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Impossible to keep the car looking nice

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Superdrol, Mar 24, 2010.

  1. Superdrol

    Superdrol Member

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    The fact that there are no side moldings are a blessing and curse. The car looks sooooo good without that tacky stuff on the sides like my Corolla. In the same regard it offers no protection against door dings, so instead of chipping the plastic side molding (which can be replaced) your car gets hit.


    btw Felt, when you ran over the steel road debris and damaged the air dam, when you said you felt 'sick' like a OCD spaz out moment ?


    I try not to obsess and as time goes on it will incurr wear and tear. Sometimes there is very limited parking so you cannot always park far away.

    Tip: I always try to park with a wall or the end of a parking lot to my right hand side, and the open spot to my left. The 'likely' thought is that there will be no passenger typically so your left side is spared, and your right side is against a wall or there are no more parking spots there.
     
  2. Superdrol

    Superdrol Member

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    Is #2 a joke or are you serious ? Btw, #1 works b/c ppl can be fat or lazy (it's the truth) combine that with adverse weather (hot or cold) and most ppl won't go that far to make an effort to screw with your car.
     
  3. Felt

    Felt Senior Member

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    Exactly .... I let my wife out at the mall entrance, then park further out as you describe. I really park as close as possible on the right, so there is more than sufficient space to the left. I never park next to a large sedan where children might exit the rear doors ... they do not even think, just fling the door open.

    Men are generally more aware of the doors ... especially if they are driving a nice vehicle. But, in time, they do collect hits.
     
  4. deunan

    deunan Junior Member

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    when you put 40,000 miles a year, it's kinda hard.
     
  5. MSantos

    MSantos EcoAccelerometry

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    #2 is definitely not a joke. ;)

    Every new car I get, must eventually have a similar system on-board. Compared to the costs of the repair and the overhead of getting it fixed in the first place, it is inexpensive and helps prevents the damage in the first place. For a portion of the more boneheaded criminals, it also helps identify the maggots that usually break-in into cars in public parking spaces - Downtown Winnipeg is a nightmare in this department and the police can't do a darn thing unless you get a good mug-shot. Simply priceless. :D

    Cheers;

    MSantos
     
  6. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Has your insurance company ever successfully pursued the offending parties for damage and reimbursed you your deductible or do you not get your deductibles back and are just doing it for the satisfaction of knowing who did it?
     
  7. austingreen

    austingreen Senior Member

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    Can you give details on the system you have? My last car got hit and run twice, costing me deductables both time (More than just a minor hit). Once when parked, once on the side while driving, and missed one number of the out of state plates. police were worthless.

     
  8. MSantos

    MSantos EcoAccelerometry

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    Nope, not yet. But I've already taken one offending party to small claims court and won.

    The other thing it can do is help the police identify the parking lot thieves and hopefully getting them off the streets. In the end, its my way to fight back instead of being just another "victim" statistic.

    Yes, there's also a good bit of satisfaction in knowing who did it.

    Cheers;
     
  9. MSantos

    MSantos EcoAccelerometry

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    Deductibles are a major drag for sure. And I've been burnt many times. :(

    Anyway...
    It is a custom designed system. If you want I can provide you with some of the details and the references to the major components via PM. All you have to do is find a good shop to do it for you, or have the skills and energy to put it all together.

    As I mentioned to some in past hybridfest events: while I will absolutely NOT publish the details of the system, I will entertain genuine inquiries via a PM and even a good phone call just to be sure.

    Cheers;

    MSantos
     
  10. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Cleaning the air AND the streets of Winnipeg. Awesome! :cool: