Scion tC

jsvh

I just got my tC last Thursday and I cant stop driving it, I have already put almost 500 miles on the car. I think this the best car I could have ever hoped for. I fully recomend it to anyone.

But on to your question, I found the A/C to be fine in the tC. It is not as good as my old Camrys A/C but it is better then my sister's CRV. I also heard rumors that some of the tCs did not get enough Freon or something and caused there A/C to not work right.

mackabee

Congratulations! You'll love this car.

A/c rumors, this is how things that are not true get started. There is no problem with the the a/c in the tC. Hey there's a rythm(sp)/
                  : )
              Mackabee

deuce

Hey,
I live in the Washington DC area, where the temps have been pretty high (90+) a couple of days since I've had my tC, and the A/C has performed very well.

dat2

Thanks all for the info on doc fees. I was at Oxmoor Toyota in Louisville KY with the $600 doc fee. I will definitely try a different dealer. There are 3 to choose from. Thanks!

wrjoyce

I am confused, are doc fees the result of state law and that is why they vary throughout the nation or are they just regional thing subject to practices of dealerships and strength of competition.

wrjoyce

I respect dealer input but I would like to here from buyers who live in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, New Mexico, about how the air conditioning holds up with continuous use. I need the car for Miami and NYC So ironically concerned about air conditioning and how it would handle in winter conditions.

spfotey

How is the stereo on this puppy??

has anybody upgraded to their subwoofer??

Scott

mackabee

If you are referring to me, I'm passing this info on from my son. He's the one that owns the tC, and the a/c works fine, had no problems driving from Virginia to Florida. Hot, humid, sticky, you name it.
                Mackabee

jsvh

I live in Georgia and I have not had a problem with the A/C so far. It manages to cool the car down well, I have even found myself turning the temp up in the car because it gets too cold, even on my short 5 mile drives to work.

I love the stock stereo, it is the best stock stereo I have seen. Though aftermarket is going to be better, and a sub would help, It still sounds great. I love the ability to play MP3 CDs, better then a CD changer IMO.

Doc fees vary from dealership to dealership, but they often seem to be within a few hundred of the other dealers in the region. You can call and ask the dealership what their doc fees are directly, or look on their web site. I shopped almost all the dealerships in Georgia and the fees ranged from $199 to over $600. I ofcourse got my tC from the one that was $199

cwilks

About the stereo, I test drove a tc with the sub in it. What a difference, much more bass, fuller sound. I can't see myself dumping the extra $$ into right now. Maybe down the line. Nice thing is you can take it into the dealer at any point in the future and have them install stuff, or order online and attempt to do it yourself. Has anyone tried this yet. I will probably order some stuff like a different shifter, pedals, etc. They shouldn't be too hard. I wonder how hard the sub would be to install if you could find it wholesale. If you are into the stereo stuff get the sub, it makes a world of difference and saves space, it doesn't take up too much in the trunk.

I am almost getting scared. I have not heard anything about doc fees. The dealer i went to just put the price of the car, tax, title and plates. There was nothing else added, I hope they don't stick me with something in the end.

mackabee

No, they'll wait until you're in the finance office ready to sign and it'll be the last line on the buyer's order. SURPRISE!
                       ; )
                    Mackabee

jjx456

I've read a few reviews that have commented on how quiet the tC was. However, Motorweek's review indicated the car had a lot of road noise. Any comments from owners?

Also, I see the dealers in Palm Beach County, Florida want $699!! for supposed doc fees.

wrjoyce

Sorry but all this talk about Doc fees is confusing. What exactly does doc fees include. Is it by law or is it like an administrative fee or indirect costs that you might find in a contract.

Also who has actually seen the azure pearl (the light blue). Is it nice or will you get tired of the color quickly

jrct9454

...are anything the dealer wants them to be.

These are supposed to compensate dealers for the expense of preparing the paperwork [thus "documents / documentation fee"] associated with registration and preparing titles with the state. This can become an umbrella under which to hide "additional profit" or "markups on brands that are not supposed to tolerate markups" [like Scion?].

