Edmunds.com | Inside Line | Auto Observer Your Account | Help | Directory
You are here:
![[F]](http://a332.g.akamai.net/f/332/936/12h/www.edmunds.com/media/townhall/webxicons/site.gif){kind=small}
Forums
Hybrid Vehicles Toyota Camry Hybrid Toyota Camry Hybrid Driving Tips & Tricks
228 messages, Last post on Jul 20, 2009 at 9:37 AM
You are in the Toyota Camry Hybrid Forum. Your Host is pf_flyer
|
Replying to: tango12345 (May 25, 2008 2:19 pm) |
|
|
Replying to: rocky39 (Jan 10, 2008 7:59 pm) |
|
|
|
|
Have an 09 TCH bought about a month ago == have little over 1000 mi so far most of this is intown surface streets--with a couple of longer freeway travels--mpg is getting about 33.8 but have only filled it twice--car was new on lot/ low mileage when it was test driven and bought and there are times when I do get caught in lights and do have short runs which at not fuel efficient--I am not complaining about my mpg because of what we are getting but I am concerned that my car may be developing a problem tracking/monitoring the actual use of gasoline and the change from gas to battery.... I want to know if what I am seeing IS normal--if anyone else has seen this same readout--if anyone might have explanation for what my car is doing... I am noticing what I consider irregular, problematic occurances with the MPG gauge/dial when I am driving (and sometimes when I look at what is happening when my husband drives as well)--I did not notice this same type of dial movement when we first bought the car and were driving it--- I have tried to follow some of these threads but frankly I hate the way this forum is organized because I think it is so DIS-organized and difficult to track a thread even if using OUTLINE format... ANYWAY-- when I am driving and have built up speed and wish to coast and go to the regenerative battery buildup--sometimes my MPG dial will hesitate and not drop to the blue E zone at the bottom--sometimes when I am coasting at 40 mph or lower, the dial will hesitate and stay at 40 MPG or 60 MPG-- there are a few cases when I was coasting and the dial acutally went UP to 20 MPG-- and I am using NO gas--there might be some in the system because I was on conventional engine before I started coasting--but my foot is off the accelarator I DON"T understand why that is happening--it seems to interfere with accurately tracking the MPG of the car's total mileage electronically through the system--- I am worried that it means there is problem with the transfer from battery power to gasoline power which suggests a problem with the battery system in general... my husband says this is normal--that the dial hanging has happened from the beginning of driving the car (which I do not believe because I would have thought it was weird to start with) I called the Toyota dealership and talked to our salesman who does not drive a TCH--only sells them--he referred me to the service dept-- talked to guy who is basically clueless since his mantra was that there are so many built-in system safeguards that if there was a problem I would get an error message from the car Again-- I don't believe that explanation-- his explanation was that there were many different configurations of driving/battery conditions during any given time period and what I was seeing was normal I want to know WHY not using any gas would make my MPG dial go to 40 mpg-- does ANYONE have an explanation-- has anyone noticed the same type of behavior on your car do I need to take the car in It does not happen all the time--do we could spend a lot of time driving around trying to recreate the senario when it would happen....
|
|
|
Replying to: loves2read (Jun 09, 2008 8:24 am) Let me ask you - does this happen more often during the start of a trip? What is happening to your dial is that when the car is NOT in electric mode, you will see the needle in the 20-60 MPG range regardless of the situation with the gas pedal. If the car is in E-Mode, then the needle will stay in the blue E area. Just because you think you are not giving the car any gas does not mean it is not USING gasoline - it uses gasoline the entire time it is NOT in electric mode. The car does not AUTOMATICALLY switch to E-Mode every time you stop giving it gas. The only time it will be (and stay) in the blue E area is in electric mode. I don't think your car has any kind of problem. |
|
|
Replying to: loves2read (Jun 09, 2008 8:24 am) - First, you're stating you're "not using any gas", when in reality what you've done is let up on the accelerator pedal. The "brain" of the car sends gas through the engine, relies on the battery, or both, depending on power needs at the time. If the car was just started or if you've come off of a long coast, the system may be working to recharge the hybrid battery, so it won't necessarily cut off the ICE (internal combustion engine). I find my car often stays at around 40MPG if I'm cruising on the highway. - Second, it takes a delicate touch to lift off the accelerator just enough to disengage the ICE and rely solely on the hybrid drive. If your MPG dial is at 20MPG, then pull up off the pedal just a hair more. It takes a period of adjustment to drive this car at maximum efficiency, and while I've had mine for over 2 months, I still occasionally find myself pressing harder on the pedal than I need to, causing the MPG dial to move into the 20MPG or less range. FYI, when I drive the car I've typically been averaging average around 40-41MPG over the course of several days. When my wife drives the same vehicle under the same conditions, she gets 32-35. She's not a leadfoot, just not as obsessed as I am with maximizing fuel efficiency. |
|
|
Replying to: tbone0526 (Jun 09, 2008 8:53 am) "You can lead a Woman to a hybrid, but........."  P.S. One of the funniest things I ever saw was at a Target about 4 years ago. Saw an OLD, OLD lady parking in the handicapped spot. She had several minor dings and dents in her car, which to me looked like a severe case of "little-old-lady-driveritis." Her car: A 2004 Honda Civic HYBRID. My guess is that some salesman saw her coming and said, "Let's maximize profits by selling this sweet old lady a hybrid instead of an LX." |
|
|
|
|
Replying to: larsb (Jun 09, 2008 8:56 am) this usually happens more after the car has been driven a while-- can happen when battery is full or when it has been reduced somewhat by use according to the bars I see on the gauge so if I am driving my car at more than 40 mph--my readout says I am using the conventional engine--my MPG dial is maybe 20-30-35-40 MPG read out--just depends on terrain and speed and other variables when I start to coast and NOT have my foot on accelator--my car goes into battery recharge mode---correct? that is the E mode--is it not? so if I am in battery recharge mode--why does my MPG dial not go to E mode as well?
|
|
|
Replying to: larsb (Jun 09, 2008 8:56 am) I was NOT in any way trying to disparage my wife's driving, just trying to illustrate the difference in how the car performs based on whether you're "trying" or not. |
|
|
Replying to: loves2read (Jun 09, 2008 9:00 am) The engine is -always- on above 41MPH or so. The instant MPG you're seeing displayed depends on a LOT of variables including those you mentioned and more. Without having a logic chart showing all the factors the car takes into consideration (which I'd LOVE to see), we pretty much have to rely on the onboard sensors to detect if there is a problem. If they're not finding one, you should be in good shape. Also remember that one of the most frustrating things a service department has to deal with is when someone says "it does XXX now and then, but I can't predict when or make it happen when I want to." Warranty typically only pays for a problem that can be identified. Unless a problem is repeatable, you could find yourself spending a lot of money trying to track down a ghost when there's nothing actually wrong with the car. |
|
|
Replying to: loves2read (Jun 09, 2008 9:00 am) However, the engine will run if it determines that the battery needs charging, whether or not your foot is off the accelerator. In short, it operates (at times at least) independent of you, and possibly contrary to what you expect it to do. If the engine is running to recharge the battery, then you wouldn't expect to see the MPG dial at E. |
|
You are here:
Forums
Hybrid Vehicles Toyota Camry Hybrid Toyota Camry Hybrid Driving Tips & Tricks
New? Join Now!
Forum Tools
Search Forums
Browse by Vehicle
2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid
Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
Today's Chats
