Avensis 2.2 D4-d 150 60k Miles Report

[bristolmotorspeedway]

Hi,

My Avensis departed today, showing 59800 miles, all covered by me since I bought it new in September 2006. Thought it might be interesting to some of you if I reviewed how it's done :-)

Every service has been carried out at 10k intervals by the dealer I bought the car from - Fish Brothers in Swindon. I can't really speak highly enough of them, thoroughly efficient and pleasant throughout, and cheaper than other local dealers when I compared prices. The 10/30/50k services all came in between £120 and £150 I think, with only the 20k and 40k services nudging towards £200.

Plus sides of the car - good motorway ride, spacious, reliable, I'm sure you all know this though.

Fuel economy was generally around the 50mpg mark - i have a 25 mile each way commute 90% motorway. Cruising faster used more fuel (obviously) but generally I found that the fuel used was almost as important. Shell always produced good figures, as did BP ultimate (pricey) - supermarket fuel was usually a few mpg off. Economy didn't change noticably as the car loosened up, if anything it worsened. The air-con was never switched off, and the cruise control was usually on.

What went wrong/wore out? From 40k on, smoke became more noticable, and there was a period of poor starting after the 40k service. Black smoke was blown out under acceleration after many motorway runs. White smoke on startup was an increasing feature too - nearing 60k miles it has almost become a 'more often than not' issue.

Brake discs and pads - fronts were replaced at 50k and the rears need doing now. To be honest, the brakes have always been one of the worst features of the car - they have never inspired confidence.

Under warranty, the clutch master cylinder and EGR valve were both replaced at the 50k service.

Suspension - nothing replaced, but a definite knocking from the right front over the odd bump/rut and I'm sure the ride quality has deteriorated generally.

Tyres - I found the original fit Bridgestone Turanzas fairly poor and replaced two front sets in 30k miles. At that point I fitted Michelin HP Primacys to the front, and the car was hugely improved - very much quieter on the road. At 50k miles all four tyres were again replaced with HP Primacys, and all probably had a few thousand miles left in them. So the original Turanzas did 50k on the rear.

The car also had two minor impacts in its early life, so the front wings, bonnet and bumper are all non-factory!

That aside, the car has been faultless, no interior problems, electrics perfect, not so much as a blown bulb.

Apart from familiarity and boredom, the main reason to change is that I am concerned about the smoke & a possible major engine (turbo?) failure - especially in view of the widely reported problems of others on here. Generally, I would recommend Toyotas, although they are clearly nowhere near as bulletproof as they used to be, and the dealers can be excellent if you get the right one. The warranty extension for head gasket problems is an example of Toyota going a but further than most manufacturers would in customer care. Unfortunately there is nothing in the Mr T range that appeals to me right now so I've decamped to BMW and have my fingers crossed on the diesel reliability front again :-)

Good luck to you all with your Avensis

[t-spiritpete]

Hi,

My Avensis departed today, showing 59800 miles, all covered by me since I bought it new in September 2006. Thought it might be interesting to some of you if I reviewed how it's done :-)

Every service has been carried out at 10k intervals by the dealer I bought the car from - Fish Brothers in Swindon. I can't really speak highly enough of them, thoroughly efficient and pleasant throughout, and cheaper than other local dealers when I compared prices. The 10/30/50k services all came in between £120 and £150 I think, with only the 20k and 40k services nudging towards £200.

Plus sides of the car - good motorway ride, spacious, reliable, I'm sure you all know this though.

Fuel economy was generally around the 50mpg mark - i have a 25 mile each way commute 90% motorway. Cruising faster used more fuel (obviously) but generally I found that the fuel used was almost as important. Shell always produced good figures, as did BP ultimate (pricey) - supermarket fuel was usually a few mpg off. Economy didn't change noticably as the car loosened up, if anything it worsened. The air-con was never switched off, and the cruise control was usually on.

What went wrong/wore out? From 40k on, smoke became more noticable, and there was a period of poor starting after the 40k service. Black smoke was blown out under acceleration after many motorway runs. White smoke on startup was an increasing feature too - nearing 60k miles it has almost become a 'more often than not' issue.

Brake discs and pads - fronts were replaced at 50k and the rears need doing now. To be honest, the brakes have always been one of the worst features of the car - they have never inspired confidence.

Under warranty, the clutch master cylinder and EGR valve were both replaced at the 50k service.