In California, doc fees have lately been in the $40-$60 range from your typical new-car dealer. Most of them do their communicating with the DMV via computer links, so actual personnel time is pretty minimal; it helps pay for the backroom systems costs, which seems legit to me. Anything over $100 is just dealer markup by another, presumably less offensive, name. Find another dealer.

deuce

I have had an azure pearl tC for almost a month, I haven't gotten tired of it at all. It's a great color, it's nice because it reflects the color of the sky, blue sky: blue car, grey sky: silver car.

cwilks

Well I signed the line when I was in there. Basically he wrote up the paperwork of what the car would cost, then I signed it. I live about an hour away, that way I would not have to drive in to put my order in. He took my credit card 200 down to order the car over the phone after I decided to order it. On the paperwork there was no line item for doc fee. Just tax, title, plates and registration. I asked him what the out the door price was and he showed me on the total line......no doc fee. Also here is what is stated on their website......

* Scion vehicles are mono-spec, and customers can personalize their car with accessories. See the accessories section for available products.
Pricing excludes tax, title, registration, license and freight. Subject to manufacturer rate/pricing change.

No mention of doc fee anywhere. I think if they tried to stick it to me in the end I could fight it. He told me that was the bottom price, and it is not stated on their website. I can't imagine it would be high, all the dealers in Michigan max out at 160 some as low as 40 for doc fees, which isn't bad, but I wasn't told about it. I thought they were suppose to be upfront about all costs. Has anyone found any dealers without a doc fee or am I potentially the only one? Any of you in the Michigan area it's the dealer in Kalamazoo. The guy there is pretty knowledgeable and a good guy I would recommend them.

oceloteva

For those of you with the stock stereo on the tc.

While listening to your favorite tune, press and hold the ssp button on the stereo until it says "tC". Then use the volume "+" or "-" button to switch to either "xA" or "xB".

You should note a difference in sound quality.

I did.

Mr_Shiftright

If you read the fine print, it will say something like "this contract subject to manager's approval", so things can in fact change after you sign the 'contract'.

Remain ever vigilant.

genee

I just placed an order for several accessories from the Conicelli Autoplex site - see message #568 it has several names. The discount ran about 40%. I was told things would ship tomorrow (Thursday) or Friday. I will post the results when I see the boxes on the porch. The place is registered with the BBB and has no outstanding complaints. The high shipping costs are for single item orders - My six items listed shipping total of 57.70 and the order will ship for $21.

genee

A friend went to place an order for a tC today in Salem, Oregon. Three weeks ago he was told the wait for one with side airbags was four to six weeks. Today he was told that if he wanted the airbags he could expect 4 months before he would see the car. Nothing out of the ordinary ... automatic, auto-mirror, and side airbags. What is happening in the rest of the country? Are the airbags THAT much of a problem?

bizurk

believe it....

I've been waiting four weeks for my Flint Mica Manual with Side airbags, and I'll probably wait another week and a half for it to get here from port (it should have shipped out of port yesterday). I also ordered it before any magazines reviewed it, so I can imagine that the wait time has ballooned up from 6-8 weeks to 4 months....

sorry, but it will be worth it when you're not driving a cavalier... he he

thorsett

Anybody else hearing such long wait times? I ordered a Flint Mica with A/T and side airbags today, and was told it would be a couple of weeks. I was told the same thing when I asked a different dealer yesterday how long the delay is currently. I hope I'm not in for an unpleasant surprise!

barryp

I live in Phoenix at 112 the ac has been working fine. The car gets very hot here and takes a while to cool off we are getting the windows tinted this weekend, this helps cars out here alot.

