How much do you run your solar roof?

I leave it on all summer. Sometimes it even runs in the Spring when it's cold outside but the sun is getting strong. Funny.

The motor is upgraded on SR models because it's designed to run more often. It also means you may have to change your air filter more often (depending on your environment) because it is drawing in fresh air all the time (the vent opens 1 or 2 mins after you shut off the car).

The "filtered air" button is poorly described in the manual because it makes it sound like the air is only filtered when the button is pressed. What that button does is close off the vent entirely and recirculate the cabin air, sending it through the air filter again to clean the air. This is different from the normal recirculation mode because recirc only closes the vents 80% of the way. It still lets in 20% for safety reason (so you don't pass out while driving). The A/C may or may not come on during the "filtered air" mode.

It might not be a bad idea to keep it running. On one hand, you can keep the battery cooler by keeping the interior air cooler. No idea if that has any effect on longevity of the battery since the earliest cars are only 6 years old but heat is the enemy of a battery.

As for the pollution part, yeah it depends on where you park. For example, once a week, the café downstairs has a BBQ lunch in the summer so if I'm parked at work, I have to remember to shut off the SPVS otherwise it'll suck in the BBQ fumes and my car will smell like charcoal after work. Other examples is if you're parked in a park that has a dirt or gravel parking lot. You'd want to turn the SPVS off so that it doesn't suck in the dust.

 

You're welcome! That's what forums are for - to pose questions to other owners and get answers.

It depends. I lived in a city where AQ is poor in the winter (as is typical anywhere that's a major city in an area that's cold) and the rest of the year, we deal with the dust from the sand that's used (cause salt doesn't work at low temperatures) so I was changing my filter twice a year. In a cleaner area, I can change it once a year (at the soonest) which is the same as our 2005 Prius in the same city. I do use an "aftermarket" filter (Fram particulate air filter from Canadian Tire). It's cheaper and a better filter than the standard Toyota filter (particulate vs. dust & pollen. Particulate filters capture the smaller particles. Dust & pollen are larger particles than particulates). Toyota Canada did start offering particulate filters through their dealership but given the dust & pollen was already more expensive, I wasn't gonna spring for the Toyota particulate filter. You can also change the filter yourself (it's behind the glovebox, no tools required).

 

The glovebox is easy to remove so I check them once a year. I "dust" the filter out (like the old fashion days when people beat the rugs to get the dust out) to remove any loose leaves or larger particles. If your filter is white, well then you can visually check if it's time to change lol. If it's charcoal when new (some particulate filters have bits of charcoal in them), it'll be more difficult. I guess another way to tell is if the windows don't defog as fast as they used to (basically the air is restricted because the filter is clogged). Visual check is probably the easiest. And you'll figure it out for your area how often it needs to be changed.