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Comments
2. "Carry the key, simply press the button. Do not depress the brake pedal."
Even shows a little picture of the foot "not" on the brake.
After they experience the smell just the same way YOU are dealing with it, then they might be more willing to help you trace the cause.
My guess it that it can't be HEALTHY if it is that overpowering.
Regardless, I would insist the dealer find out the source of the smell. You might can get a new TCH out of this deal if they cannot locate the problem.
Had the same problem in a 98 Grand Cherokee. The Jeep dealer did the same thing to fix it. I also live in California near San Francisco so maybe the coast (moisture) adds to the problem.
I think it was caused by moisture in the system. Can you describe the smell? Mine would get stronger with just fresh air and no air cond on.
I have noticed a slight rotten smell a couple of times on my 09 Cmery Hybrid. It did go away.
You should go right to the service manager, this problem can happen in any car. There may even be a TSB on this problem. It happens in a lot of cars.
Check this site:
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_can_you_fix_a_car_air_conditioner_that_puts_out_a_- bad_smell_for_2-3_minutes_when_you_first_turn_on_the_air_conditioner
It took them over an hour to get through the programming to do it.
Worth every penny. Worth every minute.
Tires - The Bridgestone Turanzas are horrible. You will not see more than about 35,000 out of them. I changed to a different model after the second set at 62,000 miles. I am not an aggressive driver.
Aftermarket GPS - Beware of GPS placements and electrical interference in the TCH. When powering GPS via 12vDC cords, I think the electrical frequencies confuse some GPS units.
Battery - The NiMH batteries do not start the TCH nor do they run the accessories. The little 12vDC battery in your trunk does. You can kill the battery in a TCH just as quick as any other car.
Starting - Beware of cell phones. Keep them away from your key fob and shut them off when diagnosing problems. [see manual... it talks about this]. Use the brake pedal.
Turning Off - Do not touch the brake pedal!
Aftermarket filters - Mine works fine [K&N]
Bluetooth - Horrible system. Never use it due to noise and echo.
Transmission - This is the best CVT on the market. Nissan buys it for their Altima Hybrid, and they already have a CVT in most of their cars. Enough said.
ICE - It will run less in the summer months and you will get better mileage in the warm months of the year. Seems counterintuitive, but it is my observation.
This is the best car I have ever owned. It is my 14th car. Lucky me!
Thanks in advance for any advice from any other owners
The Nissan CVT was not a hybrid unit. That is why they use the Toyota CVT. The Nissan CVT has been very reliable from what I have read. But in any case there can be no comparison between an HSD and a CVT. They are entirely different technologies.
Studies have shown the devices increase seat belt use, which in turn save lives in crashes. The chimes don't bother my wife or me because we always buckle our belts, except for pulling from our short driveway into the garage. And we always put heavy items in the trunk, not on the front passenger seat.
To each his own, however!
Nissan is a CVT powerhouse, and they could design one for the Hybrid. But they do/did not plan on selling a lot of Hybrids and the developmental costs of tranys and ICE's are too high these days.
Anyway, this is a TCH forum and I should not have made the the Nissan CVT comment, nor should anyone have responded to it. Sorry for getting off track.
My Tank Average display is showing around 39 mpg.....the other day it showed 40.5 ... but it has been hovering around 39 for the past ~2 months ... before it used to stay around 36. I think it's gone nuts... 40.5 couldn't be right, right? Well, my wife thinks I may have finally learned to drive normally
Also, just by looking at mpg numbers ... I think the Exaltos may have low roll resistance compared to other tires in it's class. One more thing, I try to keep them inflated at 34psi.
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Michelin&tireModel=Pilot+Exalto- +A%2FS
Good luck with your purchase.
I just picked up from 09 TCH three days ago. I am still learning the "best way" to drive this car, but I have a few questions that I need assistance with.
1) One issue that doesn't seem normal to me...When I am at a complete stop, and then push the accelerator to go, there is a pause, a bump, a jerk, and then it takes off. Is this normal? It's like a jerking movement. Am I pushing the gas pedal too hard or not hard enough? I've tried it both ways, and it does the same thing every time.
2) Also, when I turn on the car first thing, it's so quiet. Then about 10 seconds later, I hear the engine kick on. During the quiet seconds, is the car on? Am I able to move the car (back out of my driveway) during this time or do I have to wait to back out when the engine kicks on?
