New 2023 Toyota Hybrid Limited

Personal Finances Buying and Maintaining a Car
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We took delivery Friday afternoon…

I drove it home, DW is still leary as we have a shut space in the garage, 190" max to clear the door, so it has to be forward, and I discovered it will apply the brakes iff too close! So some adjustments to be made…

I did have to stop the rear door from opening fully as even with the garage door open, there is only 78" available, but I found the setting to reduce its opening height.

I have connected DW’s iPhone OK, it went wireless to CarPlay, but mine resisted until I found a setting in the iPhone to use CarPlay… Otherwise it needed a cable to link it…

I have found it will connect to my home’s WiFi, another mystery solved…

Pretty awesome camera views, somehow it gathers all the views and create an overhead view, handy, but a mystery how it can see from above: Interestingly the Civic is actually on the other side, the image is flipped… Maybe yet another setting somewhere…

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Car has more options than we’re used to, the Multimedia manual at 260+ pages is tough to absorb, the Main Owners Manual at over 670 pages as well… I have the pdf versions up in iCloud, so maybe handier…

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So a lot to learn… We did the deal locally, Sales lady was great, but about to go on vacation, but didn’t want to gamble that another salesman might give our car away, so made sure we were there on Friday… financial guy, well, we were a bit rushed, tired, signed off on some extended coverages that once home, we knew more, but a trip up the next day resolved those, smiled the corrections, Corporate will refund those… 10 Year coverages don’t make any sense for us at our age… Resolved…

For us the first new vehicle since the late '70s, for a lot more money than this home cost us in the early '70s!!!

weco

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Glad you like it. Where’s that setting?

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Heh, had to go back n find it again, bit it’s in Settings, General, CarPlay and there it led to the Toyota, and then the CarPlay switch…

Going back from CarPlay in the Toy screen is not always obvious either, but I think it’s in the upper left… Will check later, should take a pic…

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Reading, discovering more… 10,000 mile oil change interval, it uses Synthetic OW-16, likely be at the dealers, as it’s new, but I just wanted to be sure it was synthetic… Nothing was said about a break-in period or early change/service…

71NgwnEwg9L.AC_SL1500

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Further investigations: Starguard… Needed, wanted?

We know the dealer wants it while the vehicle is on their lot, theft protection, but now we’re getting a note, in DW’s name to sign it… There was a $995 charge in the invoice, but now, I/we are questioning if we really want or need it… Or is it one more thing we don’t need!

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My 2019 has. “LoJack” thing for finding the car after it’s been stolen. Dealer said my insurance would be lower.

I tried to inform my insurance, who said the vin tells them what “extras” the car has.
Ok. Hmmm. I didn’t see any obvious insurance reduction.

The LoJack unit is still on the car (afaik). The coverage period expired and I didn’t renew.
It does NOT transfer, if I should sell.

Overall, I judged it “not needed”.
It cost $450, IIRC.

I think an Air tag would do the same, for less $.

There’s another “emergency location” thing.
It’s a little “pull down” in the roof console above the mirror. In case of car crash, I can pull that and some one will initiate a response.

I don’t remember this having a price. It came with the car, IIRC.
I sorta think if it has a $cost, it too would be “not needed”. I have a cell phone.
I haven’t thought much about it.

:face_with_monocle::man_police_officer:
ralph

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Well, from what I see so far, if I forget to lock the car, it alerts me, and I can lock it from the App, remotely. So it knows where I am, where the car is, I’m not seeing the need… If I parked on the street, maybe, but home in our garage? I do have extra AirTage, could tuck one somewhere in the car…

I am getting Notifications if it’s Unlocked, also seems concerned about the back seat, says to check it…A spare sweatshirt is all that’s there…

So maybe we can cancel the starboard, we’re in a court, residential area, with all the key fob interlocks, I doubt it’s an easy steal either…

Still finding little stickers around the car, missed by the prep guys I guess… One way up on the GPS antenna, can’t reach it without a little ladder… Anther on the driver’s side window, it’s leaving a residue when I try pulling it off… so it’s sill there… Another little one on one of the tires… Maybe a little verification in the final assembly…

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Progress, DW is off and on her own with the RAV4 today, across town, out shopping… We did a couple local parking lot trials with me along, but this was a first… Freedom! Well, the Civic is still here, but…

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Toyota RAV4 Hybrid discoveries… Some new ones every day…

I had set up the Toyota App on my iPhone, and added it and DW’s iPhone into the RAV4… It shows me as primary driver, but when I tried to set up DW’s Toyota App, it asked for the VIN, scanned it OK, but then it wanted the QR code of a keycode from the Multimedia display, I was never able to get that to be shown, as it was on my own setup… Left a note with our Sales lady, she called back, and believes it’s not possible, but is desired by others, at this time to have two users. Suggested using the Emergency button, but tell them it’s a non-emergency and maybe they can help, but it. so far, sounds like it’s not possible, so far… Her iPhone and mine are linked in via CarPlay, so the App is really for remote start, lock, and OK as long as one of us has it… After a year, it’s a subscription, not sure if it’s really needed, so we’ll see…

Found this:
https://support.toyota.com/s/article/Can-I-share-my-Remote-10703?language=en_US#:~:text=Answer-,The%20Toyota%20app%20allows%20you%20to%20authorize%20another%20driver%20to,Connect%20access%20to%20another%20user

Fog lites, found we have them, and today, thanks to Google, found where to turn 'em on!

