Aygo - Clutch N Gearbox

February 27, 2015

We bought a new Aygo vvt-i 5dr in December 2009. It has done about 70k and was serviced every 10k miles at the Toyota dealer in Bath. About 6 weeks ago, the car developed a fault, it started to struggle to get up the hill. We brought the car to Toyota Bath and they told us that the gearbox seal was broken and the gearbox oil had leaked away. This caused the clutch to slip and fail. The clutch was replaced and the gearbox reconditioned, then resealed. Including a service, the total cost came to £1200.

However, although the original problem is now fixed, the car doesn't drive well. At every gear change the car shudders and jolts, as if a learner driver drives the car and can't be bothered to let the clutch come up smoothly. Three weeks ago the car went back again to Toyota Bath. Apparently the clutch/gearbox system has a 'learner' mode and adjusts to the driving style when new. This system was reset to 'learn' anew. This worked for a couple of days, then it reverted to juddering and jolting. It has now gone back, again, to the dealer in Bath, and again they have 'reset' this system. The dealer says that if the problem happens again, the accelerator needs to be replaced at a cost of about £1000. They also said that the problem must be caused by our terrible driving style. Well, we are both in our 50s, and our driving style is rather sedate. Does the vvt-i system have a problem if acceleration is not fast or sporty?

I have a number of problems with all this. First, a Toyota is supposed to be reliable and of good quality. I don't think that a car that needs thousands of pounds in repairs after 5 years can be classified as a good quality car. In the first years we had the car, we had water-in-the-booth problems as soon as it rained. The car went to Toyota Bath, and some rubber seals were replaced (under warranty at the time). It didn't fix the problem. We had to visit them again, with a wet booth after heavy rain, to prove to the dealer that the problem was still there. It was, only then, finally fixed. Is it just our Aygo that has these problems (clutch, gearbox, water inlet, others) or is it quite common?

The second issue is with the Toyota dealer. The quotations we get from him are rather on the expensive side, and there's no guarantee that the repair will actually fix the problem. It seems that we keep paying expensive repair bills until the dealer finally happens to replace the part that causes the problem. This is also not what I had expected from Toyota. Especially as, in the first years after buying the car, we were pestered by the dealer to fill in queries (to be sent to Toyota HQ) that we were 'extremely satisfied' with the dealer. If only we could fill in another query now.

The third issue is with Toyota Customer Services. When I complained about the, in my eyes, poor service of the dealer, and poor quality of our Aygo, they said (in effect, in my words) that as we hadn't taken out the extended warranty, we deserved all we got. I was not aware that if the extended warranty isn't taken that Toyota will try to bleed you dry if problems arise with the car. It is also not what I expect from a company with Toyota's reputation.

So, can anyone recommend a good car dealer in Somerset/Bath/Bristol, someone who is actually capable of repairing an Aygo vvt-i? And at rather less harsh pricing? How common are these Aygo problems? Is it just our car or is it quite common?