. If the amount of metal the drain plug collects increases over time, the increase of material being collected on your magnetic plug may be early warning of a problem.

You can contact them at:

1-800-565-9743
Toll free fax 1-866-645-5823
Outside Canada & the US 1-705-327-9058 Fax 1-705-327-7790 or email them at [email protected]



•2. TO TURN OFF THE REVERSE BEEP.

Steps:

1. Power on the car to IG-ON or READY. IG-ON will do for this purpose.
2. Using the Trip/ODO button, set the Trip/ODO display to ODO (not Trip A or Trip B)
3. Power off the car.
4. Now power the car to READY (brake on). This is required so that step 6 works correctly.
5. Within 6 seconds of powering on, press and hold the Trip/ODO button for 10 seconds or more.
6. WHILE STILL HOLDING ODO *after* the 10 seconds, shift the "gear" selector from P to R, then back to P. Now release the Trip/ODO button.
7. If the last step was successful, "b on" or "b off" should be displayed in the location where the Trip Odometer or Odometer is normally displayed. "b on" is beep on, and "b off" is beep off.
8. Press Trip/ODO to toggle the mode.
9. Now power the car off to exit the toggle mode.
10. Power the car on to READY and confirm the reverse beep status by shifting to R. The beep should not be audible if "b off" was selected, and should be audible if "b on" was selected..

Do note that the reverse beep cancel ONLY works on North American Prius, and not UK/Europe or Australian Prius.

You do have to cycle to ODO, you cannot be already sitting on it.

It may take you a few tries to get it to work, or you may just get the sequence right the first time. <shrug>
Some of these posts are mine, some aren't. Thanks to all of the people who posted these bits of information. I hope it is of some value to you.


•3. REPLACING THE CLOTH ON YOUR SEATS WITH LEATHER:

I had my Prius’ seats done in leather. All of the cloth surfaces were removed and replaced by leather. The center console cover and the front and rear center seating surfaces were done in red. The sides of the seats, the back of the front seat including the map pockets, the armrests and the headrests were done in gray. the rear armrest and armrests on the doors were and done in gray. My Prius is equipped with side air bags and the leather that covers the airbags is stitched with break-away stitching. You will not notice that the stitching is break-away.

The total cost for the job was $1050.00. I had it done at:

Kar Products
401 Bangs Avenue
Modesto California 95356
[209] 238-0894
The company is owned by Jim Karp

The leather is available in over seventy colors and the quality of the leather is excellent. Kar does not manufacture the covers. The buy them from the largest manufacturer of seat covers in the world. Katzkin Ineriors. 6868 Acco St. Montebello CA. 90640

You can access the Katzkin web site at

http://www.autoleathers.com/HTML2/AL.MAIN.FS.html

Or phone them toll free at 1 [866] 757 3287.

You can buy the interior leather from Katzkin and do the installation yourself, [not recommended], ask Katzkin for the name of in installer and have the leather you bought installed professionally, or buy the Katzkin leather from an installer and have them do the job.


•4. YOU’VE GOT A TAX CREDIT COMING YOUR WAY:

Buyers of hybrid electric vehicles in 2004 and 2005 will receive a bigger tax incentive than expected, thanks to the tax cut bill Congress recently passed. It restored the alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicle tax deduction to $2,000 for vehicles purchased in 2004 and 2005. The deduction was going to be reduced by 25% this year and by 25% in 2005.

H.R.1308--Working Families Tax Relief Act of 2004 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate)

•5. HOW TO PUT THE PRIUS INTO NEUTRAL TO GO THROUGH A CAR WASH :

The car must be in the ready mode, and instead of just tapping the joystick as one does to put it in reverse or drive, tap and hold it on neutral for a second or so. The car will stay in neutral for the entire time it is being washed. The reason the car has this feature is so you don't accidentally bump the joystick while driving, and throw yourself into neutral. They thought of everything!

•

•6. A GOOD PLACE FOR PRIUS ACCESSORIES:

Coastal Electronic Technologies, Inc.
P.O. Box 33518, Indialantic, FL 32903
Ph: (800)507-2234
[email protected]

Prius XM Radio Kit includes instructions $299.00
Electric Mode Kit $45.00 Allows you to drive in electric mode only. Will automatically return to gasoline mode if battery gets low.
Front End Mask $119.00 A bra for the Prius.
Auto Door Lock Kit $65.00 Locks all 4 doors when you drive over 15mph.
Power Outlet Kit $10.00 Makes the power outlet in your console active even when car is turned off. Good for charging your cell phone.
Prius Mud Flap Kit $55.00 Mud flaps that fit behind all 4 wheels.
Factory Oil Filter with New Crush Washer $6.00
Cabin Air Filter $19.00
Nav Enhancement Kit You can set the nav while driving and will never have to “AGREE †again.
•
7. OPTIMUM PRIUS TIRE PRESSURE.

