Toyota Camry Hybrid

rmayer99

I wish the front speakers were tweeters, but according to JBL (at jbltoyota.com) they are midrange. Which explains why when I shift the sound fully forward and crank up the treble, nothing much happens. But if you crank up the "mid", you get a big effect.

Here is the exact link:

http://www.jbltoyota.com/toyota_camry/audio_advantages.asp

stevedebi

"Maybe you think the front of the car is the back? "

Ummm, just how fast can the TCH go in reverse?

muuher

I had seen this site before but only now looked at it closely. It does say the tweeter is integrated into the rear speaker.

So looks like there are six distinct speakers, the rear ones count as two. I assume (hope) they have separate inputs (channels) for the woofer and tweeter parts of the speaker.

droid13

Now the only way I can get clear speech on my FM talk station is to shift the sound behind me...which sucks when I'm listening to news-talk

I'm really surprised you find this, considering the rear speakers are woofers and tweeters and the midrange is up front. Most people speak in midrange so unless your news announcer is Barry White or Tinkerbell it should be better coming from the front.

njerald

My Toyota literature says the front speakers are 2.6" tweeters, JBL says they are 2.6" mid-range.

willybill

I am contemplating a 3,000+ mile trip in my TCH this fall. I am considering a Vinyl Bra for the front end for this trip. Any recommendations from other owners on this?
Toyota dealer has optional front-end protector for $85
Wondering if it would look to corny or be more problematic than it would be worth. Also wondering how tough they are to install.
Also any recommendations on paint protection IE: Mother's finishes or Zeibart Diamond Gloss finish.. Anyone had expreience with these things? I would really like to have a nice finish on the car before I get too many bugs and other stuff
Thanks
WillyBill :confuse:

bnewins

Consumer Reports just did a study on waxes. Black Magic came out on top. Bought some at Autozone and Pepboys has it too. Put it on thinly and it is easier to get off.

willybill

Postscript:
I think I'm over it now!.. After lunch I saw a car in our parking lot that had a bra on it. I examined the underside of the bra on the hood and formed my opinion.. I didn't want the finish of my new TCH to EVER look like that. Therfore I have concluded that I would not be interested in a bra for the car.
I may examine this black magic finish and see about using it as a protectant.
WillyBill :surprise:

bmgoodman

I am seeing a lot of posts, mostly at greenhybrid.com, where people are inquiring about making changes to certain functions of the TCH. These functions are detailed in a manual called Body Electrical - Multiplex Communication (BE-13). I've already seen thread on adjusting some of the lock functions. Now I am wondering about adjusting other functions listed in BE-13 (as a do-it-yourself thing, rather than a dealer visit). For instance, I would like to defeat the "auto recirc" mode that engages every time I start the car! Do you have any info that would let me set any of these things myself?

Thanks!

czechman

I've also heard there is a 3M product (8 mil urethane) called Clear or Invisible Bra which you can buy...basically a number of precut clear pieces which when properly put on (not trivial) are nearly invisible. There are also trained installers but I have not looked into it enough to know what it would cost, but from some of the pricing it's got to be several hundred dollars.

Had a Pearl Legend for a number of years and dealt with a bra enough to know they are a PIA and got to the point where I just accept that life brings you a few dings and neither my wife's Prius nor my TCH will avoid them!

dwight_burchak

Is there any such thing as the unlock on "approach"? Even if it were just the drivers door that would be cool. If there is can you point this out?

sallyspal

Good question! I thought I was the only one bothered by the fact that the car alway seems to start in "recirc" mode. I had thought that perhaps this is a function of the cabin temperature and is designed to cool the car faster when using the automatic thermostat, but it defaults to recirc even when I've turned the "auto" off. :confuse:

wvgasguy

Is there any such thing as the unlock on "approach"? Even if it were just the drivers door that would be cool. If there is can you point this out?

My point is that there is not a feature like that. Another poster said something about the fob not working as they approached the car and I added that you have to touch the handle to open the door.

Basically since the door unlocks instantly when you touch it I can't see a lot of advantage in it unlocking as I approach. Thta is unless it had hydraulics and actually opened without me touching it.

Then again, I'm a believer in the less electrical gadgets a car has probably the better off you are if it's a long term vehicle (not counting a hybrid battery)

wvgasguy

I thought I was the only one bothered by the fact that the car alway seems to start in "recirc" mode.

Unless it's just the fact that you don't want it to start so that you can impress your friends as you glide out of the parking lot, I'm not sure what it hurts to have it start up on take off. For whatever the reason it comes on it's probably significant in the design of the system. The car is extremely effecient for the size and comfort. As for the other poster I would do noting to manually change the way the system is designed.

