Just Joined

[Pilchard]

Hi all, I just joined.

3 weeks ago I bought my first ever Toyota. Years of reading about how reliable & bullet-proof they were finally made me take a punt. It's an 04 avensis tourer 2.0 D-4D TS-3 with 124,000 miles on the clock; loads of history & loads of receipts. I checked it on directgov/mot history, HPI'd it & even contacted the guy that had owned it for 4 years up until 8 months ago too cos you can't trust anyone these days. I even insisted on a full 12 month MOT. I spose at this age many would class it as an old banger but, just like the 5 or 6 others I drove, it feels bullet-proof. In fact it feels like it's been hewn out of a block of stone although I suspect that's a feel or characteristic I might tire of eventually. It don't drive as good as the Audi's I've owned or the 1.9tdi Passats I was after but I've vowed to never own another Audi & all the Passats I tried out were too rough or too expensive.

The poor lad that I bought it off had been made a job offer he couldn't refuse back home in Poland & was sad to be selling a car he'd lavished so much attention on: new discs & pads all round, cam-belt, tensioner & water-pump, a wheel bearing & a front shocker: all recent, with receipts. He'd had the oil & filter done twice in his short ownership &, as he'd also insisted on flushing oil, the the dip-stick was so clean I thought it was dry the first time I looked.

It wasn't without faults so I took it to my local Toyota dealers for an Air-Con re-charge & got a free inspection which was handy cos a little knock going over potholes had developed two days previous. Those guys really know how to fleece you & the "free inspection" scam is a real corker. They should call it an "unsolicited free estimate" because that's effectively what the report was. Anyway, they reckon that there "might" be a coolant leak, probably from the water pump (I hadn't told them it had just been done).......£793.06. Worn track rod end (oh, & by the way, both track rod ends have split-pins missing but we didn't wonder why & we didn't check tightness)...... £348.91. Front sub-frame bushes worn....... £400.56.

Needless to say, I told Toyota "I'll be back" & took it straight to the MOT guy whose name was on the 3 week & 300 mile old ticket. We both spent a good half hour under the car & yes the split pins were missing & (horrors)the nuts on the top of the track rod ends were loose too (why), so he fixed & split-pinned them them. No play at all found in the sub-frame bushes & no leaks found anywhere. I'm taking it back to him so he can spend a couple of hours checking it all out for any other bits some ex-pat Polish mechanic has forgotten to tighten.

I will also be back to the Toyota garage but just for the pleasure of giving their service manager a roasting.

Pilch

[Mistermena]

Hi all, I just joined.

3 weeks ago I bought my first ever Toyota. Years of reading about how reliable & bullet-proof they were finally made me take a punt. It's an 04 avensis tourer 2.0 D-4D TS-3 with 124,000 miles on the clock; loads of history & loads of receipts. I checked it on directgov/mot history, HPI'd it & even contacted the guy that had owned it for 4 years up until 8 months ago too cos you can't trust anyone these days. I even insisted on a full 12 month MOT. I spose at this age many would class it as an old banger but, just like the 5 or 6 others I drove, it feels bullet-proof. In fact it feels like it's been hewn out of a block of stone although I suspect that's a feel or characteristic I might tire of eventually. It don't drive as good as the Audi's I've owned or the 1.9tdi Passats I was after but I've vowed to never own another Audi & all the Passats I tried out were too rough or too expensive.

The poor lad that I bought it off had been made a job offer he couldn't refuse back home in Poland & was sad to be selling a car he'd lavished so much attention on: new discs & pads all round, cam-belt, tensioner & water-pump, a wheel bearing & a front shocker: all recent, with receipts. He'd had the oil & filter done twice in his short ownership &, as he'd also insisted on flushing oil, the the dip-stick was so clean I thought it was dry the first time I looked.

It wasn't without faults so I took it to my local Toyota dealers for an Air-Con re-charge & got a free inspection which was handy cos a little knock going over potholes had developed two days previous. Those guys really know how to fleece you & the "free inspection" scam is a real corker. They should call it an "unsolicited free estimate" because that's effectively what the report was. Anyway, they reckon that there "might" be a coolant leak, probably from the water pump (I hadn't told them it had just been done).......£793.06. Worn track rod end (oh, & by the way, both track rod ends have split-pins missing but we didn't wonder why & we didn't check tightness)...... £348.91. Front sub-frame bushes worn....... £400.56.

Needless to say, I told Toyota "I'll be back" & took it straight to the MOT guy whose name was on the 3 week & 300 mile old ticket. We both spent a good half hour under the car & yes the split pins were missing & (horrors)the nuts on the top of the track rod ends were loose too (why), so he fixed & split-pinned them them. No play at all found in the sub-frame bushes & no leaks found anywhere. I'm taking it back to him so he can spend a couple of hours checking it all out for any other bits some ex-pat Polish mechanic has forgotten to tighten.

I will also be back to the Toyota garage but just for the pleasure of giving their service manager a roasting.

Pilch

Hi John,

Welcome to TOC

I bet you'll enjoy having a chat to the service manager an all.

[Jan&tone]

Welcome to TOC

[acetip]

Hi and welcome to toc