Toyota Camry Hybrid

hardchemist

I have to weigh one of the stock wheels anyway for FedEX shipping purposes, I'll do that this weekend and post. BTW The stock rims seemed heavier than what I replaced them with (the new 5-spoke).

Regarding the spoiler, I thought about it - but IMO Toyota did a VERY nice job on the rear end of the Camry, and the spoiler spoils that. LOL. Plus I imagine it would increase your drag coefficient, add a bit of weight, resulting in a net effect which runs counter to the whole hybrid theme. But that's just one man's opinion.

Again, they did a fantastic job with the looks of this car, and a spoiler is just gilding the lily. Now maybe if I was 18 again....

hybridriver

I have to weigh one of the stock wheels anyway for FedEX shipping purposes, I'll do that this weekend and post. BTW The stock rims seemed heavier than what I replaced them with (the new 5-spoke).

While you have that scale handy, could you also weigh the stock tire? I believe (based on data at tirerack.com) that it should weigh 21 lbs., but wouldn't mind getting confirmation on that. Muchos grass!

bnewins

McGeorge Toyota in Richmond, VA has a base Jasper Pearl with beige interior not spoken for the last time I checked. I drove it around their lot. Very nice. Ask for Dave. I got my Barcelona Red base TCH from him. 804-755-9200. Can't wait to take it on a trip, but I am too busy working to pay for it!

norrinradd

How did you modify the template to get it to fit? Can you elaborate and/or provide steps/measurements you did to adjust the template/hole placement?

Thanks,
Norrin

hoop43

I am in the N. Cal area (sac) and have had several dealers indicate that Cal. law requires deposits to be refundable. I have not tried to verify this. There are a few dealers in this area that are so far great to deal with. Waiting for deliver of desert sand TCH this week end.

Regards

kevintlutz

I purchased a silver TCH at Elgin Toyota about a month ago. I was at the dealer yesterday and they had a Red base model with a sunroof that is unsold.

I purchased my TCH from Mike Conte (847-741-2100). I recommend speaking with him. He's a very helpful and knowledgeable sales person. Just tell him that Kevin Lutz sent you.

njerald

I lined up both templates (as directed) to the front and side edges of the trunk. The templates have a vehicle center line on them and the center lines did not lie on top of each other.

I measured the distance between the two center holes on the template and the spoiler and the template spacing was too wide by 3/8".

I then untaped the templates and aligned them with the front edge of the trunk and the centerline of the trunk (measured off the Toyota emblem and center of the back window). The hole spacing was right on then.

I did a writeup (link title) with pictures of the installation, #59.

Good Luck!!!!!

wvgasguy

have had several dealers indicate that Cal. law requires deposits to be refundable.

I've been trying to think why a dealship would require a nonrefundable deposit on a car they have no trouble selling. The only thing I can come up with (besides greed) is that the salesperson that makes the sale would get to make sure the sale is through them. If not then someone backs out, sure the car will be sold immediately but possibly via another salesperson.

From a dealer perspective this makes no sence, but from a sales person view this is a sale they get to keep even if you back out.

Personally if they are reading this board and seeing where people are on numerous waiting lists I can't really blame them to wanting to tie you down to a dealer and a car.

Also, it's difficult for the marketing folks to know what the demand for the car really is when there are 1000's on the waiting list but it's only 9 different people. (I'm exagerating)

hardchemist

The stock rim/tire combo is what I'm weighing.

deg

sliding armrest ($208 ) Another past forum posted that. No one has yet stated it can be done though. Awaiting Delivery in PORT June 24 on Site est. July 3rd.

njerald

link title

gc77584

So I'm too lazy to look it up in the manual. Well, that and the print is so *^%$# small. Is there a way to program it so that if the keyfob is inside the car, that the trunk will open with the little rubber button-thing in the back?

gc77584

Have any of these actually sold on eBay? There have been several listed. And the Jasper Pearl up at that Dallas-area Mitsubishi dealer has been listed at least 4 times.

njerald

I don't have a clue whether they sell or not. Depends on their reserve price was met or not.

If I was interested in buying, I would inquire as to their reserve, but I'm not.

I have bought used cars on EBAY before and have traveled up to 1,200 miles to p/u and drive home.

hybridriver

Have any of these actually sold on eBay? There have been several listed. And the Jasper Pearl up at that Dallas-area Mitsubishi dealer has been listed at least 4 times.

