New Prius 2016 spare wheel

[FROSTYBALLS]

As regards insurance, unless the car is a pre-reg, most insurers have a clause where, if a new car is written off within a specified period (usually 12 months) they will replace the car with a new one. So it shouldn't make any difference if the GAP insurance starts two weeks after delivery. Unless you got the dealer's GAP insurance at a good diuscount, you would probably have done better to look at GAP insurance from someone like ALA - which is usually much cheaper than that offered by dealers, and one can have the policy over a longer period. 

One can also get a discount on ALA products viua Toyoita Owners Club - see:

 

[BhxTrev]

Hi Frosty, actually I was going to buy the gap insurance off the net but was warned by the salesman that this was very risky because such organisations could simply disappear. I therefore went along with his gap insurance. However, I certainly would have used ala & probably got a good deal like you said if only I had been a member of this forum earlier. Hindsight is a wonderful thing & that really sums up the kind of deal I've had all in all. I'm beginning to wonder what type of 'sucker' category I fit into? Talk about caveat emptor, but hey ho, other than the spare wheel problem the new Prius is an excellent car, that's an absolute dream to drive. Thanks for this invaluable info. & I'll certainly contact ala for gap insurance next time I buy a new car. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Which? did a report on GAP insurance a couple of years ago, and they saw no problem with companies such as ALA, or the longer policies on offer. Why not visit the Which? website, log on as a guest (costs £1), search for GAP insurance and read the report.

We've had GAP insurance on each of our new cars since 2001 - 10 new cars out of the 19 new cars we've had - and only once bought a dealer's GAP insurance (when they price matched).

As you're still in the cooling off period, you still have time to change if you so desire.

In Devon's last post, he does outline how you can get the Toyota spare for your vehicle - which is by ordering the parts he gave, and not giving the details of your vehicle.

[BhxTrev]

Just received a reply from Toyota UK customer services who have told me to contact a Toyota dealer who will provide the appropriate space saver wheel. I shall be doing that & taking my email reply with me so they have no excuses for not selling me a spare that doesn't fit. I shall also try to contact someone in the States who have already cut away the poystyrene to accommodate the wheel in the well,  otherwise & certainly for the time being I will put a cover on the wheel & find some way of securing it in the boot, taking on board comments that refer to the danger of a loose wheel in a crash situation. Any suggestions regarding ways I could do that would be appreciated. I've also considered securing it in the space behind the driver's seat especially if I need to use boot space. As there's usually just my wife & I in the car this wouldn't be a problem for us. 

[barrycoll]

In all honesty Trevor, I usually carry my Thule tow bar bike rack in the boot, and this weighs 12kgs. I leave the rear seat Up, with seat belts connected to form some stability. ....AND I have Roof Rack bars on the floor behind front seats.

All of this is an added incentive to maintain a 2 sec gap from the the vehicles in front, ("only a fool breaks the 2 second rule"), and always considering the question of "can I stop safely, on my side of the road, in the distance that I can see clear"

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, BhxTrev said:

...... so they have no excuses for not selling me a spare that doesn't fit. 

Presumably you want one that fits

[barrycoll]

Double negative Trevor....

[BhxTrev]

Nice one Frosty & Barrycoll but I think you know what I mean. I'd hate through some quirk to carry a space saver wheel that when used interferes with the discs or the braking mechanism. As soon as I get the spare I'll try it for fit on both front & rear wheels. My local Toyota dealer has actually been very responsive & sympathetic to my request. They can get the right size wheel & I'm waiting on a call to know if they are able to get the tyre to match. Frosty I've been on the ala.co.uk site & I must say you're spot on. I paid £300 for a three year cover. I can get similar for much less & in fact even increasing the cover to five years, the cost is considerably less. I've read the policy I've been sent & it appears I have 30 days to cancel, so it looks like I'll be making a good saving thanks to your advice. 

[kithmo]

15 hours ago, BhxTrev said:

Hi Devon Aygo, oh yes I was assured when ordering the car the salesman did say to both my wife & me that the one ordered with 17inch wheels did have a spare wheel. Problem is proving he said that since this was only verbal assurance & if you read other postings I've made I think you'd agree that on other accounts the deal has been one disaster after another. All I can say is that this experience doesn't inspire confidence in wanting to buy another Toyota in the future. The way things are panning out, I'll probably try to get rid of this car as soon as practicable & get one with a proper spare wheel!  

