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Remove Flying Buttress Console

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by daevumshlebee, Nov 1, 2012.

  1. defrankond

    defrankond Member

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    That is my biggest issue. They are far down and gorward. Short ppl like me have to take eyes off the road just to reach them. And since I can only keep them on for a few min it's a hassle to do. They will roast your butt real fast if left on. Lol
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sizzler!:p
     
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  3. defrankond

    defrankond Member

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    Lmao @bisco i always wanted my Christmas goose early. Just didn't want to be the goose getting cooked.
     
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  4. Red_Prii

    Red_Prii Junior Member

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    As soon as I bought my used 2010 I removed the buttress. After 2 weeks of uncomfortable driving with various steering wheel and seat positions, I just won't put up with the discomfort. NOW I just have to finish the project and make it look presentable. Posted are pictures of the current state of things. (I'm tall with long arms so reaching the shifter in its temporary shifter location is not an issue.)
     

    Attached Files:

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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    wow, well done! you may be the first. wish you had done pics and write up for all the wannabe bridge burners!:p
     
  6. Toyota-Camping

    Toyota-Camping Junior Member

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    ----USA----
    (If my question is too obnoxious I will understand.)

    I am new here (insert curtsy here : ) and I did peruse the topic I want, but since I didn’t find it? this is my question:

    I want a LIST of which Prius models DON’T have the horrid “flying buttress” so I can buy a newer Prius w/o that feature.

    Is there such a list? Or is there a code that makes it clear which is which? I might buy a used Prius, I might buy a new Prius. It’s whatever has the color and console I want.

    I have a 2002 Prius, and I have driven a Prius with the landing strip of a flying buttress extensively. The flying buttress is just plain wrong on so many levels. My car is often my office. My car is my tornado chaser vehicle, and, more importantly, my vehicle is almost always made into a camper. If I can’t sit in my car and clean up what’s on the passenger floorboard without getting out and walking around? It’s just plain wrong.

    My new dream Prius (right now) would be:

    Blizzard Pearl
    Prius with the hatchback (ie: not 2002)
    Not the C
    Not the V
    Doesn’t stand out w/ weird features when I travel (ie: weird brake lights)

    In other words, a Prius that isn’t extra hot in summer (no dark colors), not dirty looking because it’s a dark color, doesn’t have lit up parentheses on its rear end (who thought that up?), and say No to the flying buttress. I pride my 4Runner camper on being super stealthy, and expect my Prius to follow the same. I will be limo tinting the back for camping, and I always use sun shades for camping. I guess I would have to entertain the idea of a backup camera if a hatchback is tinted, but I’ll figure that out later.

    Thank you in advance,

    Lesley

    “I’m the kind of person who would make my car perfect, take a photo of the front two seats and then print that photo on a blanket. That blanket would then hang behind the front seats at night for a more stealthy camper-mobile.”
     
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  7. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I feel the same way about that interior. I suggest you look at the RAV4-hybrid. It's got the Prius powerplant in a body that can blend in anywhere in America, plenty of room for camping, with a relatively old-school front office design.
     
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  8. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    Didn't the 4th generation lose the stupid flying buttress? Still goofy taillights, etc., though.
     
  9. Maarten28

    Maarten28 Active Member

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    Gen 3 Prius, model code XW30 and XW35 (plugin) has this dashboard, others do not.
    You could go for a Prius V (Prius+), but it still has a middle console that prevents easy moving from left to right.
    Other option is the smaller Prius C with a much smaller middle console.
    Maybe a Lexus RX also fits your needs.
     
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  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Touring
    Fourth gen interior is an out of the pan, into the fire scenario, my 2 cents. There's a few things that bug me about the 3rd gen dash (the so-called "flying buttress" is not on my list), but overall I'm ok with it. Fourth gen, I hate so much about, don't know where to start, lol. Maybe textures and colors? And then we could move onto "Darth Vader in the Dash". Oh, the diminutive single glove box. And the whole concept, that the dash is some sorta sculpture...
     
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  11. Toyota-Camping

    Toyota-Camping Junior Member

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    ----USA----
    UPDATE:

    I bought a 2016 Prius, silver, base package and I absolutely love it!! It does NOT have the flying buttress console! I traded in my other car for it.

    It is a very slightly used Prius with low miles (26,000). I saw others (ie: 2017) that were nice, but they either smelled like cigarettes or the white phone charger tray was blistered up (?) with big scratches in the rear for some reason (dog?). I can pay it off quick due to the down payment I choose.

    .....

    Now for the fun part.....
    To camp in my Prius (boondocking):

    I got limo tint on the back end (rear 3 windows), a custom, roll up, silver, sun shade ‘made’ for it (it has the cut out for the huge sensor attached to rear view mirror that I don’t have even though the packaging indicates otherwise - I’ll get another “pop-up” shade to go over that), and a nice steering wheel cover because it’s too slick.

    I will build something in the rear passenger footwell for head support while sleeping (it’s too weird to have my head in the rear hatch). Maybe I can make all my “cemetery clean up tools” (I do genealogy hunting on trips) integrate into the head support idea on the rear floor. I think my lightweight cooler will likely be under my head for sleeping. I still need to sew up mosquito netting “pillow cases” to put over the front windows, but if I don’t have time I can just put it over the door(s) and slam it shut.

    Dash camera still needs installing.
    My 2000 4Runner has a for sale sign on it.
    Need paperwork to prove it’s registered as my registration stickers will come after I leave (husband can overnight them).

    I have lots to do before taking off on a cross country storm chasing trip. : )

    Thank you everyone!

    Lesley
     
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  12. 04priusnow

    04priusnow Active Member

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    lol. interesting mod.

    Pixel 3a XL ?
     
  13. Toyota-Camping

    Toyota-Camping Junior Member

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    ----USA----
    I just returned from 30 day road trip with my silver 2016 Prius (no flying buttress). I drove 5000 miles from California to Wisconsin, Illinois and back. All I needed was one hotel stay due to extreme allergies in Montana. The trip went exactly as expected, and well worth all the planning.

    Before I left I had limo tint installed on the back three windows. Besides the three day curing process not being able to roll down windows, it was worth far more than the cost for privacy. It was only $160 for tint installed.

    I was able to lay the drivers seat down almost completely flat, easily crawl in the back to the bed area and sleep in very comfortable air conditioning ~$1.20 each night. The AC also solved keeping mosquitoes out, and no need to crack the front two windows so the car windows wouldn’t fog up. The front window shade I got from Toyota was awesome, and the two sets of pop up shades took care of the two front windows, and the back two windows since I could see lights outside.

    Thanks to a fellow Prius Camper I tried the trick of buying a $40 regular crib mattress to sleep on. It was like sleeping on a cloud. All I had to do was put gear under my feet since the mattress is shorter than I am. I think I will try another crib mattress so we can both go camping and still have room for the dog in the front. The two mattresses will easily store due to the baby proof material, or the dog will likely be happy to sleep on it the rest of the year.

    Thanks everyone!
     
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  14. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

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    No pictures?
    inconceivable !!
    (Princess bride quote)
    .
     
  15. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    And didn't even posted average MPG of 5,000 miles. Inconceivable!