Clicking noise in the back dash.

[Groetken]

I have had my TCH for one week and i pull out of the drive this morning and there is a clicking noise coming from the back dash. I called the sales guy because I just picked the thing up a week ago. Not only was the service guy rude he was clueless. So was my sales guy. They would not even give me a loner until I started pitching a fit. Then they gave me a Matrix to drive for however long. I am still in it. Anybody else hear these noises?

[regal1945]

Originally Posted by Groetken

I have had my TCH for one week and i pull out of the drive this morning and there is a clicking noise coming from the back dash. I called the sales guy because I just picked the thing up a week ago. Not only was the service guy rude he was clueless. So was my sales guy. They would not even give me a loner until I started pitching a fit. Then they gave me a Matrix to drive for however long. I am still in it. Anybody else hear these noises?

Think you had a click or rattle before just wait until those monkeys tare the whole dash apart!!! It will never be the same. Stay away from the stealers period!!

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Groetken,

If the noise is coming from the back side of the dash (next to the firewall), their are several items that click, thump and bump in the night that are normal to the TCH. If you are referring to shelf behind the front seats, the vent and cooling system for the battery pack will cause that noise.

There are several pages in the owner’s manual that refer to these "noises" at normal to the car. After 12,000 miles in mine, I hardly notice them anymore as anything other than "background" noise. The car is so quiet that soft noises seem loud to most people.

I also noticed your other post referring to your mileage being 30mpg so far. Try going to greenhybrid.com or cleanmpg.com and read up on the tips and information that will help you achieve better mileage. The average TCH on the greenhybrid database is getting 37 mpg and several of us are above 40 for an average.

On a long road trip with real gas (not 10% ethanol) it is fairly easy to get 40 to 45 mpg running 65 mph. You will need to change some habits about starts, stops, aggressive driving and learn how your new cars systems work. Once you have done that, I think you will find your mileage will greatly improve.

[Groetken]

I have been driving like a girl. Still the gage says mpg avg is 30. You know when I see that I will have to be coming to a stop i just let off the gas and coast. I start real slow. My wife dirves the car too so she might not be going to the extent that I am to get the most out of the hybrid. You know the engine, battery and wheel gage. Well my gage almost immiediatly goes to the engine. i thought these things ran off that battery until you reached a certain mile per hour.

[GeorgiaHybrid]

If all of your trips are short hops of 5 miles or less, you are not going to see a huge benefit from your Camry. It will be much better than a normal car but not outstanding. If you have longer trips (interstate) or combine a series of short hops (in town) you should be able to do much better.

The car will only go into EV mode when warmed up enough to keep the converter effective in controlling emissions. Once you get the car into stage 3 (car will go into EV mode between 35 and 40 mph if you back off the gas) you will see some improvement. When in stage 4 (engine hot, stopped at a light, engine will run for 5 to 8 seconds and then shut off), you will be able to start from a stop in EV mode only. I try to get to 20 or 25 mph before engaging the engine by pressing just a little harder on the accelerator. After that it depends on how you like to drive, EV engine assist only, EV glide on level or slight downgrades and then pulse on uphill segments, or any other method you would like to use.

Driving the TCH like a normal car should net you 33 to 34 mpg. Using some of the other methods to increase it, you should get 38 to 42 mpg. Make sure that the AC is in ECO mode all of the time as that alone will net 1 or 2 mpg. Air up the tires to between the maximum sidewall pressure and the Toyota recommended pressure (I am running 42 psi in the OEM Bridgestone’s and the maximum is 51 psi). Plan your routes with multiple stops to go to the one farther away (gets the engine to operating temperature) and then work your way back.

Looking for other ways to help? Drive the terrain; if one route includes a lot of small hills and your alternate route is level, you are better off taking the level route. Avoid oxygenated gas if possible (10% ethanol will cost you 3% in mileage, minimum, over straight gasoline). Do some reading here and on some of the other forums for other ideas.