307web

How is it? I have seen many complaints about the 5-speed having long clutch travel and the shifter being rubbery. Not Miata or even Honda-like shifting at all.
So, how smooth and responsive to downshifting is the automatic?
At least it gets slightly better mileage than the manual and could be even better if they add a 5th gear in a year or two.

cooldad24

According to several reviews, the Auto is OK and smooth, not for aggresive driving. It's tuned for fuel economic so I can image it drive more relax than quick response. For cost down, I bet there won't be 5 speed. Remember this I-4 Engine is the same as Camry which also mated with AT-4 as majority in the market. Only the luxury brands add the 5 for performance but costly.

jjx456

I think 307web thought they might add a fifth gear to the tC because Toyota added a fifth gear to the 4 cylinder Camry for 2005.

mackabee

That's awesome! A dealer with no doc fee is hard to find these days. They should be commended for following what they post on their website. If they try to add one when the car comes in and you are signing the final paperwork then point to their website. "no doc fee" All dealers have to post on their website any additional fees. Enjoy your car!

The side airbag issue is becoming a small problem. I think Scion/Toyota under estimated the demand for them from the gen Y buyers. Actually this group is very safety conscious. For August allocation I only have one with side airbags due in.
                   : )
                    Mackabee

tahlequah

1. I waited 6 weeks for my tC. I ordered two weeks before they were available - waited another four weeks to arrive from port.

2. NO problems at all with the AC

3. My doc fee was $300. They didn't tell me about it and, shame on me, I didn't even notice until the next day. Too late then!

4. I hear a lot of road noise. I've heard some complain about wind noise thru the moonroof but, I don't notice it. ALL of my noise comes from the road. Bit of a clunky sounding clutch, too......turn up the stereo, you won't notice :-)

5. I'm trying to get used to the clutch but, so far, I ain't getting used to it. WAY too long.

6. All that to say - I LOVE this car! Warts and all.

scionist

I have been driving the Scion tC (Indigo, automatic, no side airbags) for three weeks (850 miles). Here is my experience:

1. I ordered the tC in June, waited 3 weeks (dealer promised 2). The car I ordered was already on order for the dealer's inventory.

2. The AC works fine, but then again - I am in the snow belt, not the sun belt. At 85 F - no complaints.

3. Doc fee was $90. Dealer was upfront about it, so no surprises there.

4. The car is very quiet in street traffic. At highway speeds, however, there is strong wind noise. Not sure if it has to do with the moonroof. The stereo certainly helps.

5. Confirming the hold-SSP-button trick (oceloteva, #681): switching to xA mode seems to make the higher frequency sounds more clear and crisp, while the xB mode adds to the bass.

6. The stereo cover gimmick is quite useless.

7. Overall, the car is way way better than what I expected. Love it, can't stop driving it, and congratulations to all the new proud owners!!

tahlequah

Took the lesson of holding the ssp button to access xA, xB, and tC models. FAR OUT!!!!!! (I didn't bother to read the stereo's manual so, I would have never known about this feature were it not for this board). It made a HUGE difference. I am currently listening in the xA mode - added the crispness I was missing in the tC mode. I think I need the sub for the xB mode to be at it's full potential but, it ain't too bad either. Frankly, the tC mode sounds dull in comparison to both, even with other manipulations. hmmmmmm??????

At any rate, I am much happier with the overall sound.

Thanks for sharing!

mackabee

I just called my son and told him about this feature. I'm still waiting for his callback to find out how he likes it. Is this the same as on the xA and xb where you press the SSP button and you have the "hear", "feel" and "neutral" modes? I don't have any tC's in stock right now so I can't just grab the keys and go see.
               : )
                 Mackabee

axiomowner

I test drove a Tc and the salesman demonstrated the hear, feel, and netural modes. The feel mode was definately my favorite. The Tc was not on my original list of cars to test. However, it became my top choice after driving it twice. For comparison, I drove a toyota camry xls, honda accord ex, chrysler 300c, lincoln towncar, and a hyundai xg350L. (can you tell I'm in my 30s...) Since the Tc's are 05's, I'm going to wait a bit before I buy one. I hope they don't have any supply shortages like they do with the Prius.

mackabee

Should have bought it if you liked it. Guess what? Supply shortages are on the way!
                 
