Bye Bye Toyota

[Lizzi]

Well, after 12 months of unhappy Avensis ownership, I have jumped ship, and traded it in for a Honda Accord.

My experience with the car, and my local dealership has not been good.

I purchased the 6 year old car a year ago from my local main dealership. At the time of pick up, I felt I'd got caught on the final price and trade in of my old car, (which I admit I was partly to blame on), but it didn't leave me with a good feeling about them from the start.

I won't go into all the details, but it went back some 4 or 5 times in the first few months with various faults, mainly to do with warning lights staying on the dash. The final result was a new ECU, done under warranty.

I hadn't come across this forum until after I'd purchased the Avensis, so wasn't aware of the oil issue, which was a major concern to me. (It was a 2005 model)

I'd been losing water at a slow but steady rate before xmas, which was identified as a leaking radiator. This was replaced, but the install was messed up, resulting in a radiator pipe blowing off at 70mph on the motorway on a freezing day in Jan. I was assured that no damaged had been done to the engine as a result of the overheating, but 2 months later, was still losing a small amount of coolant.

My overall feeling for the car was not a good one. There had been a constant rattle of the back shelf, the engine never felt smooth, even before the radiator incident, the brakes were awful, and the headlights so inadequate it boarded on the dangerous.

So after much soul searching, and rearranging of finances, I have traded in the Avensis, and bought a wonderful 2006 Honda Accord, which I love, and is a pleasure to drive.

I'm not trying to annoy all you Avensis lovers out there - we are all different, and want different things from our cars. But I believe our views are formed by the reliabilty of the cars we own, and the way we are treated by the garages we go to. So very many thanks to all of you for putting your helpful replies and comments to earlier posts I have made. This is me signing off of this forum.

Thanks again. Liz.

[dervdave]

Bye Liz

[acetip]

All the best Liz,hope you will be happier with your new car.

[Jas16]

Like you said, we all have our own experiences. Hopefully the Accord will serve you better and keep you at ease

It is interesting reading your experience with the Avensis and it shows how dealer service (people skills) are a big part of a car ownership.

A car is only as good as the person looking after it, that's what I believe (yes there is a factor of the quality of the parts used to put a car together but that's another story altogether)

Have fun

[cabcurtains]

Its interesting this, the new Avensis like the one i'm driving must be a big step forward from the previous model. This car is probably the best built car i've ever had and i've had 100's of cars, its tank like. The 06 Accord by comparison always felt quite lightweight in its build albeit well screwed together. The engines are all superb though.

[mwilson]

Sorry to hear about your poor experience with your Avensis. Just brought mine recently and so far it hads been wonderful, a few niggles but these are all with third party additions that are nothing to do with Toyota.

[Mistermena]

All the best Liz with the Honda. I hope all goes well... But just be aware that if you've got the 2.2 oil burner then they can burn oil at a massive rate! So keep an eye on it! Also the exhaust manifold can crack allowing toxic gases to enter the cab!... I'm not trying to put a downer on your new buy, as my brother-in-law has a CRV and never had a problem with it and still loves the car!... Just so you know what to look out for.

Enjoy the motor, and try not to be a stranger here to.

Cheers

Taff

[Lizzi]

Thanks for all your kind words.

Mistermena - I have the 2.0lt petrol, but have always kept a regular watch with the oil anyway.

Was aware of the exhust manifold issue as well. Part of the deal was an additional year Honda warranty, on top of the first year, so fingers crossed if its going to go, it will be during that time, and covered by the warranty!

Jas16 - I think you are spot on about the people skills of the garages that work on your car. Mine always gave me the impression that there wasn't a fault, (even when there was), so I just didn't feel comfortable or trust them as you should.

Thanks again, and happy driving to you all :) !!