It is more gas efficient and will help increase tire life] to run the tires closer to their 44 Ft. Lb. max. cold rating rather than what Toyota recommends on the door frame. I recommend 42 PSI front - 40 PSI rear:
•
8. FRONT WINDSHIELD HEAT-SHIELD:

You can get a custom roll-up front windshield heat shield for about US$30 delivered from Canvas Works: http://www.canvasworks.com/main.html


•9. MAKING THE CENTER CONSOLE COVER INTO A USABLE ARMREST:

If you would like your armrest to be a little higher and more comfortable here is how to do it. If you are satisfied with the armrest the way it is read this post and do nothing.

When you open the Prius center console you will find a small black tray which IS used to hold change, a pen, keys, etc. This tray is removable and has an alternative use which I don't think is mentioned in the owners manual.

Remove the tray and you will notice that there is a slot on the front-inside of the console. Put the tray into the slot allowing it to stand up vertically. The top of the tray should face the rear of the console. Close the armrest and the armrest is now resting at a convenient upward angle and is more convenient as a place to rest your right arm.

•10. CENTER CONSOLE POWER OUTLET:

If you look inside the center console on the front left side you will notice that there is a rubber cover. Pull it out and you will find a receptacle that you can plug a cell phone charger into.

•11. STORAGE DRAWER. DID YOU KNOW YOU HAD ONE?

Your Prius has a totally handy storage drawer which is located on the lower front of the center console. The drawer handle is located five inches below the top front edge of front cup holder. Pull it out and you have a great place to store all kinds of goodies.

•12. Blank space. ----

•13. DO YOU WANT A LARGER REAR WIPER BLADE?

To improve snow cleaning, replace the rear wiper arm with one from a Mitsubishi Outlander.

•14.` SO YOU CAN’T SEE THE WHERE THE FRONT OF YOUR PRI ENDS.

Arizona Charlie has designed and builds a device which attaches to your front license plate screw and will let you see where the front of your car begins. This device makes it easier to park. It looks like a radio antenna mounted on a bracket. Cost $19.95 including shipping. If you want one, contact him at: If you do not like it return it for a full refund of your $19.95
order from [email protected]

•15. FLOOR MATS:

Costco sells rubber floor mats which fit the Prius like they were made for the car. Price is under $20.00 for both front and rear mats.

•16. REAR CARGO MAT:

So you want to put some dirty junk in the rear of the car to take to the dumps. Costco sells rubber mats which fit the rear of the car when the seats are folded down. Cost $15.00. They come in either gray or green and can be cleaned with a garden hose.

•17. DO YOU HAVE TROUBLE BUCKLING THE SEAT BELT?

Toyota makes seat belt extenders and gives them away free just for the asking. While they were designed to make it easier for a portly driver to connect his seat belt they are very useful even for you skinny folks. If you always seem to be sitting on th seat belt receiver when you get in your car this part is for you. The extender comes in several sizes but the longest is 12 inches. You plug the extender into the seat belt receptacle and then plug the seat belt into the extender. Ask your parts guy at Toyota to order one for you. •

18. WORRIED THAT SHOPPING CART OR SOMEONES’ DOOR WILL HIT YOUR PRI?

You can purchase door side moldings for your car from Toyota only Toyota does not make these moldings for the Prius.

The good news is that can you buy four front door moldings which come as standard equipment on the 2004 or 2005 Toyota Highlander. You will use two of the moldings on the front door and two on the rear doors.

If you are lucky the Highlander moldings will be available in your car’s color. If not, buy them anyway and have your friendly body shop paint them to match your Priu’s’ paint color.

Installation is not a job for an amateur. Have them installed at a body shop. The procedure is to put masking tape on the Prius doors just below the area where the moldings are to be installed. Before installing them make sure that the both doors can be opened after the moldings have been installed. Then peel off the paper cover which covers the glue strip on the back of the molding and stick the molding on the door. Finally, remove the masking tape.

For SF Bay owners I had my moldings installed at Frank Chavez Auto Body in Redwood City CA. Phone # [650] 759-1116.

Also available at http://www.metrotpn.com/Middle/Priusmouldings.aspx.

