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New Prius Owner...

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Oppy, Dec 23, 2009.

  1. Oppy

    Oppy Smug Apprentice

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Seattle, Washington USA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    ...but not a new Prius. It is 2005 with 40K miles. I am not big into mods or anything like that but do have two specific questions surrounding my 'comfort'.

    The first is the stereo. This vehicle has the cd/tape deck (!) and no mp3 jack and the sound with the deck adapter is awful. Any recommendations on a new deck with mp3/ipod jack that does not alter all the Nav/Bluetooth features? Is my best bet a aux jack or upgraded stock system?

    Second is the navigation. My map version is the original and the dealer is pleased to offer me an upgraded DVD for only $299.99. Are there alternate sources I can explore? Anything a Newbie should know before buying an upgrade?

    Btw according to he car my first tank is avg about 42.9 in mixed, but largely city driving. I can live with that!
     
    #1 Oppy, Dec 23, 2009
  2. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    Welcome. Those are some pretty expensive miles. Skip the CD upgrade. If the nav unit doesn't work well enough for you I would sink the money into a Garmin & dash mat. While you're at it, I also recommend a ScanGauge II. You'll get a wealth of info that will help your driving & diagnose an idiot light.
     
    #2 JimN, Dec 23, 2009
  3. Oppy

    Oppy Smug Apprentice

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    Location:
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    Thanks for the input. The Nav is not critical and I will ignore it unless a disc comes available at a reasonable price. The MP3 issue needs to be addressed, so for that I will keep searching for a solution.

    Can anyone quickly address benefits of the Scangauge mentioned by JimN?
     
    #3 Oppy, Dec 24, 2009
  4. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Model:
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    I might suggest asking the dealer to let you look at a car that has the Nav upgrade you would be buying before you spend $300 on it. You may find maps in your area or problems with the one you have now have not been fixed on the upgrade.

    I sure hope you can find an upgrade for less but I'm not sure. The $300 price seems obscene. There may be some for less on ebay but it's buyer beware.

    EDIT: The ScanGauge is on of my favorite mods. It's plugs in to the ODB port to the left of the steering column, it's light and you can mount it with velcro to the top of the steering column. Among other things it gives you a choice of parameters you can display 4 at a time. Such as: RPM, coolant temp, throttle position, MPH, MPG, ignition timing, etc. It's available at a discount on this site.
     
    #4 tumbleweed, Dec 24, 2009
  5. PriusLewis

    PriusLewis Management Scientist

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    In the "old days" of adapting a portable CD player to a tape deck, I found that the brand of tape adapter made a huge difference in sound quality. I don't know if it would be worth the cost, but you might try a different brand of "fake tape" and see if it improves things until you can change out the head unit (about the only other solution).
     
    #5 PriusLewis, Dec 24, 2009
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