Got got my new HCH Opal blue, going back in next week for leather heated seats and mood lighting installation. Seeking a window tinter in the area to really make it look nice.

When I test drove a car, I recall the battery charge indicator (above the little battery icon) was at the top. My car seems to hang at 5 bars. When reading the owner's manual I noted that car was on the dealer's lot since 11/06 waiting for me to buy him.

Is this a bad battery or does it take a few days to charge fully? Can I try to force a full charge somehow?

thanks

Your battery charge state is going to fluctuate a LOT, so don't get too worried over it. It'll spend most of its life in the 5-7 range, with the occasional 8 if you roll down a long hill (or even a short mountain), while going up that same mountain has drained mine down to one (at which point the car said "I give up" and went into forced regen even though I still wasn't all the way up).

Someday I might even beat that wascally kenny!

No whammies... no whammies... no whammies...

My battery always seems to be around the half marker or a bar or two above. It has never gone below the half marker. Also, it occasionally gets almost to the top (I don't think it's ever shown a 100% full charge), but it doesn't stay there long.

Just start driving and you'll see how it works!

Thanks- now I can concentrate more on trickin' out my ride than wondering about the battery!

Now if we can only decide whether to have the male or female voice on the nav...

I've seen mine fluctuate a fair bit too - from full charge (8 bars) to a low of 3 bars. If you want to see a higher charge ... if you have a couple of miles of downhill slope somewhere around you ... try going downhill without your foot on the accelerator. Get up to speed quickly and then try to coast down as much as possible. You will see regen all the way down and quickly see the battery charge go up.

I personally noticed that when I didn't care about driving efficiently (i.e. drove in my pre-hybrid way) ... the charge tended to stay high. Otherwise it mostly stays on 5 or 6 bars.

My `04 stays about 80 to 90 percent when I'm driving, but goes down to 50 to 60 percent when my wife is driving. She's more city, I'm more interstate. On numerous occasions I've completely filled the battery on a downhill. It's interesting to note that when the battery is full the IMA resistance ceases and the car begins to accelerate due to gravity again.

Also, it doesn't like being drained. It will fight you to stay 50% or better. On uphills I've gotten it down to maybe 30% but I was really flogging it and it kept wanting to lay off the assist and go back to charging.

I live at the top of a 7% 4 mile grade. Going down the hill, my SOC always reaches 8 bars (full charge) Coming up, I always end up with 3 bars max, sometimes its down to one. Thats what its there for.