Newbie from WA state

Congrats and welcome to PriusChat!!


Ask away if you have any questions

e.g.

1. How does the Solar Panel Ventilation System work?
   
2. What does the A/C button on the remote fob do?
3. How do I get traffic information in my navigation system
4. How do I use Voice Commands?
5. How do I pair my phone for Bluetooth Streaming Audio

etc

 

lol. I guess I set myself up for that one.

1. The solar panel ventilation system (SPVS from here on out) works with your fan motor (don't worry, models with the SPVS have beefed up motors in anticipation of greater usage) to vent out the hot air in the car and draw in outside air which would be cooler. The button to activate the SPVS is to the left of the steering wheel, in the same pod where you adjust the brightness of your dashboard (rheostat). You can leave it Depressed (On) all year since it'll only run when it can. The only time you may want to turn it off is if you're parked in a dusty place (near a gravel road) and you don't want the car to suck in the dust, or you're near a BBQ pit and don't want the car smelling like charcoal lol. After 1 minute of turning off the car, the car will open the vents (switch to Fresh Air mode) if it isn't already opened. After 10 minutes, the SPVS will get to work. It will run intermittently or continuously depending on how much solar energy it can receive (so even one a warm March or April day, it'll still run intermittently). The interior temp needs to be 68°F or warmer. Note that as long as you don't turn on the car, it will continue to operate (e.g. if you unlock the car, open the hatch and throw something in and then lock the car again, the SPVS will not be interrupted. I'm making this distinction because of Point #2 with Remote A/C).
2. This activates the Remote Air Conditioning System. As you approach the car, you may press and hold the A/C button to turn on the cooling system. When used in conjunction with the SPVS, it can drastically reduce the interior temperature of your car. When activated, it will run for up to 3 minutes or until the Hybrid Battery is drained or you open a door. With SPVS, it'll run when you open the door, with Remote A/C, it will shut off and you'll need to wait 10 minutes again before the SPVS will start up so plan accordingly . The Remote A/C has a rather short range (due to the short range of the keyless remote) so it's more useful if you can start it at work or at home where you're in closer proximity to the vehicle than say a shopping mall where it'll probably run for 10-20 secs before you reach the car. Still, better than nothing.
3. XM NavTraffic information requires a subscription with SiriusXM. You can choose to have traffic only or bundle traffic with a satellite radio subscription. Information includes traffic flow (green, yellow, red) and traffic incident (road closures, construction, collisions, flooding, lane closed). See attachments for examples when the Skagit River bridge collapsed)
   
4. Voice commands are done through the VOICE button on the bottom left of the steering wheel (above the pick up/hang up phone rocker switch). You can make calls, enter a destination or change audio source with that function (e.g. FM1, Dial by name --> John Smith, or Destination --> Address --> City --> Street --> House No.). You can adjust the volume of the commands in the SETUP --> VOICE menu as well as choose whether you want the Nav Lady to repeat the menu options or just go straight to the "beep" so that you can speak your command under SETUP --> Navigation.
5. SETUP --> Audio --> Bluetooth Audio --> Add. Follow the onscreen instructions to pair the phone for music.

 

I try my best