According to the "Completed Listings" feature of Ebay Advanced Search, five TCH auctions have ended in June, and none of them met the reserve. Auctions which ended before that apparently are no longer searchable.

spiff72

There is one Camry Hybrid out there right now that has been re-listed (I think). The photos are all stock photos of a Camry SE. I sent a message to the seller and pointed out that the pictures might be very misleading. He replied back and said that they were out of the brochure, and the car looked like this. I emailed back and told him that that car is definitely not a Hybrid. He never replied :surprise:

I don't understand how you could look at a Camry Hybrid, and then look at those pictures and think you were looking at the same model/trim level.

Titanium TCH?

gampa

I would say that a non-refundable deposit is a win-win-win situation...at least for the dealer.
1)As stated... if you back out, your deposit , say $1000 is forfited with the dealer saleman splitting the booty.
2)If you buy, the dealer/salesman increase their profit.
3)If only a verbal contract was said the dealer can add on
extra costs "Oah im sorry, I mentioned that in the beginning, apparantly you didn't hear me.
4) They can sell to other people/friends right under you who were willing to pay the higher price.
5) Hey they got you...you can probably think of a few youself.

Remember to get it in writing and a reciept that the deposit is refundable.

Remember what they say about contracts not written down... they are not worth the paper they are written on.

Gampa

xcel

Hi All:

Not bad for the first time behind the wheel, 5 adults in the car, ~ 200 #’s of stuff in the trunk, and a RT (parking lot to parking lot) segment. That was from Miller Park towards downtown and back again last Sunday at the Madison and Milwaukee Hybrid Group’s - Annual Brewer’s Game get together. The right driver with the right commute is going to do some serious damage to the EPA estimates in this thing!

Those of you that own one have a very nice automobile sans the un-ergonomic instrumentation.



Good Luck

Wayne R. Gerdes

rscotts54

Hybridriver: Thanks for the great report! If I read your post correctly, here are the lessons-learned:

1) You should get at least 50 miles after reaching "E" (that gives still gives you a safety margin).
2) The car may take a bit more than the advertised 17 gal. or the gasoline station that you used had poorly callibrated (rip-off)pumps.
3) The car will still run on electric if the gas runs out (please tell if you think that you could have actually run some distance on electric only).

As we always say "YMMV".

Thanks Again!

spiff72

As hybriddriver reported, running the car after it has run out of gas could cause serious damage to the hybrid system. (There is no ICE to charge the batteries, so they could be run down completely). I don't know if this is the actual reason that damage could occur, but it seems logical!

gagrice

Good to see you are still doing your part to save fuel. That is pretty impressive. Gives these guys something to shoot for.

hybridriver

Hybridriver: Thanks for the great report! If I read your post correctly, here are the lessons-learned:

1) You should get at least 50 miles after reaching "E" (that gives still gives you a safety margin).
2) The car may take a bit more than the advertised 17 gal. or the gasoline station that you used had poorly callibrated (rip-off)pumps.
3) The car will still run on electric if the gas runs out (please tell if you think that you could have actually run some distance on electric only).

As we always say "YMMV".

Thanks Again!

You're welcome, glad you found it useful. To address your points above:

1) Well, you'll have just over 3 gallons in the tank when the needle hits E. That makes it pretty easy to calculate your worst case margin based on tank average (or current consumption). I personally don't plan to let the needle drop much below E in the future.

2) Correct. Do I dare do the experiment again to get more data?

3) I think the car will still run on electric, but probably not very far, and also not very safely. It really felt like driving a golf cart after the ICE cut out, which makes sense when you realize you've just lost 75% of your horsepower. Also, draining the battery completely is not good for it.

By the way, I had said "gas station" to the Nav screen, so I could monitor my nearest option when I ran out of gas (was in an unfamiliar area). It was pure luck that there was one just ahead when I did. Didn't have to deal with the gas can.

ttn

Nicely done, I especially like the part you glided to the gas station without using your fuel reserve, can't get any better in that situation, what a moment.