With your wife as a witness to the promise that a spare wheel would be with the car, I would think you have a very good case to go back to the dealers and ask them to get you one.

[kithmo]

15 hours ago, BhxTrev said:

Kithmo, you managed to get it as a condition of a sale. In my case there's no such condition I can put forward though I have to say this deal I struck a has lurched from one disaster to another. Take the 3 free services which were offered by Toyota as part of the deal. I'm waiting to find out whether I'm tethered to the Toyota dealer from whom I bought the car or whether as I want because of the distance they are from me, I can take my car to a more local Toyota garage. If the dealer tells me tomorrow that I have to take my car to them for the free services, then I shall complain to Toyota after all I've always understood I could take my car to any official Toyota garage. Bottom line is that whatever, I will take the car where I want even if I have to pay for the services! I can honestly say that I've never bought a car in my life that's caused me the after sales grief this one has & I certainly won't forget my bad experience with Toyota especially as when I purchased my last Prius I had such an excellent experience. Even the gap insurance I took out with the dealer doesn't start until 15th September even though I paid for it on 2nd September when I picked the car up. What happens if the car gets written off before the 15th? I have complained only to be told it's the cooling off period. I think that's rubbish but I guess I'm not covered for gap insurance in the meantime. I just hope plenty of folks out there are reading my comments. 

With regards to the free servicing, that's a dealer offer not a Toyota offer, otherwise we would all have got it (I didn't), so unfortunately you will have to go to the dealer that gave you the offer. If it's not convenient to wait for the car, ask for a courtesy car or ask if they do a pick up and return service from your home or workplace, my dealer does.

[BhxTrev]

Hi Kithmo, thanks for your last posting about the free services. I was waiting for a call from the garage but in the meantime I contacted Toyota. They verified that the offer was available at all Toyota dealers that had taken part in the offer. My local garage had indeed taken part in the offer. Toyota referred me to EMac who deal with financing service deals including this one that is being paid for by Toyota. They verified that yes my car/reg number was part of the scheme & they asked me to contact my local dealer. I have done this & it has been confirmed now that I shall be taking my car to them for the free services as they become necessary. 

[kithmo]

3 hours ago, BhxTrev said:

Hi Kithmo, thanks for your last posting about the free services. I was waiting for a call from the garage but in the meantime I contacted Toyota. They verified that the offer was available at all Toyota dealers that had taken part in the offer. My local garage had indeed taken part in the offer. Toyota referred me to EMac who deal with financing service deals including this one that is being paid for by Toyota. They verified that yes my car/reg number was part of the scheme & they asked me to contact my local dealer. I have done this & it has been confirmed now that I shall be taking my car to them for the free services as they become necessary. 

Result 

Maybe it's a new thing Toyota brought out to counteract the fall in predicted sales of the Prius, I got mine back in March.

[johalareewi]

The dealer who I am buying a plugin from mentioned this new service plan.  They said even if the plan was with them, I could have the car serviced at any Toyota dealer.

My current service plan is with my local dealer only.  Although my local dealer now has so many branches I could get it serviced almost anywhere on the south coast.

[Chris Dance]

BhxTrev: I can fully understand how you feel about your recent Gen 4 purchase. Luckily I have been a member of this forum for some years and have gained lots of good advice. Pete B wrote at length about purchasing his gen 4 and I have copied his spec in the event that I may want to P/Ex our Gen 3. I have received several phone calls and letters from my local Toyota dealer about special deals they can give me in the last few weeks.

. Although you are dissatisfied with your purchase I can only say that the Toyota sales and service I have received over many years has been better than any other dealer I have purchased cars from.

I hope you get your spare wheel sorted out to your satisfaction. Why many manufacturers still do not supply spare wheels only the dreaded gunge is beyond me. My son has a Nissan Note and he has just had to source a spare wheel from a scrap yard. I will never buy a car without a spare wheel.

