Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see May lease deals!
Options
Popular New Cars
Popular Used Sedans
Popular Used SUVs
Popular Used Pickup Trucks
Popular Used Hatchbacks
Popular Used Minivans
Popular Used Coupes
Popular Used Wagons
Comments
That could be I appreciate your input on the matter.
I recall the tech. calling me and telling me that it was sitting their idling and smoked. In fact the salesman of my second car from this dealership said he was watching it when it blew.
????
doug
Before they were able to figure out the violent shaking (bad gas, chewed wire or blown engine) dealer went ahead and performed 30,000 mile service and rotated tires.
I mention this because some have asked me if oil levels etc. were at proper levels.
doug
On the other hand if you are aware that you have mice living in your garage.....
I think my insurance company is photographing & documenting wiring and we will sure look for the vermin.
doug
It started shaking like it had a cylinder misfire or loose wire. (It actually felt like the transmission was shimmering). I immediately shut it down (when I went from reverse to park and it kept shaking I knew it probably wasn't transmission). Called tow truck, had it towed to dealer at which I purchased it. They called me and told me it was bad gas. They idled and drove it for parts of 2 days and then called me and said it blew up.
Turned out to be an injector wire shorting out due to a vermin chewing on the wire and not bad gas.
As I feared you should not keep running a fine machine like this one if it is shaking violently.
doug
Just received paper work from insurance company.
I am not to get new engine but apparently new short block and wiring harness.
Cost
$11,989.48
doug
Back in my days in TV repair it was not unusual to find mouse destruction.
More recently often inside computer CRT monitors.
When we lived up in the woods we had to mouse proof the 78 911 and the Ford Aerostar as a result of finding nests(***) and nibbled wiring or in the case of the Aerostar they seemed to prefer the small hard plastic vacuum lines.
***Have you ever tried to decide what to do with a mouse nest filled with tiny hairless squirming baby mice.....
With your 4 year old grandaughter watching....??
A woman came in to our service department complaining of a smell and noises in the HVAC unit on her Sequoia. Well it had rodents nesting in it. However it happened I have no idea but in trying to get them out one tech somehow emulsified said rodent and sprayed the interior of the vehicle with... well you can get the picture.
Can you imagine that the lady didn't want her vehicle back even after we replaced all the seating and all the panels and cleaned the ducts inside and out. I don't know I just can't figure out what the issue was. :surprise:
I got involved when we offered to sell her a new vehicle at a greatly discounted price but she wanted a preowned one exactly like her other one. She bit my head off, tore out my heart and stomped on it in declining our new vehicle offer.
Emulsified...???
Do really mean to imply exactly what that word implies...??
Yuk, DOUBLE YUK...!!!
A)You can use a timer to limit your electric use; and B)The extra fuel used is actually more expensive (both in $ and environmentally) than the electricity.
"Don't most block heaters only keep the engine coolant above ~40F...??"
When it is -30F, that is significant. However, I don't believe it is simple as that. The block heater is just a resistance heater that is either on (plugged in) or off, depending on the car/truck they are designed to fit , they have different watt ratings. I am fairly sure they also have a thermal overload protection feature. That means that if it is a large engine with a small block heater and it is really cold (say -40F), the engine will only be warmed slightly. If the block heater is larger, or the engine smaller, the engine will be warmer.
(I live in North Dakota and spent 7 1/2 years in Alaska, including 3 years in Barrow. Our car there had a block heater, oil pan heater, transmission oil pan heater, battery blanket and trickle charger for the battery.)
Thanks a lot in advance.
I followed the steps in the owner's manual, but it didn't make any change. Would you give detailed instructions on how you did it?
I agree that the manual (for all of its length) is very poor in some areas. The grammer errors do not help.
Does your owner's manual say chains can be used? They would probably say "cable" not chains.
I ask because I own a 2006 Ford Freestyle. I have the SEL trim, and own a set of cables, but the Limited trim has 18" wheels, and the owner's manual specifically says that you cannot put chains (or cables!) on the Limited at all.
