New Owner - 2010 III with Solar Roof - 57k miles - in CT

New owner here. Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.

I bought the car from Atlantic Toyota in Lynn MA. MA doesn't have temp plates so I am picking it up tomorrow.

They had bought it from VA, but it was originally purchased in NY and will be registered in CT. Yay for CARB warranty on the hybrid system.

I am switching from a 2003 Audi A4 which I bought with 30k miles and drove to 220k without major incident. Unfortunately I overheated the audi, spit out the head gasket, and probably cracked the head when the turbo blew a coolant line off. Going to bring it back for the dead but it has to sit until I find the time.

Hoping the new car will double the 25mpg gas mileage of the A4, which will save me 150-200 dollars a month in gas. No premium gas either now. =)

I have a small to do list with the new 2010.

Want to get the transaxle fluid changed, get better tires on it, and put some seat covers on to start.

I am going to be doing a lot of searching on the forum to get up to speed. But in the mean time some information would be great:

• Who makes front and rear seat covers that are not generic, but not leather. I like the Wet Okle type seat covers that other cars have available.
• How much should a transaxle fluid change run at a Toyota dealership service dept?
• What tends to be the top favored brand of LRR tires for this car?

Thanks folks!

 

Pretty positive on the CARB, it is based on first place of purchase and registration, which is NY. NY is a CARB state for the 2010 year.

It is also based on current registration, which is CT. CT has been a CARB state since well before 2010 and continues to be.

I had limited my search to CT, MA, and NY vehicles. I was checking VIN's on Toyota's website as the "owner".

 

Thanks Bisco. I will try to search for some threads on tires to try to start making a list to narrow down from.

My plan is to have the audi back up and running before next winter. I would park the Prius on days where there is forecasted winter weather. Nothing beats their AWD system with snow tires.

 

Got the car, took the first long drive with it, 67 miles home. About 64mpg on the car display. Most of the drive was Mass Pike and Other highway.

On the back road portion I started playing with pulse and glide when traffic allowed.

Current tires are not LRR, they are some dunlop brand, so I am thinking I can only get better from here on out!

 

The solar roof seems useless, at least on partially cloudy days. I parked it this weekend in direct sun, and I hopped in the car here and there. You can hear the fan spool up as the solar panel gets sun, but it never really seemed to move a lot of air. I think the solar gain on the dark blue car and grey exterior really exceeds any benefit.

 

Thanks Sage Brush. I may get a window shade, we will see. I have never been concerned much about heat when first entering the vehicle.

What does the symbol in your name mean? It looks familiar, I believe I had a past friend that used it in their facebook profile.

 

I have a habit of keep my old vehicles that I am "going to fix". The Audi is worth more to me as a lawn ornament than the cash I would get scrapping it. Having a big 3 bay garage doesn't hurt either.

I really like the Prius so far, but I don't think it will ever replace how much fun it is to rip down unplowed country roads in the A4.