Put headers on the 4c or a Borla muffler, supercharge it or add a K&N air filter BUT DON'T touch the electrical system (unless it's a design to plug it in overnight or juice up the batteries to say 75 hp)!

bmgoodman

I'm not trying to re-wire the car! I don't think it hurts, but in the summer, if I don't turn on the AC right away, the recirc air blows much hotter than outside and I always have to look down and turn it off. Not a huge issue, but it is easily corrected. I am asking for help changing a default setting to another, more desirable setting. It's in one of the manuals and has two settings--auto and manual. I just want it to be on manual. There is also a separate setting that allows pressing the "Auto" climate button to set the recirc mode itself. That one I am fine with. If you can get a copy of BE-13, you'll be impressed with all the things Toyota lets you set: locking, illumination, climate control, and more. Apparently, the dealer can easily set these things for you, but in some cases, I want to test a few settings to see what I like, and I don't want to have to keep taking it back and pestering the dealership!

Also, if you were referring to me about the unlock on approach (I am not sure you were), I was actually saying that the car was failing to realize I was approaching (no interior lights, no little beep) so that I had to stand there and pull the handle 3+ times and reorient the key in my pocket. I've had that behavior 4 times in 9 days, with both keys/fobs, always on the driver's door and each of the 4 times I approached from the rear. I've not had an issue when I approach from the front (yet) or approaching the passenger door.

wvgasguy

My bad, I understand your issue.

You're right , I'd hate to ask the dealer to change something and not like it and have to ask them to change it back. A technical service bullitin you could read first might answer a lot of questions.

mack99

I would avoid using the transmission as a brake on an everday basis. On many cars the back pressure on the cylinders, coming from the crankshaft, instead of the cylinder head, tends to make the cylinders slightly wobble as they travel down the cylinder barrel. This tends to let oil escape around the cylinders eventually. Look in your rear view mirror when downshifting, to see if you're producting any smoke from your exhaust.

mack99

If you are doing 3,000 miles or so, it would be beneficial to have some protection on the open highway. I took a trip a few years back where we were hitting large grasshoppers (locust) out west. It got so bad I eventually stopped in at a Wal Mart an bought a cheap $6 plastic bug screen used for just that purpose. It made cleanups a lot easier as most of the bugs hit the screen instead of the paint.

tomjc

Is there any such thing as the unlock on "approach"? Even if it were just the drivers door that would be cool. If there is can you point this out?

Yes, pull the fob out of your pocket and press the unlock button.

gillesmtl

Coming from a 1996 XLS Avalon, I was also disappointed with the JBL sound quality. Whether listening to Dire Staits or opera music, sounds are not as clear as they were in my old Avalon. Bass is also weak : Bass drum does not punch, it just booms.

The jbltoyota.com site shows that their Avalon configuration is different. Another marketing differentiation issue, I guess.

Maybe we should be happy we didn't get the base Camry sound system !

lesgas

I live in Fairfax, VA and am having a difficult time finding a TCH with Leather/NAV in white or desert sand. Don't like grey only want bisque interior. Called all dealerships in the area for the first couple of weeks after they started arriving, gave up and settled on just one dealer who was not so obnoxious. She calls me every two weeks with her regrets. The allocations are so small. I'm afraid I will not get one before the September tax credit deadline. Any ideas?

kdhspyder

Email me and I will see what is available.

droid13

I would avoid using the transmission as a brake on an everday basis

You are assuming the ICE is actually used to create the additional braking force. I'm not convinced that is does.

The manual states this concerning regeneration: "When the accelerator pedal is released, the reduced speed equal to engine braking in a gasoline-fuled vehicle is obtained in accordance with the running mode position of the selector lever".

This implies to me that the "B" mode is merely simulating engine braking thru more kinetic energy conversion by the motor generator. "D" mode does a little bit of regeneration, "B" mode does more.

The manual goes on to say that "B" mode is less effective than a conventional vehicle at high speed, another indication that spinning the ICE is not really part of the picture.

orgal

I've noticed this, and find it frustrating too.... It seems the recirc is always on, and the air is always hotter than outside.... Its almost like the car is so efficient, I have to put the windows down to get it to cool down, even if its 65 outside.

gillesmtl

When I measured the battery current last week, I did the following experiment :

- cruise at 65 mph
- release the accelerator
- shift to the "B" position

What I saw was the traction battery charging current shooting up to 50 amperes and the ICE revving up. As the speed decreased, the charging current diminished gradually to about 30 amperes at 45 mph.

My conclusion was that both the ICE and MG2 (regeneration mode) collaborate to slow down the car. Someone else mentioned on this forum that after using "B" in a long downhill, he felt the ICE stepping even higher in revs ; I see this as MG2 putting an end to its effort when the battery is fully charged, and the ICE increasing its own effort to compensate.