3) When can you use the "B" feature (battery mode) instead of putting the car in "D" (drive)?
Any information would be greatly appreciated!!!!!
1. If the engine is off while stopped, pressing the accelerator restarts the engine. And yes there is a slight pause and sometimes, I'd call it, a little hiccup before starting off. A firmer push on the gas pedal should reduce the sensation. It's normal, though.
2. I believe the engine cranks up 7 seconds after the "ready" light turns on. No need to wait. You can drive away immediately.
3. The transmission "B" mode stands for engine braking. I believe its intended use is limited to vehicle control on steep grades. Normally, the brake pedal provides the best combination of braking and charging the battery.
The TCH's hybrid system automatically determines the best combination of engine/battery use.
Good luck with the new car. As far as I can tell, the TCH enjoys about 99% satisfied owners.
1. Mine does the same thing - seems less so now that I have 6000 miles on it
2. Pretty normal - You can drive right away, I think it does this to get the 4 cyl engine up to temp for emissions
3. B is the braking mode, the transmission does not have gears, it is a CVT drive train, this mode creates braking as if you were down shifting - allows the battery to charge quickly and also slows down the car as you desend down hill..
One note, for normal shut down you should turn off the car with you foot "OFF" of the brake.
Everyone purchasing a $30K anything should read the manual before operating it. How about a short drive with a technician?
Also, the CVT is this car is not the conventional metal belt/variable pulley design. It is really not a CVT at all, they just call it that. It is a fixed ratio planetary gearing device with a power split. The best explanation I could find is at the following link [note the HSD systems in the Prius and Camry are functionally the same].
http://www.cleangreencar.co.nz/page/toyota-prius-iii-hybrid-e-cvt-transmission-i- nfo
Toyota refers to the transmission as ECVT - Electronically Controlled Continuously Variable Transmission.
Have read the manual - thus the note about not depressing the brakes when turning off the car.
We have several vehicles - 05 Grand Cherokee Hemi, 05 Mercedes C240 4-matic, 06 Dodge Ram and a 66 Mustang. While the Grand is really the best for long trips the Camry is tops for the daily commute / San Francisco driving and the Mercedes is a great round town car. Of course for crusin the 66 Mustang takes top honors.
Of all of them the Camry is outstanding in quality and shear quiet riding. It reminds us of Lexus we had several years ago.
Are you sure of these comments?
One note, for normal shut down you should turn off the car with you foot "OFF" of the brake.
Why is that? I didn't even realize the system would shut down unless you had your foot "ON" the brake
B is the braking mode, ....down shifting - allows the battery to charge quickly and also slows down the car as you desend down hill..
Several posters have reported that the B mode does not assist in charging and that applying the brake is a preferred method of regenerative charging
I’m in love with my new TCH – no doubt! And one of the things I love the most is the absolute quiet – allowing me to really enjoy the Stereo!
But now my silence is being ruined by a new “crinkling sound” in the air conditioning system. Sadly, I think I know what caused it
I parked my TCH under a pine tree overnight, and the next day it was covered with small branches and pine needles. Not thinking anything of it, I hosed it down, and watched as all that roof debris washed down the windshield and disappeared under the hood (immediately under the windshield).
Surprise – suddenly the astounding quiet of the interior is now spoiled by the rattle of junk blowing around inside the HVAC system. (It varies with the blower speed, but is annoying at any setting).
Lifting the hood, I can see the problem. The grating (The air intake for the HVAC system – I guess) is very coarse (Large ¼ inch square holes), apparently allowing small pine needles / branches to enter the system. (I checked my other (GM) car and that same area is all protected with a very fine screen door like mesh.).
My Toyota dealer says to bring it in and they will see about fixing the problem, I certainly hope they can as I’ve only got 1,200 miles on my brand new car and this sound is noticeable by my passengers.
So no more parking under pine trees for me!
My car was making a horrible scraping/grinding sound whenever I would turn. Took it in, and come to find out, the brake shims were installed backwards. It's not even a month old! Needless to say, it was corrected...but it has definitly bursted my "excited new car buying experience" bubble.
They say outgassing of the plastics is also a problem. We dont smoke but I had to use glass polish to get the inside windows clear. It previously looked like a smokers car.
Was getting warning messages:
Check Hybrid System and
Check VSC System
on the dash display.
