Quality Control Freight Hold

I was wondering how you are able to track your Prius? Trying to figure out when add ons can be removed.

I just went to the posted link for your Prius and when I scrolled through I somehow landed on my local dealership with what looks like a silver XLE AWD on its way. There’s a guardian XLE coming too. I’m supposedly first on the list at this point and the silver must be mine. It does have door guards which aren’t a big deal and door sill protectors which are fine. Mud guards too? I guess I can add bumper appliqué at dealership.

My heart is racing because they said they would call me as soon as they were able to pull or pick one from allocation. I know this doesn’t mean it will be here right away. Supposedly a month or so. I hope it doesn’t end up arriving the week of June 19th when I’ll be away at a workshop. : } Arranging for purchase the week before would be stressful due to circumstances. Murphy’s law I haven’t gone away in many years and car will arrive then. : } They also have a wind chill Prime XSE coming too. Wish I hadn’t looked so late at night. Guess I better call them tomorrow.

 

One more question. Wondering why you don’t like door edge guards? I don’t like how they look but more subtle than body side moldings. They might already be on the car.

 

First, as you've probably figured out from all the different stories on here, it's completely up to your dealer. Some dealers load up a car with all the port options they can get away with. Those dealers are unlikely to be willing to remove anything as it would eat into their profit margins. Other dealers install what they think the buyers in their region want(or Toyota does it for them). Some of these dealers aren't interested in going through the hassle of changing the car once it's been allocated, while others are more than willing to. I got super lucky to fall into a dealer that was willing to do anything I wanted once I put my deposit down(Minnesota nice, maybe? lol)

As for when can port options be removed, it's until the car reaches the port and begins processing. As long as it's listed as "build phase", there is at least the possibility to remove things if your dealer is willing. There are four phases, and you can tell which phase a car is in by looking at the bottom of the car's tile at the search inventory section of Toyota.com. (Right under the big red "View Details" button.)

1. Vehicle is in build phase. Contact dealer to confirm availability date.
2. Vehicle may be in transit. Contact dealer to confirm availability date.
3. Vehicle may be in transit. Estimated availability MM/DD/YY - MM/DD/YY.
4. <section is blank>

Port installed options can only be changed in phase 1.

I tried to figure out which dealership was yours; I'm assuming it's the one that starts with a V. If so, all three of those Priuses are in the build phase and it's possible the options could be changed. You can also confirm by entering the VIN into Toyota-Tracker.com. Just know that on T-T, build phase=allocation, transit=freight, & <blank>=ground.


As for my option choices, I like to do things myself. I will probably be adding options, but I'd like the car to not have anything I don't want. I also really like the clean lines of the gen5, so I don't want anything to interrupt that. That's why I wanted the body side moldings and door edge guards deleted. It's purely an aesthetic choice on my part. There's nothing wrong with them if you like(or don't mind) the look. And a car with them will be better protected against dents and dings than a car without. If I regularly parked in a dense parking lot/structure where people couldn't care less about the cars around them, I'd probably just suck it up and leave them on. The mudguards were actually a mistake on my part. I didn't notice they were on, and I didn't want to bother my dealer a third time(after I promised the second time would be the last - lol). If I don't like them, they're easy enough to remove and not all that expensive.

As for what I'll be adding, the rear bumper applique was a must-have if it hadn't been on there already. I hate all-weather floor liners, so carpet mats were a must. I ordered the first aid kit and emergency kit already and saved about $25 by the dealer I chose. I'll probably do the integrated dashcam($290 vs. $375 if I do it myself - or $320 if I want the Lexus version with the black button). I didn't realize door sill protectors were a possibility(they're not on the list of accessories in the build feature), and I'll be strongly considering those once parts.toyota.com is updated. I'm also going to want to have the door cups protected; maybe more.

After that, I'm looking at a couple/few grand of Japanese options, but I'm not looking forward to finding those part numbers and importing them. Auto-folding side mirrors, interior illumination kit, trash compartments for the doors, sliding center armrest, next level up sound system, dual-zone climate control, performance dampers and door reinforcement kits. I'm sure I won't do all of those, but I'm probably still going to get pretty stupid.

 

Thanks for the details. I might stop buy dealership instead of calling. It’s family owned and I’ve had good experiences with service. We’ll see. It says it’s in build phase. Interesting that it stares sale pending because they weren’t doing that in 2022.

Not crazy about the design/shape of the smaller media screen simply because the back of it seems like it’s in full view from the driver’s seat but I don’t need the big screen. Won’t be subscribing to services. I guess I’ll get used to it. They said they were mostly seeing the larger screen with the full package upgrade.

Bumper appliqué is a must for me too and might be cheaper applied at port. During repairs for 2009 the appliqué had to be replaced twice because a body shop had to redo work with an OEM bumper.

