2008 Toyota Highlander

wwest

For reasons of lowering emissions the catalyst must be HEATED up to operating temperature, ~800F, as quickly as possible. It may very well be that Toyota has now figured out a way to BLOCK any significant level of coolant flow to the radiator and heater until the engine itself, and therefore the exhaust gasses, are fully up to operating temperature.

In the past even with the coolant thermostat closed there was an opening, or in some cases an actual bypass, to allow for some level of continuous coolant flow. Since that would be detrimental to quickly bringing the engine, and therefore the catalyst, up to optimum operating temperature, Toyota may have developed an alternate(***) method.

*** Possibly a "closed" coolant cycle wherein the coolant flows only through the engine itself, bypassing the radiator and heater core, until ~180F is reached?

wwest

"(hint look at A/C light)"

In most Toyota/Lexus products in defrost/defog/demist mode the A/C compressor runs automatically, is "linked" to defrost/defog/demist mode, but with the indicator off.

But I sincerely doubt, in any case, that the A/C would be allowed to operate before the heat/blower comes on.

There are 3 c-best options that address the problems associated with improper, patently UNSAFE, A/C operation.

shimmer11

There is no High defrost per say, and yes I do understand that it takes a while for the engine to warm up in the morning. Our 2005 Highlander did warm up the cabin much faster than our current '08. But indeed it seems that toyota has bypassed the "traditional" warming methods and now uses a bypass system as wwest mentioned.

lucky_777

wwest,

You're right! I set my HL heating mode to defrost/defog/demist mode (top 2 lights on the right knob) and could see A/C clutch engaged, even though A/C light was off. It is possible that car could get cooler inside if engine is cold and defrost/defog/demist modeis active. It also would put more load on the engine and cause it to warm up quicker. Personally, I didn't notice any issue with heat. Actually my HL needs very little time to warm up comparing to a Nissan Maxima that I owned before. Years ago I owned Ford Taurus and that thing took forever to get warm.

shimmer11,

Try to set you car in regular heating mode and see if it makes any difference.

shimmer11

I will check that wwest. Maybe that is the issue, I am also having the rear defogger (defrost coils) looked at. The back window does not seem to be working when the defrost button is pressed. The mirror defrost work, but the rear seems to be under powered.

coasting101

I just got a new HL Limited, and cannot program the garage door opener. I have read the instructions in the manual and the "Overhead Door" instructions. It all seems simple. But, the Highlander just won't take the code,and open the door....I recall having some problem with my Solara too. I am sure that the door has a "rolling" code system. Any suggestions. Thanks.

drlonline1

I too initially had a problem getting the Homelink system in my HL Limited to recognize the code from my garage remote (first step in programming it). It took a few tries to get the HL transmitter to "see" the code and allow it to be programmed. I had to play around with where I held the garage remote while pressing it and the Homelink button. Also found it needs to be held right up to the Homelink button, literally touching it. After a few tries, though, I was able to get the Homelink indicator light to blink (slowly at first, then rapidly once it "reads" the code), which then allowed me to go to the next step of getting the Homelink transmitter to "learn" how to transmit the revolving code to the garage garage opener.

shimmer11

Ok, another question for the group. Owners of '08 Highlanders with Manual fan/temperature control.../When you put your fan speed on high, does the fan take a couple of seconds to turn on? Also, when the fan speed gets to high, does it seem to add rpm's a couple of seconds later? I am thinking our Highlander is not working correctly.

-Andy

fptg

i have read many posts by shimmer11 concerning the Auto HVAC. I have to say that it's operation confuses me and baffles my wife. While I am sure it is all user error, this is the first vehicle we have had with an Auto climate system. The fan does seem to hesitate slightly and then ramp up quickly in manual mode. I find both the front and rear defroster to work quickly and well. Our biggest problem now is the "learning curve". We both have thought something was wrong at one time or another, but it just our ineptness :confuse:

wwest

When the system is off, or on an early "coolish" morning before the coolant is up to ~130F, the climate control system "parks" the air distribution routing toward the windshield defrost/defog/demist ducts to "baffle" (restrict, slow) any discomforting COLD incoming airflow due to forward motion of the vehicle.

