Today I ran across an article on how to change the headlights in a Toyota Prius. The part that caught my eye is this:
Plan to spend 4 hours to complete the job
Seriously?!? FOUR HOURS?
Lessee – I’ve got four hours to kill this afternoon – I can do any of the following with my time:
- Watch 11 episodes of The Office
- Fly as far away as Portland – and back
- Go to the park with my R/C planes and fly several hundred times
- Play 32 games of Uno with my kids
- On my Toyota Camry: Rotate the tires, replace the spark plugs and wires, replace the air and fuel filter, PCV valve, windshield wipers, change the oil, and wash and wax the exterior.
- Completely re-organize my home workshop
- Design and install a new irrigation system for my garden
Or…. I can change the headlights on a Prius.
Apparently this is a job that requires not only 4 hours of time, but that you jack up the front of the car, have no fewer than 6 plastic cups to use to collect all the screws, nuts, and bolts that you have to take out, and you will wind up basically disassembling the entire front end of your car.
What ever happened to designing cars such that routine maintenance was a simple task requiring only basic tools and skill?
This solidifies the believe I’ve had for a long time: the Prius is one of the most over-hyped, ridiculous cars I’ve ever seen.
Quoting Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear: “This is one of my least favorite cars in the world, because so far as I can see, it appeals on no levels – at all! It certainly isn’t pretty – Honestly, I’d rather look at a baboon. In fact, come to think of it, I’d rather look at the back of a baboon.”
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOvp69lnZbA&feature=player_embedded
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