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Mike
Steve
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Guys, I erased my original message because after thinking about it, Jimmymagick's description of his notice did sound kind of odd. His description sounds more like one of those annoying 3" x 5" customer satisfaction cards that Toyota is always sending. I was going on memory of what my brake cap recall noticed looked like from over a year ago. I was leaving my house heading to the Toyota dealer for an oil change when the mailman handed me the brake recall (how convenient), so I really didn't get a good chance to look at it. I think it might have been white in color, about 5" x 8", and a multi-fold envelope with tear off ends. Also, I'm almost sure it had a good description of the problem and my vin number. I would wait for others to start receiving their notices before I go rushing to have the work done. Believe me, we'll know it when all of a sudden there are several messages about it. Also, you can check your window sticker to see where your HL was originally shipped. That's of course if you still have it.
BTW, did you see the comment about the gun turret too? :-)
The "recall notice" is a yellow postcard with the dealer's name and address printed on the front along with my name and address hand-written and the words "Toyota Recall Notice" on the bottom.
On the message side, it reads:
RECALL NOTICE
Dear Toyota Customer:
According to Toyota Motor's records, your "Highlander" (handwritten) is due for the
"20D" (handwritten) campaign. This is a NO CHARGE repair that can be performed at your convenience. Please contact us at (000) 000-0000 for your appointment.
There was no other information as to what the recall involved or my VIN number. I just suspected that the names of recent Highlander owners might be available to all dealers and this was a fishing expedition to get me into their service department. After all, the dealer I did buy from had an "owner's appreciation day" which was really just an opportunity to pitch having all service done by them.
If you recently purchased your HL, perhaps Toyota sent the dealer the official notice, as your sales transaction has yet to be updated in Toyota's database.
Where's Columbo when you need him? :-)
BTW, what did you receive for owner's appreciation day, wax or tire black?
PS: Won the complete Elmhurst Toyota Car Care collection: tire black, car wash, cleaning mitt and more--all in a convenient storage bucket. Plus Toyota ball cap and Elmhurst Toyota keychain.
Oh, and we just completed a driving trip from Chicago to Montreal and Quebec City. Highlander handled like a dream.
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
2. Anyone know where to buy touchup paint for HL's online? I had two nice symetrical stractches show up on a passenger door this weekend, nothing a little touch up won't take care of.
Thanks
Q
I've never placed an order with them, but these guys seem to sell Toyota touch up paint online. I assume they ship UPS.
http://store.yahoo.com/romaniatoyotaparts/touchuppaint.html
Thanks -
NHTSA Number: 629212
Bulletin Number: 823
Bulletin Date: JAN 2002
Best doublecheck - I used The Edmunds Maintenance Guide.
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Have not gotten the fuel tank recall notice or the oil letter that all 3.0L folks were to receive. I should get 2 of those, having a Camry as well.
i havent received my notice for the fuel tank. by the way, mr. scanner, this should only be taken, as always, for amusement purposes only.
So the Highlander was up on our list due to having the AWD option. HOWEVER, after reading the description about how this particular type of AWD works, I am wondering how well the HL drives on snow and ice. Mind you, we are not asking it to go off-roading or plow through two feet of snow. We just want to be able to drive it with as much control as we can the Tercel - which always felt like a lot.
Can anyone give me descriptions of your experiences driving the HL in differing types of snow conditions? That would help a great deal.
THanks,
Carlos Alden
You will likely see one poster talk about how terrible the HL AWD system is, and that it can't take chains, or go through 10 foot drifts or up Everest... but that's not a concern for most of us, including me and you. From experience, it will take 1 or 2 foot drifts or unplowed roads without a problem, and for mostly on-road use, it's a great vehicle.
Frankly I cannot give you any first hand experience with either the 00 AWD RX or the 01 AWD RX that we now have.
Toyota/Lexus tells me that the HL and RX share the same AWD setup. After determining that the RX'es AWD really isn't, first with the 00, and then with the 01, I have been reluctant to take the chance with either in known ice or snow conditions.
Even with the Jeeps I often had to chain up, sometimes to get in or out of the parking area, and many times just to get to or from the mountain.
The Jeeps had three modes of drive operation, simple RWD, AWD with torque biasing predominantly to the rear(facilitated with a viscous clutch/coupling much like the RX & HL), and "true" 4WD with a locked center diff'l.
The AWD mode was just fine for everyday wintertime driving (as is, would be, either the HL or RX), realizing of course that I always had the comfort of knowing I could convert to 4WD on a moments notice. In the wintertime I always carried at least one set of snow chains, sometimes two (actually needed four chains maybe a total of 5 or 6 times in those 13 years), in the Jeep just in case.
With the exception of ski area parking lots none of this was "off-road".
The HL & RX AWD system consists of three "open" diff'ls, and a VC (Viscous Clutch) coupling mounted across the center diff'l. The theory being that if the driven wheels ("initial", or native, engine torque is predominantly toward the front, a ratio of about 90/10 or less) begin to slip, the VC will quickly "stiffen" and route additional torque to the rear. In actual practice you will likely never see more that about 25% of the engine torque routed to the rear, and then only under EXTREME circumstances.
