Toyota Camry hybrid accesories

Hi guys 

Another important issue that we brought up with Toyota Malaysia  has got to do with accessories for Camry hybrid.

5. Accessories

With the warranty so tight what could we do? In fact, we could not do anything to the car.We told them we would die in silence listening to the mediocre speakers.We told them our eyes would bleed looking at the rims on the Camry . (The design although intended to be sportier could not attract younger buyers and ostracising the old like me & uncle KY Tham.) We told them our hearts would be hurt if the car gets stolen if safe safety gears were not sold . ( Nobody actually steals a Camry ). We told them we would be suffering for a long while if nothing is done to pacify and comfort the Camry hybrid owners and deprive them of the accessories.

We professionally argued with them that Toyota assemblers in other countries like Russia, Thailand and India were more creative and enterprising. Anslem did more research about the Camry specifications and even provided the people there of the glossy and colored brochures of accessories sold by those Toyota Companies. They were taken aback and impressed by how 'knowledgeable' we were about the specs in those countries.

The best part is that we managed to convince them to look into this matter seriously even though the bosses at Shah Alam were quite reluctant to go into retailing aggressively. (FYI, Anslem has lots of knowledge in tactical negotiations).They thought that the owners would not buy accessories sold by them. We however managed to convince them that there were ready buyers for the products.

The Toyota people even requested that they have the brochures so that they could try to convince the Lexus guy and the decision making committee members of the importance of providing options for the buyers who are tied to factory warranty. So far , they have viewed our suggestions very positively. They just requested that they were given more time to deliberate on the matter. We just pray that they would create a stronger retailing entity selling certain accessories for the Camry owners specifically and other Toyota cars in general.

Toyota Camry hybrid warranty / what makes warranty null and void?

Dear readers

Most owners do not know what makes a warranty null and void. This is Toyota Malaysia perspectives.

4. Warranty

What makes a warranty null and void? The feedback and the response that we got from Toyota Malaysia were clear ~Dont mess with the warranty of the car. They dont really like owners going beyond the stipulated original specifications designed for the car.

According to UMW Toyota, even the straight forward change of rims of the Camry hybrid might render your warranty null and void if they noticed that weight of the rims are not within the specifications when accidents happened or if your Camry hybrid turned turtle at a highway exit.

The simple act of adding a dashcam camera even though does not involve cutting of a wire can also cause the warranty to be null and void if it involves the disengagement of certain screws or parts of the car . They would be able to identify this by a computerized device that they have . They will know this if the device could not read the codes.

Even some simple alignments that we do outside Toyota service centers could also result in the warranty being null and void if they noticed that the underpinning of the car had been duly affected. Toyota has a machine that would be able to detect any chassis misalignment caused by unauthorized center.

In short, be careful about the warranty. Please make sure that the things that you do are within permissible acts of the warranty guidelines. I know this is too much but this is the impression that we got from the meeting. I believe they work like an insurance company. If they could find mistakes that we make, they will just wash their hands. They dont really try to find your fault but if they do you have to face the consequences.

Mirrorlink in Toyota Camry hybrid

Dear readers

Another important issue that we raised with Toyota Malaysia is the mirrorlink issue.

3. Mirrorlink

Mirrorlink is a slightly complex issue caused by an oversight or stupidity or recklessness on the part of product section and /or marketing dept. of UMW Toyota and and probably Toyota Japan.They got the mirrorlink without any in depth knowledge of the feature. They only realized the problem after they brought in the car based on the complaints they received from their customers.

For your information, the mirrorlink in the head unit in the infotainment system in TCH is brought straight by UMW Toyota from Japan. Even though the car is locally assembled most of the components come from Japan. For previous Camrys, they got the local agents to install the radio and infotaiment unit . In the hybrid , a lot of the components come directly from Japan.

