Don't Buy A Toyota Auris Excel Hybrid.

[Nicolai]

It's official: I have rear rear heating vens. Under the front seats, plastic mouldings. mats cannot cover them. Very happy as the snow is coming down strongly in Denmark these days.

Again, that's a Danish LHD H2+ model TS: Rear heat/air vents: check!

[kithmo]

Doh !

[Nicolai]

Sorry?

[cviclark]

My dealer says the Battery drain problem is Toyota's highest priority, but I have not heard any news of an update. Anybody have any information as to progress on this issue? I have not had a problem yet but if I had a flat Battery in the garage it would be difficult to access any charge points. I inadvertently left the drivers door ajar overnight last week while in the garage. No problem on the Auris but when I did this on the gen 3 Prius it did not start.

[lininjim]

We picked up the Auris Excel Hybrid yesterday and plugged in the HUD-e today too.

Took her to works car park to try to have a play and learn its tech!

Think we've got the DAB sussed now.

The IPA doesn't seem to operate like it did on our Gen 3 Prius. Only parallel parking now, is that correct?

Need to make either the reverse beeps quieter or the proximity beeps louder though.

All practise. Loving it so far!

Cheers all

L & J

[Aceshigh84]

The Auris ipa is only fit parallel parking, as you have found out. I still haven't tried it on mine!

The reversing beeps do drown out the reversing sensors as standard, however they can be changed to just a single beep on gear selection by the dealer (or if you get your own version of the techstream from ebay), that's what I did with mine.

[lininjim]

Ooh not heard of techstream, will google now.

Thanks aceshigh84 :)

edit - ah ok, the techstream is fairly inexpensive but cheapest mvci I can see will cost me about £55 delivered, I'll get the dealer to do it!

Thanks for heads up - try the ipa it does work well. Luckily I'm actually good at parallel parking anyway :)

[Aceshigh84]

I only paid about £20 for the cheap Chinese knock off that comes with the software, uses the same components that are probably made in the same factory as the ones for the official Toyota units.

It can also be used as a normal obd2 scanner on the Toyota's and other cars.

[cviclark]

Hi

Does Techstream software support Auris HsD? I have an ODB reader and software for the FIAT (motorhome) from ODB tools and it is great. I had not thought of buying one for the Prius or Auris but if it works I will do so. Any more info on what you can do with it? I saw a link on Google for the SCION with loads of pics. I bet someone has re-mapped the ECU to make it work the way the engineers wanted it to rather than what marketing thought we wanted. If they have not done it yet I hope they do soon as I am getting frustrated with waiting for Toyota.

Did I loose a thread as the first I heard of techstream was yesterdays from Colin.

[Aceshigh84]

This is the one from last year that got the techstream on my radar: http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/145648-auris-ii-reverse-beep/?fromsearch=1

Just realised I never actually reported back.... oops :-\

[cviclark]

Hi

First time the weather has been god enough to have a good look at the LV Battery. The "Secret Menu" shows the Voltage as being only 11.9v. With it all shut down but of course the boot light on my Volt meter shows 12v but both readings are too low. fully charged I would expect 13.2v. I have put it on a Battery conditioner to see what it comes up to and will post results.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

To be honest, it's about due for replacement any time after 4+ years or around 80,000 miles or both :)

Not long I appreciate and some owners can glean a little more out of them, but peace of mind might dictate replacement sooner than later.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Think it would be helpful if cviclark could update his profile - not sure whether he has a 2013 Auris HSD Touring Sport and a 2009 Prius, or just the Auris. Might be a bit less misleading.

[cviclark]

Just for Frostyballs.

I have an Auris HSD Excel Touring Sport. I have owned both a Gen 2 Prius and a Gen 3 and have updated my profile at each change. I liked the Gen 2 Prius but while I prefered the drive of the Gen 3 (and fuel consumption) I did not like the cab as much. I like the Auris HSD TS but do not like low profile tyres and lack of heating vents for rear passengers.(maybe you have the same car and thats how you got your name). I hate the analogue speedo as small increments make it hard to read. As the Auris HSD Excel is averaging only 47 mpg against the Gen 3 Prius 55.8 I do not understand how Toyota can get the details so wrong. I regularly leave my car for longer than three weeks and I am very concerned that the LV Battery may not be up to the job. The extra load from the ancillary electrics on the Excel may also have an effect on the fuel consumption as the HV Battery kicks in to charge it.

I have been driving for nearly 50 years and owned or had the use of 29 cars and four motorhomes, plus countless military vehicles and half a dozen motorbikes. I spent 20 years as an electronics technician in the military and about the same as a civilian computer peripherals engineer. I know good engineering when I see it and hate it when the lack of attention to detail ruins a good car. I also know just how easy it is to change the firmware on a modern car to correct most of the faults I am complaining about.