Thanks hybriddriver for your useful experiment.

fullofbeans

I didn't have to do any programming. The smart entry works like a charm for the trunk button above the plate if the fob is withing ~2 m.

r_nash

As fullofbeans said, just have the key fob on you, and press the rubber button TWICE - don't hold it in - and the trunk pops open!

wvgasguy

press the rubber button TWICE

I've never had to touch the button twice to have it open.

drmatsci

No one has a non NAV? I looked on Green Hybrid but all the photos are of NAV systems... I just want to see what the non NAV faceplate looks like. Does it have those three big knobs on the bottom like the reg Camry? Or is it nicer like the NAV faceplate? :confuse:

bmgoodman

By "those three big knobs on the bottom", do you mean the ones for the climate control? If so, they aren't on my non-nav TCH. It has the nice dual climate control like the nav TCH.

I hope to post some pictures in the coming week.

bnewins

I've seen a picture of it somewhere, but can't remember at the moment. No, it doesn't have the 3 big knobs at the bottom. Two Knobs at the top, one on each side of the CD slot. Under that the radio section has a screen about as wide as the Nav screen and half as tall. It displays radio,CD and Bluetooth info.

Under that is the A/C section with another smaller LCD with knobs, one on left for driver temperature, one on the right that controls the passenger temperature.

Very nice looking. Total 4 knobs in the 4 corners.

Probably like an XLE without NAV.

ttn

Go to ebay.com, enter Camry Hybrid, you will see several TCHs with non-NAV interior.

wvgasguy

Hey "hardchemist" how about posting your TCH pic's on GreenHybrid. So far you're the only aftermarket wheels I've seen on a TCH.

I assume you removed the stock TPMS's and installed them on the new wheels. Have the TPMS worked well on the new wheels (that is, no leaks?)

balithai

Hey thanks everyone! And yes, while I can understand from the salesman's perspective why he would want a non-refundable deposit, it just doesn't make sense for me! That, along with being told that I cant get Mag Grey w/Bisque leather.

For those of you who worked with dealers outside of your area, were they willing to work via Fax in setting up a deposit contract (spelling out all the things that Gampa and others)pointed out? Seems to me that would be in their best interests as well as mine!

jerryhiggins

Does anyone have any specs on 50 mph to 70 mph (passing)? or maybe someone that has a TCH can to that test for me. I am considering buying one and that is one spec that get's left out all the time, but much more important to me than 0-60.

Thanks

hybridriver

I have up to now just been just pushing and holding the trunk button, which causes it to release after 1-2 seconds. This morning, I tried pressing the button twice in rapid succession, and the trunk opened immediately. So, it appears to be either/or.

ttn

Does anyone have any specs on 50 mph to 70 mph (passing)?

2 sec flat !

Seriously, chart on Road&Track review shows 3.8 sec different between 0-50 (5.6 sec) and 0-70 (9.4 sec)
link title

kdhspyder

Very Correct.

If it's an emergency then driving on battery alone for a very short distance can be done but it may damage the main battery and will likely void the warranties making for mucho discussion of why batteries have to be replaced early.

kdhspyder

All the long distance ones I've done have been phone and fax. The details are agreed over the phone with a confirming buyers order faxed for review, then signed and refaxed back to me. A credit card number over the phone then confirms the agreement.

I've done it probably 10-20 times like this on a variety of vehicles.

As with any business agreement - get it in writing. Make sure all the limitations, details, contingencies are clearly stipulated - in writing. It solves a lot of problems and makes the whole process less stressful.

wvgasguy

Does anyone have any specs on 50 mph to 70 mph (passing)?

2 sec flat !

Seriously, chart on Road&Track review shows 3.8 sec different between 0-50 (5.6 sec) and 0-70 (9.4 sec)

Sorry but it's not that simple.

wvgasguy

I have up to now just been just pushing and holding the trunk button, which causes it to release after 1-2 seconds. This morning, I tried pressing the button twice in rapid succession, and the trunk opened immediately. So, it appears to be either/or.

Technically you're right. I just went out into my garage and was able to push it THREE times before it opened (I had to be quick). However it only takes one push to open.

ttn

Sorry but it's not that simple.
No it's not, just gave jh some idea. Delay of flooring gas pedal, ICE response time, etc are unknown.

kdhspyder

Here's one of the best features of the HSD vehicles - the pickup from cruising speed. With the ICE running at say 50 mph there is nearly no hesitation at all to accelerate since the e-motor kicks in immediately and gives the system an instant 'torque boost'.

