Yaris mk1 1.4 D4D advice needed

[Nick7]

Hello guys new member of the forum here. 

I'm interested in buying a Toyota 1.4 d4d mk1 Yaris as my next car. I want a black 5 dr mk1 ideally with T-Spirit trim. 

Basically I'm in need of some advice. I have found one which I like the look of :- 

Yaris T-Spirit mk1 2005 

86k miles 

4 previous owners (seller is the 4th owner)

5dr

MOT till next year,  March 2019 (there were no advisories on the MOT just done)

 

He had it on for £1600 but I offered him £1400 which he agreed to immediately which made me slightly suspicious. 

I haven't done a HPI check myself but I'm inclined to believe him but I will do a check myself to make sure if i decide to buy it.  He says the HPI is all clear since he bought it, And he sent me a pic of the paperwork from 2016 when he bought it and the HPI on that is showing all clear. 

I'm interested in but it seems to have some issues which the seller has told me about. 

1. The car engine management light is on. The seller has connected an OBD reader and the error code showing is P0380 Glow Plug/Heater Circuit "A". - he says he has a new glow plug but hasn't had time to put it in and says if the car doesn't sell this week he will fit it himself and fox the issue with the window and list it at a higher price. 
2. Driver side window, The window glass came off two weeks ago, need new glue on window clips, which he says is a small job. 

The main issue I'm concerned about is obviously the glow plug error. If I were to buy the car as is I would buy a set of 4 NGK glow plugs (£60) and replace them all at the same time however if the glow plugs havent been replaced before and are rusted/seized then there's a chance they could break in the cylinder head causing a major issue to remove them (been quoted around 400 if this is the issue as part of the engine will need to be removed to get the glow plug out etc?) also even if the glow plugs come out and I replace them easily I would still need to go to an auto spark to clear the daily and I'm led to believe it could still be a wiring issue causing the error which would be another issue entirely. 

I'm going to view the vehicle tomorrow and would like some advice as to :-

Whether it's worth £1400

Whether it's worth taking the risk on it with the glow plug issue

Whether the front window issue is a common fault and fixed easily

Best way to know if the engine/timing chain still has plenty of mileage left - signs to look out for when I start it etc ( my last car a vw polos timing chain went at 98k miles after I only got 1.5k miles out of it so I don't want this issue again)

Other common faults/issues with this model and a car this age. 

All advice appreciated and thanks. 

[Cyker]

The glowplug thing is a thorny one; My brother's going through the same problem atm with his as all his glowplugs have died and the system is only now throwing up errors! The problem is they all seem to have welded themselves into the engine so he's trying to psych himself up for a potentially large bill before he gets someone to replace them.

It's annoying as the car doesn't really need the glowplugs - The car has been starting just fine, even through the worst of the winter except on one particularly cold day where he had to crank it a bit longer than usual XD

Don't know about the window thing - Not a common problem with the Mk1 AFAIK, certainly the first time I've heard of it here!

Timing chain is tricky; No definitive way to check without opening up oily things. The easiest thing to do is listen to it while it's running from cold and make sure it's not too rattly. That said, the chain has been pretty reliable - I can't even remember the last time someone had a chain snap on here - The trick is regular oil changes. If the car has had regular annual oil changes with good quality oil then the chain is likely in good condition, so check the service history.

Other things to check are usual things like rusty exhausts, but also look on the Good and Bad section on the HonestJohn's website as that is a pretty good source of common things to look out for.


Good luck, and I hope it's a good one - My Mk1 D4D was easily the best car I've ever owned! Was sad to have to get rid of it :( (KHAAAAAAAN!)

[Nick7]

On 23/03/2018 at 9:25 PM, Cyker said:

The glowplug thing is a thorny one; My brother's going through the same problem atm with his as all his glowplugs have died and the system is only now throwing up errors! The problem is they all seem to have welded themselves into the engine so he's trying to psych himself up for a potentially large bill before he gets someone to replace them.

It's annoying as the car doesn't really need the glowplugs - The car has been starting just fine, even through the worst of the winter except on one particularly cold day where he had to crank it a bit longer than usual XD

Don't know about the window thing - Not a common problem with the Mk1 AFAIK, certainly the first time I've heard of it here!

