Locate an Auto Repair Shop in Clam Gulch, Alaska

We bought our Prius back in November 2011 and now have just over 2000 miles on it. So far, it's a mostly good report. We love the car, it's amazingly smooth riding for such a small car -- heck, it's a better ride than the 2005 Odyssey we traded in on it, which was a far better ride than the Cadillac I had before that. I am very impressed with the quiet cabin and the aerodynamics of the moon roof, which is the quietest (when open, of course) of any car I ever owned. The cockpit layout is well done, especially the shifter which is perfectly located for using the "braking" function for speed adjustments on the road or braking assist when slowing/stopping. I can see we'll get a LOT of miles out of the brake pads as I hardly ever use the brakes. Instrumentation is superb. My only cockpit complaint is the instrument light dimmer which is unlighted and difficult to operate. This makes it impossible in the dark. Maybe it's just me but I feel the ergonimics folks at Toyota dropped the ball here. Cruise control is great in function and operation but is slow to react when adjusting speed in one MPH increments. Operation is a bit awkward sometimes when I forget that the control stalk turns with the steering wheel -- I occasionally find myself operating the wipers when trying to operate the cruise control. We got the remote a/c and solar roof package but I wish now I'd known about the Advanced Technology package as I feel it would have benefited me to a greater degree on the highway and my wife in parking. The solar roof will be of more apparent benefit in the warmer months, but I don't think it'll really be worth the money, even here in Georgia....we'll see. Right after we got the car I found oncoming drivers flashing their lights at me at night, indicating that they thought my high beams were on. They weren't. So left my garage door down, pulled up to it, and looked at where the lights hit it. I was disappointed to see that after Toyota did so much right with this car they sent it out of the factory in Japan with the left headlight aimed egregiously high. When I took it back to my dealer I was pleased with their prompt attention to the matter but again disappointed that: #1 - they aimed the low beams so low that now I can hardly see more than what I estimate to be 100' in front of the car, and #2 - that the service advisor indicated that the techs made the adjustment without knowing where the lights SHOULD be aimed (No headlight adjustment specs and/or equipment???) I'll be going back for another adjustment and to ask the obvious questions. Now, for the trip computer and speedometer. I was pleased to see mileage calculated in the 50 MPG range on the trip computer. However, in our town we have several radar equipped traffic signs that flash your speed when you approach them. It was disappointing to see that my speedometer indicates (after numerous passes) exactly two MPH faster than the radar sign indicates. This is a great lawyer buffer to help Toyota avoid frivilous lawsuits by idiots who simply look for anyone to sue over anything, but appears to me that it will lead to erroneous mileage indications which likely will cause owners to over maintain the car for mileage based service procedures. Erroneous speed indications also give a false sense of fuel economy in the form of inflated MPG figures. That also disappoints me. Additionally, I am in the habit of calculating my mileage based on gallons pumped and miles driven at each fillup. Sorry Toyota, I am consistently calculating about 2-4 MPG LESS than the trip computer shows. Combine this with the fact that the odometer is likely about 2 MPH fast and you have a potential for a rather large difference between TRUE MPG and INDICATED MPG. Maybe some of the math geniuses on the forum could figure out what's going on. If I'm wrong, I'll be the first to apologize to Toyota...oh yeah, I know about the differences in fuel pumps etc but most of my fillups have been at the same pump. Don't misunderstand, I'm happy as a clam about the mileage I get, but would be a lot happier if the instrumentation were more accurate. Technology this seemingly perfect deserves to have these speed/mileage/mpg indications to be closer to perfect. I can deal with a couple of MPH on the speedo but the MPG off, on a Prius???? In summation, I absolutely love the car overall and still look forward to driving it each day. We've tested it on local roads in Georgia, South and North Carolina Interstates, as well as the winding, steep secondary roads of western North Carolina and have been pleasantly surprised at the acceleration and, especially road hugging handling. Aw, heck, I might as well admit that a Miata driver who was trying to shake me on a nice curvy road near my house couldn't do it. Now, I must admit that I have no idea how accomplished a driver he was but my Prius was not even near its limits of lateral traction. Maybe this is nothing to crow about, I suspect not, but I was impressed that this little "turtle car" had so much spirit. Would I buy a Prius again? You bet I would, in a heartbeat....even though some of my Conservative friends are calling me a Democrat and shaking their heads at me when I ghost by in EV mode. ;)

One of my very close friends I went to High School with died when he was just 27 years old. He went out to dinner with some college friends, drove home, and had a reaction to some clams that were brushed with peanut oil. He dropped dead in the lobby of his building. This was in 2004. I became a Yankees fan starting that season.

Towncar, it's so simple. You just crank the car with a real key, turn on air or heat, push the button for your radio, put the car in gear, and off you go. I still have a long ways to go, but, believe it or not, you do get used to a lot of the new eccenticities of the new car. I will bet, these will become the new normal for all cars in the future. Cars won't have keys, they will shut off when you are idling, radio and navigation will all be computer driven. Any one driving a Cadillac Calais or Lincoln Town Car will be considered a dinosaur. My cell phone, which I use on average 2X a month, is still the old clam shell kind. Every one now has the newer flat square kind. My wife seldom uses her cell but she got the new kind so she won't become extinct. Now she texts the grandchildren. I am learning each day and it is complicated in the same way as operating a TV with a cable box. Remember trying to play a DVD the first time and trying to figure out which HDML or component device you had to use. Once you master it you do feel a sense of accomplishment....similar to when I fixed the water pump thing in the toilet last week!

I am new to the forums, so I apologize if this post is in the wrong place. My son owns a 2006 Mazda 3. Last winter, he ran up on a snowbank and got one of the wheels wedged in the bank. When he freed the car, it apparently pulled out some clips/clamps that hold a plastic piece located above the wheel. It has shifted and is apparently rubbing up against the tire when he turns the wheel in particular directions. Are those clams obtainable from the dealer? If so, are they easy to mount. I would hate to have to take it to the dealer for them to do the work unless necessary. Thank you!

Trust me I am NOT an Idealist and if it were anything but what I said I wouldnt have said it and I would just as happily have blasted the new 2.5 if it were garbage but its not ! These cars are only similar in one way they have similar body styles ---thats it --all these people that say their 2.3 will never be sold and its the best looking body --OK thats fine but as I said if they had just a few days with the 2.5 they would quietly clam up and trade the old 2.3 in and I mean fast --- I did it because in 2008 the best loan was 5.9% and I got the 2.5 in 2010 for 60 months at 0% apr/ so I took a chance and traded it in now I feel like I drive a car far better than a lexus or BMW because my first three services so far - not one has exceeded $45 total parts labor everything! + I have --ZERO INTEREST ! They still run great aprs on the 3 today .