Suspension - nothing replaced, but a definite knocking from the right front over the odd bump/rut and I'm sure the ride quality has deteriorated generally.

Tyres - I found the original fit Bridgestone Turanzas fairly poor and replaced two front sets in 30k miles. At that point I fitted Michelin HP Primacys to the front, and the car was hugely improved - very much quieter on the road. At 50k miles all four tyres were again replaced with HP Primacys, and all probably had a few thousand miles left in them. So the original Turanzas did 50k on the rear.

The car also had two minor impacts in its early life, so the front wings, bonnet and bumper are all non-factory!

That aside, the car has been faultless, no interior problems, electrics perfect, not so much as a blown bulb.

Apart from familiarity and boredom, the main reason to change is that I am concerned about the smoke & a possible major engine (turbo?) failure - especially in view of the widely reported problems of others on here. Generally, I would recommend Toyotas, although they are clearly nowhere near as bulletproof as they used to be, and the dealers can be excellent if you get the right one. The warranty extension for head gasket problems is an example of Toyota going a but further than most manufacturers would in customer care. Unfortunately there is nothing in the Mr T range that appeals to me right now so I've decamped to BMW and have my fingers crossed on the diesel reliability front again :-)

Good luck to you all with your Avensis

Nice report, very well put together with some very interesting points. I wish you the best of luck with the BMW and hope the running cost compare well with Avensis.

It maybe a nice touch for you to report back sometime in the future.

Best regards Pete.

[bristolmotorspeedway]

Nice report, very well put together with some very interesting points. I wish you the best of luck with the BMW and hope the running cost compare well with Avensis.

It maybe a nice touch for you to report back sometime in the future.

Best regards Pete.

Thanks Pete, much appreciated

I'll try to remember to report back - will always have a soft spot for Toyotas anyway so I'm sure to read this forum occasionally :-)

[cabcurtains]

Interesting to read your observations on the smoke both black and white, our Verso at 47k is doing the same.

Good Luck with the Beemer, just don't go near snow ;)

[Duffryn]

Good luck with the Bee Em Rich, don't forget to let the old man have a drive in it now and again - if only to remind him how happy he is with his Venny! :D

With regard to driving in the snow - had a bit of practice lately, haven't you? :o

[bristolmotorspeedway]

Hi,

My Avensis departed today, showing 59800 miles, all covered by me since I bought it new in September 2006. Thought it might be interesting to some of you if I reviewed how it's done :-)

Nice report, very well put together with some very interesting points. I wish you the best of luck with the BMW and hope the running cost compare well with Avensis.

It maybe a nice touch for you to report back sometime in the future.

Best regards Pete.

A long time ago I sold the Avensis, posted the report above, and promised t-spiritpete that I would pop back with impressions of the replacement. So...for any of you that don't want to read about a BMW and for Duffryn (Dad!) who has heard it all a million times, you can stop reading. For the rest of you....read on....

My 320d has now covered 32k miles, so is slightly over halfway towards the mileage my Avensis covered. An overall summary would say that the BMW unarguably betters the Avensis on several factors, some expected, some not, whilst the Avensis is missed for a few reasons.

Firstly, costs - the BMW beats the Avensis easily on fuel economy. On the same commute, with the same driver, I often easily exceed 60mpg - a good 20% improvement. My best tankful is around the 66mpg mark, with the worst around 53mpg in mid winter (of which I will say more later). My model is the 320d with 177bhp and some efficient dynamics features, but is not the dedicated 163bhp 320ED model, or indeed the current 184bhp 320d, either of which would theoretically better the figures I see.

The one service so far, at 22k miles, cost just over £300 for oil and brake fluid. Definitely a more expensive individual service than Toyota, but offset by the fact my Avensis had had two by this mileage. For info, the next "inspection" service is due at 38k miles and the next oil change at 44k miles - so it's not yet clear how BMW service charges will compare with Toyotas.

Tyre costs are another hard to compare factor. My Avensis regularly chewed through front tyres, and in 60k miles I bought 8 tyres, all premium brand (6 front, 2 rear). The 320's original standard tyres are still on, having done around 27k, the other 5k miles were done on winter tyres, which will soon be put back on. I overpaid for the winter tyres, buying them in early December when limited supply pushed prices sky high (almost £200 each). So, again the jury is out - the need to buy expensive runflats, and pay £50-60 to swap from winters to summers versus seemingly much lighter wear.