When you manually turn on the blower the delay is likely there to allow the servomotors time to move the routing away from teh windshield and into the footwell where it will not be so discomforting.

There is also a traditional. "legacy" problem with the NipponDenso, Denso US, designs that this may be a partial fix for. Had you operated the A/C the previous day the A/C plenum area holding the cooling evaporator might very well be clogged, super-saturated, with moisture in the form of water vapor.

So should the system allow, as would be the case with older systems, the fan speed to come up QUICKLY, before the airflow is fully re-routed away from the windshield, you might find yourself totally blinded to the road ahead via sudden windsheild fogging.

shimmer11

It is a simple question I thought had an easy answer. In every vehicle I have owned, when I turn on the fan to high, I expect it to turn on at full operating speed. So now I have to wait for the system to react to my input? Wow, my '03 Honda Accord will heat up on defrost within 3 minutes and not hesitate the fan when I turn it on High. I was thinking that since I was one of the first to purchase a '08 Highlander, that maybe someone did not properly put the vehicle together correctly in Japan. My bad.

-Andy

lucky_777

There is a possibility that there is something wrong with your vehicle since no one else have heating problems.

wwest

Lucky_777...

"since no one else have heating problems...."

Not saying you couldn't be correct, but....

Today is the 13th of November 2007....

Just how many 2008 HL owners do you expect will have already had a need to DEFROST the exterior surface of their windshield? And of those that did have a need, how many would even take note of the delay in blower speed?

And finally, how many of those remaining would be available to post such here on the internet?

lucky_777

We'll see if there will be any problems once it gets colder. I'll be first to post if anything wrong.

banditob

shim,

Sorry to hear that you're not happy with the way your Highlander's HVAC is working. It's behavior does sound a bit odd. Have you tried going to one of your local dealerships and trying one or two of their vehicles, if you can find a similar one, to compare how it works with how yours works? This is probably the fastest way to learn whether yours is functioning correctly or not.

Just for comparison, my HiHy with auto HVAC heats up enough to output warm air in about 1/2 a mile when it's been garaged. It takes about 1 mile if it has been left outside at right around freezing. I did have an opportunity to use the rear window defogger the other day and it cleared everything up (just some interior moisture) in about 2 minutes.

Good luck.

tidester

I'll be first to post if anything wrong.

Well, no, you won't! Shimmer11 already holds that distinction. :P

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

lucky_777

I'll let Shimmer11 to hold the crown. I don't have any issues to report and hope it stays this way.

shorelady

Hi all-
always happy to hear everyones input about their new highlander. Thought you would all like to hear a story about 08"s durability. Got mine Sept 20. highlander Sport. i was coming home on the Garden state parkway in new jersey on a rainy nite. I am in the left lane doing 65 miles per hour-a big tractor trailer on my right. About 250ft ahead of me is a pick up truck (open back) Off the truck comes flying a 5 gallon contractors pail (empty) right towards me.It bounced once twice & the third time came right at me. i turned towards the left(not wanting to go off the road completely) & bang it hit my Highlander. I thought for sure I had lots of damage. At the next rest stop I checked & the only thing that happened was the cover around the Fog light was gone. Ordered it at the dealer the next day(40) & the next week it was in. Now needlees to say I was very lucky BUT nice to know our cars seem to survive road encounters.Hope everyone is as lucky!!!!!!!!!

aerosnow

http://www.toyotaiguide.com/content/08Highlander/iGuide.htm

Just in case you wanted to see some videos

wwest

My then new '92 LS400, over-nighted in an attached but otherwise unheated garage, would take about 3-5 miles on a 40-45F morning before the coolant reached 130F and the blower came on.

Remember it so well because it was at the point in my morning drive that the windshield would suddenly fog over and I would have to pull off the road.

gdkoger

Finally after putting my request in the end of August. I took delivery of my Highlander Limited last night. I have three things I need help with. first, with the keyless entry how do I open/shut the windows/moon roof with the handle or remote? Second, How do I watch a movie from DVD player through the NAV (assuming I'm in Park)? Also, How do you use voice recognition (Blue Tooth) using names, not numbers. I set it up, and recorded the name. But can't figure out how to call by name? Thanks for all you help.

banditob

Congratulations on your new Highlander.