Dealer in Mesa AZ says it's the first one they've seen, so the repair may take a couple of days. Covered under the powertrain warranty, so it won't cost me a penny.
I'll let people know how it turns out.
I hired an environmental firm to do a complete voc (volatile organic compound) test as well as formaldyhyde. Results were awful! Formaldyhyde in acceptable limits but the voc test showed huge concentration of acetonitrile, also known as methyl cyanide!
We have parked the car at the dealer for nearly a month...Toyota "Total Customer Care" center in Ca. consulted their engineers who said nothing containing Acetonitrile is in car....not good enough...we have never carried or used any solvents or other compounds containing it. TCH on the other hand has a huge nickle/metal hydride battery...does that use acetonitrile, or did the very first models (ours was the first delivered at our dealer)?. Also, this car must have plenty of powerful capacitors and motor controllers, which probably can produce methyl cyanide when they fail. This has a big traction motor . Toyota also has taken patents on using non-aqueous electrolytes including acetonitrile. I view this as a very serious health risk, especially after reading an advisory from the Michigan health System regarding exposure to methyl cyanide.
This smell is not musty or moldy but very distinctly chemical in nature.
My bet is that almost any new car tested would show potentially harmful chemicals lurking in that "new car smell." But the same is true for new carpets, new plywood, new particle board, etc. Then in older buildings, you could have lead paint dust or asbestos particles. I just take reasonable precautions like avoiding cigarette smoke and don't worry about the other stuff.
I have owned mine since June 2006 and have ridden in about 4 others, and none have had any issues like that.
My guess is that it's nothing "hybrid related" at all.
ANOTHER ISSUE:
In relation to my new tranny as mentioned in post 238, it performed without a glitch on my 2200 mile trip to Texas on the day after it was installed.
Kudos to the Riverview Toyota mechanic crew.
Good Luck
Has anyone had any major problems with their camery hybrid? I have a loaner for this time but let me know if I need to ask better questions.
Thanks, rich
Up to now has been a terrific car.
Any similar experiences? The dealer still has the car and have called for help and has given me great loaners all along.
It says to turn the car off with the trip setting in the A trip mode.
Then holding in the trip reset button, start the car. Continue to hold the reset button in until it says "Reset Complete."
Apparently, the page numbers for this instruction vary with each year's Manuals
My experience with a local Honda dealer was that they tried to sell woman unnecessary services. They seemed to know men would say "Forget it.":
It took about an hour and 20 minutes.
It was basically an oil change, tire rotation and check everything.
Interesting, they list the price to replace the items they checked.
For example, replace cabin air filter (Recommended at 15 000 miles) $52.95.
I did some research and found three potential problems:
1-Windshield or cowling leak... of course I was higly suspicious of this because of the recent change.
2-Moonroof drain clog
3-Evaporator coil leak or evaporator drain plug clog
The first issue was easy to diagnose. Seal and cowling components are easy to inspect. They were fine and the carpet up near the firewall was dry as a bone.
The second issue would require too much for me to diagnose... so I saved that for a pro.
The last issue was scary. The Evap coil is behind the dash and requires hours of labor to remove. But leaks are rare. Research showed the drain tube was a common culprit, bocoming clogged with mold. A light shot of compressed air often clears the clog and the problem is resolved. I located the little rubber tube coming out of the Evap box under the car and gave it a little blow with my compressor gun. IT WORKED! Water ran out of the drain for a couple of minutes before stopping.
Here is the stick folks. If you take the car to the dealer they will NOT be honest to you. Everything I read showed charges about $1000 or more. They will tell you they need to replace that little $3 tube but they have to disaassemble the dash. While you sit for 8 hours they do nothing but what I did. They may tell you a new Evap coil is needed. This is BS 99.9% of the time. Make them prove there is a leak before they do the work. They can do this with the hood up and their AC system test equipment hooked up. If they give ANY excuse as to why they can't they are, again, trying to rip you off. :mad:
In my experience, car dealer maintenance departments are among they worst kind of rip-off-artists anywhere. Another trick is the cabin air filter scam. Read the manual. It says to blow it out once before changing it. I had THREE dealers tell me this was wrong after they wanted to replace my filter for $40 [it is $20 at Autozone and takes less than 1 minute to replace]. Each time I showed them the manual instructions on this item and they crawled under a rock [where they belong]! :P
Read the manual. Do you own troubleshooting and research. Protect yourself.