The sad thing is that the version of the head unit that we have in the hybrid is the earliest version that could not support the latest android phones. Even if you bought the cable for RM 900 to 1000 plus you still could not use the mirrorlink because the software is not uptodate. If you use Samsung S3 you probably can use some outdated form of mirrorlink minus other latest features.

In short, the mirrorlink in the TCH could not be used at all. All the top bosses at UMW Toyota know this because they all drive the Camry hybrid and they know the real situation. Only the CEO of UMW Toyota drives a Lexus. Probably, he is not aware of the situation because the Lexus cuts out all the 'noise'.

Getting to know Camry hybrid 2016 / Toyota awareness program

Hi readers

The second issue that we brought up with UMW Toyota Malaysia relates to Awareness driving Program

2. Special Awareness driving programme

One of our members Mr Kong Seng Wong in CHOCoM  suggested that Toyota Malaysia has a get -to

 know -Camry session / Awareness driving programme for buyers of Camry hybrid. This was taken 

positively by Toyota Malaysia and they somehow told us that they would try to do this ASAP. Please 

check with Toyota portal for any news on this. Please remember that they do this for all buyers of 

Toyota Camry hybrid in Malaysia not just for CHOCoM members.

The problem is that they are not many places available for everyone. So if you see the programs 

advertised on the Toyota portal, please notify them ASAP (First come first served basis). However, if 

CHOCoM members are really interested in joining the program just give your names to me or Anslem 

and we will forward them to the right people in Toyota. We cannot promise anything but based on what 

they have said they welcome some names through us. We hope they keep their promises.

Toyota Camry hybrid extended warranty

Hi Readers

CHOCoM or Camry hybrid Owners Club Malaysia  met with Toyota Malaysia on 1 of Sept. 2016 at the Shah Alam headquarters . We raised a number of related issues with them regarding Camry Hybrid 

1.Extended warranty

We brought up the issue of the extended warranty and we requested that it should be free to all members including those who bought the car early. If possible we suggested that those who have paid for the warranty to be reimbursed.

The straight answer given was that they could not possibly do that because each year of the extra warranty requires a lot of capital / investment from Toyota. They quoted RM....(for each Camry per year. Quite a big sum was quoted but I could not divulge the info because the promise that I made to them )

They mentioned that the amount that they charged ( RM 2990) is in fact subsidized indirectly by the UMW Toyota. The real cost is much higher than that.

They also said that there is the extra free servicing that is worth around RM 400 given to the owner who have paid for the extended warranty.

So guys the extended warranty is a dead issue for now. Those who are still not fully satisfied can try another platform.

Toyota Camry hybrid and second car... / The best combo for Camry hybrid

Dear friends...

We Malaysians tend to have more than 1 car. We always try to buy the best car for our wives. The Sultan of Selangor bought a BMW I8 for his wife. Even Mr Paultan bought a Merc. 300 h for his beautiful wife. He of course drives a Camry hybrid to the office.

My neighbor in front drives the latest Merc E 200 and his wife drives a Peugeot 206. My neighbor on the right drives a BMW 5 series. For his wife he bought an Estima because he has 5 young children. My back neighbor drives a Lexus 250 and his wife drives a Toyota Vios. My neighbor far left drives a VW GTI and his doctor wife drives Toyota Alphard. These are just some of the combinations of the main car and the car that belong to the wife. My wife however drives an Accord.

This is my take on the best combo for our Camry hybrid.

1. Camry hybrid + Mazda CX 5

I believe the best combo for our hybrid is Mazda CX 5. The SUV just fits nicely as a second car. The seating position of the car is high and its easy for the wife to drive and maneuver. The engine with very high compression ratio is also economical. Another advantage is flood . The high ground clearance will ensure that our wife will return home safely. Mazda CX 5 is just perfect for our beloved wife.

2. Camry hybrid + Honda Civic 10 gen.

The second best combo is with Honda Civic. The car is just about perfect for our still petite wife. Please get the 1.5 turbo engine and she will love you so much. The only drawback is that there will be so many preying eyes among the 'buayas' trying to get to know her. If you already have the Civic my suggestion is for you to get a gps tracker so that you know where your wife is.