I would avoid using the "B" mode due to the extra wear it causes in the transaxle and the ICE, unless the brakes reach fading temperatures . As someone else said : brakes are designed to perform this task. Also, 2007 Camrys have very large disks with a lot of heat-dissipation capacity.

I would absolutely not use the "B" mode on a slippery surface or in a curve, because a front wheel drive car becomes unstable in such conditions (I don't feel like challenging the Vehicle Stability Control system when I don't have to).

droid13

Recirc is the most efficient way to cool down the car, but initially the manual says to roll down the windows for 30 seconds to vent the trapped heated air inside the car. Then, with recirc instead of continuing to cool hot outside air the car can cool ever increasing cooler air from inside. Also, since the air is being recirculated the fan is usually more efficient because it does not have to work against the pressure inside the car by trying to force more outside air into the car.

bmgoodman

In my case, I well understand the pros and cons of recirc. However, the mornings here are temperate, so non-AC is just fine. Non-AC in recirc mode, though, isn't at all comfortable. Also, many evenings I don't mind feeling the heat of summer, so I roll all the windows down and drive home without AC. Recirc mode is horrible when the inside temp is 120 degrees! Basically, I find myself switching recirc mode off well over half the time, probably closer to 80% of the time.

I guess I'm going to have to visit my dealer to have this behavior changed from Auto to Manual.

droid13

I've only ever tried "B" mode under 40mph going down hills, and the ICE has always shut down, but I guess is sounds like some ICE braking may occur at higher speeds. I don't typically use "B" mode myself much, it's not very hilly around here but I'd have to say that "B" mode should be used for what it was intended to be used for, maintaining speed down an incline to avoid overheating brakes. Does "B" mode cause wear and tear.. I suppose, along with everything else you might do, I wouldn't be worried about it unless the feature is improperly used.

willybill

I found a link to the BODY -ELECTRICAL 13 manual for the Toyota Sienna which describes some of these 'settings' which can control certain functions.. I don't know if they are the same as the TCH. I also read where you have to have a 'tester' hooked up in order to set these values.
Sounds greek to me, but at least here are the setting values for the Sienna.

http://www.siennaclub.org/documents/Checklist1.06.pdf

droid13

Recirc should never be used without A/C except for short durations. In fact, I've had cars that automatically turned on the A/C when recirc is selected. The reason is, recirc without A/C will cause excess humidity and possible fogging on the windows.

I'll have to check that out myself as I usually have the windows down when A/C is off so I never really paid attention to the setting so far.

lesgas

Thanks for responding. This is my first time here and I can't figure out how to send you an e-mail.

lesgas

r_nash

The recirc mode switching itself on when the A/C is off is the one thing that bugs me about the car.

Mornings are often 60 to 65 when I drive to work. I switch off the A/C the last few miles on the way home to dry out the humidity. In the morning the car almost always switches to recirc without the A/C on. The excess humidity and stale air is how I notice this has happened.

spiff72

Call me crazy, but isn't part of the function of A/C to condition the air - meaning both cooling and drying?

Wouldn't turning it off in those last few miles actually allow more moisture into the car if the outside humidity is high?

r_nash

LOL not crazy, yes a little more moisture does go into the car the last few miles, but it does dry out the A/C and is recommended in the manual to avoid smelly moldy smell in the A/C.

Mornings are cool - typically < 65F so I don't run the A/C. But the car often automatically switches the fresh air to recirc in the morning, resulting in a car full of stuffy humid air :mad:

It should not switch to recirc if the A/C is off. But it often does!

I know it's a minor complaint and so far the only thing I've found on the Camry. Amazing really considering the complexity of the car.

gc77584

LOL not crazy, yes a little more moisture does go into the car the last few miles, but it does dry out the A/C and is recommended in the manual to avoid smelly moldy smell in the A/C.

I've lived in Houston for almost 20 years - humidity capital of the world ... after New Orleans - and I've never heard of that. Maybe because we run our car A/C 24/7/365 it never has a chance to grow mold! I do actually run it in the winter sometimes - with the temp set to warm - when it's really humid outside. If I don't, the windows fog up. I've never had a moldy smell come out of the A/C, even when I don't run it for several days.

More on-topic, I leave my temp gauge set to "auto" at 75 degrees and of course the A/C is always on. When I start the car, it does sometimes use recirc but quickly switches to fresh. I've never needed to manually change it. I also have the ECO button engaged.

umpire63

I live in west-central Illinois, and am looking for a Desert Sand Mica TCH w/ Nav., leather, etc. Any help for me?

nguyep715

I've got my TCH for a couple of days now. It's almost perfect. However, I notice a couple of seconds delay for power to come on at the get go from stop. Is this a common issue or should I get the dealer to check out?