I have some answers for you. First, unfortunately the keyless entry system does not work with the windows or the moonroof. You'll have to close them on your own before exiting the vehicle. It does, however, retain power to them until a door is opened or a couple of minutes have elapsed since shutting off the vehicle.

Second, as far as the DVD playing on the NAV screen when stopped, neither the NAV manual nor the sales brochure make mention of this as a feature, so I would assume that it doesn't do this. I do remember someone else asking about it previously, but the only answer was that the Sienna does it, but no one knew if the Highlander would too or not. You could always call and ask the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 about this, but I wouldn't hold my breath. If it would do this, I think that they'd be touting it as a feature.

Third and last, for dialing by name, push the talk button, wait for the beep, then say, "Dial by name." The system should then request that you say the name. Push the talk button again, wait for the beep and then say the name. The system will then playback the name for you and ask you to "confirm" or "cancel." Once you've confirmed, it'll dial the number.

Just a little gripe, but nowhere in the Owner's Manual does it mention that you must wait for the beep before speaking to the system. I find this a rather glaring oversight.

banditob

Okay, I've now found a serious design flaw with the 2008 Highlander! It's the front two uncovered cup holder adapters! My salesman demonstrated them to me, showing me how they could be lifted out to allow for a larger beverage container in the holder.

However, in actual use, If you put a cup or a can in them, the holder attaches itself to the bottom and always come out when you lift the cup or can out to have a drink. It's quite annoying and I find it hard to believe that no one ever noticed this in their usability testing!

To resolve the issue, I'm training myself to first tilt the cup to one side and then lift it up to keep the adapter from sticking to the cup. I SHOULD NOT have to do this in a $40,000.00 vehicle! :mad:

Caveat emptor - you have been warned

Just to be perfectly clear, this is tongue in cheek Well, mostly it is :P

lucky_777

Try a couple of small Velcro pieces under the cup holder adapters.

garyanders

Sounds as if you have a new opener with rolling code technology. You will need to hold the remote up to the homelink and then hit your green button on the door opener motor unit. This is all explained in your owners manual, it is really very easy. My opener has rolling code technology and was able to program the homelink with no problem. Gary

garyanders

On the oil filter system just go to message 1785 page 91 of this forum and I have explained this in detail along with the volume number of the service manual to purchase. Hope this helps, Gary

stever

You can also right click > copy the underlined post number in most Windows browsers and then right click > paste that into your post. Like so:

garyanders, "2008 Toyota Highlander" #1785, 29 Oct 2007 5:42 pm

Thanks for the tips!

shimmer11

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/rating.aspx?id=843

I was originally scared about the head impact into the steering wheel, but I will take a good safety rating!

hightechguru

To watch a movie on the NAV Sceen You must be in park and have the parking break on. You also have to select the DVD input on the right side of the NAV

smith1

Toyota should issue a recall for this!!

gdkoger

Thanks hightechguru,

Confirmed! The parking brake was the key.

Also went to the dealer and had them change the feature to open the sunroof by holding down the unlock button on the remote. It will be nice in the summer.

ron08

I too have a new Highlander with the Bluetooth JBL. Here is a shortcut way to "dial by name" Press the talk switch and say "Dial (name in system to be dialed". The voice will respond with your prerecorded name. This allows you to determine that the unit has chosen the correct name. As soon as you hear enough of the name press the off-the-hook key and the system will begin dialing. This is much quicker then say "dial by name"

I think the manual is terrible. It took me forever to figure out how the system works and I still have trouble understanding what it can do. The web site didn't seem to help either. By the way, the list of names in the phone book that can be dialed by name appears to be limited to 20. When I got to 21 it was out of space and wouldn't let me add the number.

