picked up my '07 silver pine mica Prius this past Wednesday.

Terrific car in everyway.

The only negative was when I was presented with a set of dealer options:

• sound inhibitor aka undercoat. was told the underbody is not protected from road salt, etc.
• environmental paint protection - was told bird droppings are a problem for Prius paint
• rust inhibiting
• interior protection like scotchguard

the package price is $600. I was discouraged from purchasing only specific items.

does anyone have an opinon about any of these? I am surprised that Toyota quality doesn't include these important protections.

Harold

I am slightly disappointed that the 40 mile trip home only averaged 41 mpg (temp was 42 degrees).

Well as usual with dealerships, they lied. And about the bird droppings being a problem for the Prius paint.....yea whatever.

As far as the 41mpg trip.....it's a new car and needs to be broken in first before you see better mileage.

I think undercoating went out of style years ago with the advent of higher tech paints and bonding methods. It may protect you better but I don't think you want the added weight.

Unless you live near the ocean or a flock of turkey vultures (very corrosive droppings because of their stomach acid used to break down carrion and kill pathogens) or sea gulls (we have many here in boston area) I wouldn't worry about the paint. Just keep a good coat of quality wax on it. If you have little kids, then scotch guarding the seats may help.

These items are almost pure profit for the dealer, with questionable value (at best) to the customer. I'd skip them.

Occasional undercarriage washes at the local (touchless) car wash during winter should take care of road salt. Use your own "environmental paint protection": a good polish or wax. Ditto with rust inhibition. Aftermarket Scotchguard and similar products will protect your interior, if you even need it. Many have reported that cloth seats clean very easily. As for me, I've put covers on my seats and clear vinyl floor mats over the factory mats.

As Resist suggests, 41 MPG is not too bad for a brand new Prius (and Prius driver) in 42 degree temps. Your mileage depends on so many things: driving technique (especially), weather, speed and traffic conditions, etc. I suggest you search here and on these sites for tips on maximizing mileage:

www.priuschat.com
www.priusonline.com
www.cleanmpg.com

You'll have a learning curve. The more you study and practice "hypermiling" techniques, the shorter it will be. The Prius is capable of incredible fuel mileage under the right conditions.

Good luck!

Jim

Lifetime fuel mileage:

After learning how to hypermile:

My first fill-up was 39 MPG! But then I learned from the masters and tried to write up the basics in the FAQ.

BTW, I tend to advocate getting the vehicle and route tuned first. Once these are optimized, it is easier to add advanced driving techniques. These are 'free' and give good return on investment because they don't require any special effort. In engineering we call them "low hanging fruit."

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
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