What To Expect On Collection

[MEP's Yaris GS]

Planning on collecting my PIP on Sunday from a dealer up North,

Just wanting to know what I should expect the car to come with.

IE is it 2 smart keys or 1 smart key and a normal key, or even 2 smart keys and a normal key etc?

Should there be any key codes / radio codes supplied with the paperwork etc.

Anything else I should be checking are supplied. The car is a 9 month old dealer used example, so want to make sure nothings missing which could cause me issues at a later date.

[PeteB]

I'll start the ball...

1. Two smart keys
2. Tag with key number
3. Box with locking wheel nut key and card with key number
4. Radio doesn't have a code
5. They usually transfer the balance of the Club Toyota membership (includes very comprehensive AA membership) *
6. Obviously manuals and service book
7. Make sure the wheel brace and jack are present and correct under the front passenger seat (and sealant, wherever that lives)
8. Not sure about leads

Then you need to decide whether you want to buy a spare wheel - some do, some don't

* if you already have Club Toyota, call them and they'll tack the balance onto your existing membership

[MEP's Yaris GS]

Many thanks for that Pete.

Don't think I'm going to bother with a spare, I've yet to have a need to ever fit a spare in my 8 years / 150K+ miles of motoring, and plan on getting a 2nd set of wheels for winter tyres in the not too distant future, so will keep one of those in the boot once purchased if I feel the need.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

lol You've tempted fate now :)

I had a stock Bridgestone tyre blow out on me within about 2 or 3 months of ownership! Thankfully I was stationary at the time but it gave me and some passengers waiting near my car a bit of a shock! I was waiting outside a hotel entrance at the time when it suddenly just went pop (not a very loud bang but loud enough) and started hissing and went down. At the time I just popped the spare on and drove home (not able to taxi on a space saver) and then replaced the dodgy tyre the next day.

No space and I'd have been stuck blocking an access road. So whilst blow outs are thankfully rare, they do happen. And yes, the pressures were fine - I'm very keen on checking tyres.

[Chris Dance]

I hit a kerb and the Michelin front drivers side tyre split. A friend had a tyre split on his Gen 3 when he hit his doorstep whilst pulling out of his garage. It easy done. I consider a spare wheel essential. I cannot understand why manufacturers are now supplying new cars with no spare wheel.

[valmiki]

I cannot understand why manufacturers are now supplying new cars with no spare wheel.

1) cost

2) weight-saving = lower emissions & higher mpg on official test cycle

[PeteB]

I cannot understand why manufacturers are now supplying new cars with no spare wheel.

1) cost

2) weight-saving = lower emissions & higher mpg on official test cycle

I understand these arguments are attractive to manufactures, and at least on some cars the owner can opt to pay extra for a spare, but when there's nowhere to put one - do manufacturers really think these factors outweigh the number of potential sales lost? Do enough extra people buy one because of these factors? - I don't think it's very likely.

I've heard as many people say they would have bought I plugin if it had a spare wheel (including me!) as I've heard of people who actually have one - and some of those have bought a spare to carry in the boot.

Similarly, I would now have a BMW i3 REX if it had one or somewhere to put one (but they made it an even bigger challenge by fitting the same size wheels as Lexus put on their biggest long wheel base LS and the RX MPV on a car the size of a Yaris!)

[IanIanIanIan]

Do people still carry a spare fan belt and set of plugs?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Do people still carry a spare fan belt and set of plugs?

The Prius gen3 doesn't even have a fan belt and the plugs last 100k miles. I can't remember the last time a spark plug failed, though indeed they do.

I have had a number of tyres fail; blow out, nails, screws, glass. Tyres are not in the same league as the items you quoted as they're much more likely to be damaged in normal driving. Spark plugs last 100k miles and failure is unlikely.

And if a spark plug does fail it's usually just weaker than it should be rather than a complete failure so is likely to allow the car to be driven to either a safe place or your original destination. A blow out is a blow out and you're stuck without a spare.

Personally I think it's a worry that manufacturers are scrimping on spare wheels. It should be a legally mandated no cost option at new with room for fitment. That way eco warriors are happy as are the safety conscious.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

Am I correct with my assumption that the PIP's 1.8 ICE uses a timing chain rather than belt?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Am I correct with my assumption that the PIP's 1.8 ICE uses a timing chain rather than belt?

It uses a timing chain as do a lot of Toyotas newer cars. I'm sure I've read a lot of manufacturers are returning to chains now that they have been made more reliable, quieter and longer lasting, esp as the timing belts often failed catastrophically.

The traditional fan belt has been removed from the gen3 Prius (Auris also?) as it is not needed; the water pump and air con are all electrically powered. It does lead to a quieter engine apparently.

[Chris Dance]

GC. Agree with you 100% regarding a spare wheel and storage for it. See my thread with regard to my recent new car purchase and why I rejected a new PIP. Split tyres are not rare, you only have to run over sharp objects discarded on our roads and you can get a shredded tyre. This happened to my son on the M1 when he could not avoid a lorries shredded tyre in a restricted lane.

[lynchnigel]

Many thanks for that Pete.

Don't think I'm going to bother with a spare, I've yet to have a need to ever fit a spare in my 8 years / 150K+ miles of motoring, and plan on getting a 2nd set of wheels for winter tyres in the not too distant future, so will keep one of those in the boot once purchased if I feel the need.

my other half had a yaris hybrid 2 months before me back in April 2 days in and i found a 3inch x10 screw in her back tyre! luckily it was in the centre of the tread so a garage vulcanised it, at that point i didnt realise Toyota would have done it for nothing

[MEP's Yaris GS]

Am I correct with my assumption that the PIP's 1.8 ICE uses a timing chain rather than belt?

It uses a timing chain as do a lot of Toyotas newer cars. I'm sure I've read a lot of manufacturers are returning to chains now that they have been made more reliable, quieter and longer lasting, esp as the timing belts often failed catastrophically.

The traditional fan belt has been removed from the gen3 Prius (Auris also?) as it is not needed; the water pump and air con are all electrically powered. It does lead to a quieter engine apparently.

Thanks for confirming this, tbh certain manufactures don't seem to be able to manage with chains, Fiat and their 1.3 MultiJet diesel engines are having chains starting to fail between 60-90k miles (same engine Vauxhall use also). So I feel belts as a whole are probably better if kept maintained, but Toyota seem to know exactly what they're doing (another reason for dropping Fiat) with timing chains, as our 2001 Yaris with 185k and original timing chain and no adjustments demonstrates. Regular oil changes seem to be the key.