I have always wondered what the Freestyle Limited folks are doing if they live in the snow belt! :surprise:
The owner's manual (2008 HH) specifically limits use of chains to the front wheels.
"You are not even supposed to go through mud with that rear electric drive."
Why do you think that. The HH manual says "not intended for off road use." This does not mean that the electric rear motor cannot handle mud. It just will overheat and shut down if called on to provide power to the rear wheels for too long a time.
Nope, it says chains. It even provides an illustration and specific dimensions of the links that are acceptable.
That is exactly what I was alluding to. The Hybrid SUVs are not designed to use off road.
Cool, thanks for looking it up for me.
And please keep in mind that both Toyota and Lexus indicate in their respective owners manuals that tire chains on the front ONLY can potentially be quite hazardous.
I added 1.6" wheel spacers and upgraded to 17X8 wheels all around on my '01 AWD RX300 so rear tire chains can be used.....FIRST, and then the fronts added when and if the need arises.
But be aware that even with the spacers the clearance from the tire tread surface to the spring remains fairly tight so rear chains must be especially snug when used.
Do really mean to imply exactly what that word implies...??
Yuk, DOUBLE YUK...!!!"
No more reading Edmunds Forums over lunchtime!
All help appreciated. Larry
It refuses to go into EV mode even in parking lots, and I think that is because it has been very cold out. I use ECON essentially all the time and I am getting 24 mpg up here, but it has been very cold and that affects mileage.
So far I have been pleased. I know it will not handle the very rough roads as well as my Ford Explorer (with low-range) did, but I will be interested to try when the time comes.
Thank goodness it does not beep in reverse, like the Prius.
The B mode is MUCH stronger than the Prius. It slows the car very strongly, and it also jolts the charging needle so that it seems certain to me that B mode causes more recharging than not using B mode. The various postings on this matter re. the Prius all said that NO, it does not charge more, it is just used for slowing the car to make up for the lack of a downshift. But it seems clear that it is charging more on the HH.
1. Have remote outside car. Car not running.
2. Hold down remote's lock function.
3. While holding, press unlock for 5 seconds. Interior lights will come on and a beep will sound.
Release all buttons. Voila! All doors open with driver's door handle.
To reverse(toggle) this function at any time, repeat steps 1 thru 3.
The owner's manual attempts to explain this on page 49 and 50, but I find that explanation and the chart on page 50 confusing.
In those conditions I personally would buy a Subaru. They don't get super mileage, but their 4WD systems are excellent. I think you would get as good MPG in the winter as you would with the HH, which is to say mid-20's. The HH does not compare with the Prius in MPG, so you are going to see a large drop in MPG no matter what you do.
You might also ask questions in the Ford Escape forum; I think the Escape AWD uses mechanical rather than electric propulsion. However, the Escape will also post similar numbers to the HH.
So far, in the snow (very deep snow this year, and we have steep driveway) it has been very good. Of course, there is no low-range, so I do not know how it will do on my various trips to certain gnarly trailheads. It has a HUGE amount of power though so I am cautiously optimistic. Twice I had to tow the Prius up into my driveway during a snow storm in past two weeks and it did so with no problem.
My feeling is that in these rough conditions it will be as good as a Subaru, and I have seen Subarus in very rough terrain. It probably won't be as good as the Explorer on some of the rough SE Utah roads we visit. But so far we are happy.
Mileage. Today: Filled up. Then drove to Leadville, skied, returned. MPG was 28 for the round trip. Should be better in summer. For shorter trips, and colder days, more like 25 MPG. I keep the ECON button on all the time.
I did look at the Escape. Much cheaper. Maybe as good in many situations. But the HH is more of a luxury vehicle, for better or worse. Some features I am addicted to -- like SMART KEY of course! Rear view camera is cute.
