Sr180 Cheerio....

[Sharknose]

Getting rid of my SR180 after 6 months. Generally a great car and certainly very powerful but the insanely poor MPG and horrendously noisy EGR have finally become too much. Unbelievably our new BMW 325 3.0 petrol is as good on fuel and a whole bunch quieter! From what I've read on here, I'm not alone getting 30-35mpg average from the SR180? I find that astonishingly bad for a modern diesel, BMW can do that from a twin turbo 335d pushing almost 300bhp!

[Heidfirst]

what i've always found interesting is that supposedly the same engine is in the bigger, heavier Avensis T180 & yet it seems that they tend to get better (still not great) mpg.

Of course it could be difference in driving style between Auris hooligans & Avensis pensioners ... :P

[mravikt]

Yes I agree, this engine is thirsty (~37 mpg), according to similar perfomance diesel units... but it gives a feeling! Gotta love the 'CAT' under the hood! :)

It has some sort of 'personality', unlike TDI's, d's, CDI's, CDTi's, etc... It's the one and only D-CAT, not some kinda series product. Only Volvo has a similar unique feel with the D5... in my oppinion. :)

[Daveyonthemove]

If you can't achieve more then 38 on a motorway run, then you are not driving it efficiently and any other car driven in the same way will fall short of its economy claims.

[toyota diag tech 1]

Poor mpg on the auris is generally due to maf sensor requiring replacement as it controls final injection quantity .also sticky rear brakes is an issue that can easily go unoticed or unreported .the viscosity of ur oil and driving style also play a big part in that calculation of avg consumption

[Daveyonthemove]

Poor mpg on the auris is generally due to maf sensor requiring replacement as it controls final injection quantity .also sticky rear brakes is an issue that can easily go unoticed or unreported .the viscosity of ur oil and driving style also play a big part in that calculation of avg consumption

I went to my local dealer to complain about squealing rear brakes and they claimed it was unheard of and offered to look at them for a £50 inspection fee, which i declined.

How common is this, and is there a TSB for a fix, as I may press this issue with the dealer now my rear pads need replacing.

[Bemused2]

what i've always found interesting is that supposedly the same engine is in the bigger, heavier Avensis T180 & yet it seems that they tend to get better (still not great) mpg.

Of course it could be difference in driving style between Auris hooligans & Avensis pensioners ... :P

Pensioners! Typical stereotype comment. I drive like hell, have to, next loo always on the margin of a bladder incident.

[T Sport 1978]

Poor mpg on the auris is generally due to maf sensor requiring replacement as it controls final injection quantity .also sticky rear brakes is an issue that can easily go unoticed or unreported .the viscosity of ur oil and driving style also play a big part in that calculation of avg consumption

I went to my local dealer to complain about squealing rear brakes and they claimed it was unheard of and offered to look at them for a £50 inspection fee, which i declined. How common is this, and is there a TSB for a fix, as I may press this issue with the dealer now my rear pads need replacing.

Dave,

I am pretty sure that there was either a TSB or something in the system that mentioned noisy brakes.

I had work done on mine early on in the ownership free of charge, they did something to dampen the noise I am quite sure of this.

The brakes were still noisy afterwards, but were improved.

I would press them and also phone around to ask different dealers, catch them out!

[toyota diag tech 1]

There is a tsb for brake squeal on the front brakes which was fixed by a modified caliper carrier and pad set .there is also a tsb for rear brake drag on the japaneese produced auris but not for uk produced the use the same style brake system but produced by different manufacturers (Bosch uk tokica japan) this brake drag is caused by a build up of brake dust/rust on the pad guides causing the pad not to return when pedal is released .all car manufacturers that use this brake system suffer from this .and it is not a warrantable issue as its general wear and tear

[Daveyonthemove]

Thanks for the replies.

I am looking to renew the rear pads in the near future. While the pads are out and the wheels are off, is there anything I can to do improve the calipers/pistons and reduce the chance of it happening again?

[toyota diag tech 1]

Yes remove the pad guides (clips) clean the carrier where the pad slides with a small flat foil .replace the guides (not supplied with pads)and apply a light smear of grease on both sides of the guides do this at every service even if not replacing the pads due to the wear

[Daveyonthemove]

Thanks for the tips, I will make sure I follow them when I get the pads changed in the next few weeks.

[Rick D4D]

If you can't achieve more then 38 on a motorway run, then you are not driving it efficiently and any other car driven in the same way will fall short of its economy claims.

No Dave this is not entirely correct, when we got rid of the T180 the best I could get was 32MPG on a long steady run where as the CRZ we got 62MPG going though the middle of Nottingham late at night (Honda quote 64MPG best) so even though I did question our driving style etc I did prove this was not the problem and would also like to add the Civic Type R is returning around 32MPG all local short runs where as the T180 was down to 28MPG, I mean how the hell can a 198BHP petrol be more economical than a 177BHP diesel is beyond me.