Can painted to your cars color at about $100.00


19. WHEEL COVERS:

Standard on the Prius are some very good looking Alloy Wheels. For reasons unknown, Toyota decided to cover each wheel with a plastic cover which actually looks like the Alloy. I removed all four of mine by prying them off with a thin bladed screwdriver and put them in storage. I could understand the use of alloy looking plastic covers if the car came with inexpensive ugly steel wheels but it doesn't ??? Very Strange.

•20. FANTASTIC CAR POLISH:

First, the disclaimer. I have absolutely no financial or economic interest in the following two products. I have used them and they are the best I have found.

I was at a flea market and witnessed a demonstration of Maxa Gloss. According to the label on the bottle it is a “Premium wax and cleaner which is non-abrasive and clear coat safe. It is a long lasting carnauba wax formula which repels dust, leaves no powder residue and helps remove swirl marks on the cars finish. It provides long lasting protection from UV sun rays, helps fill in swirls and hairline scratches while creating a smooth as glass finish without excessive buffing or rubbing. It safely removes oxidation, bugs, water spots, tree sap, road tar, and bird droppings.â€

I bought two bottles and I am amazed that this product is so easy to apply, no heavy rubbing and leaves no powdery residue. It is a terrific product, easier and faster to apply than any wax or cleaner I have ever used. I paid $20.00 for two sixteen ounce bottles. You can contact the man I bought it from at [805] 801-3526 or send a check for $27.00 for two bottles (which includes $7,00 for shipping) to Mitoma Company, PO Box 2087, Nipomo CA 93444. The product is sold as satisfaction guaranteed or money back.

•21. GREAT CLEANER FOR ALL OF THE PRIUS’ PLASTIC SURFACES:

The product is called ‘Bumper Black’. I used it on the inside panels and the dashboard of my Prius to clean up finger marks and minor scratches. It also works well on all plastic trim such as bumpers, rubber trim, etc. Unlike Armor-all it does not leave an ugly shiny finish. This is an A+ product.

To find where it is sold in your area contact the company toll free at 1[800] 323-9192 or 1[805] 397-5274. You can also write to The Wax Shop, PO Box 10226, Bakersfield CA 93389-0226. I don’t remember how much I paid for the product since I have had it for a long time. It probably was around $5.00 but don’t quote me.

•22. WILL RUNNING THE AC WHILE PARKED DISCHARGE THE BATTERY?

No it will not! It was 93 degrees outside. I drove my wife to the Mall. She went in; I sat in the car and read Road and Track. The car was in park. The Air Conditioner was on Max cold the entire time. Battery went to two bars and the gas motor went on--battery went to three bars, gas motor went off. I sat in my cool car for over forty five minutes with the battery going up and down between two and three bars. The battery did not discharge.

•23. FRONT BUMPER GUARDS AND CORNER MOLDINGS:

The Autosport®. Catalog features two items which I ordered and installed on my Prius.

First item: Four Designer style strips which mount on the bumpers at each of the four corners of the vehicle. They come in Black or White. dimensions are 21" Long x 1 1/2" wide by 1/2" thick. Item # 3596. Price for a set of four is $24.95.

Second item: Protector pads. These pads are 5" long x 3 1/2" wide by 5/8" thick. They come in black or silver. They feature heavy duty construction and a versatile shape also suitable for boat or garage and household use. A set of two is $14.95. A set of four which suitable for mounting on the front bumper and rear bumper sell for $29.90. Item # 3597

Quoting the catalog: "Both of these items can preserve our cars' most easily damaged and expensive to repair areas. Heavy-duty impact resistant PVC protectors adhere permanently in minutes, no drilling necessary. for chrome and painted surfaces. Apply them anywhere. can be trimmed for a custom fit.

Copy the following address into your browser and go the address. Pictures of both items are there.

Autosport’s phone # is 1 [800] 726-1199. You can order a catalog from them.