If you want to discuss this in more detail feel free to send me a private message:
wagon@macalester.edu (stanwagon.com)
PS to group: I finally figured out what the little white rectangles on the electric guage are for: "Keep the needle there for most efficient driving" says the manual (in pidgin English of course).
My wife's 2007 HH does not accept the same override codes.
Does anyone know of a code that will work?
Thanks
I tried SnowClaw rather than cable on my 08 HH. Not much luck.
I found AutoSocks which are made by the Swedish for their winter but no size for our tires (245/55/19). Yet, they are making the "Socks" for Toyota in Japan.
Thanks.
I tried SnowClaw rather than cable on my 08 HH. Not much luck.
I found AutoSocks which are made by the Swedish for their winter but no size for our tires (245/55/19). Yet, they are making the "Socks" for Toyota in Japan.
Thanks.
Touch the upper left corner of the screen, then the lower left, the the upper left again,
then the lower left again.
On the next screen touch and hold the OVERRIDE box until you hear a beep.
You can now enter destinations and most other NAV commands.
Does anyone know how to do this on a 2007 HH?
Nothing in the owner's manual indicates that reverse is all electric. Obviously, the rear wheels are always electric. I have found that in deep snow (or coming up against a packed snowbank or ridge) the VDIM/traction control system will cut power. The cure for this is to simply take your foot completly off the gas pedal and then give it gentle pressure.
The combination of the gas and electric drive has very good low speed torque. I have not found conditions (although I am sure they exist) to get my 08 HH stuck this winter. This is in northern North Dakota. We have had good amounts of snow this year. In the mountains, I would look into snow tires.
The HH is larger than the Escape, but the base model HH is hardly a luxury vehicle.
The big factor for me is that the Escape does not have stability control. On icy roads an SUV without stability control is just an accident waiting to happen.
As for luxury, despite the salesman's promises, we ended up with one with a package and features that we did not want: e.g., larger wheels, rear view camera, and a few other things that seem luxurious to me. Anyway, a technical question: What are the consequences of larger wheels (19 vs 17): Obviously it gives one inch extra clearance, which could be good sometime. But it adds weight and drag surely. Does it have a measurable affect on MPG? Might the larger wheels really be better in some conditions (snow, rough roads)?
PS: I complained a lot to the dealer about the extra stuff that I did not want or order and managed to get a few 100 dollars back as a goodwill gesture.
The larger wheels do not give extra clearance. The only advantage is that the lower profile tires (45 series on the 19" vs. the 55 series on the 17") will give "better" handling. They will also wear out sooner and provide a harsher ride (due to the shorter sidewalls). The wheels (also due to the shorter sidewalls of the tires) are more likely to be damaged by road hazards (potholes, debris, etc.). The main purpose is that some people think they look good.
Re-think the review camera. I have found that because of the tint on the rear windows I cannot not see anything out the rear windows when backing up at night. The camera gives a great view, at least of the close area. It is great for parking, I can bring the rear bumper up to about 3" from the bumper of the car behind me without touching it, and still see a gap using the camera.
The larger wheels do not give extra clearance. The only advantage is that the lower profile tires (45 series on the 19" vs. the 55 series on the 17") will give "better" handling, but not in snow or on ice. They will also wear out sooner and provide a harsher ride (due to the shorter sidewalls). The wheels (also due to the shorter sidewalls of the tires) are more likely to be damaged by road hazards (potholes, debris, etc.). The main purpose is that some people think they look good.
Re-think the rearview camera. I have found that because of the tint on the rear windows I cannot not see anything out the rear windows when backing up at night. The camera gives a great view, at least of the close area. It is great for parking, I can bring the rear bumper up to about 3" from the bumper of the car behind me without touching it, and still see a gap using the camera.
It is possible the "one inch clearance" is referring to the inner wheel, not the tire diameter. This would give more cooling airflow to the rear motors.
I agree about the camera. I sure wish I had one on my Tacoma so I wouldn't have to get in and out so many times when I hook up my trailer.
FWIW we will be using the new vehicle almost exclusively in short to medium haul city driving.