Timing chain is tricky; No definitive way to check without opening up oily things. The easiest thing to do is listen to it while it's running from cold and make sure it's not too rattly. That said, the chain has been pretty reliable - I can't even remember the last time someone had a chain snap on here - The trick is regular oil changes. If the car has had regular annual oil changes with good quality oil then the chain is likely in good condition, so check the service history.

Other things to check are usual things like rusty exhausts, but also look on the Good and Bad section on the HonestJohn's website as that is a pretty good source of common things to look out for.


Good luck, and I hope it's a good one - My Mk1 D4D was easily the best car I've ever owned! Was sad to have to get rid of it :( (KHAAAAAAAN!)

Thanks mate for your quick reply. I read a lot of your posts regarding this car when deciding which car I wanted to go for next. Very detailed and most helpful.

Regarding the glow plug issue, I spoke to a supplier of NGK glow plugs for this model regarding these and he told me that he's never heard of an issue of glow plugs breaking etc. He said it's usually spark plugs which have this issue?

I'm not sure where the 4 glow plugs are actually located on this particular engine? but he stated m that it's usually quite easy to replace them once you get to them as they are all located next to each other and only require hand tightening and the a quarter turn on each one. 

In regards to the car do you think the number of owners/mileage of the car is a concern regarding longevity? And how much would you think the car is worth atm with the issues and would you take the risk on it?

Obviously, I don't want to buy a lemon  

[Cyker]

They're a little fiddly to get to as the Yaris Mk1 engine bay is quite tight (Not as bad as my new Mk2 tho', ****!) and you have to take off the intercooler and associated hoses to get to them, but not too bad.

If they're not seized then should be quite easy, but my brothers ones are well and truly stuck and apparently they're quite fragile and his mechanic was reluctant to put any more torque on them because he's worried the end will snap off and fall into the cylinder which would require the head to be removed to fish all the broken bits out!

(Currently we're wondering if we can just wire up a load of resistors to trick the ECU into thinking they're working so the CEL doesn't come on rather than risking breaking them!)

The Mk1 D4Ds, esp. 5-door T-Spirits, are quite rare but they are also very reliable if well looked after. However, it's still a very old car so stuff will be wearing out. In this case, I think I'd probably look elsewhere first, or at least drag my mechanic along to see what he thought - I basically know sod all about cars...!

Hopefully Madasafish will notice your thread and throw in some advice - He actually knows things!!

[Nick7]

30 minutes ago, Cyker said:

They're a little fiddly to get to as the Yaris Mk1 engine bay is quite tight (Not as bad as my new Mk2 tho', ****!) and you have to take off the intercooler and associated hoses to get to them, but not too bad.

If they're not seized then should be quite easy, but my brothers ones are well and truly stuck and apparently they're quite fragile and his mechanic was reluctant to put any more torque on them because he's worried the end will snap off and fall into the cylinder which would require the head to be removed to fish all the broken bits out!

(Currently we're wondering if we can just wire up a load of resistors to trick the ECU into thinking they're working so the CEL doesn't come on rather than risking breaking them!)

The Mk1 D4Ds, esp. 5-door T-Spirits, are quite rare but they are also very reliable if well looked after. However, it's still a very old car so stuff will be wearing out. In this case, I think I'd probably look elsewhere first, or at least drag my mechanic along to see what he thought - I basically know sod all about cars...!

Hopefully Madasafish will notice your thread and throw in some advice - He actually knows things!!

Ok thanks for your advice regarding the location of these glow plugs mate. Common sense would obviously dictate that I look around for another one of these without any issues however this car has some salient points which keep me interested atm:-

1. I definitely am looking for  a black colour one as I want to keep my next car for a good few years  

2. It is a T Spirit model which as you say are quite rare and include a sunroof which I would quite like. 

3. I would like a 5 door model. 

4. The mileage of 86k is not that high in regards the engine when taking into consideration the age of the car but of course this all depends on how it's been driven/maintained by the previous 4 owners. Will have a closer look tomorrow. 

5. It's a 55 plate so it's the last revision of the mk1 before the mk2s came out which means a lot of the initial niggles should have been ironed out by Toyota before this was assembled. 

These points mean, that on paper if if wasn't for the 2 issues highlighted it would be the car I'm looking for (dependent on the condition of the car/engine etc.) 

I think it may be difficult to find another better version of this car with all these points and have it be in better condition (i.e no faults/full Toyota service history/lower mileage.). 

