Light when the back hatch is open?? Spare tire advice??

hi kimprius4! gen 2 and 3 have a light on the inside left fender wall, w/switch. maybe led bulb would be brighter.
i keep a donut above deck in the hatch when i'm away from home base. there is a jack under the floor or drivers seat. pick up a 3' piece of pipe to fit over the lug wretch, aka 'breaker bar'.

run flat tyres will kill your mpg's.

 

The light is very dull. It's to the left, on the side panel as bisco said. Doesn't come on automatically. I thought about getting one of those "stick on" LED closet lights that I saw on the shopping channel. Whatever works.

 

doesn't come on, another downgrade? i have to check mine.

some people have mounted a light strip in the hatch inside below the window. i think you can find 12v inside.

 

okay, mine is automatic. if you turn it on and shut the hatch, does it stay on?

 

some people have carved out the styrofoam below the deck and put a spare in there.

 

i think you can get those at lowes, and it's actually a great idea, i bet the batteries last a long time.

 

My little light in the trunk area... I always have the switch in the off position, and flick it on manually. I don't think it has an "auto" setting. Now I'm curious. ( But I always just leave all the interior light switches off. )

 

there isn't an auto setting, but if you leave it in the on position, mine shuts off when you close the hatch.

you don't have to worry about draining your battery like us ten 2 and 3 owners.

 

Not sure how the heat will affect the batteries, but it's worth a try. (It's an inexpensive alternative.) Those LED closet lights are pretty bright.

 

if i needed more light, i think i would mount a couple of those hockey puck style inside the hatch door, so they would be above shining down, when the hatch is open.

 

As per Bisco, most owners of those Prii w/o spare tire but want a spare, go with a donut (small) spare. You can get a nice pouch for those to lay in there, or a few Gen4 owners are trying to mod the back to build it in. This is possible since underneath the foam on the floor in the hatch, there still is a circular indent in the underlying metal to accomodate the spare. Your floor will not be totally level but almost. As far as donut, you can order one but if you read enough posts you will see I think the appropriate Corolla spare fits, and sometime that is cheaper. Full size spare well that bigger. I like the donut spares.

 

I just re-checked. You are correct bisco. With the switch set to "on", the light goes on & off with the hatch opening/closing. Thanks. ( I sure wish Toyota had used LED lightbulbs everywhere. I thought the other kind were obsolete by now?!)

 

especially on an energy efficient vehicle. i wonder the cost difference?

 

My Prius Three came with the OEM donut spare tire. On top of it, is a thick foam piece with odd shaped "cut outs."

Yes. I wouldn't mind the minimal extra cost of having all LEDs.

I really like the brake lights on the Gen3 Prius. They are BIG, long, and bright! They really get my attention. My Gen4 just has a single LED brake light bulb, and the old-fashioned blinker bulbs.

 

If the light fixture in the hatch area is similar to the gen 3, then you can substitute one of these 12 LED panel lights for the single festoon style light:

2 x Light Panel 12 SMD LED 42mm Dome Festoon Bulbs Reading Light Warm White | eBay

I put a 24 LED Light panel in my dome light.

 

I upgraded to LEDs in the light fixture. Simple and effective.

 

sweet and cheap!

 

If you do decide to put in a spare of -any- kind, DO ensure you securely fasten it down! In an accident it will become a lethal missile! There are "D" rings to hold down the full size flat tyre and wheel in most Prius, on -top- of the hatch floor. Check to see if yours has those, and if so use them and strong nylon tie downs, the ratchet type. You may be able to purchase the foam inserts for the Prius that do have a spare from the dealer. If so, ensure again you fasten the wheel in there. Stock they use a large "wing nut" to do so.
A full size wheel won't fit in the space for the spare when so equipped, so plan accordingly.

 

There is a flat tire kit if you don't have a extra spare. Why add extra weight when you have something provided from toyota already to take care of a flat tire? what would an extra tire add other than weight and all the above mentioned efforts to make sure it is securely fastened? will insurance pay in case of accident if they figure out you had an extra tire it shouldn't have been there in the first place because the manufacturer already gave you another solution?

As for the trunk light, there is one, a 5W incandescent bulb that you can turn on with the switch and that if left on when the hatch is open, it will automatically turn off when you close it (you can see that it turns off through the hatch window.
You can surely change that wit something brighter, but only more efficient - i.e. more light for the same 5W. Do not put anything with higher rating than 5W! or it will burn plastics due to heat or wiring will be used out of spec (more current drawn). As long as whatever you put is 5W or less, you are fine. See user's manual for list of what type of lamp (socket and W rating) you can put there (it is all the way at the back in the "do-it-yourself" section, if I remember correctly).