cmptrguy74

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Second, as far as the DVD playing on the NAV screen when stopped, neither the NAV manual nor the sales brochure make mention of this as a feature, so I would assume that it doesn't do this. I do remember someone else asking about it previously, but the only answer was that the Sienna does it, but no one knew if the Highlander would too or not. You could always call and ask the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331 about this, but I wouldn't hold my breath. If it would do this, I think that they'd be touting it as a feature.
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I have provided several posts confirming that "YES" - this feature DOES exist on the 2008 Highlander as well (factory DVD). Perhaps a reason Toyota doesn't include this in manual is to control potential for after-market adjustments &/or hacking that allows this to function even without Emergency Brake & Park... Similar to Navigation Over-ride screen -> try finding that in the manual or getting Customer Support to respond w/instructions!!! No, I haven't read/found the Over-ride for 2008 Highlander, but I'm sure a hidden installer/servicing series exists!!!

For reference, the following are my posts that state the proper instructions for viewing video from Rear Factory DVD Player through front Navigation screen:

Msg# 1418

Msg# 1424

Msg# 1773

Per following message, I'm glad that more members are posting confirmation of their success in having DVD show through front Navigation screen.

Msg# 1912

Also, that's great news/information about the Sunroof re-programming capability... I'll have to inquire about this when my order finally arrives! Ordered mine 1st week of September, but was recently told it'll up to another month before it's in... Something about Tow Package & Factory DVD slowing order/allocation.

banditob

cmptrguy,

While I can completely understand why Toyota wouldn't provide any information regarding defeating any of the safety systems, it makes no sense to me whatsoever to omit functional, useful, and competitive features. I guess that I simply don't understand the auto business!

I do, however, agree totally with gdkoger about the Owner's Manual. This is by far the worst manual for anything that I've seen in ages and ages. It shows what features the vehicle has, sometimes that they can be changed but with very poor instructions on how to do so, and never seems to define what any of the features are or what the functions actually do. Granted, some are obvious, but many are not and the whole point of a manual is to educate and inform, whether you're new to the information or just referencing something.

Then, there seems to be a lot of information that's missing altogether, such as the ability to playback a DVD on the NAV screen, the ability to program the sunroof to open with the remote, even though there is a section dedicated to customizations.

Finally, I won't even mention the spelling and grammatical errors.

It's very unprofessional and is, to me, a key aspect of my "Customer Experience." I do read the manuals and enjoy learning about my new vehicle from them.

Do you get the impression that this bothers me at all??

I do love my Highlander, but all this makes me wonder what's going on behind the scenes at Toyota and whether or not I should be concerned with their Quality System.

mtairyordge

Maybe Toyota could sell the velcro at $29.95.

cmptrguy74

banditob,

Agreed on manual. This is something I don't have experience with (yet) - 08 Highlander... I've reviewed the iGuide & such, but haven't even opened an 08 Highlander manual...

Mine should be in w/in next month. I also agree that this is a strong feature that many other competitive autos lack. I've been closely comparing the MDX and while the voice commands & interior layout wow me (on MDX), this feature on my Sienna was very important to me while at Malls/Shops & sleeping kids in back.. Wife will go in stores (often too long) and I'm left to attend to sleeping kids... It's nice to re-direct video to front and not disturb them...

I'm looking forward to it on the new Highlander - and was very happy to find & confirm it functional on 08 Highlander (Showroom Sport model w/Nav & Factory "EY" DVD).

One difference I believe I ran across is that the brake must be at least 1 click in AND vehicle in Park. With Sienna, I could be in ANY gear and would only have to apply moderate pressure (but before 1st click) to get video to come through... Frequent cheating at stop lights!!!

Enjoy your Highlander!

woodytwo

Help!

Has anyone had any experience towing a 5000 - 6000 lbs RV trailer with the 2008??
Let me know how it handled the really heavy loads.

I don't want to buy unless it can really handle that weight. My Sienna does an excellent job now but I looking for a change.

Thanks

moline

I am curious about this too, as this is a primary reason why we bought a 2008 Highlander, and we are shopping for a small-ish travel trailer, probably close to 5000 pounds fully loaded. We only have 1,500 miles on it right now, so we haven't towed anything heaver than a log splitter. That being said, it has a little more horsepower and torque than the current Sienna, but a somewhat shorter wheelbase (110" vs 118"). I don't know how long your trailer is, but this could be a consideration, depending on what you use for sway control.