So many buttons, options… Some things are easy, others hidden a bit…

weco

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First gas fillip! Local Costco @ $4.999/gal. Mpg was 40.2, so no complaints there at all! And that’s with me being a bit of a lead foot from time to time… Still figuring out the details, but DW has managed to park in the garage OK, claims I park it too close to theR side shelving, but then I go to take it out, she’s parked it as close as I had… A learning game I guess…

Later the CA DMV License plates (2), tags & Registration/Pink slip came… next to mount them, but I want to eliminate the dealer provided frames, as it shows the city, rather not make it obvious when we’re out of town… Plain SS ones, I think…(went with simple black)

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Had a fun time this week, went to local Costco to fill up, as well as shop…

Didn’t notice that the gas pump never ran, it should have offered a receipt, didn’t, wasn’t really paying attention, went on to shop, load, offload… Noticed I never received a CC charge notification for the gas, Hmmm…

Today DW said she saw a low fuel message on the screen! How could that be… I had photoed the pump screens as well as the RAV4 dash screen, thought I had actually filled it, but, as it turned out, I hadn’t! So back to Costco, did actually fill, paying more attention, and it all fits better, mpg down a bit to 38,5, but I’ve maybe had a bit more of a lead foot…

So then there’s this triangle on the dash, so no obvious way to clear it, even as it said ‘No messages’… Eventually way too simple an answer, the left of the steering wheel has < & > arrows, they cycle through the optional displays… too simple…

Oh, I have my cap on the back seat, so it keeps asking me to check it… very sensitive…

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LOLOLOL.
After you know it’s there, it’s simple. Until you find it, it’s frustrating.

For fueling my 2019:
Click the “on/off” button to turn the engine off.
Then, without pressing the brake pedal, press the “on/off”. This will energize the dash/screen, and bring a pop up …
Press it again WITHOUT PRESSING THE BRAKE, and it’ll show a pop up message (paraphrasing) that "fuel fill mode " is activated.
This allows you to see the fuel gauge level as the tank fills.

Maybe your system has similar steps?

:face_with_peeking_eye:
ralph

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Wow, no, it’s much simpler, and since the tank is only 14.x gallons, I don’t bother getting back inside… A single press of the gas filler button on the driver front door jam, it takes a moment to release the pressure & open the valve in the filler tube, then a note pops up that it’s ready to fill… Funny to me that I didn’t notice the pump wasn’t running, just assumed too much… In a rush, I guess…

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I too have the single-press filler button on the left door jam.

My comment involves the power-on, ignition button. :slightly_smiling_face:

:frog:
ralph

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As I poke around I’m finding a LOT more information than I expected…

This video is the best explanation in the ECVT transaxle system in the 2019 and newer Toyota Hybrids. So complex in some ways, but so simple in others, never possible without computers, software, engineering… I found it very interesting…

And here’s the MGR, the rear motor/generator…

And…

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My DW spotted this today, and if you read the Comments, one hit the mark, in our recent experience, Sales (lady) was great, as the day wore on, we went over to the Financial Guy (FG), a few clicks and away we went… But when we had a chance to look it over, we realized he’d signed up for the works, near $5K in stuff we didn’t want/need… Anyway, went back, got them cancelled the next day, the refund check came from Toyota pretty quick, maybe because, under the covers they knew this judgement was in the works…

Interesting in any case, my earlier contacts with Dealers didn’t kick in soon enough, but it worked out fine, in the end…

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Next up, Winter Travel with the RAV4 AWD Hybrid…

Living in Sonoma County, CA, near the coast, we rarely see snow, it happens, but never, so far, enough to bother with snowplows, chains and such. But Inlaws have moved ‘over the hill’, to Carson City, NV, so I-80, Donner Pass, is the way there for us, this and likely more Christmas times…

So I began looking at the CalTrans requirement for chains, I carry a set in my 4x4 F150, never had to use them, but to meet the regulations they are available.

Looked at others, came down to these, seem simple, fit, reasonable… Tires are 225 60R/18 and these fit…

https://peerlesschain.com/products/z-chain#19583

12/4 - Completed the order, should be here today along with an extra set of tighteners… Hopefully, like others, they never need to be used…

12/8/23 Update; They blew it, chains were delayed promised for Friday, missed that, now promised Tuesday, if a no-show, a refund… So we’ll see… Last time this happened, it was for a battery load tester, it missed, I bought one locally at AutoZone, and the original order arrived the next day… Gave it to my SIL… Current posting promises a 2 day delivery, but… Still time, need them before Xmas…

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My next headache, as the freebie SiriusXM trial runs out os to sort out between my F150, where I do have a subscription, and the RAV4 where they want a new subscription… I guess I’ll have to call see what they can do, really can’t see doubling the cost, with one, I can use CarPlay to share it from my iPhone, on either vehicle, but it seems a bit unreliable, compared to the built in receiver…

Another quandary…

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Someone asked Warren Buffet at the BRK annual meeting why he’s still driving an old car.

Warren: 'I don’t want to lose a half a day of my life reading the owner’s manual on a new car.

intercst

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I can believe it… Earlier I got into our Civic to turn it around, had to turn on the headlights, no cameras to help me park it! Spoiled too soon!!

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