I'm driving my 2008 Prius from Prince Rupert BC to Bellingham WA next week. I am having my tires rotated and all fluids checked, and just had an oil change 300 miles ago at the end of May. Any other advice? Also, I am concerned about getting dings etc. Any ideas on how to protect against surface damage to the body? Thanks!
Well, you can always copy the sports car crowd and use 3M Painter's tape http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Scotch-BlueBrand/Scotch-Blue/Products/One/ Racer's Tape / Painter's Tape / Blue Tape - Page 2 - LotusTalk - The Lotus Cars Community EDIT: This will likely only cost you $15, unlike the clear bra which is really expensive.
They have a clear vinyl available that is applied to the front edge of the hood and fenders. It is a very expensive dealer option IMO at $400. Probably can get it from a custom or body shop for a 1/3 of the dealer. If you go to Toyota's web site and down load the 2010 Prius catalog it's on page 10 under accessories.
Try to stay off of gravel... Don't trust GPS systems to not direct you on to gravel... If you find yourself on gravel, slow down, stop, find some other road... Gravel will chew the paint on your front bumper. Bring some zip ties... the plastic belly panels may come off if you hit rough roads. The screws might go with the bump... Zip ties actually fix this better than new screws... You might want to preemptively remove the screws for the plastic belly panels and replace the screws with zip ties... Bug wash is smart... winter washer fluid just mushes bugs around, it's really gross and it some places a hazard. (Remember if you hit a bug cloud and all you have is winter fluid, stopping might find you helpless to fix the problem, plus it's gross.) A squirt bottle and a squeegee is useful for cleaning headlights... A pressure washer at your destination might be needed to clean the radiator.. Bring tunes, and emergency caffine...cola is not that useful, energy drinks and coffee is good, the mints are better... some potable water would be smart. If you don't use your cruise control often, practice a bit with it. A long trip where you might be tired is not a good time to learn what it does... Get your CAA membership renewed. Don't bother with those Walmart or store roadside assistance, they are kind of slow to get people to you. GPS unit, maps, compass, somebody who drives to serve as a navigator... (Nothing like "Turn right, about.. NOW!".. to make a pleasant road trip into a tension filled few weeks..) Cash or credit cards for the state trooper... Don't put E30 in your tank...