I think in this situation, after a test run, assuming the car seems in good condition and the engine etc all sound good and it drives well, I will ask the seller to fix the issues before I buy it from him at £1400-£1500 if he thinks they are straightforward to resolve or he will have to offer me a significant discount (around £500) in order for me to take the risk on getting it repaired myself. 

And yes, it would be good to get madasafish's feedback regarding this as I've read a lot about this car on this forum and he definitely seems to know this car inside out and how to maintain it. 

[Cyker]

Yeah, that sounds like a good plan; Fix it or discount!

The mileage is definitely not a problem; I took mine past 100,000 before I let it go and it was running as good as the day I bought it! (Better, actually, since when I bought it the EGR and throttle-body were full of soot XD)

[mecheng46]

Briefly you won’t solve the glow plug issue by changing them because the problem is not the glow plugs. The only solution to the problem is for Toyota to re-program the ecu which it will cost around £120-150. I own an mk1 yaris d4d (170k miles) and i had this issue for the last few years and the engine feels like new, the root cause of the problem is in the ecu which need an update by Toyota to rectify this problem. Don’t waste money on glow plugs, relays etc, the problem will eventually come back. Because this is not causing safety, performance or operational issues to the car Toyota won’t do it for free.

Check the coolant level and make sure is ok. Mk1 d4d engines are prone to faulty head gaskets. I believe Toyota solved the head gasket problem after 2003 but it’s worth checking.

Take the car up to 70mph and make sure it don’t rattle/shake etc. 

[Ant-Rav]

Toyota made plenty of these we car's, why not shop around. I was never a fan of buying a car that needed to be worked on after purchasing it or the seller sorting it before u buy, i just would not buy it regardless of it's good points. The fault is prob the reason he is selling it. I like to hop in and drive and no worry,

[Cyker]

@mecheng46 - Oooh that's interesting info - Do you have any more details on that? If my brother's problem can be solved by reprogramming the ECU rather than potentially drilling out the glow plugs it would make him a very happy man!!

@Ant-Rav - Part of the problem is Toyota only made the diesel ones for about 3 years and nobody bought them because they were quite expensive, so they're rare as ubik, esp. 5-door T-Spirits! I find there's usually only a handful of them on e.g. Autotrader and they're either Cat C, have 150k+ miles or are in Scotland (There seems to be a lot of them in Scotland for some reason). They can actually cost more than a Mk2 D4D because they are so hard to find now! (But don't have all the problems of the Mk2 D4D...)

It's stark contrast to the Petrol Mk1 Yarisususiesisus, which you couldn't swing an annoyed cat without hitting one! XD

I personally would be more inclined to hang back and keep looking - The price is pretty good, but it's a private seller by the sound of things so it's sold-as-seen. If something else breaks you'll have to take it on the chin, so it is a bit of a gamble if the condition of the car is suspect.
If it is just the glowplugs and window and they can sort it before purchase, and it has a full history of regular servicing, is worth a punt I suppose...

[Nick7]

On 24/03/2018 at 6:40 AM, mecheng46 said:

Briefly you won’t solve the glow plug issue by changing them because the problem is not the glow plugs. The only solution to the problem is for Toyota to re-program the ecu which it will cost around £120-150. I own an mk1 yaris d4d (170k miles) and i had this issue for the last few years and the engine feels like new, the root cause of the problem is in the ecu which need an update by Toyota to rectify this problem. Don’t waste money on glow plugs, relays etc, the problem will eventually come back. Because this is not causing safety, performance or operational issues to the car Toyota won’t do it for free.

Check the coolant level and make sure is ok. Mk1 d4d engines are prone to faulty head gaskets. I believe Toyota solved the head gasket problem after 2003 but it’s worth checking.

Take the car up to 70mph and make sure it don’t rattle/shake etc. 

Ok thanks mate for that invaluable information. So are you saying that the glow plugs on this model never need to be changed? Would it be better for me just to take the car to Toyota and is £150 what Toyota currently charge to resolve this issue? Also if I asked Toyota to replace the glowplug at the same time as reprogramming the exo, how much do you think that would cost in total?

Im going to have a look at the car later but the issue is that it is in inner London so not sure how I will be able to run the engine to 70mph to test? Just wondered the reasoning behind getting it to 70? 

A browf check on the car shows it's been driven around 9k miles a year and there's only been 2 advisories in its mot history from new.

1. Offside front brake pipe slightly corroded (in 2011)

2. Offside rear stop lamp not working (in 2018)

Do you think it would be worth a punt at £1000-£1100?

