Climate Control Solution - Gain Control of your Heater!

[Ingineer]

So the temperature is on the left and the fan on the right on UK cars?

-Phil

 

[aminorjourney]

Yup I assume it's cheaper than redoing it for the other side!

 

[cwerdna]

I guess Nissan doesn't bother engineering two different HVAC assemblies/boards for people that drive on opposite sides of the road or maybe just not for low quantity cars?

On my former (US) 04 350Z, there were 3 knobs for HVAC. The fan speed knob was the furthest from the driver. I still have pic of the interior of a 04 (more likely 04.5) JDM Fairlady Z (350Z here) that was sitting in the lobby of the Oppama plant. Its HVAC knob layout was identical to mine. So, for the Japanese driver, the fan knob was closest to the him/her.

 

[aminorjourney]

I guess so!

One thing I may do however, is take up Phil's suggestion, and find other Leaf owners in the UK wanting to do the upgrade

Nikki.

 

[TomT]

I've always thought that the Prius layout of having everything in the center dash and nothing in front of the driver was done to decrease costs as they would then have less that had to change from left to right hand drive cars... I've also always found it a little odd and unnatural having to look to the right for the instruments...

 

[Ingineer]

The Right-hand drive Japanese-Spec Leafs are reversed. I guess they didn't want to bother with a RHD english version for the UK.

This means we can likely upgrade them with just a swap, but I'd want to inspect one first to be sure. Also, the long delays in shipping could be a problem, because it ties up our loaner units making people locally have to wait.

I recommend you do what I first suggested; Order a new UK spec unit from a local dealer, send it here, and then you can rotate to another UK owner. At the end of the string, I'll buy the UK unit off you for a reasonable price.

-Phil

 

[Ingineer]

I've always thought that the Prius layout of having everything in the center dash and nothing in front of the driver was done to decrease costs as they would then have less that had to change from left to right hand drive cars... I've also always found it a little odd and unnatural having to look to the right for the instruments...

All the normal instruments in a (Gen2) Prius are directly in front of the driver on the HUD. Only the info for the Hybrid system is in the center stack. Fuel, Speed, Shift indicator, etc, all in front.

-Phil

 

[TomT]

I realize that but I am not a big HUD fan, at least as they implemented it, and even so, I still think it lowers their costs as compared to having to have a left and right instrument cluster...

I've always thought that the Prius layout of having everything in the center dash and nothing in front of the driver was done to decrease costs as they would then have less that had to change from left to right hand drive cars... I've also always found it a little odd and unnatural having to look to the right for the instruments...

All the normal instruments in a (Gen2) Prius are directly in front of the driver on the HUD. Only the info for the Hybrid system is in the center stack. Fuel, Speed, Shift indicator, etc, all in front.

 

[Ingineer]

I realize that but I am not a big HUD fan, at least as they implemented it, and even so, I still think it lowers their costs as compared to having to have a left and right instrument cluster...

Uhm, I hate to break it to you, but both the Prius and the Leaf have different clusters for LH/RH drive. (And different markets to boot!)

-Phil

 

[TomT]

OK, that being the case, if there was no economic incentive, why did they feel the need to go with such an unconventional instrument panel layout with everything in the center stack and nothing physically in front of the driver?

I realize that but I am not a big HUD fan, at least as they implemented it, and even so, I still think it lowers their costs as compared to having to have a left and right instrument cluster...

Uhm, I hate to break it to you, but both the Prius and the Leaf have different clusters for LH/RH drive. (And different markets to boot!)

-Phil

 

[Ingineer]

OK, that being the case, if there was no economic incentive, why did they feel the need to go with such an unconventional instrument panel layout with everything in the center stack and nothing physically in front of the driver?

Here, maybe a picture will work:

All the normal instrumentation you look at, Speed, Fuel, Shifter, Warning lights, etc. are NOT in the center display. It's basically just like the Leaf, they are in front of you. You can't see the left side (fuel) in this picture because of the angle.

-Phil

 

[TomT]

OK, maybe I'm hallucinating but I thought it was different on the Prius V and PIP I looked at and drove...

All the normal instrumentation you look at, Speed, Fuel, Shifter, Warning lights, etc. are NOT in the center display. It's basically just like the Leaf, they are in front of you. You can't see the left side (fuel) in this picture because of the angle.

 

[Ingineer]

On the 3rd generation it's closer to center, but still in the drivers general view. It's definitely not in the "center":

Keep in mind when you drive, you tend to look a little toward the right, so I think Toyota took this into account. It is strange at first, but it works well ergonomically.