Which brings me to the one point everyone mentioned the first time around - the need for winter tyres on a RWD BMW. If you want to use the car, safely, in freezing conditions then I would say they are a necessity. Even with frost on the ground, the Beemer can be a handful and the traction control light can be lit up with no provocation. In light ( < 1 inch) snow, the car is hopeless, far worse than a normal FWD car. I (and others) think this is not just due to RWD but also to the unyielding nature of runflat tyres where the lack of sidewall "give" limits traction as the rubber gets harder in cool conditions. With winter tyres on, the car is outstanding, better than anything I have driven in snow and I drove through conditions last year where FWD cars were being abandoned. In future, I will consider buying winter tyres whatever car I drive, but unarguably they are far more necessary on BMWs.

On the warranty/reliability front...one fault so far, a rear light cluster replaced last November after an LED indicator failure reported on the on board computer. Disappointing fault caused by unnecessary new technology? Also had to wait a few days whilst the dealer ordered the part (which you would think would be a common one).

What do I miss about the Avensis? Space, space, space; the 3 series is small inside, and has a tiny boot (in comparison) despite a footprint that is almost as big. Also, the Avensis was quieter on the motorway and had more efficient aircon. Weighed against that, the BMW is much more stable and requires less steering input on the motorway.

One other thing - brakes. One of the biggest weak points on the Avensis and a huge strength on the BMW. The service computer on mine indicates that the first pad replacements will be due at 80k (rear) and 100k (front); notwithstanding the fact that they give much more confidence in use.

If you've got this far...well done :-) I have tried to keep this objective rather than subjective. You probably realise that I like my cars, and, as a car fan, the 320 does more to kindle my interest than the Avensis did. But I expected that; the unexpected benefits are some of the factors listed above. A big negative is obviously purchase price, but I believe that cost over 60k miles the total cost will not be so different - this will only be proven next time I change my car!

All the best,

Rich

[t-spiritpete]

Hello again Rich,

it was good of you to take the time to report back after all this time, there are plenty of members that can't even bother to reply after being helped out on the forum.

It's nice to get your experiences with the Beemer, some very interesting points and I hope it continues to serve you well.

Good luck and thanks again .... Pete.

[Duffryn]

Yes Rich - think I have caught the odd BMW-praiseworthy comment from time to time :D .

Nice report though, all the same.

[Red diesel]

Hi,

My Avensis departed today, showing 59800 miles, all covered by me since I bought it new in September 2006. Thought it might be interesting to some of you if I reviewed how it's done :-)

Nice report, very well put together with some very interesting points. I wish you the best of luck with the BMW and hope the running cost compare well with Avensis.

It maybe a nice touch for you to report back sometime in the future.

Best regards Pete.

A long time ago I sold the Avensis, posted the report above, and promised t-spiritpete that I would pop back with impressions of the replacement. So...for any of you that don't want to read about a BMW and for Duffryn (Dad!) who has heard it all a million times, you can stop reading. For the rest of you....read on....

My 320d has now covered 32k miles, so is slightly over halfway towards the mileage my Avensis covered. An overall summary would say that the BMW unarguably betters the Avensis on several factors, some expected, some not, whilst the Avensis is missed for a few reasons.

Firstly, costs - the BMW beats the Avensis easily on fuel economy. On the same commute, with the same driver, I often easily exceed 60mpg - a good 20% improvement. My best tankful is around the 66mpg mark, with the worst around 53mpg in mid winter (of which I will say more later). My model is the 320d with 177bhp and some efficient dynamics features, but is not the dedicated 163bhp 320ED model, or indeed the current 184bhp 320d, either of which would theoretically better the figures I see.

The one service so far, at 22k miles, cost just over £300 for oil and brake fluid. Definitely a more expensive individual service than Toyota, but offset by the fact my Avensis had had two by this mileage. For info, the next "inspection" service is due at 38k miles and the next oil change at 44k miles - so it's not yet clear how BMW service charges will compare with Toyotas.

Tyre costs are another hard to compare factor. My Avensis regularly chewed through front tyres, and in 60k miles I bought 8 tyres, all premium brand (6 front, 2 rear). The 320's original standard tyres are still on, having done around 27k, the other 5k miles were done on winter tyres, which will soon be put back on. I overpaid for the winter tyres, buying them in early December when limited supply pushed prices sky high (almost £200 each). So, again the jury is out - the need to buy expensive runflats, and pay £50-60 to swap from winters to summers versus seemingly much lighter wear.