[Nick7]

39 minutes ago, Cyker said:

@mecheng46 - Oooh that's interesting info - Do you have any more details on that? If my brother's problem can be solved by reprogramming the ECU rather than potentially drilling out the glow plugs it would make him a very happy man!!


@Ant-Rav - Part of the problem is Toyota only made the diesel ones for about 3 years and nobody bought them because they were quite expensive, so they're rare as ubik, esp. 5-door T-Spirits! I find there's usually only a handful of them on e.g. Autotrader and they're either Cat C, have 150k+ miles or are in Scotland (There seems to be a lot of them in Scotland for some reason). They can actually cost more than a Mk2 D4D because they are so hard to find now! (But don't have all the problems of the Mk2 D4D...)

It's stark contrast to the Petrol Mk1 Yarisususiesisus, which you couldn't swing an annoyed cat without hitting one! XD

I personally would be more inclined to hang back and keep looking - The price is pretty good, but it's a private seller by the sound of things so it's sold-as-seen. If something else breaks you'll have to take it on the chin, so it is a bit of a gamble if the condition of the car is suspect.
If it is just the glowplugs and window and they can sort it before purchase, and it has a full history of regular servicing, is worth a punt I suppose...

Yea I know mate I'm in two minds. It's just the colour that's swaying me and also that it appears to be a Japanese built model (JTD) which also makes it rarer still as I believe some of these were manufactured in France which I'm not interested in tbh. 

I'll go have a look at it later and ask the seller to plug in the obd reader just to verify the error code and have a look at the general condition of the car. Under the bonnet seems to be ok? Although I'm no expert. 

Ive attached some pics the seller sent me any feedback would be appreaciated.

 

 

[Nick7]

The car was in great condition but the front ds window was not working. He wouldn't go lower than £1300 so I had to walk away from it. I'm sure I'll regret it. 

[Cyker]

There will be others! (Well, I hope so - If they don't extend the London ULEZ I'm dumping the Mk2 VVTi and getting another Mk1 D4D!!!)

When I was looking for a 5-door I was looking for ages so if you're not in a rush I'd say bide your time and just keep looking on all the sites - Autotrader, aa, rac, car guru, parkers etc.

[Ant-Rav]

I think if it was as easily fixed as the seller says, why would he not fix the glow plug problem and even the window - though the window would not be a big problem to mend, just to leave it perfect for the new owner. Maybe the problem wud not be cured that easily.(Maybe if u fluttered a grand under his nose he might bite, Ha, just a thought) I think u made the correct decision though. Good luck in ur search.   (And have a good look underneath any potential purchase for rust, I know a girl who took her yaris of similar year for mot, and the examiner told her  it was unsafe to drive home due to serious corrosion, tho this may not be the case in most Yaris's)

[Nick7]

Felt like **** walking away and so I I ended up going back and taking it at 1300 including a full tank of diesel. That was as low as he was willing to go.

However, on the way back I was surprised at the noise of the car when I get over 40mph. As it was inner London I was only able to test drive it at around 20-30 mph.

At that speed it's fine. Mecheng did say look out for rattle at high speeds. There's no rattle just a high pitched whirring and slight vibration coming the the gas pedal. Between 0-30 the car is nice and quiet - normal sounding. I don't know if this a general thing with diesels at high speeds? 

The car was serviced regularly be the seller with the most recent service only a couple of weeks ago. All professionally done at £157 each time. The seller showed me the receipt and all previous receipts of his servicing since he's had it and I'm hoping now that the engine at least is in good nick. 

Was coming down the m40 and took it up to 93 mph for a while and could tell that was pushing its limits slightly. But it was accelerating fine. The main concern just the noise and slight vibration issue especially when slowing down from 70-80mph to around 50 mph whilst still in 5th gear. 

Im hoping this noise/vibration  issue is normal for this model and diesels in general. I've only had and driven petrol cars before and never had a car as loud as this at high speeds. 

 

As it's my first diesel I'm not sure? 

Hope it's not a sign that the engines on its way out?

Any advice appreciated guys. 

[Nick7]

Could the noise be down to faulty fuel injectors or timing chain issue?

[Cyker]

What noise?

For my experience, on regular diesel, the D4D is noisy and vibrationy as ubik if you take it past 3000rpm; If this is a thing you will do regularly, a) Check the oil more regularly as it will use some and b) Use Shell V-Power diesel, as it runs a lot smoother (I'd happily take it up to 4000rpm on V-Power but tried to avoid going above 3000rpm on normal because the engine vibrations start to get quite scary!)

