Could I Be The Latest Hg Victim?

[Daveyonthemove]

My car is just passed the 30K mark, and is due it's 4th service, so I recently found an online supplier who provided genuine parts and oil for my car and delivered them for £66. I have a friend who owns a VAT registered garage and is willing to the service and brake fluid change for £80+ VAT, so this makes the service about £80 cheaper than a Toyota dealer, so it's the obvious choice for me.

So this morning I have been to the car to do a few things (Clean EGR, Reset ECU, clean MAF) so I know that when the car gets serviced next Friday I can drive it away at it's best.

But while i was under the bonnet doing my usual checks I noticed the coolant looks low:

There is no sign of oil in the coolant tank, or coolant in the oil, and the car has never overheated in the 11 months I have owned it.

The EGR was lightly coated and probably didn't need cleaning, but as i had bought the cleaner and had it in bits I decided to do it anyway.

So, here is my question...

Should I contact Mr T and let them examine the low coolant level and see what they say, and maybe have it booked in for a new engine (this would obviously come with clean oil and filters etc) and get mine serviced on Friday, OR, Service it anyway and monitor it closely and take it to them if things get worse?

[acetip]

HI Dave,has the car up to now have a full toyota sevice history? if so having a service done elsewhere, may (or may not) effect the chance of a new engine being supplied for no pay out.if i was you i would take into your toyota dealer at first chance you get.

from what ive read of the dreaded head gasket saga is the signs of deposits of some sort on the plastic engine cover.

is there any sign of that?

[Daveyonthemove]

Yes, Previous services were done by Mr T whilst under the 3yr warranty period.

So long as the car has been serviced with genuine OEM parts and done by a VAT registered company the extended warranty should be just as secure as it would be if done by Toyota themselves.

No sign of any deposits or splashes on the engine covers, and all looks well except for the low coolant level.

I'm going to top it up today and see how it looks next week after 500+ miles of driving over the weekend.

If it budges by any amount then I will take it straight to Mr T.

[ormi]

get a wee mirror and check for leaks under the water pump mate..

[acetip]

Yes, Previous services were done by Mr T whilst under the 3yr warranty period.

So long as the car has been serviced with genuine OEM parts and done by a VAT registered company the extended warranty should be just as secure as it would be if done by Toyota themselves.

No sign of any deposits or splashes on the engine covers, and all looks well except for the low coolant level.

I'm going to top it up today and see how it looks next week after 500+ miles of driving over the weekend.

If it budges by any amount then I will take it straight to Mr T.

[/quot

The cylinder head problem occuring outside the 3 year warranty is not a warranty job as such.they dont have to do any repairs at all for free after thr intial 3 year warranty.so if your using others for servining and using genuine parts or not does not come into it.its good will thing from toyota,and i take my hat off to them.

all i am saying dont chance that they claim the servicing done by someone else may have contributed to any problems your having. why take a chance of this happening.

[Daveyonthemove]

get a wee mirror and check for leaks under the water pump mate..

Good idea, Thanks Ormi.

[Daveyonthemove]

Yes, Previous services were done by Mr T whilst under the 3yr warranty period.

So long as the car has been serviced with genuine OEM parts and done by a VAT registered company the extended warranty should be just as secure as it would be if done by Toyota themselves.

No sign of any deposits or splashes on the engine covers, and all looks well except for the low coolant level.

I'm going to top it up today and see how it looks next week after 500+ miles of driving over the weekend.

If it budges by any amount then I will take it straight to Mr T.

The cylinder head problem occuring outside the 3 year warranty is not a warranty job as such.they dont have to do any repairs at all for free after thr intial 3 year warranty.so if your using others for servining and using genuine parts or not does not come into it.its good will thing from toyota,and i take my hat off to them.

all i am saying dont chance that they claim the servicing done by someone else may have contributed to any problems your having. why take a chance of this happening.

Its been said on this forum many times (By people in the trade) that the Head Gasket is covered up to 7yrs or 110k, and current law dictates that ANT garage can do your servicing and your warranty (even the 3yr warranty) has to be upheld as long as OEM parts have been used and the work was carried out by a VAT registered garage.

http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2004/85-04

However, i have decided to call Mr T tomorrow and ask them to check for me. At least they can view the coolant level and take a note of it, and top it up if they wish. If it happens again then i have a record of the problem and can go from there.

I have a bottle of coolant in the car which I can take back if i need to.

[ormi]

you DO NOT need a toyota history to get your engine fixed as long as its a vat registered garage and you have used oe parts and the book is stamped..i have even done an engine swap on a car that hadnt been serviced in 2 years but he had part history so it was ok'd

[Daveyonthemove]

Thanks for the confirmation Ormi, Inside knowledge like this can be vital.

[Krait]

Hi DOTM,

May sound stupid but, if you are like me I always think the worst and go for the HG. I presume you have looked at all the hose and other connections and the heating system too for any leaks??

