Heavy Corrosion on 2010 Auris

[Irvicol]

My Auris at just under 6 years old and under 52,000 miles has been reported at service as having serious deterioration.     The safety report states corrosion on rear coil springs, recommend monitoring check in 6 months.  Ball Joint n/s/f and o/s/f weeping, recommend monitoring check in 6 months.  Heavy corrosion on exhaust centre bracket joint.  

Heavy corrosion like this does not occur overnight, it must have been corroding away for a considerable time.  For the car to be corroding so badly in such a short time it is evident that either the metal used has inadequate corrosion resistance or is inadequately protected (perhaps both).  It surely was not designed to corrode so badly so quickly. Has any other Auris owner had this unacceptable problem?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hello Colin - welcome to Toyota Owners Club.

Post moved to the Auris club.

[yossarian247]

It sounds like the garage is being over zealous to put it mildly! It's pretty normal for any six year old car to have some corrosion on the coil springs and exhaust bracket. Neither necessarily indicate a problem. I get the impression that they are perhaps trying to scare you into having unnecessary work done. 

[Irvicol]

Hi yossarian

Some corrosion yes, But heavy corrosion (their words) requiring 6 month checks I wouldn't expect.  Common in British cars of 50 years ago but not what one expects from modern car, especially Toyota with established reputation for quality. 

irvicol

 

[yossarian247]

They are talking about the exhaust there. Exhausts begin slowly rusting the moment a car is driven out of the showroom. If the corrosion was that bad the exhaust would have needed replacing now, not possibly maybe in 6 months. I'd be annoyed with your garage not the car! 

[Jezclax]

Any pictures?

I'll get some of mine to compare.

Jez

[yossarian247]

Pictures would certainly help. 

Is this at a Toyota main dealer by the way? 

[Heidfirst]

Have you had the car since new? Do you know it's production date? I note that you are on Merseyside, are you near the sea?

[Madasafish]

17 hours ago, Irvicol said:

My Auris at just under 6 years old and under 52,000 miles has been reported at service as having serious deterioration.     The safety report states corrosion on rear coil springs, recommend monitoring check in 6 months.  Ball Joint n/s/f and o/s/f weeping, recommend monitoring check in 6 months.  Heavy corrosion on exhaust centre bracket joint.  

Heavy corrosion like this does not occur overnight, it must have been corroding away for a considerable time.  For the car to be corroding so badly in such a short time it is evident that either the metal used has inadequate corrosion resistance or is inadequately protected (perhaps both).  It surely was not designed to corrode so badly so quickly. Has any other Auris owner had this unacceptable problem?

Those who live near the sea suffer from salt corrosion especially if they never wash under the wheel arches. (Our Yaris bought in 2005 was from Southport.. The rear wheel arches were the first bit I washed).

[Irvicol]

Hi Yossarian, Headfirst and Madadafish,

Thanks for your interest.  No photos I'm afraid, I'm in no condition to access underside of car.  I bought it new in Dec 2015 but don't know the production date.  I have lived near the sea in New Brighton for two years but before that I lived further up the Wirral, further away from the sea.  Surely the corrosion can't have become "heavy" in just a couple of years.  If it can, then the corrosion resistance of the steel or its protection must be inadequate and a clear design fault. 

I am retired and don't venture out when roads are snowy or icy.  When I subsequently drive on roads that have been salted I always pay extra to have the underside hosed at my regular hand-car wash.  The bodywork appears to be OK, its the coil springs and exhaust centre bracket that are reported to be suffering.  

I bought the car from Johnsons Toyota Wirral who I believe is a main dealer and they have undertaken all the services.

irvicol

 

[Jezclax]

Pics of my rear offside spring and not a very good one of what i think of the middle exhaust bracket. (Apologies for the quality of the exhaust pic, i was taking it "blind" on the floor)

Jez

 

[Heidfirst]

11 hours ago, Irvicol said:

 I bought it new in Dec 2015

I take it that is a typo & it should be 2010? You never know, it could have been sitting in a compound for months before that.

[yossarian247]

Mine's 18 months older and has had a fairly hard life. I use it to commute in all weathers, on a mix of rural A, B and unclassified roads.

The coil spring has quite a lot of surface corrosion and it looks like the paint is flaking off in one area, probably where a stone has hit it. The exhaust is looking a bit worse for wear too, but nothing unusual for an almost 8 year old car.

 

I wonder if the Toyota garage would take pictures of yours for you to look at? They are usually fairly helpful and will apparently even video a service on request!

 

 

[Irvicol]

Hi Yossarian,

I will ask them to next time I am there.  Toyota UK must know, us being an island, that a goodly proportion of their cars will be owned by folk living near the sea.  

Surely, for the car to be "fit for intended use," they should use materials with corrosion resistance appropriate to the likely conditions expected by these owners, or give a specific warning that the cars may not be suitable for owners living near the sea.  I had two Corollas for 21 years before this Auris and had no problems at all.  