To be fair, if you're sticking to the speed limit then 5th will take you to IIRC ~2600rpm at 70mph and still give good torque and pull, unlike petrol which you need to take to 4000rpm to get the damned thing to move!

I tended to drive at 63mph, and at that speed the engine is just spinning up the turbo so it's very efficient but will give near-instant torque for a quick and easy overtake. You can go from 63 to 70 in 2 seconds on a flat road!
(I tried this in New Yaris but 5th and 6th have no torque so I need to drop from 6th to 4th to pull a similar overtake; Doing it in 5th takes 5-7 seconds, seemingly dependent on what the VVTi decides it wants to do! It's a PITA because I'm not used to changing gears so much on the motorway - You never have to move out of 5th in the D4D, barring accidents! It is more efficient than my new one's 6th gear but has more torque than its 4th!)


The Mk1 does have pretty terrible noise shielding (Well, basically it has none) so on rougher roads like the sandy concrete slab parts of the M25 and with noisier tyres like the Dunlop Street Response 2 or Goodyear Efficient Grip Compact, the noise at speeds can be annoyingly high.

At motorway speeds the road noise will totally drown out the engine on all but the smoothest tarmac.

(When I switched to the above tyres, I started altering my route to take longer but smoother tarmac roads!)


Not sure what the vibration thing you mention when slowing down; Is it strong, like the whole car shaking or just something you're feeling through the engine or the pedals or maybe the steering wheel?

The Toyota diesels are probably the least refined of any manufacturer in terms of NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) so it may just be the natural vibration of the engine... Hard to say without clarification!
I kinda got used to it having driven one for so long, so I'm finding New Yaris' petrol engine freakishly smooth and quiet XD

[Madasafish]

Sorry for being late to the party..

Glow plugs. Just replaced ALL ours last year - failed after 14 years.They do corrode near the junction with the cylinder head and the threads do fill up with carbon and if NOT VERY careful, you may strip the threads in the head removing them.

WHat I did was: 1. clean around threads using pipe cleaner. Soaked for 24 hours using Plus Gas rusty thread Remover ( or use vinegar). (DO NOT USE WD40). Do not start engine as it will evaporate all liquid. SLOWLY rotate each glow plug until retighten one turn, add more Plus Gas, untighten,   and so forth. Trying to force the thread or speed up will strip the thread. I cleaned up dirt on the way with heavy duty blue towels..(ex Halfords) - very important when you remove plug eventually - you don't want dirt getting into engine.

Cover threads of new plugs with Copper ease and insert very slowly being careful not to cross thread.

Watch out for corrosion around rear twist beam and suspension, rusty springs (they WILL break  £35-£40 each ebay). Watch for rusty pipes from filler to fuel tank. Watch for suspension bushes front and rear bulging. 

Basically it's an OLD car: unless it has been sympathetically cared for, it is likely to be a money pit. (True of all old cars).

Worn timing chains rattle at idle on start up when cold..  so start car with bonnet open and listen.. Run away.. worn chains = neglected oil services.

No-one ignorant of things mechanical should buy a 14 year old car without expert help.. And even with help, if you cannot DIY cheaply things which will go wrong will cost you.  

Check heater blower motor works on all settings : if not .. new heater resistor  - a diy job and £10 used ebay  or £50 new plus labour.  And so on..

Exhausts rust round rear wheelarch - .

Cats fail eventually  .

Anti roll bar bushes fail and tiebar bushes fall apart.. 

ANY signs of mechanical neglect - run away..

They will rust round rear wheel arch area ..and check rear floorpan near suspension mountings.. 

If owner lives near the sea, the salt will destroy most of the black painted suspension and brake mounting parts UNLESS the car is regularly washed and waxed- underneath.

Ours - which we have owned since 2005- is near perfect underneath and the exhaust is original and everything works - because I diy and have learned how to fix the FEW  things which have gone wrong usually cheaply..

[Nick7]

On 25/03/2018 at 4:15 PM, Cyker said:

What noise?

For my experience, on regular diesel, the D4D is noisy and vibrationy as ubik if you take it past 3000rpm; If this is a thing you will do regularly, a) Check the oil more regularly as it will use some and b) Use Shell V-Power diesel, as it runs a lot smoother (I'd happily take it up to 4000rpm on V-Power but tried to avoid going above 3000rpm on normal because the engine vibrations start to get quite scary!)

