my first visit to a service tech

[betshsu]

In an effort to make my Prius legal in the state of Texas, I decided to get my state inspection this morning. After confirming with the service tech that I don't need a front lisence plate to pass inspection (haven't gotten around to installing the bracket yet), I ask him "have you ever driven one of these cars before?."

"Of course. What is it, one of those electric cars?" He comes off as slighly arrogant (possibly because he's annoyed that I placed my registration sticker slightly too close to the bottom of the windshield and the inspection sticker is supposed to go underneath it).

"I just wanted to make sure you knew how to turn it on and off."

"It turns on and off by itself, doesn't it?"

I contemplate for second the best way to reply to this question and say "Just make sure your foot is on the brake when you power it on and off," deciding that this should cover all bases since I could watch him while he was fooling with the car.

I power off the car and walk off (almost forgetting to take my keys out of my bag and sticking them in the slot, which would have made me look stupid) and watch him get into the car. The brake lights go on, and then there's a 30 second pause as he's probably staring at the dash thinking "damn, I better figure out how to make this car move" before the reverse lights go on. While I'm waiting, another tech comes up and asks me about the car--the mileage (he was guessing 80 mpg) and cost. His concern is getting into an accident with the car, since it is small (we are in the land of SUVs and trucks), but I explain it has side air bags and I'm not concerned.

After the first tech gets back from driving the car around the block, he's much more amiable to me. He also has to ask me how to get the odometer to come up because "there are too many buttons." He comments that it drives very nicely, and asks about the mileage and the warranty on the battery (he thought it was 3 years). He also warns me before backing up about a pole that falls in the blind spot, which is the first time I've really noticed the huge blind spot when reversing.

His change of attitude may have been perceived on my part, but I found my first encounter with a service tech amusing nonetheless.

Now, just to make my car completely legal by installing that front lisence plate...

[Wolfman]

One nice thing about where I live. The inspector that I take my vehicles to, also lives very close to my place. I met him when their dog (a great pyrenees), kept getting out and coming over to my house. He knows that I have a tendancy to drive very unique vehicles, and was the one that got to inspect the old '59 190D when I first bought it. He immediately knows that when I'm hovering around the vehicle, he is going to have questions about it that he hasn't thought of yet. My Prius isn't due for it's first inspection untill next May. Even though mine is the classic model, I'll hover around the vehicle during the inspection, so he will not be surprised when the car shuts itself down before he even finishes checking the lights. :mrgreen:

As an aside, he knows that his mutt is why I now have two Great Pyrenees of my own.

[bookrats]

Nice story, betshsu!

And Wolfman, please post your inspector's encounter with your Prius next May!

[Wolfman]

I will, although I don't think it'll be quite as interesting as the stories dealing with the 04 and up models, since mine is more "car normal" in starting procedure.

[nevesis]

Almost as amusing was my first service for the car. Took it to my dealer where I bought it (and got the pre-paid maintenance plan or whatever). Stopped in the service bay, and I had to show the service writer how to start it. heh..

Understandable that not everyone knows everything about the car. At least the actual tech working on the vehicle was the one Prius trained tech, so I was not really worried (even after hearing out of the bay "It's the giant golf cart").

Anyway, afterwards, they decided to put it through the car wash (it was a little dirty due to a weekend drive up the state, 700 miles round trip and no time to wash it). All together, the "29 minute express service" took almost two hours. The humor was over when I was already late for work when I saw them drive it back towards the waiting area, and parked it behind the service offices, and took the key to the service manager - who then gave the key to me and said to give the key to one of the porters who would bring my car around. 10 minutes later, I peek around behind the offices again to see him in the car scratching his head. I was about to go back there and help him out, but someone else joined him and started it up.

Next time I take the car in, I think I'll have to put one of the valet cards on the dash.

[Frank Hudon]

Wolfman you might be right about it being more carlike but I've had guy's at the car wash get in and you can see him turn the key and then get out and tell me the "starters broken"

[Wolfman]

Wolfman you might be right about it being more carlike but I've had guy's at the car wash get in and you can see him turn the key and then get out and tell me the "starters broken"

Hmmm, hadn't thought of that one. I'll have to remember to keep an eye on him when he starts it up. :mrgreen:

[betshsu]

"It's the giant golf cart"

hee hee hee...

You'd think at the dealership they'd know how to start the car.

[TonyPSchaefer]

I ask him "have you ever driven one of these cars before?."
"Of course. What is it. . .?"

That's a priceless line right there!

Though I have two pads of valet cards, it's going to be a very long time before I let someone not legally or biologically related me drive Priapus.