If you do decide to get the Highlander, keep in mind that many of the hitches on the market, especially round tube design, aren't designed to work with weight distribution systems. I initially had U-Haul put a hitch on our Highlander, but had them remove it when I discovered that a label on the Valley hitch that they used specifically states that it cannot be used with a weight distribution system. The Curt hitches have the same limitation, and I was told by our local Toyota dealership that the OEM hitch can't be used with WD either, but DrawTite/Hidden Hitch/Reese all support WD.

Do you have electric brakes on your RV? The Highlander with the towing prep package comes (mostly) pre-wired for a 4-way plug, but does not come pre-wired for a brake controller, but a local shop put one in for us in a couple hours.

So far, I am very happy with our Highlander, and hope it lives up to its towing specs!

toyseeker

Most I've towed so far was about 1,800 lbs ... but couldn't even tell it was back there.

woodytwo

Thanks for your info. The drivetrain is not a problem. I'm concerned with the shorter wheelbase causing instability when going down the hiway at 55 - 60 with trucks passing. Trailer has 2 axles and electric brakes (this is a must have in larger trailers). And WD hitch is a must have. I use a reese dual cam setup that is the best imo. But I'm still concerned about going down the hiway at 55 -60 with trucks passing and crosswinds. I've trailered over 40,000 miles with my Siennas without white knuckles and would like to enjoy the same experience with a Highlander.

monte8

A couple of things to remember:

1. Running your defrost/heater with high fan is just cooling the engine, increasing the time it takes for it to warm up;

2. The 2008 Highlander has a significantly larger cabin to warm.

Finally, I would suggest that you have the engine block heater installed by your dealer. Here in North Dakota the dealers expect to install them on all cars that can accept them. This reduces the time for the engine to warm up, increases gas milage, and makes it safer (the windows will stay clear).

I just bought a 2008 Highlander Hybrid, with a block heater. Yesterday morning with temperatures of about 30 F, I had enough heat to prevent condensation on the windsheild within the first mile. :shades:

marc001

I have an 08' Highlander Limited w/Nav. and NOT the rear dvd option. I CANNOT play any DVD's while in park with e-brake on. Also, I would like to add a remote starter, but I have the smart key. Do you know if anybody makes the bypass?

Thanks,
Marc

canuck17

From Canada and I purchased a 2008 Highlander LTD with black exterior and black interior in August. Overall very impressed except for a couple of interior points. First the cheap headliner which has been a subject of many posts is surprizing in a vehicle at this price. The hard plastics throughout dash and doors. My dealer told me that it is done to ensure more durability as softer surfaces have proven to be less durable (ie, fading,cracking etc,).

I have also noticed that the hard black plastic scratches easily and it is hard to eliminate the scratches which are quite noticeable. Any ideas on removing them without causing more blemishes on the surface would be appreciated. My dealer has no ideas.

ET.

nimrod99

If you don't have the rear DVD NAV, how can you play a DVD?
The front unit is not a DVD video player, its for NAV only

gshasta

I don't buy the dealer's story about soft plastics being less durable. The 1993 Camry I traded in when I bought my 08 Highlander had plenty of soft plastics. Those plastics were in perfect condition, even after spending half its life parked outside in the southeast.

marc001

I heard that DVD based nav. can play dvd's.

marc001

Hello,

The towing capacity is MAX 5,000 lbs. The GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT RATING is 6,000 lbs.

Marc

nimrod99

Apparently not? As you have tried it and were unsuccessful.

cmptrguy74

The Factory Navigation Screen WILL play REAR DVD's when you have the Factory REAR DVD SYSTEM (EY pkg) installed... The Navigation system is NOT the DVD "player" - it's the Rear...

The combination of BOTH of these is the key...

gdkoger

I hope everyone had a nice Holiday. Is there a list of verbal commands for the 08 NAV. And has anyone hacked it so you can use it while you drive?

Thanks....