                Mackabee

tahlequah

No, this is a different function. You still have the "feel" "hear" and "neutral" choices. These xA, xB and tC options are in addition to those. You have to press and hold the ssp button for maybe two seconds and the option will appear, which is why I would have never found it. Then use the + and - to switch between xA, xB and tC. You WILL notice the difference right away. Can't wait to hear what your son thinks.

dat2

Hey, I revisited the Oxmoor Scion tonight, the Doc fee is $100, but that is in addition to a mandatory "special quality package" or something that is $600, so total is $700 compared to some dealers only $100. The catch is they offered me a good trade-in so it makes up for most of the extra fees, so I will probably go with it. This is all laid out at oxmoorscion.com under pricing...

stickguy

juat got back from a week away, and drove the tC again (after nothing but seat time in the family minivan). Forgot how nice the tC was.

- AC seems very strong to me. Quiet to boot. The roof is heavily tinted, and does a good job keeping the sun out, plus you have shades. Nut, a dark car with a dark interior will get hot.

- filled up today and got 29.5 on a half tank. Fair amount was highway, but s decent portion of local stuff too, but no real short hops. Figure I would have gotten 30-32 on a straight highway trip, better than the estimate, and certainly reasonable (on regular too!).

-Still find it to be very quiet. Very little wind noise, just a smidge of tire noise. Very well isolated. Maybe you hear the wind/road a little more becasue you can't hear traffic?

-showed it off to a bunch of family. They were all impressed, amazed at the room, and thought it cost way more than it really did. My BIL even considered getting one as a commuter car.

-Noticed the other day that the revs did not seem to stay up when shifting anymore. Not sure if it was me (letting off the gas better?), the ECU (it was a cool day), or just getting used to each other. I will keep monitoring the situation, but frankly, it's way down the complaint list (maybe downgraded to a "quirk").

-Will have to try the radio trick, but I think the stereo sounds real good as is, especially with the feel/hear options. I think I have been leaving it on "hear" mostly.

-Still not surprised that there are wait lists for the tC, given how nice it is, and a killer value.

stickguy

I will probably just drive on the stock tires (not that much snow in this part of NJ normally, plus I live close to work and can car pool on a bad day). But, If I lived in the snowbelt, I would absolutely get a set of dedicated snows/wheels for the bad period. The stock tires aren't famous for snow/ice traction, and the low profile doesn't help either. A nice set of 15 or 16" wheels with real snows will make an amazinf difference.

The defroster also does a great job on foggy/moist days.

hc72

I ordered my tc with side curtain and automatic about 7 weeks ago in Hillsboro, OR. The dealer has no idea when it will get here. Can't understand how Toyota missed the side airbag thing.

They claimed that young people are not interested in airbags. I guess that BMW, Mercedes, VW are all wrong on having it as standard. Honda is having it as standard too on all 2005 Accord and CRV. Good to know that Toyota only consider safety for the rich since all Lexus have it.

The dealer initially told me that it would take 3 weeks or so, now they told me that they have no idea how long it would take today. They only get what ever Toyota allocate them. If I am not getting my car in couple of weeks. I am looking else where.

Has anyone here got a tC with side curtain airbags? Should I go to other dealer? or just forget about this car.

tahlequah

I am finding the same is true of the rev, stickguy. The more I drive, the more relaxed the car is getting. And you make a good point; we are getting used to each other so the shifting is less laborious than it was initially. Still, if I could change anything it would be the long throw of this clutch. It's stupid long and not the least bit practical, IMO. But, I still love the car, regardless.

Now, go try the ssp function: if you think it sounds good now, just wait!

stickguy

I think the rev issue is related to the weather/load (ie AC on?). The ECU controls the throttle along with everything else, and sometimes decides to hold the revs slightly for whatever reason. I was playing with the clutch engagement point, and it is actually reasonably low I think, you just have a lot of dead area at the top (as opposed to a VW, where the clutch is super long travel, but engages near your chin).

ANyway, I find the clutch easy to use in traffic, and very forgiving, plus I don't have to slip it at all for a smooth start. But, a little shorter travel would be OK, although not a big deal.

