Dealership Extras - What is worth getting?

Stay away from anything that come out of the salesman's mouth.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nmrickie @ Jul 22 2006, 10:00 AM) [snapback]290451[/snapback]</div>

"DITTO"

 

I guess I should be more specific. Undercoatings, window etchings, etc. are all crap. Just more profit for the dealership. If you want the extended warranty (a personal decision), get it here and not through the dealer. Even most accessories you want can be purchased cheaper on the net.

 

The only thing they had that I wanted was the floor mats which are nice and don't cost to much. As others have posted avoid the extended warranty, you can get it here for less and you have 3 years or 36K miles to decide if you want it or not. Do not buy a maintenance contract, ever. And steer clear of the rest of the junk as well. Some of the junk is harmless and will only hurt your pocket book; some of it, such as undercoating, can cause problems, add unneeded weight, make things harder to work on, etc.

There is one thing I would like to have. There is a PVC plastic MFD hood that some Southern California dealers sell but I haven't been able to find one around here or on line. Anyone know where I can get one without taking a trip to Los Angeles?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(tumbleweed @ Jul 22 2006, 08:02 AM) [snapback]290470[/snapback]</div>

And even those you can get for much less on ebay or other places. Check out Toyota's rubber mats too - you may prefer them to carpeted mats. I bought the carpeted mats for my car, and I should have skipped them, as I subsequently replaced them with the more practical rubber ones.

The only dealer add-on I think I'd consider for a Magnetic Gray Prius is their rear bumper applique. It's a clear vinyl "decal" that might help protect the rear bumper from scratches when you are loading. You can also buy it elsewhere, if you can install it nicely yourself. (I have this style bumper protector on my Black Prius, but not sure it would look as good on Mag Gray.)

 

I only got two dealer "add ons". I got the carpet floor mats and the toyota protection package. I will very soon add the rubber all weather floor mats and cargo net for the back as well as mud flaps to protect the paint. The protection package is definately an individual choice and members here post good points for and against. I live in the mountains and the undercoating to prevent damage from salt and slag in the winter was a consideration. You may choose not to get this. the rubber floor mats and mud flaps i definately recommend to preserve the "new" look as long as possible.

Good luck, and let us know when yours comes in !!! Enjoy!! :lol: :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(coffenut @ Jul 22 2006, 10:09 AM) [snapback]290515[/snapback]</div>

I guess it depends on your point of view, but frankly the Prius is not a car anyone is going to steal to go for a joy ride in. People who want to do that take BMWs and Corvetts. If it is ever stolen it will be by professionals who will winch it onto a truck and haul it off. Then, unless they got your key fob, they have a problem anyway.

I won't try to speak for others but if anyone steals mine I hope I never get it back. I would rather take whatever money I can talk my insurance company out of and go buy another new one.

 

As far as official Toyota stuff, I got the floor mats, cargo net and a license plate frame that says PRIUS. You can probably find all of those on eBay cheaper than the dealer can provide.

I got my salesman to throw in a cargo tote for free. I like it, but there are other brands and styles out there.

I have a Prius zippered document holder I bought on sale from a Toyota parts place. I have my manual and docs in one and bought a second one to make into my own first aid kit. I think the official first aid kit has a bloated price so I made my own.

 

Of the dealer add-ons, our first car came with a bunch of stuff (cargo net, applique, floor mats, emergency first aid kit, glass break sensor) that we didn't have much choice about. The second car came only with the floor mats. We had the dealer add the cargo net and the rear bumper applique to the second one and do not regret doing so.

We bought both through the parts department at the dealership. The cargo net pegs at the top wouldn't go in right, so we had the dealer install it (they mentioned drilling or something). Also for the applique, we just had the dealer do it right off the bat -- if they screw it up, then they can do it again, and keep doing it until they get it right. Total cost was roughly $93 for the parts and $40 for the labor.

 

Don't forget to ditch the trim rings.

From the Port, I took the rear bumper guard (a must), floor mats (cheap enough and they're a great fit) and the mud guards; my big dealer add-on was $1.99 for chrome tire valve caps.