Car advice, please!

[Bicycle Bill]

My fiancée has a Ford C-Max hybrid that also uses a fob and a pushbutton, and the range is sufficient that the fob does NOT need to be in the vehicle.   We haven't conducted tests to see what the maximum range is, but I could see the possibility that we would be inside the fence at the dog park, let's say, but still in range of the car.   Someone gets in and starts the car and drives off.   And that is why I would personally prefer a key or some other piece of hardware to prevent the car from being able to be started.

-"BB"-

[ex-khobar Andy]

My car tells me it has an automatic one hour shutoff default if you leave it idling. Does yours have that too?

If it has this I don't know about it - makes complete sense - it may be an option somewhere that I have not activated.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Hey BSG, I wish you many happy years of motoring with the Corolla

[BoSoxGal]

So, just a couple of bonus perks about Corollaline:

Turns out, she has a spare tire! I don't get it, because even today when I research spare tire + Toyota Corolla hatch 2025 I find lots of websites talking about how there is no spare and only a tire fix kit. Apparently that only happens if you choose the enhanced cargo space option, which lowers the cargo floor by removing the spare and tools. Given that my road trip relocation days are likely over at this time of life, I'd just as soon have the spare and tools and not the extra 6 cubic feet of cargo space.

Also, I realized when I got the car home last weekend that many of the options included in the price weren't actually installed on the car. My assumption is that when a car comes into inventory, they work up the options they're going to add, make a window sticker for it, and then the car is supposed to go to the service department to be dolled up at some point before purchase - or maybe they intentionally wait until sale time so they can ask the buyer if they want to drop options to reduce the price? I've never bought a new car so just guessing.

Anyway, when the salesperson and I were looking at the car in the digital inventory the first night I told him I wanted mudguards and door sill protectors and he went to add them and then said, oh, they're already included, yay! and then I moved on to the purchase paperwork and time with the finance guy etc. and didn't think much about it. When I went to pick it up I was so excited about getting the car and figuring out the tech that I didn't even look to check.

But of course those things were not installed - and it turns out, I also paid for an all weather liner package for passenger and cargo area, cross bars for the roof (woot!), a bumper protector, quick charging cables for passengers, and alloy wheel locks. So when I go for my inspection sticker sometime next week I'll be getting a bunch of cool stuff installed on the car to make me love it even more!

Corollaline; also nicknamed sharky - because it's dark gray and has a little shark fin antenna and Massachusetts specialty plates funding the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy.

[Crackpot]

Those are “dealer accessories” so the dealer should be able to install them. Make sure you get them as since you paid for them and you’ve already paid to finance them (I assume)

[BoSoxGal]

Those are “dealer accessories” so the dealer should be able to install them. Make sure you get them as since you paid for them and you’ve already paid to finance them (I assume)

Yes, I did pay for them in the financed amount or out of my down payment whichever - and I contacted my salesperson and he assured me they would install everything when I come for my inspection sticker.

I actually paid for the darkout emblems option, but I'm trading that for the bumper protector because I like the shiny chrome emblems and would prefer to protect the back bumper from the inevitable scratches that would come from dropping cargo as I'm putting it into the cargo area.

Was I right in assuming that they leave the things uninstalled until sale time in case the buyer wants to drop or change the options? It seems to make sense as things like mudguards involve drilling holes into the car that you otherwise wouldn't want to drill if you didn't want the option.

Anyway I'm glad I got crossbars because I was already thinking of adding them aftermarket down the road and now I'll have them from go and they are under the initial warranty in case I have any issues with them.

[Crackpot]

I am not entirely sure about that those options might be considered part of “dealer prep” but I am not sure. (New Cars don’t arrive at the dealer quite ready to go as may things have various packing materials and or protection items as well as a few things to be put on at the destination)

[BoSoxGal]

I am averaging 35mpg on the daily commute to work and home! I am especially impressed because it’s not highway driving - it’s suburban and country roads with speeds mostly 30-40 but one stretch of 50, and a number of stop and starts. It’s really perfect driving for breaking in a new engine according to manufacturer’s recommendations, but I am surprised to be getting such excellent mpg - it’s supposed to get 32 in city driving. But I guess the engine is as perfect as it will ever be right now, so everything’s optimal.

Also maybe my driving style is a good match for optimizing the CVT? I have been letting Geico spy on me for the extra discount and I have a 98%* average for my driving as spied on by them. I know everyone thinks they are a good driver, but my insurance company has recently verified me as an EXCELLENT driver so I get to boast.