-Phil

 

[cwerdna]

OK, maybe I'm hallucinating but I thought it was different on the Prius V and PIP I looked at and drove...

All the normal instrumentation you look at, Speed, Fuel, Shifter, Warning lights, etc. are NOT in the center display. It's basically just like the Leaf, they are in front of you. You can't see the left side (fuel) in this picture because of the angle.

Ingineer's comments about Gen 2 (owner of one) and Gen 3 Prius (driven numerous times) are correct (except about the HUD). PiP is the same as the Gen 3 in terms of instruments.

However, the Prius v wagon and Gen 1 Prius (NHW11) DO have them in the center. And yes, I don't like it there. There are some a few other vehicles from Toyota/Scion (and some being JDM only) and even a Saturn where they put the instruments in the center.

Gen 2 and 3 Prius speedometer and all aren't really a HUD though. The display is projected onto a mirror. You're actually looking at a mirror. There is an optional HUD (projects onto the windshield, see video at http://priuschat.com/threads/video-of-hud-in-action-mkii-inc-satnav.77405/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false available on the PiP and the Gen 3 Prius (depends on model year and region). (I'm sure Ingineer knows this as he's adept at taking apart the Gen 2 and fixing their combination meter boards (aka board that projects onto the mirror), when they develop a certain problem.)

 

[aminorjourney]

So, It looks like I have another Leaf owner in the UK interested, who will be in Indiana next month for work. How confident are you that the UK and US versions are the same?

I could, for example, take the unit out of my Leaf and snap a couple of photos?

Nikki.

 

[Ingineer]

So, It looks like I have another Leaf owner in the UK interested, who will be in Indiana next month for work. How confident are you that the UK and US versions are the same?

I could, for example, take the unit out of my Leaf and snap a couple of photos?

Nikki.

If they are compatible, and you want to do an advance replacement, you're going to have to pay expedited shipping both ways, as I can't have one of our units tied up too long in transit. My suggestion of purchasing an extra unit for the UK solves the problem, because you would own it, and I don't care how long it's in transit. You then ship that to me, I upgrade it, and send it back by whatever method you choose. Once you get it, you swap and send your old unit back for upgrade, then once that's back it goes in Leaf #2, and so on.

-Phil

 

[iluvmacs]

OK, maybe I'm hallucinating but I thought it was different on the Prius V and PIP I looked at and drove...

All the normal instrumentation you look at, Speed, Fuel, Shifter, Warning lights, etc. are NOT in the center display. It's basically just like the Leaf, they are in front of you. You can't see the left side (fuel) in this picture because of the angle.

Ingineer's comments about Gen 2 (owner of one) and Gen 3 Prius (driven numerous times) are correct (except about the HUD). PiP is the same as the Gen 3 in terms of instruments.

However, the Prius v wagon and Gen 1 Prius (NHW11) DO have them in the center. And yes, I don't like it there. There are some a few other vehicles from Toyota/Scion (and some being JDM only) and even a Saturn where they put the instruments in the center.

Gen 2 and 3 Prius speedometer and all aren't really a HUD though. The display is projected onto a mirror. You're actually looking at a mirror. There is an optional HUD (projects onto the windshield, see video at http://priuschat.com/threads/video-of-hud-in-action-mkii-inc-satnav.77405/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false available on the PiP and the Gen 3 Prius (depends on model year and region). (I'm sure Ingineer knows this as he's adept at taking apart the Gen 2 and fixing their combination meter boards (aka board that projects onto the mirror), when they develop a certain problem.)

I recently was in New Zealand and rented a Gen 2 Prius there. I also own one here in the states. It was very interesting finding out what things were different in the RHD vs. LHD builds of the vehicle. Some things were reversed (dash buttons around steering column, combination meter, gear selector joystick, turn signal/wiper stalks) and some things were not (power button, MFD, buttons surrounding MFD, radio controls, cruise control stalk). It was disorienting to find that only *some* things were reversed -- it would have been more comforting if they all had been!

 

[EVerlasting]

EVSEUpgrade.com does not show this upgrade option anymore. Has this upgrade been discontinued?

 

[aminorjourney]

EVSEUpgrade.com does not show this upgrade option anymore. Has this upgrade been discontinued?

I would suggest that since the plans came out, Phil hasn't had anyone asking him to do it?

 

[vrwl]

I will end up needing him to do one for me. We're moving to a colder part of the country and I'll need a properly functioning heater on my 2011 sometime before next winter.