Which brings me to the one point everyone mentioned the first time around - the need for winter tyres on a RWD BMW. If you want to use the car, safely, in freezing conditions then I would say they are a necessity. Even with frost on the ground, the Beemer can be a handful and the traction control light can be lit up with no provocation. In light ( < 1 inch) snow, the car is hopeless, far worse than a normal FWD car. I (and others) think this is not just due to RWD but also to the unyielding nature of runflat tyres where the lack of sidewall "give" limits traction as the rubber gets harder in cool conditions. With winter tyres on, the car is outstanding, better than anything I have driven in snow and I drove through conditions last year where FWD cars were being abandoned. In future, I will consider buying winter tyres whatever car I drive, but unarguably they are far more necessary on BMWs.

On the warranty/reliability front...one fault so far, a rear light cluster replaced last November after an LED indicator failure reported on the on board computer. Disappointing fault caused by unnecessary new technology? Also had to wait a few days whilst the dealer ordered the part (which you would think would be a common one).

What do I miss about the Avensis? Space, space, space; the 3 series is small inside, and has a tiny boot (in comparison) despite a footprint that is almost as big. Also, the Avensis was quieter on the motorway and had more efficient aircon. Weighed against that, the BMW is much more stable and requires less steering input on the motorway.

One other thing - brakes. One of the biggest weak points on the Avensis and a huge strength on the BMW. The service computer on mine indicates that the first pad replacements will be due at 80k (rear) and 100k (front); notwithstanding the fact that they give much more confidence in use.

If you've got this far...well done :-) I have tried to keep this objective rather than subjective. You probably realise that I like my cars, and, as a car fan, the 320 does more to kindle my interest than the Avensis did. But I expected that; the unexpected benefits are some of the factors listed above. A big negative is obviously purchase price, but I believe that cost over 60k miles the total cost will not be so different - this will only be proven next time I change my car!

All the best,

Rich

How are you finding the run flats for ride comfort - everything i hear about them is negative - to the point where on the BMW MINI one driver switched from 16 inch standard MINI wheels with run flats to aftermarket 18 inch alloys with normal tyres (for cosmetic/roadholding reasons etc) and found that 18 inch wheels with normal tyres actually gave a better ride then the smaller 16 inch wheels with run flats (this was someone featured in a MINI magazie). A friend of mine has the 520d also with run flats and finds the ride very rough. Are they (run flats) really that bad, i know theres probably some substance to the heavy criticism of run flats but youd think no one would drive BMWs at all if the run flats were as bad as some make out lol.

Red diesel

[bristolmotorspeedway]

How are you finding the run flats for ride comfort - everything i hear about them is negative - to the point where on the BMW MINI one driver switched from 16 inch standard MINI wheels with run flats to aftermarket 18 inch alloys with normal tyres (for cosmetic/roadholding reasons etc) and found that 18 inch wheels with normal tyres actually gave a better ride then the smaller 16 inch wheels with run flats (this was someone featured in a MINI magazie). A friend of mine has the 520d also with run flats and finds the ride very rough. Are they (run flats) really that bad, i know theres probably some substance to the heavy criticism of run flats but youd think no one would drive BMWs at all if the run flats were as bad as some make out lol.

Red diesel

They are certainly not great for ride comfort. Mine only has 17s on SE suspension (the softer of the two standard setups) and there is an underlying lack of compliance on occasions. You also become aware that the suspension is doing the work that the tyre sidewall normally does. It's hard to say without switching to non-runflats, but many people on the BMW forums do exactly that, and every one of them says its a good move! It also seems some tyre brands are better than others and that runflat technology has moved on with the more recent designs being more compliant. For me, they are not a deal breaker - I would rather the car was on standard tyres, but to make the switch also involves buying a compressor "mobility kit" (no spare wheel well in BMWs these days!) so there is some hassle involved. Generally, the bigger 18/19inch wheels combined with M-sport suspension is apparently a combo to avoid if you don't like a harsh ride.

The one thing I will say is that this car rides a hell of a lot better than the Audi A4 I test drove - with 18inch wheels, normal tyres and S-line suspension that car rode and handled like it had concrete in its dampers - awful (IMHO!).

BMW's M division won't put runflats on the ultimate BMWs (M3s/M5s etc); that possibly tells you all you need to know about the "benefits" of runflats! ;-)

[avalanche]

Check this secret warrenty sent out internally to dealers etc....