I did try the SSP function, and noticed a considerable difference. I only listed briefly, and will have to do a back-back-back comparison using the same song to see which I like better.

tahlequah

In my tC, the AC definitely plays a big part in the rev situation. Remember we originally talked about that funny "missing" action on the highway? I think that, too, is AC related but the jury's still out on whether that's the only factor. We'll see when the weather cools and the AC isn't needed anymore. But it's a serious drain if it is just the compressor. I can honestly say I've never had another vehicle with such a drain as this (which is why I'm still suspicious).

All in all, though, a tweak here and there is to be expected. If I can ever get used to the darn clutch I think I'll be okay. At least it's easing a bit (as am I) so, I'm thankful.

Now, go back outside and play with the ssp button some more! Oh, and did you know you can change the welcoming "Hello" on the CD player's LED? I can't remember how to do it off the top of my head but that was the one part of the stereo's manual I actually read! It's easy to do, I remember that.

Enjoy!

stickguy

I'm too lazy to spend the time changing the message (it involves a lot of scrolling through the alphabet with the vol +/- buttons), since I would probably never look at it after the novelty wore off. But, maybe some day when I'm bored.

Big difference between Xa and tC SSP settings. The tC sounds very muted, some I'm going to leave it on Xa for a while.

I have started to work the car a little harder (up to 750 miles now). This thing is prety darn quick if you punch it, and super smooth and quiet running up the revs (hey, gotta get them up so they can stay there!).

gambit293

Saw my very first TC pulling out of a parking lot in Columbus, Ohio yesterday. Very nice looking car! Definitely will cause a lot of rubber necking and "Huh? What's that?"

machaan

"Anyway, my only wish is that it would come with some form of traction control. Living in the northeast (NY now, PA soon), traction control on my previous cars has come in handy during the winter on slippery icy roads. Any thoughts on how those who want this car are handling this issue, if at all?
"
Nothing beats having good winter tires if you drive in snow a lot.
Go to etires.com an get four Nokian WRs - only all-season tires with
snow-flake emblem on it. tc is not a particularly light vehicle unlike celica. So with the right tires you will have plenty of traction. I've heard from celica owners that they can be a handful in snow/rain.

ezshift5

...(stickguy).....29+ on 1/2 a tank......
Hopefully we'll see some 30+ next report.....ez

char

I'm with you! I've always had an attraction to elegant, sporty cars and the G35 Coupe is a fave. The tC looks like a smaller version at half the price.
    The tC is a perfect choice for this gal. I live in the DFW, TX area doing sales, so I live in my car. I chose the automatic for that reason. And the moonroof keeps me from feeling claustrophobic while I'm sitting in traffic. BTW, mine is Black Cherry. It's gorgeous!
     Have you found your perfect tC yet?

stickguy

Mackabees son reported 30-32 traveling from VA to FLA. Based on my experience, I would expect about that on a straight highway run (65-75 MPH). Not too shabby considering the performance level, but could certainly be better with a longer top gear (a 6 speed would be a nice option!). Also uses regular which helps (lots of the Euro imports require premium).

j42

just filled up today, and in about 50/50 city highway driving i averaged 28mpg.

and, within the last week, i've seen 3 other tc's driving around (cinci, oh), so i guess i'm not the only one to have it anymore. as more people find out about it. oh well, still love it.

cmose

Is it possible to purchase the toyota platinum warrenty with the scion tc? (I suppose this isn't exclusive to the tc but rather a general scion q).

thanks very much and thanks to everyone posting here, the information is fantastic, I'm very seriously considering purchasing one of these and just trying to make up my mind (ever review I've read is postive, but I've heard a comment or two from a third party - individual who has done some work with a few scion dealers - that they felt it was "held together with ducktape", but I just have a very hard time believing that based on the reviews here and the various road tests).

cooldad24

If that is true, I will wait for the next year. The 5 sp is more efficient and smooth on all condition. It will, I hope, help on the published lazy start from still behavior on the AT-4.

I need info on those blinder on the sun roof: are they easy to use? How about the durability? Thanks for your info.