Another "whatzit?"

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dulcimer @ Oct 15 2006, 01:07 PM) [snapback]333010[/snapback]</div>

Do you mean the front license plate bracket?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dulcimer @ Oct 15 2006, 01:07 PM) [snapback]333010[/snapback]</div>

That is the front license plate bracket. The strap thingy is suppposed to be for the tire if you get a flat. The regular tire won't fit in hte well where the spare is, so you use that strap to hold it down in the cargo area.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dulcimer @ Oct 15 2006, 02:45 PM) [snapback]333075[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for this post though. Now I just figured out that if I have to tie down a dirty flat tire in the back I am going to want some plastic to protect the carpet. I am going to cut a tarp to have the right amount of plastic back there and I will keep it next to the spare.


Thanks.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cheap! @ Oct 15 2006, 11:13 PM) [snapback]333295[/snapback]</div>

They have cargo mats for that. Granted, it's a little pricier, but they fit very well and look better. I keep mine (WeatherTec) in there all the time since I occasionally haul firewood, bags of mulch, etc. Downside is it's a little harder to get into the trunk.

Another thing I just discovered this weekend, while vacuuming and cleaning the car (a rarity, maybe that's why I hadn't discovered it before!), is that the radio volume and tuning buttons can be depressed so they're flush with the dash. Gives a cleaner look, altho it forces you to use the steering-wheel mounted buttons only unless you want to undepress it to adjust the volume (I assume most people use presets and not the tuner knob, once the presets are programmed). I've had my car nearly 8 months and just discovered this. Also didn't know the trunk cover folded, altho I knew it could be propped up or taken out.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ Oct 16 2006, 11:43 AM) [snapback]333418[/snapback]</div>

I knew about the knobs (I think the salesman mentioned it in my pre-delivery inspection) but for those of us used to pushing the left knob to turn the radio on/off it can be annoying. The other day I needed to turn the radio off in a hurry and I pushed the knob in. Well, the knob went in and of course the radio was still on. :huh: Then I remembered, oh yeah, there's this other button. It was kind of funny. It's a shame there's no mute button (and the knobs are a bit small, too). Then again you've got buttons on the steering wheel also.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cheap! @ Oct 16 2006, 12:13 AM) [snapback]333295[/snapback]</div>

If your Prius came with the cargo mat, then just flip the mat over with the rubbery side up when you are hauling something messy. It doesn't fit the alcoves on the left and right perfectly, but it works good enough.

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(PA @ Oct 16 2006, 12:10 PM) [snapback]333429[/snapback]</div>

You can also turn off the radio by pressing and holding the "Mode" button on the steering wheel. If it is held down for 2 seconds, it turns off the radio. I don't personally use that myself; I just turn down the knob or press the power button.

 

My sales guy tried to turn the recessed knob to get the volume up, he didn't realize that if he simply pushed it in, it would pop out. Funny.
s

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dulcimer @ Oct 15 2006, 12:45 PM) [snapback]333075[/snapback]</div>

I suppose it depends on if your state requires a front license plate. When I got my car it was already attached.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Cheap! @ Oct 15 2006, 11:13 PM) [snapback]333295[/snapback]</div>

EDIT: DOH! What Marlin said.....

You don't need to buy anything. You will notice that the back side of the carpet that lays over the hidden compartment has a rubber back side. Simply flip that over and lay the tire ontop of that. Since the mat is symmetrical it fits perfectly even reversed.

 

i've had my 05 for just over a year and two months now and I've been lucky enough to have two flats. I've discovered that the easiest way to haul the flat in the trunk is to first remove the cargo box that is normally underneath the cargo mat on top of the spare, put the flat in where the spare is normally stored. With the flat in, you can't put the box back in its normal place so I just close the hatch and put hte box in the cargo area. That way I don't need to worry about gettign my cargo area dirty. You might find the flat to be a tight fit in the spares storage area but since its flat, pun intended, it has some give to it so a little push and shove will get it in just fine. Just my two cents.

 

Is anyone else annoyed that a flat tire will not fit in the spare tire well?

What happens if you are traveling with a car full of passengers and a cargo area full of luggage?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Oct 17 2006, 12:11 PM) [snapback]333943[/snapback]</div>

Draw straws.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Oct 17 2006, 11:11 AM) [snapback]333943[/snapback]</div>

Laps. it's all about laps. Once they get in the car, give them a choice - hold their bags on their laps, or the tire's going there.

 

Whip out your handy dandy Swiss army knife and cut the flat off the rim, then it will fit. Of course, if it is just a nail in the tread causeing the flat, this would be pretty expensive.
With regard to storing the dirty flat, some people don't have the rear floor mat so turning it upside down won't work. I expect Cheap! might not know this, living in Houston, but those of us up north know all about the plastic bags the tire dealers have to put your 'off season' tires in to take home. Get one of those instead of a piece of plastic to set the tire on. Fully wrapped up is a lot cleaner. I would find this preferable to getting road crud all over the back side of the carpet anyway.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bruceha_2000 @ Oct 17 2006, 03:38 PM) [snapback]334071[/snapback]</div>

Good idea. And if those are hard to find, then since the Christmas season is here, you should be able to find "Christmas Tree Bags" that are intended for bagging up your (previously live) Christmas tree. They are huge and would easily fit a tire, yet come folded up in a tiny little package.

Also, I wonder if one of those mega ZipLock bags you can buy at the grocery store would fit a Prius tire? They are 40 or 50 gallon bags with a ZipLock seal. They aren't cheap though, $10 or so for a box of four.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Marlin @ Oct 17 2006, 12:51 PM) [snapback]334082[/snapback]</div>

For a one-time-shot deal, one of those 33-gallon drawstring trash bags will do the trick. Small, very light, and way cheap.

I have an Integrity sitting in the garage in one right now. <_<

I always keep a couple of them in the hidden trunk compartment. They are also great for slushy snow chains, wet, muddy or sandy clothes . . . or whatever you can think of . . . even fresh roadkill if you are into that.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Sufferin' Prius Envy @ Oct 17 2006, 03:30 PM) [snapback]334134[/snapback]</div>

Man, i was just about to eat.... :lol:

 

I learned a long time ago that a tarp in the trunk is a good thing to have and takes up very little space. It's been part of my standard issue auto kit for years. Tip: roll your jumper cables up in it for tangle free storage and kill 2 birds with 1 stone (whether or not I even need to carry the jumper cables anymore is probably good discussion for another thread).

Also, the first thing I did when I bought my Prius was lay an old blanket down in the cargo area forseeing that dirty stroller wheels and biege carpet would likely be a bad combination.