58534538-Oil-Consumption-Egr-Clogged-Extended-Warranty1-1.pdf

[Mistermena]

Hi,

My Avensis departed today, showing 59800 miles, all covered by me since I bought it new in September 2006. Thought it might be interesting to some of you if I reviewed how it's done :-)

Nice report, very well put together with some very interesting points. I wish you the best of luck with the BMW and hope the running cost compare well with Avensis.

It maybe a nice touch for you to report back sometime in the future.

Best regards Pete.

A long time ago I sold the Avensis, posted the report above, and promised t-spiritpete that I would pop back with impressions of the replacement. So...for any of you that don't want to read about a BMW and for Duffryn (Dad!) who has heard it all a million times, you can stop reading. For the rest of you....read on....

My 320d has now covered 32k miles, so is slightly over halfway towards the mileage my Avensis covered. An overall summary would say that the BMW unarguably betters the Avensis on several factors, some expected, some not, whilst the Avensis is missed for a few reasons.

Firstly, costs - the BMW beats the Avensis easily on fuel economy. On the same commute, with the same driver, I often easily exceed 60mpg - a good 20% improvement. My best tankful is around the 66mpg mark, with the worst around 53mpg in mid winter (of which I will say more later). My model is the 320d with 177bhp and some efficient dynamics features, but is not the dedicated 163bhp 320ED model, or indeed the current 184bhp 320d, either of which would theoretically better the figures I see.

The one service so far, at 22k miles, cost just over £300 for oil and brake fluid. Definitely a more expensive individual service than Toyota, but offset by the fact my Avensis had had two by this mileage. For info, the next "inspection" service is due at 38k miles and the next oil change at 44k miles - so it's not yet clear how BMW service charges will compare with Toyotas.

Tyre costs are another hard to compare factor. My Avensis regularly chewed through front tyres, and in 60k miles I bought 8 tyres, all premium brand (6 front, 2 rear). The 320's original standard tyres are still on, having done around 27k, the other 5k miles were done on winter tyres, which will soon be put back on. I overpaid for the winter tyres, buying them in early December when limited supply pushed prices sky high (almost £200 each). So, again the jury is out - the need to buy expensive runflats, and pay £50-60 to swap from winters to summers versus seemingly much lighter wear.

Which brings me to the one point everyone mentioned the first time around - the need for winter tyres on a RWD BMW. If you want to use the car, safely, in freezing conditions then I would say they are a necessity. Even with frost on the ground, the Beemer can be a handful and the traction control light can be lit up with no provocation. In light ( < 1 inch) snow, the car is hopeless, far worse than a normal FWD car. I (and others) think this is not just due to RWD but also to the unyielding nature of runflat tyres where the lack of sidewall "give" limits traction as the rubber gets harder in cool conditions. With winter tyres on, the car is outstanding, better than anything I have driven in snow and I drove through conditions last year where FWD cars were being abandoned. In future, I will consider buying winter tyres whatever car I drive, but unarguably they are far more necessary on BMWs.

On the warranty/reliability front...one fault so far, a rear light cluster replaced last November after an LED indicator failure reported on the on board computer. Disappointing fault caused by unnecessary new technology? Also had to wait a few days whilst the dealer ordered the part (which you would think would be a common one).

What do I miss about the Avensis? Space, space, space; the 3 series is small inside, and has a tiny boot (in comparison) despite a footprint that is almost as big. Also, the Avensis was quieter on the motorway and had more efficient aircon. Weighed against that, the BMW is much more stable and requires less steering input on the motorway.

One other thing - brakes. One of the biggest weak points on the Avensis and a huge strength on the BMW. The service computer on mine indicates that the first pad replacements will be due at 80k (rear) and 100k (front); notwithstanding the fact that they give much more confidence in use.

If you've got this far...well done :-) I have tried to keep this objective rather than subjective. You probably realise that I like my cars, and, as a car fan, the 320 does more to kindle my interest than the Avensis did. But I expected that; the unexpected benefits are some of the factors listed above. A big negative is obviously purchase price, but I believe that cost over 60k miles the total cost will not be so different - this will only be proven next time I change my car!

All the best,

Rich

A fabulous report Rich. Its nice to hear that the BMW is doing so well. And that the Toyota has some points that you miss over the German motor. I have to say that I miss my Audi A6 3.2 and its 4 wheels drive in the snow. But then again I dont miss the fuel economy of the beast!