No wiper fluid indicator?

Just noticed thread. Thanks for warning. That is "cheap" and a bit unsafe. I'll be sure to keep topping mine off especially in winter.

 

My functions on the steering column are illuminated. Prius III


iPad ?

 

I've never owned a car that had any functions on the steering column stalks illuminated. I can't think of any that I've rented or driven (at least night) that have either.

 

He is talking about the controls on the stalks - turn signal, wiper control, and cruise control. None of those are lit, nor have I seen any car that is.

 

I agree. Is I asking so much to put these basic things in the car?

 

I've owned few cars w/washer fluid warning lights. I don't feel it's necessary. Apparently, my o4 Nissan 350Z had it, but I've never seen it turn on.

Oil change reminder system? Never owned any with it beyond that of the MAINT REQD light coming 5K miles from the last reset (5K mile oil change intervals on Gen 2 Prius).

True, a bunch of cars come w/"oil life monitors" but they don't actually measure the oil's life but rather guess at it based on a bunch of parameters (engine runtime, revs, etc.).

My 04 350Z had no oil change reminder system of any sort.

Important safety features? Hardly, IMHO.

I've seen lit cruise control buttons, but that's only if the control has buttons located on the steering wheel.

 

Perhaps for your neck of the woods. As I said in my original post, I was eluding towards colder climates where road salt is used heavily, I see that you live in California. I am not sure if you have ever experienced driving conditions where road salt is used but it can be blinding.

 

I wish Toyota had put a blinker fluid level warning in the car. I went to signal for a turn yesterday and was out of blinker fluid. Now, that's a safety hazard.

 

I jealous. Can they be retrofited to a standard Gen III?

 

Toyota has a funny way about packaging trivial features as standard.

A 1998 stripped down Corolla comes with auto on/off headlights standard. Mine 2002 Camry SE did not have this, neither do the Prii trims 2-3 today.

Toyota's TPMS has no ability to show the driver the actual PSI reading. This is standard on cheap GMs.

Mine 2002 Camry had low washer fluid warning, and a filter in the washer fluid filler, my Prius has none of these.

With all the bells and whistles on the oh-so-green Prius, these is no intelligent oil life monitor that factors in operation condition, revs, load, trip length, etc. This is standard on GM cars.

You can argue that there is a simple enough work around to each of these things. True enough, but this day and age, one would expect these things to be standard. Like you expect a working flushing toilet when you check into a hotel room, even a workaround is simple enough with a bucket.

 

Just found this out the hard way on a long drive yesterday. Had been using the washer fluid every few miles for over 150 miles, entered the last 50 mile stretch home on snow and salt covered roads in the middle of nowhere, and about 10 miles in past the last gas station, the sun is suddenly peeking through directly in my line of sight making visibility very bad, and suddenly no washer fluid with no warning! I can't remember the last car I had without this feature! It's a serious safety feature as was made clear a few miles later when we were among the first to come across an accident - car t-boned on the driver side by an oncoming tractor trailer - likely fatality.

In climates like this, it's possible to go through the entire small fluid container in a single trip and I am dead serious when I say it's stuff like this that will make me take a serious second thought about buying another Toyota.

 

It's silly to think that just because you ran out of windshield washer fluid that it's suddenly a safety issue. Is it convenient to have? Yes. But it's not Toyota's fault you used all the fluid and then didn't know about it. If you can use a full container of fluid during a single trip, you would have run out if it was only half full. If safety is that important, you should periodically opened the hood and topped off all the fluids so you're assured of no issues coming up on your drive. Maybe the gov't will someday require all cars to have an electronic monitor of washer fluids, since they like to spend a ton of $'s to encourage the "dumbing down" of the average citizen.

 

I filled the fluid before starting this trip; less than 400 miles ago.

You live in South Carolina; you have NO idea how serious a safety issue running out of fluid can be in Northern climates that use a lot of salt on the roads. You can lose all visibility in a matter of moments. On snow covered roads with oncoming traffic, it is most certainly a safety issue.

A sensor for this system is literally a piece of wire. That's it. It would add literally pennies to add it to every car across the line. My other car, designed in the late 70's, has this sensor.

Justify it all you want, but every other car I've owned in the past 20 years has this sensor, so I didn't even think about it with this car. Sure, now I know and I'll be even more vigilant about checking, but Toyota needs to know that it will be on my mind when I replace this vehicle.

 

the OBDII monitors a TON of stuff. while not everyone is a gearhead, it would have been easy enough to have a screen programed (for those of us with nav) with a "gauge package"

heck my Chevy HHR I could scroll through the driver info center and it woudl display at the odometer things like individual ire pressure, MPG, DTE, trips, , water/oil temps, ect... hands never had to leave the steeringwheel.

Yes its only a sensor to add. But, every sensor has a cost, every sensor needs wire... it does add up. its mean more money. remember we purchased a "compact car", a basic appliance of sorts and we paid a premium for the hybrid powertrain.

The 30K car we bought is probably a sub 20K car with a 10K specialized drive train...

And we all basically love the car over its minor short comings...

 

I agree with you that a WW fluid sensor/gauge/alarm should be in all cars for the reasons you state, but when the fluid runs out as it did on your hazardous trip, to be safe you still need to have bottle of fluid in the car to refill it, which you did not have. You cannot blame Toyota for your lack of preparedness.

 

If I had been warned that it was running low, I would have stopped an bought some. My Volvos, driven under the same conditions, have such a large reservoir that I rarely need to fill it, AND they warn me when it hits 1/4 tank. Sorry, carrying an unsecured 8lb projectile in my open hatchback on the chance I might need it sometime that winter isn't going to happen.

Sensor isn't even needed for this circuit; most cars merely run a piece of wire to a certain depth in the tank. Immersed in fluid the circuit is complete, when the fluid falls below the height of the wire, the circuit opens and illuminates the light. There isn't a simpler circuit in the entire car.