Prius interior cleanliness

Okay, so we're seeing that folks with a clean interiour are fairly common. Let's ratchet this up a bit, shall we?

How many of you detail the inside of your engine compartments? I confess that I have been caught by my wife cleaning the compartment of my Jetta with a toothbrush. Oh, and I also wash and wax the underside of the hood.

What can I say? It's a sickness.

 

While I did just drive it from the lot, my cars are always kept clean. Ever car I have ever had have been very clean. I always keep a bag in there to keep garbage in, and that gets thrown out whenever I get home. So even though I only have 650 miles, even at 65,000 miles it will look tghe same. I take care of my cars.

 

Junk is Weight

Weight lowers mileage.

Therefore, I avoid junk

For the record, Prius owners and mileage freaks aren't the only ones who worry about weight.

Did you know that the Traction Control option for the Lotus Elise/Exige weighs 7 grams, and that they list the weight addition for all options like that so people can choose exactly how much handling compromise they are willing to accept?

I'd like to see the Prius spec sheets list the weight penalty for all the options like NAV and JBL so we could also obsess over it

 

well i carry a toolbox, wash and detail kit (given to me for Xmas last year by relatives who realized i would be disappointed in anything else that didnt have something to do with my Prius) jumper box (only thing i have ever used it for was a party at a campground...onsite power required one to start his diesel pickup and run it for 20 minutes at a time. i put an immediate stop to that nonsense)
also carry a dessicant tub (just like the one used for an RV) i find that this greatly reduces my need for defrost (the humidity easily averages 99%+ for DAYS at a time) and the current book or 1-2 magazines im currently reading on my spare time at work.

the AIC ipod adapter has rid me of a good 5 pounds of CD's. also have a spiral ring notebook used to jot down information on various stat sheets i am compiling.

as far as messes... sure a little here and there. all my garbage gets stored in the door compartment and is tossed when remembered. never allow overflow however and occassionally i get something that wont fit or is unwise to store there (stuff that might leak, etc) so they get removed on first exit from vehicle.

i have had several spills with a half dozen major ones. none have left much a reminder behind. there are a few areas like the drivers armrest or the center console cover that maybe showing signs of wear (or might just need cleaning...havent checked that out yet) so a good detailed cleaning is definitely in order but wont be done until the normal weather returns probably about April or May or June...

 

I try to keep my cars clean and have been successful over the years except for the driver's floor mats. I really don't care for those plastic protectors or the various rubberized mats so I just live with it. Does anyone sell just the OEM driver's floor mat?

 

I purchased mine in Nov from your husbands employer. The first two weeks, of
ownership, it was used as an ambulance for my dog who had surgery (6 pound tumor and spleen removed) He is doing great, and I hope now to have him for a few more years. (Amstaff)
Tumor was not malignant, although I didn't know that until a few days after the
operation. So, I put down a quilt in the hatch area, and transported him from
my home to Oxford for the operation, then, with IV drip, urine catheter and bile catheter, to Pet Emergency Vets in Durham for overnight monitoring, then
back to Oxford for the next two days stay, then home, then back to Oxford and home two more times times during recovery, all still with those catheters. I went through hell, but he went through worse. No fluids spilled, and my car is still pristine. My dog has a new lease on life but I swear I could have had a 2005 package 8 insted of a package 4 for the total of the vet bills. Rather have my dog though.
Rod
2005 Tideland Pearl package 4
Roxboro, NC

 

Granted, I don't have my Prius yet, but I voted for the second one down. (Ie: mostly clean but not fresh off the lot clean). If I care for the Prius in the same manner as I do my current car of 9 yrs, that's what it will be, as that's what my current car looks like as far as cleanliness goes (except for the floormats-no amount of scrubbing will ever get those things clean thanks to grease/oil stains, grrr!). But at least the carpet beneath them is cleanish.

I have a feeling I might 'baby' the Prius a bit more. Maybe I will end up keeing it fresh off the lot clean.

 

i don't have a prius yet, but if history is anything to learn from, the back hatch area will likely be VERY cluttered, and there will always be some amount of stuff (receipts, plastic bags, extra crystals and stuff from work...) in the passenger compartment.

I would LOVE for my love of the Prius (and her gas mileage) to result in my keeping the car cleaner - it might even work, though it sounds like thats not in the natural order of things for a Prius driver

 

Okay - so I pretty much just did drive it off the lot, too, but I have a strict policy of everytime I get out of the car at home taking everything out of it - trash, cups, bags, etc. that I was carrying. Only thing I've got right now in there "loose" is the std. mirror they took out when I got the autodim/homelink mirror installed. But that's just because I have no idea what to do with it.

Anybody have a use for a std. toyota rearview mirror? Free! (except maybe shipping costs?) I may try to freecycle it or bring it to a junk yard.

 

For 35 years, the interiors of all my cars were, well..... yukky. Rolling monuments to the disposable society.

But in the year-and-a-half of the Prius, the interior has stayed pristine. For the longest time, I wouldn't even let our three dogs ride with me. Now I do, occasionally, but the Prius gets treated to regular visits to the local auto detailing shop.

Kevin