Anything I Ought To Know? New Yaris Owner

[chrispr]

Hi,

Will soon be joining you all in owning a Toyota - a 2008 Yaris, 1.3 TR manual.

Is there anything particular I need to look out for on this car? As far as I know it has been fully serviced by Toyota and is only on about 33k miles, and the test drive I had was good. I'm going to be covering about 12-15,000 miles a year so fingers crossed it's going to be faultless!

How about the used car warranty? Apparently the dealer offers 12 months on the car from when I buy it, so is this really a good deal or are there some exceptions I need to know about? Has anyone else had to use this?

Thanks for any advice!

[Gasmater]

Hi Chris

If it's serviced and warranted with toyota sit back and enjoy :D

[toyomaz]

The yaris mk2 is a great car.

It is worth a check just for curiosity to find out if its a japanese or french made yaris.

Japan made vin number begins with J prefx.

France is prefix V.

Your TR may have a 2SZ-FE engine or 2NZ-FE.

Although there are no apparent differences in build quality between france and japan factories and the car essentially looks the same, some component parts are very different.

Wiring loom, Battery and brakes are likely to be different on a like for like car even with identical engine units depending on country of origin.

To avoid buying the wrong accessory or spare part,check with this forum (details of member below) or your local toyota dealersip first, they will require your reg or better still your vin number.

This way there is no room for error and the correct information part ref number will be given to you.

You will already be aware that the yaris feels a much bigger car than it actually is and its a quality car.

Most of all nowerdays, enjoy the great fuel economy,and low insurance.

If you get out of warranty, the yaris is as easy as it gets to service yourself.

Just keep her on good oil, change oil,and filter / sump washer anually , a bit more often seeing your estimated mileage..maybe every 10,000mls.

Btw

Check for coolant leaks by taking a photo of your water pump /pulley on the left hand side of your engine with the camera flash set to "on", look at the photo/s on your pc..any signs of florescent pink like deposits near the pulleys or belt..get it straight down to Mr T for a water pump change under warranty.Yaris have water pump problems @ 3 yrs typically so its worth keeping an eye on the coolant level.Leaks start very slowly at first and these can be hard to notice.

Have a look at this thread where a member noticed his aygo leaking, different engine,and a different pump than your 1.3 but you will see what I mean about the pink stuff/deposits.

http://www.toyotaown...howtopic=118041

Anyway Chrispr, the TR is a good spec.

Enjoy.

[chrispr]

Thanks for the advice! Didn't realise there were two factories, paperwork says V so I guess it's the French type. Will also check on the water pump when I get it, although it's supposedly being serviced before I collect it so fingers crossed there shouldn't be anything to worry about...

[stantheman1]

The only Mk2 Yaris that was built in Japan is the 1.8 SR! The water pump problem is an issue with the 1.0 ltr Yaris only (Also Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 which share the same engines) so no need to worry on those two points. What you may have an issue with is a 'crunchy' or notchy gear change but I would imagine most would have been fixed under warranty (gear selector shafts machined to the wrong size), this was only a problem on most 2008 models and more noticeable when cold (I think only the 1.3 was affected) Other things to look out for are noisey auxillary drive belts (fan belts) especially on cold damp starts and some have reported rapid tyre wear on the front, but these are only minor faults and easily fixed.

Overall the Yaris is well made and very reliable and should give you many trouble free miles.

Hope that helps.

[toyomaz]

The only Mk2 Yaris that was built in Japan is the 1.8 SR! The water pump problem is an issue with the 1.0 ltr Yaris only (Also Toyota Aygo, Citroen C1 and Peugeot 107 which share the same engines) so no need to worry on those two points.

Sorry stantheman, I have a 1.0L t3 with 1kr-fe made in japan.There are loads of these out there in the UK. Supplied by UK dealerships as mine was.

There are also 1.8 as you say made in japan rhd.

I think that there are indeed probs with water pump on 1.3 with age.

The 1.3 is as you mentioned made in france with essentially the same as 1.0 4cyl yaris mk1 engine made jointly with toyota/ daihatsu with the pump having a removeable pulley , I did 3 changes in a row on japan and french made 1.0 4 cyl (2003/4) cars after little more than 3 yrs from new.

One thing I remember reading about differences was location of fog lamp switch on tr i think,on dashboard for french and on column stalk for jap. (hence differing harness for same car).

