Radiator

[superfast808]

Hi All,

Just an informative post really.

I haven't had my Auris long, which is a 2008 SR 2.0 D4D. (Image attached)

After a few weeks, I noticed a leak coming from the drivers side, in front of the wheel. It turned out to be coolant, which was red and clean.

After topping it up a few times, I got fed up, and we decided to probe further. What we found was a nasty radiator leak as well as noticing the headlights, and slam panel had a date of 2012 on them! There was also a bend on the condenser, but nothing too major.

A week or two later, I bought the new radiator, which was a complete pain to fit (Thanks to my mate for fitting it!), but the old one had ballooned like mad - a current or previous HG symptom (image attached).

I've read these D4Ds are known for suspect head gaskets, so I'll be calling up Toyota to see if any warranty work has been done - no other symptoms just now.

Sorry for the long post, but just a bit of interest/information for other Auris owners :-)

Cheers

[FROSTYBALLS]

Sounds like the car has had some accident repair work done - hence the 2012 labels. Suppose it is possible some of the damage to the radiator and condenser could have been done at the same time.

[Parts-King]

For panels to have 2012 on them I would suggest it has had a bump! Get your dealer to run a service history check on it and see if that reveals anything, failing that an HPI check

[superfast808]

Thanks for the replies.

I emailed a one of the Toyota dealers here, and was led to Border Toyota Carlisle, who I'm waiting on responding. The dealer I got in the first instance weren't keen on giving me any info for some reason.

Cheers

[superfast808]

@parts-king - Re service history, is this something you can help with? My local dealer is quite a distance away and wont tell me over the phone.

Many Thanks

[Konrad C]

Personally I don't think service history will of be much help, if the car was repaired outside of dealerships and insurance.

It is said to always take a mechanic or somebody who can inspect the car, and know what to look for. This should be done on top of the HPI check.

What if the person who owned the car was in the trade or knew somebody in the trade who could do the repair work. This could also keep it off the HPI radar if insurance was not informed. That means the HPI check may not protect the buyer.

When I went with my brother to look at any car we may purchase, I saw lots of signs of repaired accident damage. Some were well repaired, others you could spot from a mile. I inspected every area of the car and took photos with my trusty Panasonic compact, so I could examine pictures of things I could not see closely by eye.

Now if you bought the car from a dealer, you may have some comeback. I thought garages made sure the car was fit for sale!

In the mean time just monitor the coolant level. I would not worry about the head gasket problem yet. I would want to know what else has happened to the car, and compensation for the replacement radiator. I would also want a replacement condenser so it all looks good. If I inspected your car, the condenser is still a give away as well as the slam panel and headlights.

Konrad