We recently discovered a couple of nifty features on our car. I'm sure many of you know about them already, but it's fun to share. Remember a while back when I discovered that the windows will still go up and down for a few seconds, even after the car is turned off? Well... on the driver's side door, there is a little button with the word "auto" on it. I just discovered that during those 45 seconds when the windows can still be moved, the "auto" button is lit. You can see it in the dark. When the 45 seconds are up, the light goes out. Cool. Second, if you put your climate control on auto and you start the car on a cold evening, the car does not blast that first frigid air at high speed in an effort to get the interior temperature up to your selected setting as fast as possible. No. It starts on lo and only increases fan speed as the car warms up. Folks, this is genius! Perhaps these are standard features in other cars too. I don't know. Our previous car was so basic that we're constantly amazed by these little discoveries. I just can't believe how "smart " this car is, in so many little and thoughtful ways.
my last several cars had the feature with the heat/fan. i suspect it's a function built in to the automatic climate control systems where you just set the temp. both fan speed and air temp are controlled by the thermostat.
the reason for the low fan speed when cold is the electric heater elements in the heating duct are not able to provide very many BTU's so would be cooled to the point of being useless, so the fan only blows slowly so they can warm up a bit of air till the ICE gets to a temp where the rotating valve will let warm coolant flow into the heater core. This is part of the SULEV-PZ rating for the car. It allows the ICE to warm up quicker for reduced emissions.
And thus I learn ANOTHER feature! Thanks Marg, I also knew about the time, but I didn't know about the light on the switch.
I discovered a new feature this weekend. I think everyone knows that if you have your lights on and you drop the visor to use the vanity mirror, a light comes on when you slide open the mirror cover. I know that if you return the visor to the up position without closing the mirror cover, the light goes out. The new part (for me) is that the light will also go out if you rotate the visor all the way to the windshield. It seems the light only comes on when you position the visor to use the mirror. I thought that was very clever. :multi:
It's the little things that the Japenese do that really blow away American cars. I noticed right away the 'smooth-action' return spring on the overhead "Oh-@#it" handles. In most American cars, these things snap back like a bear trap, but in the Prius and other Japanese cars, they slowly and calmly return to the folded position after letting go of them. Sorta like how I feel when driving my Prius: calm. Drive fun, drive clean, drive Prius.
That's why I also have an electronic, Japanese toilet seat. You would not believe the features! (It also has buttons in Japanese, but I had them translated by a sushi chef.) Seriously, Prius owners would love these and when I sit on a cold seat or one that doesn't have the, ah, features, I feel the way you do if you drive your "other" car.
Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_toilet I have to admit I found it disturbingly interesting.
My wife learned about all types of toilets on a business trip to Japan about 10 years ago. Everything from the squats to the high tech, heated, built in rinse with warm water. Apparently the fancy ones were a bit too fancy for the guy she was travelling with, he came to her room to figure out how to flush the thing! She said some of the public toilets were for both men and women, concurrently. You walk past the urinals to the stalls. I guess her travelling companion had a tough time with that too. I imagine frequent use of the squats makes for some great quads! I recall a couple of surprises at the Zurich airport 20 years ago. First was the security staff with automatic rifles. The second was the female cleaning staff in the mens' room. But heck, if you are used to it, it doesn't matter does it??
Speaking of hi tech toilet from Japan that run you about 2800bucks :mrgreen: I think that crazy to me but acutaly people are buying :roll:
I am sure mine didn't cost that much. It was a gift from my high-tech son who changes our life through technology every Christmas. (Nope, he didn't buy the Prius, but he sure was proud of Mom.) He got it in Japan, but I've seen them around Home Depot Expo in the $500 range or less. Toto is a brand. The picture in the above site (first one), is very much like ours. Requires some plumbing and electric installation, harder if you do it with only Japanese instructions. I lived in Japan in the 1950s as a (very young) child and we only had squat toilets into buckets. Came a long way... Other high-tech son gifts include TiVo, an integrated home server, and wi-fi throughout the house. TiVo, Toilet Seat, Prius and various computers are my favorite things.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(finman\";p=\"50591)</div> Yep! Like how the glovebox and in-dash storage cover are damped so they don't sudden drop open. Ditto to the overhead assist grips. The rearward cupholder is also damped so it will return to its original position (open/close) until you reach its threshold.
Funny you should mention the Japanese toilet seat. We just bought one last month during our trip to Japan. It was only $200 but they go as high as $1000. Of course, we bought the wrong size and now I have to change the toilet bowl. Talk about the tail wagging the dog!
We had to get a different bowl. Actually it fit fine on the one in the powder room, but we wanted it in our master bath. Just got a cheapo crapper at Home Depot. I think $200 is what ours costs. They go up to $6000 with fancy toilets that send electronic messages about your health to your doctor. BTW, Thomas Crapper invented the modern flush toilet in England and the Crapper Co. still produces plumbing items there. So it is not a bad word.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(egret32\";p=\"50875)</div> Myth: Thomas Crapper invented the toilet. Fact: No one in the know about Thomas Crapper would ever make this statement. In his research, Grabowski has created a detailed history of Crapper's business life. The man holds nine patents, four for improvements to drains, three for water closets, one for manhole covers and the last for pipe joints. Every patent application for plumbing related products filed by Crapper made it through the process, and actual patents were granted. The most famous product attributed to Thomas Crapper wasn't invented by him at all. The "Silent Valveless Water Waste Preventer" (No. 814) was a symphonic discharge system that allowed a toilet to flush effectively when the cistern was only half full. British Patent 4990 for 1898 was issued to a Mr. Albert Giblin for this product. There are a couple of theories on how Thomas Crapper came to be associated with this device. First, is that Giblin worked for Crapper as an employee and authorized his use of the product. The second, and more likely scenario, says Grabowski, is that Crapper bought the patent rights from Giblin and marketed the device himself. Source : http://www.theplumber.com/crapper.html
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(victor\";p=\"51074)</div> Snopes.com seconds that: Claim: The flush toilet was invented by Thomas Crapper Status: False.
Okay, not invented, but he did make and sell and popularize them. I've been in many an English household (mostly more than 100 years old) with Crapper on the porcelain. I like debunking myths and urban legends too.
new stuff for me while ridding down a 2 lane highway in Indiana about 15 miles from any town a yellow sign went on. Now being concerned that something major was about to happen, I worried all the way to the next gas station.I took out the information book and went inside to get a cup of coffee and read what the problem could be. It didn't take long to find out the caution light was telling me it's cold outside. Thanks, i figured that on the walk inside. After I settled down I figured that is a good thing to know.
