Upgrading To Mk3

[paultnl]

Hi guys,

I am looking to upgrade my trusty 06 Mk2 to a Mk3 T-Spirit. Can anyone give me any tips what to look for when doing the test drive?

Thanks,

Paul

[Chris Dance]

Depends on the year you upgrade to. Gen 3s prior to 2011 were renowned for body rattles.

I had a 2011 Gen 3 T Spirit and on very cold mornings the engine would vibrate alarmingly. There is a fix for this and I had the inlet manifold changed under warranty. I trust you will get a car with a full Toyota service history. You can check to see if the manifold change was carried out. ( Not all cars had the fault).

Early gen 3s only came with a 3 year warranty. (2010 models). So check the Toyota history to see if the car as had annual Hybrid Battery checks.

As you own a Gen 2 you will know that the 12v Battery is only good for about 3-4 years. If you get an older gen 3 find out if it has a replacement Battery.

I now have a 2014 Prius and the only problem I had was updating the Sat/Nav. In the end the dealers changed the Sat/Nav under warranty.

Good luck finding a low mileage Gen 3.

[paultnl]

I think it must be the time of year but the "mice" are throwing themselves on to the traps at the moment. (Is it fair to call Toyota dealers mice?)

I currently have two on hold for me waiting for a test drive,one is on an 60 plate with 36K on the clock for £12.5K the other is on a 10 plate with 33K and just under £12K both look good and have full service history with lots of nice options leather seats, reversing camera etc.

I will check about the inlet manifold.

Any other tips?

[drives]

Are those not a bit pricey? I've just picked up a tidy 2010 t spirit for 9850 with 34000 on the clock.

[paultnl]

I haven't found any listed for anything close to that, what's your secret?

[drives]

No secret I don't think. We're on the south coast with a somewhat limited selection but there were still a few about. Going rate for 09 t spirits with 50-70k miles seemed to be around 9-9.5k and the good well priced ones were going quickly. Anything less miles fetches a bit of a premium obviously, and if you are looking for leather interior I guess that adds a bit as well. I would have been quite happy with a high miler but trying to find a well looked after one I found difficult hence why I bought the low miler in the end. Mines a 09 but registered Jan 2010, and was due a service so negotiated a bit off the price. I did have a search criteria of up to 60 miles, and ended up travelling 70 miles to buy it (was on motors.co.uk rather than autotrader as well so may be worth a look there). The prices if anything were creeping up whilst I was looking.

Someone on here gave me some useful pointers about common faults as well, which was knocking on full lock indicating intermediate steering shaft issue, and rumbling from rear bearings. MOT history check has always served me well in avoiding a few lemons as well.

[paultnl]

If yours is an 09 that would make it a Gen 2 wouldn't it?

[drives]

If yours is an 09 that would make it a Gen 2 wouldn't it?

nope....

[PeteB]

It was called the 2010 model but launched late 2009 - quite a few were registered before the 59 plates in August for the pre-launch demonstration events at various off road sites (all the ones I saw were GU (Guildford area) prefix and solid white). Probably others registered early too.

I had the pleasure of hammering one round part of a former tank testing track (at least that's what I thought until Toyota's professional driver demonstrated the stability control on a very tight pair of double opposite hairpin bends which he entered at twice the speed I did and stayed off the brakes [no way I could have done that!])

[paultnl]

So at least half of the 09 registrations are for Gen 2's.

Coming back to the original question, any other things to look for on my test drives?

[valmiki]

I have a 59 plate that was registered January 2010, 79k on the clock - zero problems so far (touch wood) just brake pads/discs which you'd expect, and on the original Battery too! *touches wood furiously* - I have to say I'm still loving it! There's not many around down my neck of the woods, if there were loads I'd probably feel differently.

[PeteB]

...Coming back to the original question, any other things to look for on my test drives?

Apart from things that you'd look for on any car, such as condition of brakes, tyres, exhausts, all switches work, in a Toyota Hybrid it pays to check:

1. the 12 Battery is not about to conk - simplest test, after driving, park with it in IGN only for a few minutes (turn off, press start twice without touching the brake pedal - all the warning lights should come on and some stay on), then open/close a window once or twice - they will slow a little, but if they really grind to a halt it means the 12V is on it's way out. It's not foolproof, but I think the simplest test on a test drive. Some motorbikes have stronger 12V batteries than a Prius - they tend to flatten easily.