The 1.33 stop /start engined variant (1nr-fe) in late mk2 guise was solely made in japan I think.

To go back to chrispr,

I am sure that Mr T will have given your car more than a quick look over before you get it so rest assured all will be well.Enjoy the car it will serve you well ,As stantheman says its superbly dependable, nice to drive and well put together, you will love it.

[chrispr]

Thanks for all the replies. Picking it up Friday evening so looking forward to it now!

[mrpj]

"One thing I remember reading about differences was location of fog lamp switch on tr i think,on dashboard for french and on column stalk for jap. (hence differing harness for same car)."

Unless it was changed for later Mk 2 Yaris, the fog light switch on the French built (2010) Yaris TR I had was on the lights stalk. I found it annoying because it wasn't possible to have the rear fog light on with out the front ones which were about as much use as a chocolate fireguard. In fact they caused more reflective glare in fog than the headlights! i.e. first position - front "fog" lights, 2nd position - rear fog light and front "fog" light. Silly!

[stantheman1]

As far as I'm aware all UK Mk2 1.3 Yarises are built in France (didn't know about the 1.0 tho! You live and learn.) As for the different positions for the front fog light switch the ones fitted to the dash were dealer fitted as optional extras and the ones on the stalk were indeed standard factory fit. I stand to be corrected though, maybe Parts King will be along soon to verify!

[Cherry Red Pocket Rocket]

I've got a Jap Yaris and its amazing... Regarding the French... All I have to say is up the French! Just kidding...

[Cyker]

IIRC the early gen French Yarisusesesisesus were pretty shoddy but they got a kick up the proverbials and now they're much better (I'd still prefer a jap one tho' )

[chrispr]

Well, it's here. Just collected it from the dealers

.

[Cherry Red Pocket Rocket]

It looks very snazzy indeed! I do like the second generation ones. The brand new model is awful though!

[Cyker]

Yay! Shiny! :D

Had a little joyride in it yet?

[chrispr]

Done a good few miles in it and it's very comfortable, tends to wander about a bit when you find a twisty road but nothing out of the ordinary.

Couple of questions though - my A/C makes a hissing noise when it's turned on, sounds like something leaking. I'm going to ring the dealer tomorrow as it's still got a 12 month warranty but has anyone else had this? Easy fix?

Another oddity is that the clutch pedal HAS to be pressed to start the car, it won't start without. What's the reason for this? It's just a standard manual so I don't understand! The clutch also clicks when it's pressed, I assume there is some sort of switch there that lets the car start? Seems to work fine but I've never encountered this on any other car!

[Cyker]

I think the clutch-in-to-start is a safety thing, e.g. in case you left the car in 1st (Did that once when parked on a hill! ); The Mk1 Yaris didn't need the clutch to be pressed in, but I tend to do it anyway as I was taught that it was a good habit to get into(Certainly my old Fiesta would require more cranking to start if I just started it without pushing in the clutch as it was still engaged with, I assume, the flywheel even if it wasn't attached to the gears!)

My AC has started fizzling a bit when turned on too; I think it may need regassing as I haven't regassed it in like, 3 years! (That said, it's still cold!)

[chrispr]

Took it back to the garage and they regassed the system and checked for leaks. All fine now and covered under warranty too.

A week on I'm pretty happy with my new car, although next expense will be two new front tyres...

[Lorna2]

Check for coolant leaks by taking a photo of your water pump /pulley on the left hand side of your engine with the camera flash set to "on", look at the photo/s on your pc..any signs of florescent pink like deposits near the pulleys or belt..get it straight down to Mr T for a water pump change under warranty.Yaris have water pump problems @ 3 yrs typically so its worth keeping an eye on the coolant level.Leaks start very slowly at first and these can be hard to notice.

After reading this thread about potential water pump leaks I decided to check mine as my Yaris is 3yrs 8 months. So I did the check you recommended and luckily my photos turned out fine - no pink

This morning I went and parked in a layby to do the check because if I did it at home the neighbours would wonder what I was doing with the bonnet up taking pics! :lol:They'd be having a right laugh at me.

How often should the water pump be checked? I wouldn't normally check anything except tyre pressure and the water bottle, anything else gets done at its annual service. Is the water pump issue more related to age or mileage?

[reach16]

Hi all

I found this very useful.....getting my water pump replaced next week ( asap)...love my Yaris