Purchased a 2012 PIP Advanced last Friday. The car has 21K, CarFax verified, miles on it. Looks like new (Blizzard White). It was a lease return. I haven't driven it more than 10 minutes because I can't get it out my wife's hands! Our daughter has a Prius V. She thinks the car is too big for her now and wishes she had purchased a Prius C. I said I would buy it from her, but she turned me down........so I had to go out and buy my own and happier I got the PIP version. It came with unattached HOV stickers and HOV registration. This was important to me since I hate the look of HOV stickers on cars.......most people put them on catiwampus! I am going to incorporate them into a lower body vinyl wrap and use them as a design element. Yes, the location and position will meet the requirements. Pictures to following when complete. A couple of questions: What do you do at the carwash? I drop the car off at the vacuuming station. I give the key to the attendant and go inside to pay. He vacuums and drives it to the "pull through" washing station. He leaves the keys inside the car, (Will he put it into neutral? Will he shut the power off?). After being puled through the wash, another attendant drives it to the station where they hand dry it and detail it. I know somewhere along the chain of events someone (read minimum wage, grammar school drop out) is not going to be able to figure out how the car works or lock the key inside the car. What do you do? NO, I am not going to wash it myself, I've worked too hard in life to deny myself the guilty pleasure of a paid carwash. What do California HOV drivers do about the visibility of the left front HOV sticker if you have a bra on the hood? (I know this question will generate some sophomoric humor!) I have the JBL audio system. The dealer told me I could insert 4 CD's into the system. I don't think that is correct, right? My Master Owner's Manual is missing. Anybody want to sell theirs? I know there is a downloadable version on this site. Okay, carry on, there is so much to learn about this car and this site has been an invaluable help!
If you had an exotic vehicle, then maybe there will be confusion on operating the key fob. A plebeian Prius that's been available exactly the same for 6 years and is also the best selling vehicle in CA many years? Yeah, I don't think a car wash attendant will have issues with it, just leave the keys in the cup holder as per usual. When I got into an accident, the front bumper had to be replaced. Per instruction on using the HOV decals I am supposed to scrape off the remnants from all 4 corners, send it in, and apply for a replacement sticker. I opted to scrape off just the remnants of the damaged front bumper and left it in my glove box. I don't want to pay $8 to apply for a replacement. I haven't had issue with just the three. DO NOT LISTEN TO ME!
Several members here have discovered that it can be done. While the car is very good at preventing such accidents, it is not perfect.
My wife has already done it once.........in only three days. I don't know how. She IS something special!
My concern in a regards to a drive through car wash would be minimal. As long as the battery has good charge upon arrival. Because the attendant really doesn't have to do anything different than with any other vehicle. Line it up, and put it in neutral. There have been cautionary tales where people say they went to a drive through car wash with a low battery and the vehicle wanted to be taken out of neutral to charge the low battery. It won't charge the HV battery in neutral. So I would recommend having a higher charge upon arrival.
