Air Bag Recall

Posted on by Thor

I got a notice in the mail that the the passenger side airbag on my Prius was recalled. It would be replaced for free but I  would have to take it in. The Toyota Dealership is state of the art with a lounge and indoor cafe which makes the wait less painful. Having to  wait also of course is a perfect opportunity to get a sketch done. While most customers used their cell phones, I was busy putting lines and washes on the page.

Now, more than a year later, my rear back tire has a slow leak and I am long overdue for an oil change. Chances are this month or next, I will be going in for another sketch opportunity. I can’t vouch for how well the new air bags work, I haven’t had a chance to test them out.

Back to the Toyota Dealership for scheduled maintenance.

Posted on by Thor

My Prius was due for its 40,000 mile maintenance check up. I got a letter in the mail last week that let me know that a digital title was on file with the Florida department of motor vehicles. The car was finally paid off. I haven’t had a single issue to date, but I figure everything will go haywire once there aren’t any other expenses.

The Toyota dealership is close to my home and the place is brand spanking new. There is a commissary and comfy chairs for people waiting for repairs. One costumer snoozed while his girlfriend surfed the web. I only needed an oil change, but the technicians checked everything.  The sales rep, Jay Morales, let me know that there was some wear and tear on my tires. When I park on the street, I tend to scrape the tire against the curb to get as close to the curb as I can. I’ve scrapped the front passenger side hub cap and scuffed up the rubber quite well. Since all the scrapes are on the passenger side of the car it is easy for me to ignore the damage. They have back-up cameras on some cars now. I need hub cap cameras that show me how close the tires are to the curb.

Judging from my sketch, I’d say that my wait at the dealership was about an hour. My synthetic oil was changed and my tires were rotated along with a multi point inspection. My sales rep saw me sketching and he told me that his girlfriend Melanie Daniels had done a series of paintings called “Movement in Time.” The paintings depict a view of the landscape as it streams by, as if viewed from a fast moving car. I thought I would find her paintings online, but my search only lead me to find that Melanie Daniels was the character Tippi Hendren played in Alfred Hitchcock’s, The Birds.

Toyota Service

Posted on by Thor

My Toyota Prius was due for it’s complimentary 10,000 mile service. The dashboard display reminded me of this everyday with a “Service Required” sign on the display. Pulling into the service carport, I was fourth in line for service. An attendant put a small plastic cone with the number 4 on the car’s roof.  Every time a car was driven into the service garage, he scrambled to update the cones like a shell game.

Tony Ferrando was my service consultant. He pointed out the indoor deli and suggested I take a seat in the lounge. Most of the costumers seated around the waiting area amused themselves with their phones. One woman was knitting and the gentleman seated right in front of me was reading a real paper to get his news. There was a mother with her daughter seated next to me. She had been
sitting in exactly the same spot last time I was in for service. I
considered mentioning this to her but though it might come off as
creepy.

Just as I finished the sketch, Tony called my name. He pointed out that everything checked out and they even cleaned the car besides changing the oil. All of this was complimentary which is unheard of in this age of hidden fees. He said he would still need my credit card although there was no charge. I handed it over cautiously. He laughed saying “Got ya! I actually asked a guy to start filling out a check once and he had it half filled out before I stopped him.”

The service check up was much quicker than I expected. This new dealership is state of the art, I actually don’t dread returning.

Toyota Dealership

Posted on by Thor

My Toyota Prius has the annoying habit of reminding me when the car is due for maintenance. The dashboard throws up a message that says “Maintenance Required”, blocking the fuel efficiency gauges I’m used to seeing daily. This could be something very serious. Like the boy who cried wolf, I may in time become immune to these warnings. Since it happened at the 5,000 mile mark, and because maintenance is free for the first 25,000 miles, I made an appointment at the dealership. I had to wait outside for about half an hour for a service manager to become available. Once the paperwork was done, I was assured that the service would be a top priority rush. He threw in a complimentary car wash to make up for my wait outside.

The waiting area had a flat screen TV, couches, tables and even a cafe.  This is a brand new Toyota Dealership and no expense was spared. I started to sketch the Toyota Camry parked in the dealership lobby. Sales agents all had on red polo shirts. I sketched quickly. Before I was done, my service manager let me know that my car was ready. That was fast!

Toyota Prius Test Drive

Posted on by Thor

My bright yellow 2000 Nissan Xterra has over 150,000 miles on it. I brought it into the dealership for an oil change and was given an estimate on repairs that was over $2,000. I brought the truck to Zembower’s auto repair to fit a wiper that wasn’t working. They gave me a similar price. Seems the CV joints on the front axle are broken which means grease isn’t being kept in its proper place. They both suggested I replace the front axle. The Xterra gets 15 miles per gallon when it is in good shape. The price tag at the pump hurts each week. I do an awful lot of driving going from event to event to sketch.

The bottom line is I need a new ride that gets better gas mileage. Why not try and get the best possible gas mileage? I decided to test drive the 2012 Toyota Prius. I walked into the Toyota dealership on Colonial Drive and told the receptionist I wanted a test drive. She informed me that I was the first person to walk in that day without an appointment. I don’t plan ahead much, I just act on impulse. A young salesman wasn’t busy, so he walked me out to the lot to introduce me to the 2012 Prius.

He popped open the hood to show me the engine. I’ve never seen anything like it. It is part electric motor, part generator and part gasoline engine. A hybrid system indicator shows the flow of energy every moment you drive. I expected the interior to feel cramped compared to my large SUV, but I had plenty of head and leg room. It actually felt more spacious than my Xterra. I felt like I was seated in a shuttle craft with the digital data display and LCD on the center console. The tiny tires made me nervous and there is no spare tire in order to conserve weight. The advantage gained is a neat storage compartment under the floor in the back. The back seats were also more spacious than my truck and folded down, the seats lie flat leaving just enough room so I could lie down in back if needed.

The vehicle started up with the push of a button. The stick shift is more like a video game joy stick on which you gesture the transmission into forward or reverse. The small stick then returns to the central position. The ride was much quieter than the roar of my trucks off road tires. When we stopped at a stop light, the engine literally shut down to conserve energy. To say I was impressed would be an understatement. This was one high tech sexy (well, practical) beast.