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New to Prius but experienced with PHEV

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by quikslipper, Jun 2, 2020.

  1. quikslipper

    quikslipper Junior Member

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    2018 Prius Prime
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    Plug-in Advanced
    Hi all!

    Just got myself a 2018 Prime ADV and what a relief this car is compared to a Chevrolet Volt 2013. I mean it's kind of tough to compare both, but the Prime is quite the car in itself.

    I don't know where to properly post this thread, but wanted to introduce myself to all the Prime owners and also excited to be a part of the Prius community that's ever so popular.

    I'm in SOCAL so any meet ups or recommendations for shops, aftermarket dealers/shops, or anything Prius related locally would be greatly appreciated.

    I'll post up a picture or two for those interested. (Blizzard Pearl White PRIME Advanced)

    Oh and what's everyone's recommended modifications if any to the car?
     
    #1 quikslipper, Jun 2, 2020
    jerrymildred, bisco and Bob Comer like this.
  2. schja01

    schja01 One of very few in Chicagoland

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    Congrats. Welcome to PriusChat. I have the same model/trim but in the red. Never had a red car. Love it.
    I'm not one for modding I did opt for the Protection Package (Door, edge guards and rear bumper Applique). I didn't like the gaudy white plastic with my black interior so I covered the shifter and steering wheel plastic with the Black Appliques. Shifter from Toyota, Steering Wheel from eBay. What a difference.
     
    #2 schja01, Jun 2, 2020
  3. quikslipper

    quikslipper Junior Member

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    Plug-in Advanced
    i didn't realize how luxury feeling it feels to be inside the prius. i mean the materials were well thought out. but ya, coming from 2013 volt this is definitely an upgrade with the peace of mind of reliability.
     
    #3 quikslipper, Jun 2, 2020
  4. mistermojorizin

    mistermojorizin Active Member

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    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Welcome! Buy some good extending sun visor additions, change interior bulbs to led, ceramic tint, spare tire, get a good magnetic vent phone mount, use carista or get your dealer to change a whole bunch of settings like window rolldown with remote, no backup beep, no seatbelt reminder, etc

    A couple things I've been thinking about is comma.ai for semiautonomous function and upgrading wheels or tires.

    I thought about the black interior plastic, but then i read that it makes the park button harder to find. I use park a lot at lights.
     
    #4 mistermojorizin, Jun 2, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 2, 2020
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    all the best!(y)
     
    #5 bisco, Jun 2, 2020
  6. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
    Staff Member

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    Congrats and welcome to PriusChat!

    what kind of mods were you thinking?

    wheels (215/45R17) are most common. You could do 18” but it might ride a bit rough. Even though I haven’t upgrade myself (I prefer achieving longer EV range given the small battery), 17” wheels do give the Prime a more aggressive look and matches the exterior design better IMO. @MEG@TW stiffening plates are another mod.

    Other minor mods could be adding the dealer accessory illuminated front scuff plates, swapping out the interior lights for LEDs, adding a sliding extension to the sun visor, window tint (or adding custom rear window sunshades)
     
    #6 Tideland Prius, Jun 2, 2020
  7. quikslipper

    quikslipper Junior Member

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    Plug-in Advanced
    Thanks guys so much for the warm welcome! Love the tips on stuff to do. I've got already a long laundry list of mods which i want to do now, but it's all gonna have to come little at a time because this car's gonna be with me for a long long time.

    First order of business however is tint. Any of you guys tint the front windshield and if so, are the tint people or you supposed to tint the whole windshield or do they go around the cameras? What's your guys' recommendations on type of tint? I know i'm going for ceramic for sure but any of you experience different?

    Also how do you guys get the extending window visors? BTW this is my daily driver so i might need some of that since it's not the 2020 year but i saw that the 2020MY didn't extend like how some would want to.

    What's your guys' experience as well with the illuminated door sills (front scuff plates)?
     
    #7 quikslipper, Jun 2, 2020
  8. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Welcome to PC and congrats on your new ride. So how many miles did you put on Volt? I have never seen Volt (or Bolt either one) in a wild, but see PRIME every day. Just curious if you ever looked newer Volt as a comparison to PRIME?
     
    #8 Salamander_King, Jun 2, 2020
  9. quikslipper

    quikslipper Junior Member

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    Plug-in Advanced
    I had a little over 102k miles on the VOlt. Bought the Volt used at 28k miles back in 2015 and had it since this past weekend. I would have looked into a newer Volt, but they discontinued the car model. (I wonder why?) Otherwise, Volt is nice, however, I feel being the PiP is better even though it's somewhat similar to the Volt except less electric mileage.
     
    #9 quikslipper, Jun 2, 2020
    Salamander_King likes this.
  10. Rob43

    Rob43 Senior Member

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    Prime Advanced
    Yep, 17" wheels and tires make a big improvement in feel/handling. I always recommend a 205/50-17 because they're the closest to the OE diameter of 25.0". If you invest in 17" wheels, try to pick light ones.

    Aftermarket Wheel Fitment Guidelines | PriusChat

    Do you already own an L2 EVSE unit ?



    Rob43
     
    #10 Rob43, Jun 2, 2020
    Tideland Prius likes this.
  11. quikslipper

    quikslipper Junior Member

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    Plug-in Advanced
    From my old Volt that I had charging at home, I still have my L2 EVSE unit. I also got a spare L1 charger (now I have 2) lol

    Thanks for that link!! I'm probably going to be looking into 17" or is 18" wheels too big? Otherwise, I don't mind a slight change in size width for tires. Definitely going with a lightweight wheel though.


    Do you or anyone have recommendations for trunk storage ideas or space?
     
    #11 quikslipper, Jun 3, 2020
  12. mistermojorizin

    mistermojorizin Active Member

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    These are working fantastic www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07JM2QKMQ/

    I got the front windshield done in a very light tint, like 70%, and it didnt affect the cameras. Huper optik is the brand. They did the whole car for $375 with lifetime warranty. It helps alot with the heat here in the central valley, even with the light shade. Alot of folks here use huper.
     
    #12 mistermojorizin, Jun 3, 2020
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2020
  13. m8547

    m8547 Senior Member

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    Prime Plus
    My car came with the side moulding things on the doors, not sure what the technical term is. I thought they were kind of stupid, until one day someone let the wind SLAM their door hard into the side of my car. The door just happened to line up with the moulding thing, so there was basically no damage. I think it would have been a huge dent otherwise. I think I was extremely lucky that their door was at just the right height. Lesson learned, don't park anywhere near any other cars when it's windy.

    Interior LED bulbs are a huge improvement making the whole car feel more premium and futuristic.
     
    #13 m8547, Jun 11, 2020
  14. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Had a 2012 Volt and now a 2018 gen 4 liftback (aka not a prime). One has to consider the gen 1 volt has design roots going back to around 2007 so yeah its tech and overall feel are a little dated now. If you compare the volt to a gen 2 prius (circa 2007), the results are the other way around.

    We now have a Clarity phev which is a notch above the gen4 prius but it's a different type of car. The upcoming Rav4Prime will be yet another advance.

    Competition is GREAT for the consumer. (y)
     
    #14 fotomoto, Jun 11, 2020
  15. quikslipper

    quikslipper Junior Member

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    2018 Prius Prime
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    Plug-in Advanced
    Exac
    EXACTLY!!

    Never thought I'd be one to enjoy the hybrid life
     
    #15 quikslipper, Jun 11, 2020
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