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Prius V at Burning Man?

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by benstpierre, Jun 29, 2018.

  1. benstpierre

    benstpierre Junior Member

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    V
    Has anybody had experience taking a Prius or Prius V to Burning Man? The conditions at Burning Man are particularly harsh on cars, the dust gets into EVERYTHING. I have heard that the Playa dust is particularly hard on electrical components.

    We had been considering modding our Prius V to act as a generator for our camp. Anybody else here had experience hacking a Prius to generate AC electricity? At camp we have a number of things that need AC (lights, fans, speakers, laptop chargers, power tools, etc).
     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    It will handle dust. The easiest ac solution is an inverter connected to the 12v battery via fuse and leave the car running. Try it at home.
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    bring some spare air and cabin filters. and dust masks.
     
  4. PriusV17

    PriusV17 Active Member

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    What I don't like about the desert is the sand blasting affect of wind, sand and dust on your car's paint. The stronger the wind the more your car's paint will be blasted with particles. You can consider a car cover to protect your paint if that doesn't take up more space in your car. I would customize the car cover so that you can open the doors and trunk. Like using velcro or zippers. I think hooking up an inverter directly to the 12v port should work with car in Ready mode. Just don't tent too close to the exhaust section of the car as it comes on to charge the system from time to time. I think going solar and a power bank of some kind may be a better option. You don't want your car to inhale too much in the desert. Yea having spare filters may be good, so that you can drive back home with the air flowing freely (if it gets that clogged).

    Actually car cover may not be a good idea if your car is already covered in dirt and sand. Putting on a car cover could scratch the paint some more and get the cover dirty from the inside. You want your car to be clean before putting on a cover.
     
    #4 PriusV17, Jun 30, 2018
    Last edited: Jun 30, 2018
  5. MrLetter

    MrLetter Junior Member

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    Three
    I've been burning for well over a decade and this will be my second year taking my Prius v to the playa. Come to think of it this is my third vehicle since I started burning.

    First thing.. don't bring a car cover. All the flapping from the wind with the dust under it will do more harm than letting it get covered with dust. I know that PriusV17 edited their post to reflect this. But as someone who has seen others mess up their paint by doing this I thought I'd point it out again.

    To prevent the most dust getting inside you should limit the amount of time that you have your car open to the playa. It's better to just unload and setup. But if you're going to be opening the doors often then I suggest putting sheets over your seats and closing your vents once your in place (and not running air anymore). Of course get some good sun shades for your windows to reduce the oven the cabin turns into. Like others have said bring replacement air filters to put in once your out. My personal experience is it's hit or miss if you actually need to replace them.

    I've personally never used the 12v to power things outside an air pump for my bed (it's faster than a battery one). For my electronics that need charged I use a rechargeable batteries and solar panels to charge those back up. It sounds like you need more power than what I use for personal gear however. So I would suggest that you do the math to make sure you'll be able to power all of those things just with your Prius. When it comes to using your Prius as a battery pack also consider if you'll need to refuel it. Since you can't (normally) get fuel on playa and depending on how you came down your last gas stop was in Cedarville, CA or Fernley, NV. (You can get gas in Nixon or Gerlach but ideally you should be getting it in Fernley.)

    When it comes to cleaning afterwards. You should do it as soon as you can. Take air to your engine and blow out as much playa as you can. Hit up other areas with the air house as well.

    Outside cleaning. A good old fashioned car wash a few times will do the trick for the outside. I have been annoyed with all the outside spots playa likes to hide in however. So far this has been my worst car for that. So try to spray out the areas of the side mirrors and hatch. Playa loves to hide around the hatch and that spoiler. Chances are the black plastic trim will fade a good amount. I fixed mine with TriNova Plastic & Trim Restorer from Amazon. It's still black today, so I'd say it works.

    Inside cleaning. Before you clean how you normally would cycle your cabin air from cold to hot on full blast. Then you can get to cleaning how you normally would. If you find spots that are harder to take care of add a splash of white vinegar to water then spray it.

    Side thought. If you don't need the back seats for passengers then take them out. You'll have more room for your gear and for your trash on the way out.