You can also reach the company at their web site.

http://www.autosportcatalog.com/index.cfm?...m?fa=p&pid=1901

•24. MUD AND RAIN GUARDS:

If you live in a wet climate or go to the snow I recommend that you purchase and have installed mud guards which attach to the car in the wheel wells behind the front and rear wheels. They are standard equipment on Canadian cars. They were at one time only available from the parts department of Toyota Dealers in Canada. They are now available from any US Toyota dealer. Ask your parts guy to order a set for you. About $40.00.
ß<sum>If you are unable to find these mud guards locally they can be purchased from:
Eastway Toyota
1620 Sylvester Drive
RR 1.
Tecumseh Ontario NBN 2L9
Phone # [519] 979-1900
Fax#: [519] 979-7835

The Part # is C0060-47004

25. USING A LARGER WHEEL ON THE PRIUS. HERE ARE THE SIZES:

Tires are 205/45-17 Wheels are 17x7 +42 to +45 offset PCD is 100 5 lug. The wheels were purchased from from www.wheelmax.com the tires are Falken Ziex 512’s. (Consumer Report's top pick for all season tires)

I also should add that the '04 Prius uses the same wheel and tire combination as an '03 or '04 ToyotaCorolla.

I do not recommend making this change. It will reduce your MPG by 5 miles per gallon. Remember Toyota picked the wheels and tires that work best on the car and you should not fool with mother nature!!!!!

•26. TIRES WHICH WILL FIT THE PRIUS. AVAILABLE FROM ETIRES.COM. AND MANY OTHER TIRE COMPANIES:

www.etires.com has a list of tires to fit the Prius..

P185/65R15 88H Michelin Energy MXV4+ $119.99 ea.
185/65R15 88S Michelin MX4 Grx (Honda) $97.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86S Michelin Harmony
P185/65R15 86T) Michelin HydroEdge
P185/65R15 86S Michelin Symmetry $90.99 ea.
185/65R15 88H Nokian Hakkapeliitta NRW
P185/65R15 86H Uniroyal Tiger Paw Touring HR $77.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86H BF Goodrich Touring T/A HR4 $66.99 ea.
P185/65R15 Primera $57.99 ea.
P185/65R15 C avalier Accolade Plus $51.99 ea.
185/65R15 88H Toyo Proxes TPT $81.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86T Toyo 800 Ultra $67.99 ea.
185/65R15 86Q Michelin Arctic Alpin $85.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86S BF Goodrich Winter Slalom $77.99 ea.
185/65R15 88Q Nokian Hakkapeliitta Q
185/65R15 88H Nokian WR
/65R15 88T Nokian Hakkapeliitta 2
185/65R15 88T Nokian WR
185/65R15 88T Nokian Hakkapeliitta NRW
185/65R15 88H Nokian NRH2
P185/65R15 86H Yokohama Avid H4 $57.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86T Yokohama Avid T4 $57.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86H Dunlop SP Sport A2 $65.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86H Bridgestone Turanza LS-H $80.99 ea.
185/65HR15 86H Bridgestone Potenza RE950 $73.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86T Bridgestone Turanza LS-T w/UNI-T AQII
185/65R15 87H Bridgestone Potenza RE92 $60.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86T Bridgestone Potenza RE910 $59.99 ea.
P185/65R15 86H Bridgestone Eager $55.99 ea.
185/65R15 88S Bridgestone BT70S With Uni-T. $52.99 ea
P185 /65R15 86T Firestone Affinity Touring (Saturn Sl2,Sw2) $58.99 ea.


27. Hybrids and Resistance

Most of the hybrid vehicles use some sort of low rolling resistance tire. Sometimes these tires are called “low mu.†“Mu†is the Greek letter (used by engineers) as the symbol for “tire friction to the road surface.â€

While the low resistance tires will help with mileage, there have been some complaints from hybrid owners that they did not like the way the tires handle on the road. As a result, Toyota has backed off from using the lower resistance tires and has settled with a better handling tire.

It boils down to personal preference. If you drive aggressively, you might want to use a softer tire with better road adhesion. If you’re a fanatic for mileage and a very mellow driver, then you probably should get the lowest resistance tire you can find on the market.

28. Choice of Tire and/or Tire Pressure

You can minimize resistance, and maximizing mpg by making sure your car uses a Low Rolling Resistance (LRR) rated tire. If you are shopping for LRR tires, you should consider the following tires available at tirerack.com:

Michelin Energy Series (look for the word "energy")

Bridgestone Potenza RE92

Goodyear Comfortreads.

If you change your vehicle’s tires, by increasing or decreasing the resistance by 20% for example, you may raise or drop mileage by 3 to 5%. While this is a measurable difference, it won’t make as big a difference as making certain that your tires are properly inflated. A vehicle that requires its tires to be inflated to 35 psi will have an increase in rolling resistance of 12% or more if the tires are allowed to become underinflated to just 28 psi.