Thanks.

droid13

I guess it depends on what you mean by power to come on. This car's gas pedal is merely a joystick for the computer, so it's going to feel differently than a regular car that has a direct connection to the engine's throttle, especially in terms of expectations for any particular amount of pressure you apply to the pedal. My experience is, take it easy and the car will accelerate but slowly in E mode. I little more and the ICE will do a delayed leisurely start. More still and the ICE will start almost instantly. All the way and everything clicks in pretty quickly. The battery is only capable of so much power/torque by itself. The rest comes from the ICE running the generator so I imagine it would take this car just a tiny bit longer to get the ICE up to speed from 0rpm compared with a regular car already idling at 600rpm. But tire smoking max power the instant the light turns green is not what this car is about of course.

nguyep715

I was just a bit paranoid with my new vehicle. You're right, it will take some adjustment to get used to, and also becareful not to jump the traffic.

kdhspyder

click my name here and you'll go to the profile. In the body there is the 'deadphish' addy.

gandyfire

Umpire63...Have you checked fitzmall.com they seem to have one listed and it is under msrp. It would be worth the trip.

c6peter

Just traded 2004 Prius with 65000 miles for a Camry Hybrid,traveled western states,AZ,CA. Driving in mountains, always used "B" to slow the car down, steep mountains,never had any problems. 75mph+
Love the Camry!

jjaxon

just traded my prius for a BUICK... love that BUICK ...37 mpg.. 275 horsepower... use the brakes to slow it down...

anniemfuse

I just got my windows tinted and the shop that did the tinting also applies a product called ClearShield which is a clear transparent film for paint protection. Another similar product is InvisibleShield by 3M Scotchguard. You can get different parts of the car body covered. A common selection is the front bumper, front third of the front hood, front side fenders and the backs of the external rear view mirrors. The shop I went to has a computerized cutting machine to cut the exact pattern needed out of the film. The software has the dimensional parameters for every car to make customized cuts. They had just finished a 2007 Camry Blue Ribbon Metallic so I got to see the finished product. It looked fantastic - one look convinced me. If you look up close you can see that there is a line where the film ends but beyond 4 feet it's not noticeable at all. The metallic paint shines through. The shop guy said it lasts maybe five years depending on how much road gravel hits the car. Then you peel it off and the underlying paint and polyurethane coat are unharmed and intact. About $350 to do have the front end done by a professional. He also said he would do the parts on my rear trunk where my trunk-mount bike rack touches paint so the paint there will be protected (two small squares on trunk and two squares on bumper).

The guy said that the bras people used to get rubbed against the paint and polyurethane due to road vibration and destroyed the coating.

sallyspal

This afternoon what sounded like a small pebble struck and made a small (3/4 inch) crack in the windshield of my 2 week old TCH

What struck me as odd, was the rapidity with which the crack appeared, I could actually see it forming. Also, by the sound it made, the projectile didn't seem to be very large and it wasn't particularly loud, though I know these windshields are insulated and that may have had some effect on the small concussion I heard in the cabin.

Now, however, I am starting to worry if this particular type of windshield, which I understand is actually a "sandwich" of plastic between glass layers, is unusually susceptiple to this type of damage. I've only had one other car experience a cracked windshield and I dont remember actually witnessing the crack as it formed.

Has anyone had any similar experiences with insulated windshields and does anyone know if you can have these cracks filled, as in a normal windshield, or is there some other treatment, short of replacing the whole piece? :confuse:

lesgas

Ok, I'm not really considered slow but when I clicked your name I did not see 'deadphish' addy in the body. Give me another hint about how to e-mail you.

Thanks

hybridriver

Ok, I'm not really considered slow but when I clicked your name I did not see 'deadphish' addy in the body. Give me another hint about how to e-mail you.

It's the very last thing in his Bio, right after the "...". Hint: his ISP is hotmail.com

john312

After tracking down a 4c XLE with an Ash cloth interior I took the VIN and color code to the Parts dept at my dealer. After working with the parts manager we ordered part 58905-06180-B0 ($206.86 plus 17.59 tax). It came in the next day from the local parts warehouse.
It's the whole top part plus the spring loaded hinge. Now I just need to figure how to access the screws. Pop off the back panel by the AC vents or remove the console interior under the armrest? Anyone have a service manual that would say how to access the screws?

lvw

I have a Toyota hood deflector on my TCH, works fine. It protects the front part of the hood without affecting the finish. I don't mind the appearance, but you can assess that for yourself!

Larry Van Wormer

ggav73

When I got my base TCH from the dealer, the only free items I received were a key chain and a little can of paint, for dings. You may want to talk with your dealer about it.