All this wouldn't be so bad if either of these vehicles could be fitted with snow chains, as a backup, without creating undue hazardous circumstances for you and your passengers.
Toyota/Lexus both recommend the use of snow chains ONLY on the front, a circumstance that even they willingly admit can turn frighteningly hazardous almost instantly.
Snow/tire chains CANNOT be fitted to the rear tires since the coil suspension mounting plate is within less than an inch of the tread surface.
Even the Chrysler T&C minivan has a more, much more, adequate AWD system. Were I you I would consider any of the Chrysler series of AWD minivans before the HL or RX.
The difference between the two is that the Chrysler VC is designed to very quickly react to driven wheel (still "initially" FWD, (~90/10) "spin" and actually route a substantial level of torque (49% this time, and very quickly)to the rear wheels.
It is my opinion that Toyota/Lexus wanted the VC to be just "there" enough that these could be called AWD, without incurring the additional manufacturing expense to bring them up to the level of performance of the T&C AWD system.
I'm hoping, quite sincerely, that Lexus will adopt/adapt the Sequoia's AWD "firmware" to/for the RX in the upcoming new version early in 03. Now that would be even a less expensive AWD solution.
Or you can follow my suggestion:
The instant, the VERY instant, you notice condensation forming, even a smallish wisp, on the interior windshield surface turn the heat up to FULL, MAX, quickly, then, and only then, activate the front defog/demist function.
Why can't one just set the A/C on, and run the air to the front windshield vents?
A/C usually clears the windshield in seconds.
just my 2 cents
In order to dehumidify an air mass it's relative humidity must be high enough that cooling it to 34F will bring it to 100% RH and thereby condense the moisture out of the air and onto the evaporator vanes.
Below about 45 to 50F it is very rare within the US, even in Seattle, that the RH is high enough that only cooling it to 34F will bring it to 100% RH.
Condensing gaseous water from the atmosphere into actual water droplets consitutes a "state change", as does removing condensation, water droplets, from the interior surface of the windshield "forced" evaporation.
"State changes" in water consumes extraordinary levels of energy. Moving water temperatures, at sea level, between 32 and 211 degrees F requires trivial levels of energy, compared to the level required to move it over either "cusp" freezing it or evaporating it.
Certainly above 32F most A/C systems can be used reasonably well to help prevent windshield or window fogging, and it can be used as an aid in defogging windshields and windows once condensation has formed.
But the ONLY way to quickly remove condensate from these surfaces is by radically lowering the RH of the local atmosphere by heating it and this of couse has the side benefit of heating the surface itself, radically increasing the dewpoint "spread" between the local atmosphere and the interior surface of the windshield.
I assume everyone knows that the process of defogging their car windows should ALWAYS involve turning off the recirculate function, bring outside airflow into the vehicle in VOLUME. If that outside airflow is sub-freezing then the A/C will be completely NON-FUNCTIONAL for windshield defogging. Even if the OAT is above freezing but below 45-50F it is unlikely that anywhere in the continental US that airflow's RH will be high enough for the A/C to contribute any substantial level of defogging.
All of this is written in STONE, literally, Toyota/Lexus/Denso is very well away that the only way to defog a windshield and keep it that way in these lower ambiant temperatures is to use heated airflow.
But, heated airflow, especially the levels of heat that might really be required, would be extremely discomforting to front seat passengers. So Toyota/Lexus/Denso is obviously willing to risk your life rather than discomfort you on the brief occassions it might be necessary to do so.
TURN THE HEAT UP !!!
Relative humidity depends on two factors - the absolute amount of water in the air and the temperature. The second way to lower the relative humidity is to reduce the absolute amount of moisture in the air which can be accomplished with air conditioning.
Of course, you can use both as someone else suggested and it works just fine!
tidester
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ALMOST doesn't count.
As a matter of fact if you don't quite make it to 100% (or you only just barely), the point at which at least some of the airborne mositure attaches itself to the evaporator vanes, you had better, very quickly, DAMN quickly, reheat that airflow to get it at least back up to the original RH, or you're going to be in real trouble and soon.
That's just one of the problems with the T/L/D system, some of the airflow exiting the evaporator, often at 100% RH, NEVER gets reheated on its way to the defog outlet ducts.
tidester
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The defrost works fine, just press the manual button after the vehicle starts to warm up.
There are actually cars (made today) without AC (yes, it's true). These vehicles are able to be driven year round (even in winter). Removing the humidity definitely helps but it's not mandatory.
AWD also is great in winter (we live near Boston).
Our Limited has Traction control. If a wheel starts to slip engine power is reduced and traction is rerouted to wheels with traction (using the ABS). No not 100% of the power but more than enough. If you do need to use chains you probably shouldn't be there anyway. There are a lot of rear wheel drive vehicles in the parking lots at local (Vermont, NH, Maine) ski areas.
WWEST there is no doubt that you read a lot, but bumblebees really can fly. Take your RX out in the snow and ice and it might just surprise you.