[BhxTrev]

Hi folks, thanks for all your replies to date. It's fairly obvious that we generally want to purchase cars with a spare wheel but it seems endemic amongst most car manufacturers including Toyota to offer the despised gunge kit which ruins any tyre it's pumped into & also besides buying a new tyre, we suckers have to buy a replacement bottle of gunge! I'm hoping to get a spare wheel & will continue to make efforts to do so whatever the cost! I've just been trying to connect to the touch & go on the car. What a nightmare! I just wonder if there is anybody out there that can simply tell me how to cancel a route I've put into the Touch & go satnav? & also how do I suspend a route I have entered? I used to be able to do this on my Gen3 Prius easily but following the instruction booklet there doesn't seem to be a way of doing this on this car. 

[Heidfirst]

4 hours ago, BhxTrev said:

Hi folks, thanks for all your replies to date. It's fairly obvious that we generally want to purchase cars with a spare wheel but it seems endemic amongst most car manufacturers including Toyota to offer the despised gunge kit

To be fair on the car manufacturers they are driven to that (& other things like EPB) by legislation & large fines for not meeting emission/fuel efficiency standards.

Also, being pedantic perhaps but you have "Touch 2 with Go" not "Touch & Go" which is the previous system.

I have Touch & Go & I have to say that, whilst it has prettier graphics & more features than the TNS700 in the previous Avensis that I had, it is not imo as intuitive/usable as a satnav. Sounds like Touch 2 with Go probably follows the same path - theoretically more advanced but in reality  less usable ... 

[BhxTrev]

Hi Heidfirst thanks for coming back to me. I found out how to stop or cancel the route on the satnav but there's no way I can suspend the route & put it on later. What you said about the graphics is spot on. I honestly think they are awful on this new car. As it is all I really want to use is the hands free telephone, occasionally use the voice commands, the satnav which is not as good as what it was in the Gen 3 version, rear camera & the cruise control. I've tried & tried to connect to email & the internet but I've only had minimal success & have given up! I miss the hard drive for music that I had on my Gen3 & quite frankly using a memory stick looks like it might be a nightmare so I think I might be giving that a miss. I think that although I purchased the top of the range a lot of what is offered is gimmicky & totally unnecessary. Things I do particularly like are the folding mirrors & that feature on them that warns you of a car in the blind spot. I intend switching off many of the features especially the speed limit indicator which half the time shows the wrong speed limit. I was also disappointed that unlike the Gen3, the satnav directions aren't included on the head up display. I'd hate folks to think I'm moaning about the car because in all fairness as a car, which is what it is, without all the annoying rubbish features that I thought I'd find invaluable but don't, the car performance & ride is a vast improvement on my previous Gen3. Wouldn't want to swap it for anything else but could have done without all the daft gizmo features in exchange for a spare wheel!!!

[BhxTrev]

Hi Chris Dance, regarding the Toyota dealers, although I'm as nice as I can be to the dealer I bought the car from I really wish I had made the deal with my local garage. I have to say over the 6 or 7 years I've used Westland Toyota Stourbridge I have absolutely no complaints except that when I was looking for my best deal a few months ago the salesman dismissed what I said I could part chop my Gen3 for my Gen4 at other garages. I should have spoken to the sales manager Shiv who was gutted that I didn't speak to him but the deal was pressing & he just wasn't available. However, you are right about the service I'm sure most Toyota dealers give us. This certainly is the case with my local garage who I've always found to be helpful & honest at all times with friendly staff who work hard to ensure that you as a customer are completely satisfied. I'd certainly recommend Westland Toyota Stourbridge to anyone in our area. 

[kithmo]

4 hours ago, Heidfirst said:

To be fair on the car manufacturers they are driven to that (& other things like EPB) by legislation & large fines for not meeting emission/fuel efficiency standards.

Also, being pedantic perhaps but you have "Touch 2 with Go" not "Touch & Go" which is the previous system.

I have Touch & Go & I have to say that, whilst it has prettier graphics & more features than the TNS700 in the previous Avensis that I had, it is not imo as intuitive/usable as a satnav. Sounds like Touch 2 with Go probably follows the same path - theoretically more advanced but in reality  less usable ... 

Being even more pedantic, it's a Touch 2 with go Plus 

[kithmo]

Trev, you can save your routes, so to suspend one just save it and recall it later. BTW it automatically suspends the guidance if you stop and switch of the car during the journey.

