Had one when I had a Prius. Half the time the Prius failed to start. Not worth having one on a hybrid, IMO.^-- "Press the remote control’s lock button twice
within 2 seconds, then press and hold the
lock button for 3 seconds."
Exactly! i agree with you 100%. My dealer said they won't even put a remote starter on a Hybrid. It's more complex than a regular gas Camry. it kind of defeats the purpose to run your hybrid. The only reason I can see for a remote start is if you park outside overnight in the winter and the windows freeze up or ice, that might make opening the doors very hard. Otherwise no need for remote start.I had a factory remote on my 2010 Prius. Waste of money.
Cons
You have to turn on the front heaters that you might need later with the remote start. Also, before you turn your car off, it is best to put the vehicle in Normal mode (no eco) to prioritize heating systems more than Eco mode.
When you touch the door handle to get in your car, the car turns itself off.
No confirmation that vehicle started.
Lengthy procedure to activate; Press lock twice fast then press lock again and hold it for a slow 3 count (just give me a button).
Short range.
Does blocking the radiator do anything, really? I don't think it should; as long as the engine is too cold, no fluid should go through it anyway, no? Or is there a minimum default flow through there?Well if like me you are above or near the 45th parrallel, you know you TCH MPG is starting slowly to drop because of the cold...
I was thinking of installing the block heater but did not do it...
I probably will look for a better way to block the radiator like I did last winter (last year block 50%, this year thinking 100%)
Richard ve2dx
It only heats up the coolant. I have never seen a vehicle which heated up the oil. However, that may have been what was done on the old air cooled engines like the Volkswagon beetle, and the Corvair.Do you know if, on the 2012-13 TCH, the block heater heats up the oil in the oil pan or if it heats up the coolant?
Years ago, I worked in a shop that installed an oil plug replacement that heated the oil in the pan. Not sure how well they worked; however, I do remember that it reduced the size of the drain hole and tripled the time it took for the oil to drain...and you also had to be careful with the wires....you could tell the decent installs one of our guys did versus the sloppy ones where you were always re-routing the wires so that they wouldn't drag down, catch, and be torn off...It only heats up the coolant. I have never seen a vehicle which heated up the oil. However, that may have been what was done on the old air cooled engines like the Volkswagon beetle, and the Corvair.
The TCH only starts on the traction battery. The 12 volt is only used for control power and accessories like the radio and headlights.Speaking of warming up the car in winter, I seem to remember reading at some point on forums that there was some kind of contraption to warm up the traction battery on a hybrid car (Prius, Civic, Camry?) after market of course.
I know my Civic Hybrid would start the ICE on a conventional 12V starter when it was really cold outside (like -30 cold) and remember reading that previous TCHs would also use some kind of 12V starter on similar occasions. It's my understanding that the '12-'13 TCHs have done away with that so it means the traction battery will start the ICE even in frigid winter cold. Does that seem to be an issue for anyone?