1st Time TCH Owner - 1st Post

[hoffedge]

I'm an extreme rookie at this forum thing so please tell me if, and when, I'm doing anything against code.

After almost 15 years as an Infiniti owner (J30, I30, I35, G35, G35X) I bought my '09 Camry Hybrid in late September and so far I'm very happy with it. After three tanks I'm averaging 33+ mpg with mostly 0-40mph driving. So far, so good.

I'm wondering what type of maintenance problems I can expect other than regular 5000 mile oil changes etc.

And, anything else I should be on the lookout for?

Thanks for your time and consideration. I promise I'll get better at this forum thing.

C. R. Hoffman
chris@hoffedge.com

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Chris,

Welcome to the club. You will find that the TCH will have fewer issues than the rest of your cars have had. Follow the maintenance guidelines in your manual and you should be fine. Oil, oil filters, air and cabin filters on schedule and keep track of everything else based on mileage will assure you a nice experiance with the TCH.

One thing not in the manual that I will do is change the "transmission" (AKA power split device) fluid at 40,000 mile intervals. Some of the Prius folks have noticed some areas of concern with their UOA's when going to long change intervals on the PSD.

On the bright side, just the nature of how hybrids work insures a long life for your brakes. All in all, a very easy car to maintain.

Wait till the car is broken in and then watch your mileage climb. With warm weather, a broken in engine and more experiance with hybrids you can sometimes net 44 to 45 mpg. That is when you need to be on the lookout; for envious drivers of SUV's.....

[hoffedge]

Thank you for the quick response. I'll log this into my maintenance notebook.

[GvilleTCH]

Congrats on your '09 and , What Color and/or options did you get ?
With 19,600 miles on my '09 I have had ZERO maintenance problems. I did switch to synthetic oil after initial break-in . The only warranty issue has been the driver side window weatherstripping (the front edge had a uneven fold - completely functional just the looks of it bugged me) and that was completely replaced at no cost in 20 mins...

Enjoy your TCH and you'll find lots of info/ideas here...

[UWAdventurer]

Welcome and Congrats on your TCH.

No issues at all with our '08. Very happy with the purchase, averaging 40 MPG with 18000 miles.

Might check out the the weather strip mentioned above, ours sometimes turns wrong when rolling up the window also.

Tell us about your car! Color, future mods, etc.

[UWAdventurer]

Welcome and Congrats on your TCH.

No issues at all with our '08. Very happy with the purchase, averaging 40 MPG with 18000 miles.

Might check out the the weather strip mentioned above, ours sometimes turns wrong when rolling up the window also.

Tell us about your car! Color, future mods, etc.

[hoffedge]

Color is black with bisque leather interior. 16" alloy wheels, moonroof, navigation. Pretty basic high-end package. Not planning on any modifications other than adding an iPod hookup.

I'm enjoying the car but the nav is frustrating when trying to enter a destination.

CR

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Chris,

I have a buddy with a Prius that still hates the Nav unit in that car. He claims the best thing about it is the nice, smooth, flat surface that it provides to mount his Nuvi GPS on.....

[UWAdventurer]

We opted for a non-nav car and purchased a Garmin. We can use it on vacation, in any car, a better choice we felt and not near the cost.

[Hugh R]

Just found this site! Very similar to one for another car of mine (84 911 Targa).

I bought my 08 TCH last January. I actually ordered it from my Brother in Law who works for Toyota USA in Torrance, CA. He gets to buy two new Toyota/Lexus products per year for family members at "cost".

What I ordered:

08 TCH , JBL sound system, no NAV, no sunroof (I'm bald on top), no fog lights, mats, Classic Silver exterior with similar leather interior, no wood trim, 16" alloy wheels. I paid $26.6K out the door. I think that's a pretty good deal.