How much horsepower do you think an 85 tercel gets to the rear wheels through it's transfer case?
Personally I would take a RWD vehicle, especially one that could also handle rear chains, into the mountains to ski rather than ANY FWD, or an AWD with torque always predominantly to the front. I like the fact that the front tire's contact patch is reserved for directional control.
And how did an 85 Tercel get into this conversation?
And Tidester, the only time I ever had a windshield fogging problem with high humidity and elevated temperatures was June of 01 in Alabama. Discovered that my new Porsche was inadvertantly cooling the interior of the windshield and causing the outside to "mist" over due to the RH.
Maybe the Germans aren't so small after all.
I am interested in getting seat covers for both the front and rear seats. Any recommendations?
Vol 1 and Vol 2 are $96.25 each, and the electrical schematics are another $60.
Last time I bought a Toyota manual was in 1987 and it cost $45.
Thanks
A/C usually clears the windshield in seconds."
Like nimrod, that clears the windshield for me in seconds, too. Nimrod noted that was his two cents worth, so now it seems we are up to four cents. Although, maybe it has something to do with the fact that I live in an area that generally has low humidity.
But there is this little matter of the laws of physics being quite FIRM.
To dehumidify an air mass you must cool it to the point wherein it's temperature declines to the "DEWPOINT", that is basically the point at which airborne moisture, water molecules combined with atmosphere gasses, begin to condense out of the atmosphere, say as fog.
The reason you get "zapped" by static electricity so much more often in wintertime is because COLD air is always "dry" air, extraordinarily so. Moist airflow "conducts" electricity allowing "static" electricity to "bleed" away before it reaches enough potential to "arc".
Put 4 or 5 people, or two with wet ski clothes, in any Lexus (well sealed, double door seals, well insulated, sound deadening, severely restricted exhauster for cabin air), it doesn't take long for the interior humidity to begin to rise. If its cold out and say you're driving at 60 per, all the cold airflow impinging on the windshield is beginning to bring the interior windshield surface very close to the dewpoint of the continuously rising humidity of the cabin atmosphere.
Now you begin to see small wisps of condensation at the bottom of the windshield so you activate the defog function. If the OAT happens to be sub-freezing the A/C system will NOT even come to life, it's automatically locked out at those temperature.
The moisture in the cabin atmosphere was just beginning to condense on the windshield surface, now you just routed a much higher level of that very same air mass toward an already CHILLING windshield. And you know what Lexus/Denso actually brags about that airflow being up to 20F colder than that needed to keep the cabin at the temperature setpoint.
It's really fairly simple, Lexus/Denso designers decided it was better to put your life at risk rather have you experience some minor discomfort from hot airflow to your face on those rare occassions (for some) when the A/C alone isn't adequate, or maybe is totally inadequate (locked out by design) for defogging or demisting the windshield.
Or since Canadian LS owners get electrically heated windshields maybe they just think the laws of physics get suspended south of the Canadian border. Or maybe Canada has tougher vehicular safety laws. They do REQUIRE DRLs you know?
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Are you saying that you don't like Toyota's automatic climate control? I have the manual climate control in my HL and it can do everything that you've mentioned, I think. And what are you suggesting Toyota do to correct the problem?
Happy HL'ing to everyone else.
Even some manual systems will automatically activate the A/C in defog mode, with no harm done (since heated airflow is the principle defog factor) if the OAT in too low for it to contribute
Once the condensation is removed and the windshield heated substantially above the dewpoint a more moderate level of heat and blower speed can be used to prevent any further windshield condensation.
When the windshield in my new 92 Lexus kept spontaneously fogging over for no apparent reason Lexus kept telling me to be sure and depress the non-recirc toggle. This with the mode indicator for that function already glowing brightly!
It was only after I obtained detailed operational instructions for the automatic mode that I learned that even with that indication glowing brightly the system might still be in as much as 70% recirc. What they didn't, and never actually advised me if was that the indicator was an out-and-out lie.
Fast forward to today.
Have they fixed that anomaly?
No, they just stopped publishing the details, so now no one can readily find out why the "automatic" defog mode doesn't work.
In the owner manual, they recommend the first checkup at 5k. Should I just do the 5k service or is it not worth it?
I have no problems with the HL, except for the mushy breaks.
If you live in the bay area, how much did it cost you for the 5k service and where did you do it and how do you rate the dealer.
Thanks
My sister takes her HL to Toyota of Walnut Creek, and she has been really satisfied with them. They charge about $30 for the oil and filter change, which they do in 30 minutes or less, as well as topping fluids and vacuuming the carpets and washing the windows. This is all it needs at 5K. TWC are open until midnight too - a big advantage!
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Sfkillers, I would have the dealer bleed the brakes of air if I were you, as I don't have "the mushy brakes".
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
BUT.
Engine motor oil is specifically formulated to hold particulates in suspension, particulates that are too small to be caught by the filter or settle to the bottom of the sump.
That's why you change your oil, for cleanliness inside the engine.