Service

[harlia]

Should I take my car to a Toyota Dealer for a service or a ordinary garage ? some advice needed please, sorry i dont know how to post on here :(

[FROSTYBALLS]

Your post is fine.

From your profile you have a 2013 IQ.

Service intervals are either every 12 months or 10,000 miles - whichever occurs sooner.

So if you're doing less than 10,000 miles in a year, servicing should be done on an annual basis. If your doing more than 10,000 miles in a year, servicing should be done every 10,000 miles.

The majority of Toyota dealers operate the Fixed Price Servicing scheme - see http://www.toyota.co.uk/service-and-maintenance/car-servicing

Intermediate services and Full services occur alternately - ie Intermediate 12 months/10,000 miles, Full 2 years/20,000 miles, Intermediate 3 years/30,000 miles, etc.

Advantages of using a Toyota dealer - especially when the car is within its new car warranty period:

* warranty is maintained

* they have access to the latest Toyota service bulletins, so can carry out updates to your car

* warranty work can be carried out at the same place

* you maintain a Toyota service history which, if you wish to make a goodwill claim for an outside warranty repair, is more likely to be successful

Disadvantages

* may be a bit more expensive

If the car was bought used and came with a Toyota Approved Used or Toyota Extended warranty, you have to use a Toyota dealer for servicing to maintain the warranty.

Advantages of using an independent VAT-registered garage

* may be a bit cheaper than Toyota dealers

Disadvantages

* in the event of a warranty claim, you may have to prove it has been serviced to the required standards

* cannot do warranty work

* don't have access to Toyota service bulletins, so cannot carry out updates to car

* you lose any chance of a goodwill contribution from Toyota in the event of a repair outside warranty

[Mike169]

Hi and something to add here, if you have your car maintained at a Toyota garage it is generally easier to sell and you get a better price for it so even though it might be a bit more expensive now which in my opinion is only slight the benefits far out weigh the disadvantages. Any car with 'full main dealer service history' is more wanted especially if you trade it in for a newer one at a later date so for me it's a no brainer, definitely i'd suggest you have your car maintained by the Toyota dealer.

Good luck!

Mike169

[ianlinux]

Yeah, and you can also go to a main dealer and tell them about the problems you're having regarding ridiculously low MPG for 1.0L CVT, and they'll go....."Yeah, normal sir"

Back down from the heady heights of 33.5mpg to 30.6mpg this weekend (see my Fuelly below - don't be fooled by the average, 37.1mpg, which gets mugged by a few long distance drives)

Wooooow, 30.6mpg, what a great return I'm getting for a car with tons of downsides you'd expect from a car with high mpg

WATCH THIS SPACE - for my interaction with Toyota HQ coming up soon on a messageboard near you

[bobkneale]

Yeah, and you can also go to a main dealer and tell them about the problems you're having regarding ridiculously low MPG for 1.0L CVT, and they'll go....."Yeah, normal sir"

Back down from the heady heights of 33.5mpg to 30.6mpg this weekend (see my Fuelly below - don't be fooled by the average, 37.1mpg, which gets mugged by a few long distance drives)

Wooooow, 30.6mpg, what a great return I'm getting for a car with tons of downsides you'd expect from a car with high mpg

WATCH THIS SPACE - for my interaction with Toyota HQ coming up soon on a messageboard near you

I find it hard to believe you are only getting 30MPG with 1.0ltr IQ I know you have CVT which will lower MPG but 30 MPG sounds like there is something wrong with your car ? I have a 1.0ltr Manual and get 60 MPG average ! that's double yours. I dont know what the experts on this forum think but that's my view !

[ianlinux]

I find it hard to believe you are only getting 30MPG with 1.0ltr IQ I know you have CVT which will lower MPG but 30 MPG sounds like there is something wrong with your car ? I have a 1.0ltr Manual and get 60 MPG average ! that's double yours. I dont know what the experts on this forum think but that's my view !

Yep agree, I'm supposed to lose a few mpg on the manual, but not much more than that.

It's building up to a fight with Toyota HQ, the Toyota Dealership who sold us the car down south and the Toyota people up here.

Anyway, don't want to hijack Harlia's thread, so will leave it at that. As I say, watch this space. Will keep you informed.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hi All.

Following everyone's advice, Harlia has booked her IQ into a Toyota dealer for its service.

She thanks everyone who replied for being so helpful.

[ianlinux]

Or alternatively, this is the way I would think, "Hmmm, that bloke's not having a good time with his low mpg and looking back through his posts, it seems he's been fobbed off by the main Toyota dealers. Let me have a think about taking my car in for a service with them"

Perhaps the OP now thinks the same or at least is better informed to make a call than she was at the start of the thread?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Harlia contacted me yesterday to say she has booked her car into her Toyota dealer.

[ianlinux]

Harlia contacted me yesterday to say she has booked her car into her Toyota dealer.

Ha ha.....and I thought you were being sar-caustic ;)

Fair enough. Hope she gets good treatment

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Yeah, and you can also go to a main dealer and tell them about the problems you're having regarding ridiculously low MPG for 1.0L CVT, and they'll go....."Yeah, normal sir"

Back down from the heady heights of 33.5mpg to 30.6mpg this weekend (see my Fuelly below - don't be fooled by the average, 37.1mpg, which gets mugged by a few long distance drives)

Wooooow, 30.6mpg, what a great return I'm getting for a car with tons of downsides you'd expect from a car with high mpg

WATCH THIS SPACE - for my interaction with Toyota HQ coming up soon on a messageboard near you

We have a 2010 1.0 auto and the mpg's are not great for such a small car. Saying that, they're much better than what you're getting.

If we do lots of small runs to the local shops in traffic (a mile or so each way) we get about 34 mpg average. But on a steady run the economy gets into the high 40's and mid 50's. If we take it 200 miles down to London to see family we get over 50 mpg average there and back.

Just check your tyre pressures and ensure your oil isn't overfilled. Also, the throttle seems to have a more economical section to it. If you're light on the pedal and leave it steady for a few seconds the car seems to notice and the engine seems to drop its revs slightly whilst still maintaining speed. Speed stays the same and economy goes up.

One other thing, the rear brakes were sticking at one point (from new). Wonder if that's a common issue? Rear brakes stripped and cleaned and fine since. That would have affected economy.