[BRUCE BERRY]

I pick up my #4 (new numbering system - no nav system) 2005 today. what were the things you wish you had done first when your got your Prius?

thanks

 

[mrfredsporty]

nothing really. i needed to spend a lot more time getting used to little differeces like how the parking brake worked. definitely how to get into neutral(for self car washes). aside from that just taking a nice scenic relaxing drive works great. every day it seems i find another little thing the car does so well

 

[richard schumacher]

1. Take along the Prius pick-up checklist http://www.vfaq.net/docs/pickup_checklist.html

2. Read the "before you drive" section of the owner's manual before you leave the dealer.

 

[SkipHuffman]

I pick up my #4 (new numbering system - no nav system) 2005 today. what were the things you wish you had done first when your got your Prius?

thanks

Turn off the LCD screen for the first ten miles or so. Get used to driving the car before you turn that thing on. It can be a little distracting at first. Turn it back on the next day, Come on, you can wait a day, right?

Also give it a nice wash and wax within a week or two to protect the finish.

Oh, and when you see another prius on the road, Smile and Wave. We will wave back.

 

[Saruman]

I don't understand the neutral requirement for carwashes. I put mine in PARK by pushing the park button and have no problems. Am I missing something?

 

[AgentElrond]

I don't understand the neutral requirement for carwashes. I put mine in PARK by pushing the park button and have no problems. Am I missing something?

Maybe it depends on the carwash; i.e. "neutral" if the car moves through it while being washed, "park" if the car sits still while it's being washed.

I only used a "touchless" one at a local gas station *once* with the 2003; other than that, I hand-wash.

 

[wombatua]

Exactly. I took mine to a car wash Saturday where you place the car in neutral and it moves along a track through the various sections of the wash. Hand-washing isn't a realistic option for everyone.[/quote]

 

[SkipHuffman]

I don't understand the neutral requirement for carwashes. I put mine in PARK by pushing the park button and have no problems. Am I missing something?

Some car washes (pretty uncommon these days I think) have all the equipment stationary and move your car through it like an assembly line. I think most of them clamp onto one of your front wheels and drag you through the machines. I remember when I was a kid, that some of them had a chain and hook that the attendent attached to the front of the frame to drag the car through. There were guides to keep your wheels on track.

If you did not put the car in neutral the dragging would spin the engine, possibly causing damage.

I think that in most car washes these days the car is stationary and the washing equipment moves back and forth, so this requirement is archiac.