Engine warranty for oil guzzling 1.8 VVTi

[Kind Panda]

Purchased a 2004 1.8 petrol VVTi Avensis in October from a small independent dealer with approximately 65000 miles which is guzzling oil; it was supplied with full Toyota service history.

Given the cars age and Toyota's extended warranty for the known fault, would the car still be eligible for an engine change under warranty? 

[FROSTYBALLS]

No - the Toyota extended warranty for oil consumption issues was for seven years from first registration and was dependent on service history. So unfortunately your car is around six years outside the extended warranty period.

Under the Consumers Rights Act 2015, you may have a case against the selling dealer - see 

 

[Kind Panda]

26 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

No - the Toyota extended warranty for oil consumption issues was for seven years from first registration and was dependent on service history. So unfortunately your car is around six years outside the extended warranty period.

Under the Consumers Rights Act 2015, you may have a case against the selling dealer - see 

 

100% sure the dealer would laugh and tell me to swivel! 

Purchased this car with the assumption it was an automotive cockroach to give hassle and faultless service for years to come, not with the requirement to buy shares of the Gulf crude oil company.

This will be my last Toyota. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Think a touch of realism is needed here.

One cannot expect a manufacturer to provide unlimited warranty support for their products. Toyota provided cover for this issue for seven years, which is more than can be said for most manufacturers.

Yes, you may find the supplying dealer may treat the enquiry less than seriously, but they are legally bound by the Consumer Rights Act 2015, so have to address the issue in some way.

At the end of the day, the vehicle is the best part of 13 years old so will probably have some issues.

[fordulike]

When you say guzzling oil, could you give an example of how much you're putting in, with a mileage reference please.

[Kind Panda]

1 minute ago, fordulike said:

When you say guzzling oil, could you give an example of how much you're putting in, with a mileage reference please.

Not logged the mileage as it's a recent observation. All that can be said is the oil level was low enough to trigger the oil light under breaking in no more than 1500 miles; the addition of 2 liters of oil at that point brought the oil level up to the bottom third of the dip stick. ~500 miles later the dip stick's dry again.

[fordulike]

7 minutes ago, Kind Panda said:

Not logged the mileage as it's a recent observation. All that can be said is the oil level was low enough to trigger the oil light under breaking in no more than 1500 miles; the addition of 2 liters of oil at that point brought the oil level up to the bottom third of the dip stick. ~500 miles later the dip stick's dry again.

Without a doubt that's pretty bad, and suggests something more serious than oil leaking past piston seals. As FROSTYBALLS says, try to persue through Consumer Rights.

Kinda reminds me of a mate who owned a Mazda RX8. He was putting in a litre of oil every couple of weeks, and not the cheap stuff either. Coupled with very low MPG, he quickly got rid of that one.

[Heidfirst]

re. the Consumer Act the litmus question is likely to be "what can you reasonably expect from a 13 year old car" & as Frosty said at that age it would be expected to probably have a few issues.

[Kind Panda]

9 minutes ago, fordulike said:

quickly got rid of that one.

Want to get rid of this but I can't be bothered with the hassle of the buying and selling process, and the (albeit small) financial loss. That's the reason I bought the Toyota in the first place, because of their perceived legendary robustness.

In all likelihood I'll just keep the oil topped up and drive it.

[fordulike]

6 minutes ago, Kind Panda said:

Want to get rid of this but I can't be bothered with the hassle of the buying and selling process, and the (albeit small) financial loss. That's the reason I bought the Toyota in the first place, because of their perceived legendary robustness.

In all likelihood I'll just keep the oil topped up and drive it.

As you already know that you'll need to keep topping it up quite regularly, why not hunt down a deal on buying oil in bulk.

Not sure if yours uses 10w40, but this looks a good deal:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SH-10w40-Semi-Synthetic-Engine-oil-25-L-Litres-API-SL-A3-B4-/112265556146?hash=item1a238c70b2:g:I0EAAOSwiYFXGSlF

[Kind Panda]

13 minutes ago, fordulike said:

As you already know that you'll need to keep topping it up quite regularly, why not hunt down a deal on buying oil in bulk.

Not sure if yours uses 10w40, but this looks a good deal:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SH-10w40-Semi-Synthetic-Engine-oil-25-L-Litres-API-SL-A3-B4-/112265556146?hash=item1a238c70b2:g:I0EAAOSwiYFXGSlF

Good shout at @ 1.70GBP / litre, as cheap as it gets.

[Konrad C]

1 hour ago, Kind Panda said:

Purchased a 2004 1.8 petrol VVTi Avensis in October from a small independent dealer with approximately 75000 miles which is guzzling oil; it was supplied with full Toyota service history.

Given the cars age and Toyota's extended warranty for the known fault, would the car still be eligible for an engine change under warranty? 

I have read your other posts and to me, it all adds up. Rough idle and temperature reading means the oil level not giving the protection needed. 

One question - did you research the car, Toyota Avensis vvti engine, look on this forum or check for known weakness, before buying the car? I do research on cars now, for friends and family, and for myself for future reference. I was aware of the oil burning issue with 1ZZ engine, when I owned my Mk1 with the faithful 7A-FE leanburn engine. I wanted to know what I was missing and it turns out, not a lot! Eight years back, I was reading this forum about the 1ZZ oil burning issue. One member I remember is Igor.

Anyway what I know about the oil burning issue, is not all 1ZZ engines suffered, and the engine was modified mid-2005. To be sure of not getting one of the problem engines, buy a facelift 2006 Avensis ( a little late now). People have asked in this forum about buying a car, and have been advised of what to avoid.

Kind Panda, I hope you bought the car very cheaply, because you will be buy lots of oil to top up. One solution is to get an engine from a written off Avensis (more expense).