Hmm…I like the lines of the car without the guards too but do have to park in tight spots. I just really don’t like the body side molding look although 2023 molding is much nicer looking than 2022. I’m more likely to have someone bump into me when door is shut although I have a few dings down low on door from awkward curb situations.

With the 2022 they told me cars were showing up during allocation loaded with accessories so who knows.

What are your thoughts on cat shield. Last week dealer told me they weren’t available to order yet. I want the steel version. My 2009 cat was stolen from my apartment parking lot. I think that’s a dealer add on at this point.
I’m going to miss my JBL stereo.

 

There is an option for auto folding mirrors? That’s new!

@daisy555 follow what this says, you need to do before car hits the port in your country.

 

I’m currently looking into the cat shield and getting it installed from a local mechanic. Seems like they charge about $100 extra for installation.

 

@daisy555 you can order the cat shield on your own https://catshield.com/products/2023-prius-gen-5-cat-shield then take it to the dealer or local mechanic you trust to install it.

 

My experience has been:

I put my name on the waiting list for a 2023 Prius in Sept. 2022.
Dealer told me in Feb. the ship with the car would arrive Feb. 26th and the car should be at the dealer by late March. The Dealer also gave me the VIN at this time.
Later I found the car on the Toyota Inventory website and printed the window sticker.
The window sticker says "Created on 2023-02-27 21:31:48 (UTC)".
The Toyota website said the car was due the last week of March.
I also started watching the VIN on Toyota tracker.
Around the middle of March the dealer told me the car had been placed on a "QC Hold" and had been delayed a week.
Around this time car was removed from the Toyota inventory website and Toyota tracker stated
"Sorry, looks like Toyota has no data for this vehicle at this time.
Last recorded information from March 15, 2023 at 07:37:18 AM"
The 4th week of April I asked if the port installed options were holding it up and I would be happy to receive it without any off those. They told me they could not delete any of those now. (They are floor mats and 3 other items.)
The dealer has been apologizing for the delay and I do not have any problem with them especially because this will be the first 2023 Prius they receive and they are selling it to me at or below MSRP. As of now I do not know when it will arrive.

 

Will the QC hold be lifted today? Anyone here has any info from their dealership?

 

Yes/no. Auto-folding mirrors are standard on Priuses in Japan(and Europe?) and have been for quite awhile(at least gen3). But we've never gotten them in the US market. The core mounting points are the same on the doors, and I believe much of the wiring is the same, so it's been possible to retrofit Japanese parts onto US cars in previous generations. I'm hoping that continues to be the case, and I'm just waiting until the parts website is updated so I can start investigating what needs to be replaced and what can be kept.

 

I'm in a rural enough area that cat theft isn't a problem(plus mine will be garaged at night). If I lived in a region where cat theft was a major issue (and/or my car was vulnerable at night), I'd probably consider it. But thnok is right that you can always get one added later. I wouldn't hold off my purchase based on just the availability of a cat shield.

 

Auto-folding side mirrors seem like a solution in search of a problem? The ONLY time I find it worthwhile to fold mirrors in is when we're on a ferry, in tight proximity with another lane of cars or a wall, with people trying to squeeze by. When I see cars parked with folded-in mirrors (presumably done automatically) it looks awkward/dorky. Plus, just more dreck to fritz out?

 

No I won’t hold off. Just hoping they are available before I drive new car home.

 

Anxiously wondering the same. I’m trying REALLY hard not to pester my sales rep. Lol.

 

Well…turns out that Silver Prius XLE is not mine. They confirmed I was first in line as of March but this car was for the person first on list back in January. Next allocation is next Thursday? They also confirmed they most likely can/will switch out accessories at build stage and that they don’t have part number for the Miller Cat steel cat shield yet.

More time to think about body side molding and mudguards. : } I definitely want the door sill protectors so I’m glad I saw specs on this one.

 

Thanks!

 

In the same situation, my rep let me know the status could change later today. What's interesting though is mine is on hold at the local rail yard and not the port apparently. On the Tundra form someone apparently spoke to a "Local Toyota Engineer" who said the QC holds mean they are going to out to do a software update or some other repair that is required because the car can't be delivered before it is completed (due to NHTSA regs). Could be way off on that, but Toyota does have a TSB about the Steering ECU: static. nhtsa. gov/odi /tsbs/ 2023/MC-10234325-9999.pdf Although it seems like it's only for when the ECU is actually replaced.

I'm probably reading too much into it, just need to be patient lol.

 

Here is a word from the dealership after making some phone calls. No idea whom they reached out to:
There was a faulty part that had to be recalled they are waiting for the new one to come in.

 

QC hold is lifted.. it is now in freight status.

 

Glad to hear! I’m still waiting for news on mine—I caved a reached out to my rep yesterday, but haven’t heard anything yet.