My honest opinion is Toyota got something seriously wrong with the dcat diesel engines and has they have now near enough dropped them all from their range along with agreeing a deal with BMW for diesel engines I think this backs up what I think and IMO this was the poor implementation of the DPF and EGR valves that causes the problems to which I think the reason our MPG was so poor was the DPF was on its way out (at 36k) which was not that good.

[Rick D4D]

Poor mpg on the auris is generally due to maf sensor requiring replacement as it controls final injection quantity .also sticky rear brakes is an issue that can easily go unoticed or unreported .the viscosity of ur oil and driving style also play a big part in that calculation of avg consumption

I went to my local dealer to complain about squealing rear brakes and they claimed it was unheard of and offered to look at them for a £50 inspection fee, which i declined.

How common is this, and is there a TSB for a fix, as I may press this issue with the dealer now my rear pads need replacing.

Just remove the rear pads and clean and lubricate everything up then when fitting the new pads simply file the steel locating pins a little so the pads slide easily inside the rear shims then apply copper grease, you will have no more problems

[SR180BOB]

the other day my average mpg was over 40 in my sr180, i do know its costing me less than my old zetec s ;)

[Sharknose]

If you can't achieve more then 38 on a motorway run, then you are not driving it efficiently and any other car driven in the same way will fall short of its economy claims.

Not sure I agree. In my previous Golf TDi 170, a very similar car in terms of size, weight (actually heavier than the Auris), engine size and power output, I could easily equal or sometimes even beat the quoted MPG figures. Even on short trips in the Golf, 40 mpg average was easy, at the downside of the DPF regen light coming on after a few days of short trips with no good blast, which a least the Auris doesn't suffer from. My Auris, in sixth, on the motorway at constant 60mph will *just* average 40mpg, unless I use cruise control in which case factor at least 10% less. The Auris is due an oil change so I will see what effect that has. But I really think the over-aggressive EGR on the D-CAT engine is killing MPG and is totally unnecessary, as well as making the engine sound like a tractor at idle, when in fact it really is super smooth and quiet for a diesel.

[Daveyonthemove]

You are comparing 2 different engines.

The VW is a 2.0 not a 2.2. They have always been more efficient, and my previous Leon and Fabia TDI's (with PD engines) were both tuned and capable of blowing the Aurs away, and returned far greater MPG in all conditions.

BUT, driven sensibly and given decent fuel, these engines CAN acheive 40+ on a run, and 30+ in town. Mine is proof of that, and i'm pretty sure mine has suffered from sticking rear brakes.

Just remember, the highest gear the engine car manage a low speed is not always the correct gear. If you stick to the speed limit and keep the revs around the 1800-2000 range, you are in the right gear. Thats 3rd gear in a 30 zone. 4th gear in a 40 zone, 5h in a 50-60 zone, and 6th above that. I don't really care if anyone disagrees with this, as i am one of a small number of people showing my ACTUAL economy in my signature, and this is over 15 months/50+ fill ups, so its respective of all weather conditions and all driving styles.

[Sharknose]

You are comparing 2 different engines.

The VW is a 2.0 not a 2.2. They have always been more efficient, and my previous Leon and Fabia TDI's (with PD engines) were both tuned and capable of blowing the Aurs away, and returned far greater MPG in all conditions.

BUT, driven sensibly and given decent fuel, these engines CAN acheive 40+ on a run, and 30+ in town. Mine is proof of that, and i'm pretty sure mine has suffered from sticking rear brakes.

Just remember, the highest gear the engine car manage a low speed is not always the correct gear. If you stick to the speed limit and keep the revs around the 1800-2000 range, you are in the right gear. Thats 3rd gear in a 30 zone. 4th gear in a 40 zone, 5h in a 50-60 zone, and 6th above that. I don't really care if anyone disagrees with this, as i am one of a small number of people showing my ACTUAL economy in my signature, and this is over 15 months/50+ fill ups, so its respective of all weather conditions and all driving styles.

The bizarre thing for me is that my Auris does the same MPG pretty much regardless of speed or type of road. I could be spanking it down the motorway or driving slowly in a 30 zone and it always seems to give the same approx fuel consumption. As regards gear selection, is his not what the shift lights are for, to indicate most efficient gear to be in?

I appreciate that a VAG TDi is 2.0 and a DCAT is 2.2, but that's 10% difference, and the Auris is quite a bit lighter than a Golf. It doesn't really explain the 30-40% better fuel economy that the VAG gets compared to the Auris, when driven by the same person (me). If I was a lead footed oaf, then I wouldn't be matching or bettering the VAG MPG figures. As I said in my original post, the new 325 we have, 6cyl 3.0 petrol is equal to or better than the Auris on fuel, before you factor in the cost differential of petrol. And amazingly is £50 cheaper to insure than an SR180!

I can also see I am not a tiny minority complaining about the MPG from the DCAT engine...