*My score would be 100, but I got some thumbs down the time I tested the new brakes on the bad car on the way to work one morning, and a couple of times I touched my phone to adjust podcast volume even though I was at a stop sign! Geico is mean.

[Big RR]

I am not entirely sure about that those options might be considered part of “dealer prep” but I am not sure. (New Cars don’t arrive at the dealer quite ready to go as may things have various packing materials and or protection items as well as a few things to be put on at the destination)

The thing I have noticed is that many times new cars on the dealer lot contain a number of dealer installed options such as window etching, paint protection, rustproofing (sometimes), tire inflation with nitrogen... and these are included as add-ons to the price if you purchase the car. FWIW, I am not sure of the value of any of these, but I also know you can get some of them done more cheaply at offsite providers if you want them. You can sometimes negotiate the price a bit to pay less for these, but it's the way most dealers do business (and to be fair, some people might not want to chase around to get these things from theird partied and are willing ot pay for the convenience.

BSG--all the n best with your new car.

[Crackpot]

Depends on the option really. Some things like mudflaps and door protection and crossbars are generally good to get from the dealer is you can be sure of genuine parts and labor being done by a qualified installer as well as the fact that some things are best applied as soon as possible as things are never as clean as they are when they’re new. Where as paint protection and sealers are generally iffy on wether they work at all.

[Big RR]

Absolutely.

[Burning Petard]

Have you named the new car? Snailgate.

[Joe Guy]

Have you named the new car? Snailgate.

On behalf of BSG, who is probably busy zipping around in her new ride....

I think she will be called Corollaline; credit due to a graduate school friend who suggested the name, which I love.

[BoSoxGal]

Her formal name is Corollaline, but I've already nicknamed her Sharky on account of her being gray, having a shark fin antenna and Atlantic white shark conservancy plates. Also eyeballing some shark decals for the back window but I'm not sure yet.

[BoSoxGal]

Does anybody use a steering wheel locking device and if so do you have recommendations?

I just learned the Corolla is among the most stolen cars in the USA yearly and that the whole key fob thing makes it fairly easy to steal them, so that a device is recommended when parking in sketchy conditions. I'm not worried about using one at home or work, but I have been mulling a day trip on the Acela to NYC to see a play on Broadway and feeling concerned about parking my car at the train station for a day.

Any suggestions appreciated in advance, thanks!

[Bicycle Bill]

I have been mulling a day trip on the Acela to NYC to see a play on Broadway and feeling concerned about parking my car at the train station for a day.

Nice to see you considering taking the train.   Amtrak recently added a second pair of trains daily through my area between the Twin Cities and Chicago (one each way) to supplement the once-daily Empire Builders, and they seem to show steady and dependable ridership.

As for Corollaline, my first impulse is to see if you can't find a friend, an Über or Lyft, or a plain, old-fashioned taxi to take you the depot and pick you up upon your return, so you don't need to leave your own vehicle.   My other suggestion would be to go to a better location (Back Bay station, or the one on route 128) where the neighborhood might not be so sketchy, and board there — although after looking at those locations on Google maps, that doesn't seem like such an appealing option.

-"BB"-

[Crackpot]

Looks like I’ll be picking up my CR-V on Monday

[BoSoxGal]

Congrats!

[BoSoxGal]

Now that I have a shiny new car, I need to think differently about auto maintenance than I have the last several years driving a beater. I know about the regular oil changes - did that for Reva and Corollaline comes with a few years of free maintenance on Toyota's dime so that's not an issue.

My question is about the cleaning/care of the exterior of the car. Will I be okay if I wash it monthly and take it twice a year for a detailing including waxing? It's parked outside so I know that's a factor - maybe quarterly waxings? I would definitely like to prevent the clear coat fail that Reva experienced, which was certainly a result of my negligent care at least in part.

[Crackpot]

To be honest I have not had many problems with rust on new cars (with exception for rust around the drain holes on the hatch on the last two Fords I’ve owned which were a known issue but at the same time not very severe.

To tell you the truth outside of making sure you keep mud salt and dirt from building up on the vehicle you don’t have to do too much as over washing and waxing can actually damage the paint. I wouldn’t recommend getting the car detailed more than once or twice a year unless it really needs it and getting that done by a professional as they know how to clean without damaging the paint (which is costly)