[FROSTYBALLS]

cviclark - please see personal message.

[Aceshigh84]

maybe you have the same car and thats how you got your name

Ha! No, that can't be the reason, the front seats are heated, Toasty!

Or Betty Swo.......

[Grumpy Cabbie]

And her best friend Mary Hi.... oh forget it :)

[Guest]

That's why I traded my 2013 excel hybrid for a 63 plate Diesel

[cviclark]

The secret screen is called the Service Menu and entered by holding down the Car Button and turning the lights on/off three times. Under Function/Vehicle signal you can monitor the LV Battery voltage and see the Digital Speed but only in Kph.

Yesterday my Battery voltage shown in this menu was 11.9v. After leaving it on the Battery conditioner for a couple of hours it increased to 12.4v. The Airflow Battery Conditioner is not designed to charge a battery but stop it sulphating when left for a long time so this is about right. Today after a 20 mile run the same menu showed the LV battery to be at 14.7v while driving. This is about what the Gel Leisure batteries in my motorhome show when under charge. This would suggest that the battery fitted is a Gel, deep cycle battery, similar to those used as leisure batteries/aircraft/scooters. If so it should hold its charge for months. Does anybody know what technology type it actually is?

When I asked Toyota (Customer Relations) why they could not show digital speed on the center trip panel I was told it was not possible to monitor digital speed. It may be in Kph not Mph but the signals are there and it should be very simple to show it on the trip display instead of the meaningless Eco Drive Level.

[RunningInPleasePass]

The Battery is an Absorbent Glass Mat type, it's a type of lead acid Battery that is less likely to spill acid, see:

http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/absorbent_glass_mat_agm

[cviclark]

AGM is replacing older GEL type leisure batteries. As people with motorhomes will tell you the main differences are between Flooded Lead Acid (Car batteries) and GEL/AGM type. Motorhomes have both, one to start the engine and one/two for the living area. They have different charge regimens and are designed for different functions. LA traditionally gives High current in short bursts and read 13.2v max were Gel is designed for low output over a long period. Maximum charge voltage for Gel type should be kept low to avoid overheating and 14.7v is higher than I would have expected, but my two huge Exide gel batteries regularly show 14.6 volts on charge and have lasted 10 years. It looks to me as if Toyota are using a Battery specifically designed for the job in hand but with all the ancillary current requirements of the Excel a higher capacity would be better. The Excel calls for the engine to start noticeably more often and quicker than the Gen 3 Prius I had. I will fit a switch to the boot light as thats a problem waiting to happen and continue to use a Battery conditioner when away. If enough customers have a problem Toyota may eventually get the message but I get the feeling they are using "early adopters" as "Beta testers" and the computer industry is littered with companies that failed with this approach.

[Devon Aygo]

As per post #89 Here: http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/155262-how-many-auris-hybrids-have-the-12-volt-flat-battery-problem/page-9

There is a recognised fault with New gen Auris Hybrid causing premature Battery drain, a fix is imminent and I will post as soon as the fix becomes available.

[Aceshigh84]

When I asked Toyota (Customer Relations) why they could not show digital speed on the center trip panel I was told it was not possible to monitor digital speed. It may be in Kph not Mph but the signals are there and it should be very simple to show it on the trip display instead of the meaningless Eco Drive Level.

Considering Tesla can manage to update all of their Model S's to alter charging, and allow for ride height speeds, without having to go anywhere near a Tesla dealer, I agree it should be a simple fix for Toyota to update what can be displayed on the MFD, and offer the update the next time the car visits the dealer.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Tesla updates their cars 'over the air' and I think with the relatively small number of cars they've produced (estimates of model S production in 2012 are approx 3500), 'over the air' updates must be fairly easy to manage. Probably a different scenario for Toyota - who produce a few more hybrids.

[Devon Aygo]

When I asked Toyota (Customer Relations) why they could not show digital speed on the center trip panel I was told it was not possible to monitor digital speed. It may be in Kph not Mph but the signals are there and it should be very simple to show it on the trip display instead of the meaningless Eco Drive Level.

Considering Tesla can manage to update all of their Model S's to alter charging, and allow for ride height speeds, without having to go anywhere near a Tesla dealer, I agree it should be a simple fix for Toyota to update what can be displayed on the MFD, and offer the update the next time the car visits the dealer.

Perhaps if the Auris had cost from £50,000 and included wifi and a permanent ( and chargeable ) mobile data setup, this sort of technology may have been a possibility but as the Auris costs around half that it doesn't.

Toyota work on economies of scale a handful of customers wanting a digital speed read out when it was not a feature of the car when sold is extremely unlikely to sway them into giving you one.