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

At the end of the day, we don't know exactly how 'heavy' the corrosion is. Exhausts and coil springs are wear and tear items, albeit with relatively long service lives, and are fairly easily replaceable. As far as we know none of this is structural. 

There also seems to be some confusion as to the age of your car - your profile states 2010, your first post says 'just under six years old (by my reckoning if it is a 2010, it is just under seven years old), and in a later post you say you "bought it new in 2015".

Given it is a six or seven year old car, and some corrosion will occur on some components, there is no evidence to say the car isn't fit for its intended purpose.

[Irvicol]

Hi Frostyballs,

I bought the car from new in Dec 2010.  The service report was in Nov 2015.  By my reckoning that is 5 years and 11 months.  A little under 6 years as I stated.  I apologise profusely for the typo when I put in 2015 instead of 2010.  I think most folk would recognise this as the typo it was.  So I hope that clears up the confusion.  

If the heavy (their words not mine) corrosion is not structural and only minor wear and tear (your words not mine) why is it in a safety report with a recommendation for 6 monthly checks.  I ran two Corollas for 21 years with no problems at all ( I was more than satisfied) but this Auris has had a succession of minor problems, and now this safety related heavy corrosion problem.  Not what one expects from Toyota with its established reputation for Quality. 

irvicol

 

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

The car is just over 6 years 3 months old.

My post didn't mention the word 'minor'. The fact that an exhaust or coil spring are showing heavy corrosion doesn't mean that these items are structural. 

2 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Exhausts and coil springs are wear and tear items, albeit with relatively long service lives, and are fairly easily replaceable.

If an exhaust fails, it doesn't mean the doors are going to drop off ....

The visual safety report is a standard part of any service that a Toyota dealer undertakes, and often is also carried out when the car has other work done. For example, when the front number plate on my 2012 Auris was starting to de-laminate, I had my Toyota dealer supply and fit replacements, and a visual safety report was provided then !

The purpose of the visual safety report is to highlight any issues that, in the opinion of the technician, may need addressing or monitoring - which is what the dealer has done. If the work required immediate rectification, that would have been brought to your attention. As they have suggested monitoring in six months, then that is what they recommend - you don't have to, it is your choice. 

Seems to be a need for some realism here. 

[yossarian247]

 

The answer here is perhaps to take the car back to the dealer and get them to put it up on ramps and show you exactly where this 'heavy corrosion' is?

[Irvicol]

Hi Fostyballs

I apologise for putting the word minor into your statement, but that does seem to the tenor of your responses.  I never suggested the door was falling off, indeed I stated that the bodywork appeared to be in good condition.

Toyota cannot have INTENDED the car to be suffering heavy corrosion within six years of UK driving and hence, by definition, my car has proved not fit for intended use. 

irvicol

 

[yossarian247]

Well, the part of the car they are saying is suffering from heavy corrosion is the exhaust. Whilst you may hope to get more than 7 years out an exhaust (and indeed my own Auris already has), I have known plenty of cars need parts of the exhaust replacing at younger ages than that. It is not easy to effectively rustproof a mild steel exhaust as many conventional rustproofing coatings would simply burn off due to the heat.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Then again presumably the car has been fit for intended use for the past six years and three months ...... so that argument isn't valid.

It seems that no matter what members say, you are not happy, so the best course of action would be to go back to the dealer, get them to show you the heavy corrosion, and get an opinion of what remedial work may be needed in the future. At least that should provide a realistic picture of where you stand.

 

[Irvicol]

Hi Frostyballs,

I must be slow because I've only just realised you are Management.  I now see that plainly stated below your logo.  As I say I must be slow.  Thank you for your advice re dealer.  I may follow it.

irvicol

[FROSTYBALLS]

The fact I may be 'Management' is neither here nor there. I'd still go back to the dealer and ask them to show you where the corrosion is, and get some advice on likely timelines and costs for repairs/replacements. If they aren't happy about having you in the workshop area, they can use a camera on a smartphone or tablet (most dealers have tablets) to photograph or video the areas, which they can then show you whilst you're safely in the waiting area.

That way you know where you stand, and you can probably budget for the work.

[Irvicol]

Hi Yossarian,

Thanks for your interest.  

Its not the exhaust system (boxes, tubes, etc) which is reported as suffering Heavy corrosion.  As you say, corrosion can be expected on exhaust systems, even today.  With mine it is the centre bracket suspending the exhaust system.  This has broken.  There was enough metal cross section left to enable it to be rewelded so it had not corroded completely through.  However the heavy corrosion may well have contributed, by reducing the available load carrying cross-section, to its failure to withstand the stress that broke it, bump, blow, stone strike, whatever caused the bracket to break.  Of course the stress may have been sufficient to break it without any corrosion, this can't be known.  But it can't have helped.

I still have concerns that a load-bearing component appears to have inadequate corrosion resistance. 

irvicol

[Irvicol]

Hi Frostyballs, 

Again thank you for your interest and advice that I may well follow. 

irvicol