Most of the connection issues I've had were down to the phone. On my previous Prius+ with T & G2, my Nokia would connect to internet and music but automatically start playing music when it connected, updating the phone cured this. On the Gen 4 the Nokia performed perfectly, connecting to the internet and music (and reading texts), make sure if you want to connect automatically, that you have the option selected on the car and your phone supports internet tethering. Remember though if any of the apps on the car are running then you are using your data up. I deselected automatic internet connection through the phone and set it to auto connect through Wi-Fi where available. If there's no Wi-Fi and I need to use the internet or apps then I connect through the phone manually. I now use an android phone which works ok but doesn't read my texts out, I think that was feature of the Nokia phone rather than the car (it has a driving mode).

[PeteB]

1 hour ago, BhxTrev said:

... I found out how to stop or cancel the route on the satnav but there's no way I can suspend the route & put it on later...

...using a memory stick looks like it might be a nightmare so I think I might be giving that a miss.

I just turn the volume of the SatNav off when I don't want to hear it, and switch the display to something else. Although most of the time I use my Tom Tom - vastly better maps updated quarterly free for life, and superb traffic.  Plus you can save whole journeys. 

The USB works perfectly for me,  but I only have a 4GB stick with a few hundred tracks and I haven't updated the Touch 2+ software.  Updateing plus large sticks with thousands of tracks are what seems to cause problems.

Also,  creating my own playlists on a PC works great now that I've learned they take a few minutes to be recognised in the cat after being created or changed.

I really like the adaptive cruise control too (a major reason I updated from Gen 3) and the cross traffic alert is great.

It was also fun scaring a friend who had a drive and watching him reverse into long grass and experiencing the Autonomous Emergency Braking (mean so&so aren't I)

[BhxTrev]

Hi Kithmo, I do get the impression that there is a conflict between my Apple iPhone 6S & the software in the car. It's okay as a phone to make hands free calls but I reckon as far as using other features such as downloading a route off the Internet using my iPhone I just don't seem to be able to do that. Did manage to get a couple of the free apps to work. However, I do get infuriated when I have enter my Toyota portal email address & password, to say try to download a route,(unsuccessfully), & even though I press save I have to re-enter the password every time I try. Fortunately I'm not bothered about the gimmicky route download or the apps. PeteB I've tried using a memory stick for saved music & yes I'm well impressed. The JBL sound system on the Excel is brilliant & the MP3 music sounds great. I took your advice & I've got loads of tracks on an 8Gb memory stick. I was going to purchase a 64Gb stick to use but won't bother now. Like me you like the adaptive cruise control. In my opinion the rear view camera & the line makings are also very much improved over the Gen3. See folks I don't always moan but I like to give honest opinions & although there are things I don't like or care for, the car really is a superb drive. Hey Pete I had a chuckle when you mentioned the Autonomous Emergency Braking because just after I picked the car up I was parking into a supermarket bay & the system operated the brakes because I got too close to a bollard. It frightened the life out of my wife & I but realised it actually stopped me clipping the bollard! A great safety feature which ought to be on all cars.

[kithmo]

I usually create routes on my desktop PC via the My Toyota portal and save them to a memory stick then upload them into car via the USB, it's easier on my old eyes than looking at a phone screen.

I also noticed that I sometimes had to re-enter my email and password a few times at first, but I've not had to do it since the NAV/System update.

[BhxTrev]

Hi Kithmo, as a retired PhD research chemist I'm quite computer savvy but what you say about the memory stick approach, I think you're right & it's the way forward regarding uploading routes to my satnav. You like me must remember the days when you bought a car & even things that we take for granted like the heater, were extras that you paid for! In those days even with a new car, you weren't always sure when the car would let you down or how quickly it would go rusty!! In the sixties as a student I used to work part time in a petrol station & I remember a customer with an early Toyota Corrolla. It was a daffodil yellow colour & I recall that within 6 months it was showing some body rot signs. I thought then that that was a brand to avoid but my how things have changed not just with Toyota but to be fair with all car manufacturers. 

[PeteB]

4 hours ago, BhxTrev said:

... I had a chuckle when you mentioned the Autonomous Emergency Braking because just after I picked the car up I was parking into a supermarket bay & the system operated the brakes because I got too close to a bollard. It frightened the life out of my wife..

you should have heard what my friend said!  (he thought he'd hit something in my new car - tee-hee)