3. Camry hybrid + Ford Focus hatchback

This is another good combo. The Ford Focus is just a beautiful car for your wife. Its not too big and not to small. The turbo engine till just blow away the Camry to bite the dust. She will really enjoy the car and You will have a heartache watching her enjoying her ride.

4. Camry Hybrid + Honda Jazz

I think this combo is the most practical. The magic seats will solve most of the baggage problems. You will also save a lot of money. The car is also so easy to drive. The best part is that the car can be had around RM 70 K. The Jazz is truly a girl's car.

5. Camry hybrid + Mazda Miata or Toyota MRs

Another beautiful combo is with the carbriolet or the Targa. She will feel sexy driving this car and I believe your wife would have lots of followers in her facebook and at the office. You will die young if you buy your wife this car...

15. Toyota Camry Hybrid + Camry hybrid

This will be the worst combination and you wife will hate you until the end of the world. Every time you argue with her she will bring up the issue of Camry hybrid. My advice to you is not to get another Camry hybrid.

So these are the best cars for your wife who has been faithful to you. Treat her well you will be very happy inside out. Treat her badly you will die young.

.

Camry hybrid owners club Malaysia (CHOCoM) / Camry hybrid club Malaysia

Dear would be friends of CHOCoM ...

I'm truly sorry that I could not accept everyone to the group. The rejection rate is high lately because we want to get only passionate members. The aim of this group is not to be the largest Camry hybrid Club in Malaysia although its expanding too fast but the one that is most meaningful and helpful to members who are owners and non owners who have great passion for the car. Please also be warned that this is not a cult group. We are just ordinary people with some interest in Camry hybrid.

We will accept anyone to the group ,owner or non owner , who has a genuine interest to be part of the community. Please make sure that your facebook account is real and genuine. If its truly genuine you're most welcome to the group.

I also like to thank some 'spies' from other groups in CHOCoM. Its an honour to have you and you will be treated as an equal member . To Toyota 'liaison officer' in the group I hope you enjoy your stay here and you're most welcome. The rest of the members please keep on posting here so that UMW Toyota will hear you.

To the advertisers you can actually publish your advertisements here provided that

1. The advertisement must be directly related to Camry hybrid
2. You must have discounts for all members in the group. You MUST mention in your advertisement " special discounts for CHOCoM members" and say what the discounts are.

Without the two key criteria your advertisements will be deleted and blocked.

Thank you

Dr Salleh
The administrator

Camry hybrid regenerative brake system

Dear friends...

I didn't have braking problems with my Camry hybrid earlier on but after more than a year of ownership I'm starting to have a weird feeling about the brakes. It does not feel as sensitive as it used to be. Now, I feel that I have to press harder to get a complete stop. I don't know whether it's just my feeling or it's the real thing.I believe this could be one of the issues that I could bring up with UMW Toyota.

In one instance, when I was driving quite fast I had to slammed the brake but it did stop brilliantly but there's some juddering feel. I believe its still safe but there's some weird feeling about the regenerative braking system and the software set up.

Camry hybrid irritating noise

Hi bros and sistas...

When I wanted to buy a car, one of the features that I looked for is how quiet the car is. Quietness has become an important feature as soon as I enter the 'senior zone' meaning around the age of 45 and above. That was one of the reasons why I bought the Camry hybrid because it's eerily quiet especially on EV mode.

Because of the serenity of the car at low speeds, any small sound tends to be amplified. A little creaking sound will sound really big in a quite ambiance and this makes the driver to be distracted and irritated. I believe one of the reasons why there are so may complaints about the noise in Camry hybrid is because the car is very quiet . However, compared to a Lexus , the sound absorbing materials used in the Camry hybrid is not as thick or as effective as found in a Lexus.

The same noise in the quiet Camry might not have been an issue in a Civic or CX 5. That's my two cents worth.