[Daveyonthemove]

Maybe Mine returns better economy because I take the time to clean the MAF, air filter and reset the ECU once a month, on top of running it on decent fuel and ensuring there is nothing in the car that doesn't need to be there where addded weight is concerned?

I did all the above today and covered 200+ miles to London and back. I had a boot full of clothes and toys for my step daughter when we took her to her dads, and returned with 4 alloy wheels complete with tyres. Averaged 44.5 over the journey, which included 80% motorway driving, and 20% town driving. Speed limits were adherd to, and cruise contol was used for all of the motorway driving.

I'm not claiming that these cars are very economical, as I found it to be lower than previous cars with more power (after being remapped) and it also returned better economy when I had a Lindop tuning box fitted, yet it is still returning better MPG than most other SR180's... I can't say exactly why, but I expect my monthly ritual of cleaning and maintaining parts has helped.

I just think that there is obviously a reason for this, and as Rick suggests in an earlier post, the DPF and EGR are a bit over active, but they are there to clean up emissions from burnt fuel. Maybe its the quality of the fuel being burnt that is the issue...? Hence why i only use Shell and won't ever put supermarket fuel in my tank.

[Rick D4D]

Dave you are one of the lucky owners and to be fair we was for around 9 months when we first got the T180 but when my wife changed to a local job after around 3 months the MPG fell though the floor (around 30% drop over a month) and even cleaning EGR and even bought MAF cleaner and did this as well but nothing got the MPG back even on long journeys which we do a few of as my family live in Scotland and my wifes live down south, all what happened was over the next 16months it got steadly worse. What I will say is it did not matter if you thrashed the car or drove steady, long or short journy the difference on the MPG was only around 2-3MPG but did start to notice a lot of DPF burns (clouds of white smoke behind us) from time to time. I tried doing motorway drives keeping the car at 4000rpm for 10minutes to simulate burns etc but nothing worked not even 10 tanks of shells finest on the trot made any difference, why was our car like this? well we never found out as Toyota claimed there was nothing wrong all we knew was 30MPG was getting very hard to acheive and 32-33MPG was the best we could return even on long motorway drives with cruise control set at 70MPH and bearing in mind this was a car that 18months / 12k earlier I returned 46.2MPG on a long run (best I ever got).

What is very consitant here is a lot of T180 / SR180 owners struggle to get decent MPG and no one can get close to what Toyota claim it can do (around 56MPG) in fact most owners struggle to get within 20% of this where as the norm is around 35% less than this, I pesonally belive that it was my wifes change of jobs which resulted in a 4mile drive to work instead of a 15mile drive that resulted in something breaking down (DPF on its way out) but like I said this is all guess work as Toyota had the car for 2 days even took it back to the factory and all was ok. I suspect you do well dave as your car has longer open road journeys as the norm as to be fair when ours was like that the MPG was good 42-44MPG every tank even though this is still around 25% less than Toyota claim can be done.

I will add that insurance is a funny thing we always have Aviva fully comp £300 excess 2 named drivers apart from that nothing has changed apart from we get a year older every year

T180 1st year ownership £320

T180 2nd year ownership £480 (yes went up a lot with no explaination but Aviva still the cheapest)

CRZ £335 was well happy with this as it was a brand new car and worth a lot more than the T180

Swapped CRZ (think group 17) insurance to Civic Type R (thing group 35) and was charged £0 then when renewed 3 months later £320 yes Aviva charge us less on a Civic Type R and yes they was over £100 cheaper than others on confused.com

As you can see from above it does appear they get the insurance quotes out of thin air because how the hell we pay less for a CTR than a CRZ or T180 is beyond me but I wont argue with them and simply paid the cost.

[Rick D4D]

oops double post

[Daveyonthemove]

My wife is using the car for her work, which is about 10 miles round trip The MPG sits at around 34 during the time she uses it, but climbs back to the 40's when we go across the country.

If I had my way, it wouldn't move at all during the week. I am happy to bike to work each day as it is only 4.75 miles each way, and if my family lived closer I could live with a cheap car. But, I NEED a car so I have picked a comfortable cruiser with reliability, and so far it's done me well. It's not the best out there, but it's different and that is why I like it. Economy seems to fluctuate a lot on this car, but the average hasn't moved very much over 15 months, so I can't really complain.

I have no idea why most people are getting low MPG from these engines, but I have only ever owned diesel cars so I probably drive them differently to people who have owned and driven petrol cars prior to the 180.

[toyota diag tech 1]

Rick has your vehicle got the latest software .check wot oil your dealer uses .as theese vehicles come from the factory wit 0w30 to achieve figures.but alot of dealers use 5w30 therafter .

[Rick D4D]

It did when we traded it in and I had the low ash oil used at the service as well, to be fair it the main gripe with the car was MPG and if had been as good as it was when we first got it then the chances would have been high that we would still have this.

[toyota diag tech 1]

The reason i ask is the oil viscosity makes a big difference to final fuel consumption fiqure if your vehicle was gettin fair mpg and it worsened after a service this would make sense.