Somebody mentioned the coolant pump and, I would agree, as mine seized a couple of months ago - although it did not lose any coolant before that.

The most common indicator of a HG going is to remove the oil filler cap and inspect it as there will usually be yellow creamy mousse inside it.

Hope this helps you with some lateral thoughts.

[Daveyonthemove]

Thanks for the reply.

I have checked the oil filler cap and there were no signs of 'mayo' so it could be nothing.

The car is booked in at a local Toyota dealers for a check, at a cost of £55! Refundable if its an issue covered by the extended warranty.

Tempted to top up the coolant and monitor it myself and save myself £55.

[baba_metca]

I hope it's nothing, and you spend those £55 for no reason. But what if... You can't be sure. The worst it could happen is you lose £55 but have record on the problem. If it drops again and confirm a problem, they could even refund those £55, for the first check.

[gazzat180]

Had a visit to toyota today and they said 2.2 engine problems are mainly on the verso avensis and rav due to them being the lower bhp engines they said the T180 is better due to the D cat system and were confident I shouldnt have any issues with mine in the future but they did say its down to the coolant long lasting stuff. Couldnt understand but they said the coolant is the problem that also causes piston and bore problems can you ralate to what they mean as coolant only goes down the channels around the engine so cant see why this would cause piston problems. So what do you think being fobbed off or a genuine remark?.

[ormi]

to the above!!!thats CRAP!!!they are all the same!! ive done just as many t180's as normals ones!!!!

[Daveyonthemove]

I've topped the coolant up today and will cancel the inspection. It's booked in for a service on Friday, so I will have a look at the drained oil before its thrown out to check for any signs of coolant.

If it is showing signs of coolant and oil mixing then I will book it in to be checked and take a sample of the oil with me so it can be seen by a technician.

If all seems well then I will put it down to poor inspections by me, and keep a closer eye on it.

[Mistermena]

I've topped the coolant up today and will cancel the inspection. It's booked in for a service on Friday, so I will have a look at the drained oil before its thrown out to check for any signs of coolant.

If it is showing signs of coolant and oil mixing then I will book it in to be checked and take a sample of the oil with me so it can be seen by a technician.

If all seems well then I will put it down to poor inspections by me, and keep a closer eye on it.

Hi Davey,

I've just started to read this thread and thought it could be a weep from the water pump and then Ormi came up with that suggestion. How come you have to pay to get it looked at? When I took my T180 in they didn't charge me a pennie! But saying that I did have splatter marks on the engine cover and a black tinge in the coolant tank. I hope it gets sorted for you mate.

[Daveyonthemove]

My local Toyota dealer haven't installed much faith in me so far.

I asked them for a quote on the service payment plan they offer, and despite having all my cars details they sent a plan for a 2.0 Auris, not the 2.2 and when i questioned it they never replied.

They also quoted me £320 for a service, which was over £90 dearer than another Toyota dealer, and £200 dearer than what I am paying on Friday!

I dropped in there last week to enquire about the squeaky brake and they offered to do a free inspection but it would cost for repairs when they found a fault (not if they found a fault!)

The inspection of the coolant loss is now a chargeable inspection, so i'm really not sure where I stand with them. I can get both issues looked at when it's serviced on Friday, and it won't cost me any extra, so it's an obvious choice who will get my custom in the future.

[Mistermena]

£320 for a service is stupid money! They must be using oil with gold in it for that kinda wonga! No wonder why some people go to the indy specialists! :ffs: I'd vote with my feet to and use the dealer who's giving best value for money.

[Daveyonthemove]

I was able to find a service kit for my car for £66 delivered.

That includes genuine oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter and sump plug kit. I got brake fluid for a good price from Opie Oils, and will be getting the work done for £90 in VAT.

Same parts, same work, different stamp. And the garage is a 3 min walk from my house, so its easy to drop off and collect without the need for a courtesy car.

No brainer

[Mistermena]

I was able to find a service kit for my car for £66 delivered.

That includes genuine oil, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter and sump plug kit. I got brake fluid for a good price from Opie oils, and will be getting the work done for £90 in VAT.

Same parts, same work, different stamp. And the garage is a 3 min walk from my house, so its easy to drop off and collect without the need for a courtesy car.

No brainer

Now thats what I call a result!

I bought a genuine Toyota fuel filter (Denso) off eBay for £0.99 (£3 including delivery) The same for the oil filter! Mobil 1 ESP cost me £23 for 5ltr delivered, the air filter is a K&N so just a clean & oil (Cost £36 when new) and the pollen (Gen Toyota as well) cost me £6... So thats my costs in a nut Shell

In fact I bought the 3 genuine fuel filters he had for sale all costing £0.99 each! Plus the 10 oil filters to. So cheap service for the old bird I recon