Many hybrid car enthusiasts recommend an absolute minimum psi of 35 psi—and many try to push the envelope by increasing pressure to 40+ psi. You should read the manufacturer’s recommendations, and decide for yourself how comfortable you are with pumping up your tires for a gain in mpg. Bear in mind that temperature makes a difference. The rule of thumb is for every 10° Fahrenheit change in air temperature, your tire's inflation pressure will change by about 1 psi (up with higher temperatures and down with lower).

29. HIGH MILEAGE TIRES

Gas mileage is affected by more than just the size and weight of the tire. Rolling resistance of the tire has a larger effect. Here's the basic rule:

Harder tires = lower rolling resistance

Beware. If the tire is too hard or too round, then the tire-patch (which is the area of tire that is in contact with the ground) will be too small to grip the road surface effectively. This in turn will allow the wheel to skid easier when trying to stop or allow the wheel to slip and spin when trying to roll out from a light.

The same holds true for tread designs and patterns. The more detailed the tread design, the more likely it will grip the road better—but also create the opportunity to trap air in each of the pockets it generates when touching the road surface. When trapping the air/water/dirt/snow in these pockets, the tire is compressing the material that is in the pocket. Therefore, the engine has to do more work to compress these pockets. This makes the tire less efficient to turn, and thereby reduces the mileage of the vehicle.

The tire companies work to balance the rubber compounds and tread patterns to find the most efficient combinations. Along the way, new compounds are discovered as well as more efficient tread patterns.


•30. WEB SITES FOR PRIUS DISCUSSIONS:

PriusChat.com - http://priuschat.com/forums/portal.php The Online Community for Prius Owners and Enthusiasts.

PriusOnline.com http://www.priusonline.com/ Prius and other hybrids.

GreenHybrid.com http://greenhybrid.com Prius and other hybrid vehicles.

http://john1701a.com/ Great information posted by a knowledgeable owner.


31. ARE YOU MISSING YOUR MULTI-FUNCTIONAL DISPLAY?

If the multifunctional display has gone into the off mode, and you are not sure what button we pushed to get it to do that, under the INFO button and SCREEN SETTINGS. But, can't get it to come back on and stay on first press INFO, then Trip Info. There's a preference setting that causes the screen to return to it's former state a few seconds after using audio or climate screens... since the former state was "off" that's what you got.

If you have any information relevant to the Prius which has not been included in this list, but should be, please reply here and I will add it to the list. I intend to post this list every month or so to inform new owners about the features of our wonderful car.


32. CHANGE YOUR OIL AFTER THE FIRST 1000 MILES OF DRIVING:

Regardless of what Toyota recommends, I would suggest that the engine oil and filter be changed at 1000 miles. Minute metal particles which were left in the engine block when it was machined will stay in the block and may become lodged in a bearing surface or piston chamber.

Sure, it may not do any damage but then again, 3.9 quarts of oil and a new filter are relatively cheap insurance against possible damage.

Further, I do recommend that you change from disasour soup to synthetic oil. By doing so you can increase the mileage you drive between oil changes and also increase the life of the motor.

33. USE THE INFO BUTTON ON THE STEERING WHEEL TO TOGGlE BETWEEN TWO SCREENS.

Use the info button on the steering wheel to toggle between the info screen which shows you the current mileage per gallon, and the other screen which shows you the over-all mileage per gallon. I have been driving the Pri for nearly 11 months and just discovered this. DUH!

34. HOW TO LEAVE YOUR DOG IN THE CAR WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER RUNNING AND LOCK THE CAR WHILE LEAVING THE MOTOR ON.

If you have SKS the following will work.

1. Leave the Air Conditioner running.
2. Exit the car.
3. Remove the car key from the key fob.
4. Close the drivers door.
5. Put the key in the drivers door lock.
6. Turn the key counter clockwise to lock the door.
7. When you return unlock the door with the key since the remote won't unlock the door while the engine is running.

If you do not have SKS. Here is the procedure:

1. Leave the Air conditioner running.
2. Open the drivers window.
3. Exit the car.
4. Close the drivers door.
5. Put your arm through the drivers window.
6. Lock the car using the locking switch on the armrest.
7. Use the auto-up button to close the drivers window.
8. Remove your arm immediately.
9. If you are not quick enough in removing your arm, don’t worry. Toyotas engineers have programmed the computer to stop the window from going up if it senses that there is an obstacle in the way.

If you are afraid that some well meaning person will break your window because they think your poor puppy is going to die from the heat, leave a note on your window explaining that the Air Conditioner is on and your prius motor does not need to run all of the time to keep the Air Con working

Allen L. Chase
E Mail Address : [email protected]