With the PSD as a CVT there is no downshift hesitation as with a normal ICE. It really is just press and go.

xcel

Hi All:

07 TCH - Non-NAVI’s dash layout



Good Luck

Wayne R. Gerdes

gc77584

I only have to push it once. That's assuming the fob is in range, which was my original question: can anyone open it in this manner if the fob is inside the car. And no one has answered that they can. Evidently the fob MUST be in range at the rear and can't be inside the car unless, perhaps it's sitting on the back seat.

devsienna

This doesn't directly relate to the TCH, but I once ran out of gas in my Prius while going up a hill. I was able to slowly go up the hill, steadily losing speed as the battery rapidly went from 6 bars down to 1. By the time I got to 1 bar, I could move no further. The car simply wouldn't let me drain the battery any further. I don't recall when powering off/on if it would go into ready mode, or just tell me I'm hosed and to go get some gas. But the point is that the car did everything it could to prevent me from draining the battery past that 1 bar level. A couple of gallons later via AAA, the car fired right up, recharged the battery back to normal, and I was fine. I imagine that if I was running the A/C at the time I was down to one bar, I might've been able to suck that last bar down, but that isn't an experiment I really want to try to do.

I've certainly have managed to drain the battery down to 2 bars while sitting in traffic (or the drive-thru) with the A/C blasting, but as soon as it got down that low, it ran the engine to help recharge the battery.

One other point of data is that while on a recent trip to Lake Tahoe, the battery got down to 1 bar as I approached Donner Summit (7200 feet), and stayed that way for about 5 minutes or so until I crested the summit and got into Truckee (about a 1200 foot drop over 5 miles), by which time the battery was fully charged up again (8 green bars, yum!). Half the time while on one bar, the computer would try to suck power out of the battery, and the other half the time it was trying to recharge it. At the time, I was doing about 60 to 65 MPH and the gas engine was definitely running at high RPMs to get up the hill with as little assistance from the battery. Again, my point being is that while I was down to one bar, the computer still did all that it could to protect the battery.

So if the TCH's computer is anything like the Prius', running out of gas and then using the battery to get to a gas station shouldn't hurt the battery. Should you get down to 1 or 2 bars in that situation, you'll probably be on the side of the road waiting for AAA/spouse/neighbor/friend to bring you some gas. Just don't run the A/C too much while waiting. :-)

cgi101

It may be the case in the US that the nav and non-nav camry hybrid come with the four knobs in four corners... but the Canadian camry hybrid base model comes with the three big knobs at the bottom.. and the b-package upgrade (leather seats, heated front seats, moonroof, power passenger seat) has the dash with the four knobs at four corners.

As far as I know, nav isn't an option on the camry hybrid in canada =(

Just mentioning this in case anyone canadian stumbles across this thread

wvgasguy

That's assuming the fob is in range, which was my original question: can anyone open it in this manner if the fob is inside the car.

I don't have the manual in front of me but it explained how close the fob must be to use the keyless operation. I thought it was about 3 feet. If not it would be a poorly designed system if just because you were in the car with the fob and someone while you were sitting at a light could simply pop your trunk as they walked behind you and take what was there in the trunk.

Without the fob in range you have to punch the fob button to open the trunk OR lift the trunk release lever beside the driver seat.

It appears to be a well thoughtout design

gillesmtl

I have had my TCH for a week now, being careful not to overstress it yet. I agree that passing acceleration is more useful than 0-60 figures.

Today, I measured current flowing from/to the battery in various conditions. Though I willl refine my experiments later, I did notice the following :
- Regenerative breaking keeps the charging current below 82 amperes (±20 HP), brakes do perform some of the task most of the time, probably to keep disks clean of rust
- Stealth driving keeps current at 20 amperes (5 HP) or less
- Between stealth mode and ICE mode, there is a short demand at 50-60 amperes ; I think the extra power is used to start the ICE, to give the driver and immediate response and to perform the seamless transition between electric and ICE driving
- Depressing the accelerator to more than 75% for passing does draw up to 138 amperes (45 HP) and the ICE revs up to provide a total of 192 HP.

My subjective feeling is that passing performance on my TCH is as good as it was on my 1996 3.0L Avalon.

njerald

Well, maybe 187 HP.

spiff72

Out of curiosity, how did you measure the current in these situations?

gillesmtl

I used a Fluke i1010 AC/DC current probe, coupled to a Fluke multimeter.

I slipped one of the two probe arms between the two power wires (+ and -) going from the battery to the underfloor. That was easily accessible by lifting the velcro-attached plastic/felt ventilation plenum over the battery.