2. there are no signs the traction Battery is waning (very unusual, but eye wateringly expensive to fix) - the Battery gauge on one of the central screen options should mostly stay between 3 and 6 bars during normal driving.

3. Try selecting EV mode when the HV battery is full enough and the car has warmed up, and do some low speed maneuvers that include full lock in both directions and listen for anything odd that might indicate problems with the transmission - again almost unheard of, but a bank balance breaker if it goes wrong and someone else isn't paying. You can also listen for signs of dying wheel bearings or CV joints.

Anyone think of others?

[paultnl]

Thanks for all the replies. I made my selection today and chose the lower mileage 10 plate as it is in very good condition, has every option available and they offered to have it serviced and MOT'd at my local Toyota dealer who have always looked after me well.

Looking forward to some happy motoring.

[timberwolf]

In my opinion, Toyota relies on most people only knowing and worrying about the HV Battery. :-(

Is the HV Battery more eye watering to replace than a Hybrid Transaxle?

What about an Inverter? Didn't Toyota have a software fix "recall" to cover up the potential failure of these in the early Gen 3s?

[drives]

To be fair, try searching the internet for any documented problems re: CVT issues- it's pretty low. Then even if it does fail there's presumably the option of fitting a used one out of a write-off at significantly less cost.

[timberwolf]

Google "Hybrid transaxle failure" and "Hybrid inverter failure".

Er, can you find a good (or any) independent Toyota Hybrid specialist?

[drives]

Why would it need a hybrid specialist? Also I would imagine most failures are people who never change the oil.

[johalareewi]

If buying used from MrT, the car will have 1 year Toyota Extended Warranty which covers stuff like the hybrid Battery and hybrid transaxle. This can then be extended further should the owner wish.

[timberwolf]

Why would it need a hybrid specialist? Also I would imagine most failures are people who never change the oil.

You mentioned used parts. A main dealer would probably require some persuading to fit a customer sourced component - if that can be achieved at all?

It was not that many years ago that dealers refused to sell customers rims for winter tyres!, or spare wheels and fitting kits for those models that come with the tyre gunk in a can instead of a spare.

I don't know anywhere apart from a main dealer with the expertise to fit a HV Battery, Inverter or Transaxle - all of these components are connected to High Voltage cables.

[timberwolf]

If buying used from MrT, the car will have 1 year Toyota Extended Warranty which covers stuff like the hybrid battery and hybrid transaxle. This can then be extended further should the owner wish.

As I understand it, the extended warranties are from a UK based financial business and I suspect the small print has more exclusions than the original manufacturer's warranty.

Anybody had expensive work done on any Toyota extended warranty or extended HV Battery warranty?

[Duffryn]

OP - hope you had a good long test drive on as rough a road as you could find. I travelled to a dealer 70 miles away to buy mine - halfway home on a B class road the rattles and squeaks manifested themselves, and haven't stopped since on anything less than a billiard-table smooth surface!

[YarisHybrid2016]

I think PeteB hit the major points. I'd get a wheel alignment check done, to ensure all is good there (I'm slightly paranoid about this as my father had a new car that went into the garage for recall work, and during that work they dropped it off the ramp bending major front axle components! They didn't tell him, but the way it drove afterwards caused him to take it to a tyre house to get the alignment checked, which is where they found the damaged components!).

Does anyone have links to the warranty info? The only way to see what is/is not covered is to read the fine print.

In addition to the other points, look at the service history, look (literally) at the overall condition of the vehicle, and go from there.

[PeteB]

... I'd get a wheel alignment check done...

Yes, can be worth doing.

That said, when I bought my ex-demo Prius at 6 months old with 3½K on the clock I took comfort from the fact that all four tyres showed perfectly even wear and about the amount of wear I'd have expected (about 1mm). It seemed to run true on a road with no discernable camber too.

50K and three years later I still haven't needed a geometry check - I did discuss with my Service Manager at 40K but based on the tyre wear he suggested it was not necessary.