You can try a different grade to see if it makes a difference. Some have claimed that using higher grade petrol has helped, but I don't see how. May be an engine flush. One thing I do know that the internal bore of the engine is difficult to re-bore due to the material it is made of. Toyota don't recommended it!

Never rely on perceived reputation of a car and find out any known issues before deciding. My Avensis has the electronic parking brake (very expensive to fix). I was aware of this and know how to avoid damaging the system - don't go into deep puddle if can helped.  

Using the tips on managing the oil burning (topping up, different grade, slightly over filling), you may be able to get a bit of use out of the car. You will not be the last to find out about the 1ZZ oil burning issue, after buying the car.

     

[Kind Panda]

9 minutes ago, Konrad C said:

I have read your other posts and to me, it all adds up. Rough idle and temperature reading means the oil level not giving the protection needed. 

One question - did you research the car, Toyota Avensis vvti engine, look on this forum or check for known weakness, before buying the car? I do research on cars now, for friends and family, and for myself for future reference. I was aware of the oil burning issue with 1ZZ engine, when I owned my Mk1 with the faithful 7A-FE leanburn engine. I wanted to know what I was missing and it turns out, not a lot! Eight years back, I was reading this forum about the 1ZZ oil burning issue. One member I remember is Igor.

Anyway what I know about the oil burning issue, is not all 1ZZ engines suffered, and the engine was modified mid-2005. To be sure of not getting one of the problem engines, buy a facelift 2006 Avensis ( a little late now). People have asked in this forum about buying a car, and have been advised of what to avoid.

Kind Panda, I hope you bought the car very cheaply, because you will be buy lots of oil to top up. One solution is to get an engine from a written off Avensis (more expense).

You can try a different grade to see if it makes a difference. Some have claimed that using higher grade petrol has helped, but I don't see how. May be an engine flush. One thing I do know that the internal bore of the engine is difficult to re-bore due to the material it is made of. Toyota don't recommended it!

Never rely on perceived reputation of a car and find out any known issues before deciding. My Avensis has the electronic parking brake (very expensive to fix). I was aware of this and know how to avoid damaging the system - don't go into deep puddle if can helped.  

Using the tips on managing the oil burning (topping up, different grade, slightly over filling), you may be able to get a bit of use out of the car. You will not be the last to find out about the 1ZZ oil burning issue, after buying the car.

     

I did little research to be honest - I chose the car based on Toyota's past rep. Paid 1450GBP. Just wanted a hassle free work car - I don't buy expensive and new because my cars take a lot of abuse due to my job. As I say I will drive it until the oil bills get too expensive or the motor expires.. Lesson learned.  

[Ant-Rav]

Do what the previous owner did. Trade it in for something else.

[sproutdreamer]

My 03 1.8 was using oil (about 67K miles) and I read about use of top grade petrol for 3 tankfuls (which has more detergent than regular grade unleaded) heping to clean the carbon ring deposits  which can result in excessive oil consumption. I was very, very sceptical about this but having nothing to lose than about £20 higher fuel costs I resolved to give it a try. The outcome was amazing. My pattern of usage was stable (mix of motorway and urban driving) and the oil consumption reduced ( cannot remember the details now as this was a few years ago but could find old post if helpful) back to normal low consumption. I reverted back to ordinary grade petrol and very slowly the oil consumption increased but nowhere near where it started (i think over several months)  I then went back onto premium grade petrol and the oil usage dropped dramatically. Over another 6 months it slowly increased until I repeated the cycle with unleaded again. All this was over perhaps 18 months when I sold the car to buy a newer Avensis. Strange but true. It may be that some grades of premium petrol have higher levels of detergent than others?

 

[Kind Panda]

On 1/14/2017 at 0:04 PM, fordulike said:

When you say guzzling oil, could you give an example of how much you're putting in, with a mileage reference please.

Confirmed this afternoon it's burned a liter of oil in 670 miles. 

[Alan1234]

Many years ago fiat developed a oil to cut oil burning by 67% it was a lovely thick 20w60 . Even daihatsu got it wrong a few times they changed the hone pattern in the bore and that 3cyl engine burnt oil like crazy . We had to take the head off and rehone the bores and fit new rings . All manufactures suffer this issue on certain engines I wouldn't be put of buying a Toyota you were unlucky . Try an engine flush and select a cheap 15w40 oil and check your oil weekly or mileage wise . One last thing make sure the engine breather system is clear and clean this can cause crankcase pressuring making oil burning worse .

[Harry Carri]

Toyota Avensis VVTi oil consumption popped up in conversation recently which prompted me to look back at posts

Made me wonder how cars not treated to a short engine from Toyota that have been using oil are going on now?

Aside from adding oil and gradually caking up catalytic converters and oxygen sensors with burnt oil, are these cars still going?

Or, do they all burn oil now for a variety of reasons through old age and high mileage wear tear?

[Konrad C]

On 7/17/2018 at 5:31 PM, Harry Carri said:

Toyota Avensis VVTi oil consumption popped up in conversation recently which prompted me to look back at posts

Made me wonder how cars not treated to a short engine from Toyota that have been using oil are going on now?

Aside from adding oil and gradually caking up catalytic converters and oxygen sensors with burnt oil, are these cars still going?

Or, do they all burn oil now for a variety of reasons through old age and high mileage wear tear?

Good question. I guess that some of those cars may not used as much over the latter years. Then there is the perception regarding Toyota's reliability reputation. I think a majority of general public think that Toyota's are reliable and not aware of any issues, that those of use in the forum know about. Then there are the 1ZZ engines that actually never had oil burning issues!

I would like to think that there are very few original, oil burning engines are still around.