To be fair, if you're sticking to the speed limit then 5th will take you to IIRC ~2600rpm at 70mph and still give good torque and pull, unlike petrol which you need to take to 4000rpm to get the damned thing to move!

I tended to drive at 63mph, and at that speed the engine is just spinning up the turbo so it's very efficient but will give near-instant torque for a quick and easy overtake. You can go from 63 to 70 in 2 seconds on a flat road!
(I tried this in New Yaris but 5th and 6th have no torque so I need to drop from 6th to 4th to pull a similar overtake; Doing it in 5th takes 5-7 seconds, seemingly dependent on what the VVTi decides it wants to do! It's a PITA because I'm not used to changing gears so much on the motorway - You never have to move out of 5th in the D4D, barring accidents! It is more efficient than my new one's 6th gear but has more torque than its 4th!)

The Mk1 does have pretty terrible noise shielding (Well, basically it has none) so on rougher roads like the sandy concrete slab parts of the M25 and with noisier tyres like the Dunlop Street Response 2 or Goodyear Efficient Grip Compact, the noise at speeds can be annoyingly high.

At motorway speeds the road noise will totally drown out the engine on all but the smoothest tarmac.

(When I switched to the above tyres, I started altering my route to take longer but smoother tarmac roads!)

Not sure what the vibration thing you mention when slowing down; Is it strong, like the whole car shaking or just something you're feeling through the engine or the pedals or maybe the steering wheel?

The Toyota diesels are probably the least refined of any manufacturer in terms of NVH (Noise, Vibration, Harshness) so it may just be the natural vibration of the engine... Hard to say without clarification!
I kinda got used to it having driven one for so long, so I'm finding New Yaris' petrol engine freakishly smooth and quiet XD

Hello guys thanks for your reply. Regarding the noise issue there definitely seems to be an issue. As soon as I take it into 4th gear after around 40mph there is a loud humming noise which is constant  whether im accelerating or not so much rattle, it sounds like an aeroplane. 

When I bought the car i didn't ask the seller to plug in the obd reader to confirm the error code and the engine light is in fact the glow plug issue now I'm thinking maybe there's more to the engine management light being on. 

After doing some more research I'm thinking it may be a faulty water pump issue or even a head gasket issue? Or maybe even fuel injectors?

The blue coolant light comes on when you first start the car but switches aff after around 5 mins which is apparently normal.

There is very slight rattle on idle but not really anything too loud and the car sounds ok below 30mph in 3rd gear the noise really cranks up after around 40mph. I don't think this amount of noise could be normal although I don't have another on of these models to confirm it.

I hope it's not an expensive engine issue but I don't want to continue driving the car if there is to avoid making it worse.

Any ideas?

[Nick7]

On 25/03/2018 at 5:10 PM, Madasafish said:

Sorry for being late to the party..

Glow plugs. Just replaced ALL ours last year - failed after 14 years.They do corrode near the junction with the cylinder head and the threads do fill up with carbon and if NOT VERY careful, you may strip the threads in the head removing them.

WHat I did was: 1. clean around threads using pipe cleaner. Soaked for 24 hours using Plus Gas rusty thread Remover ( or use vinegar). (DO NOT USE WD40). Do not start engine as it will evaporate all liquid. SLOWLY rotate each glow plug until retighten one turn, add more Plus Gas, untighten,   and so forth. Trying to force the thread or speed up will strip the thread. I cleaned up dirt on the way with heavy duty blue towels..(ex Halfords) - very important when you remove plug eventually - you don't want dirt getting into engine.

Cover threads of new plugs with Copper ease and insert very slowly being careful not to cross thread.

Watch out for corrosion around rear twist beam and suspension, rusty springs (they WILL break  £35-£40 each ebay). Watch for rusty pipes from filler to fuel tank. Watch for suspension bushes front and rear bulging. 

Basically it's an OLD car: unless it has been sympathetically cared for, it is likely to be a money pit. (True of all old cars).

Worn timing chains rattle at idle on start up when cold..  so start car with bonnet open and listen.. Run away.. worn chains = neglected oil services.

No-one ignorant of things mechanical should buy a 14 year old car without expert help.. And even with help, if you cannot DIY cheaply things which will go wrong will cost you.  

Check heater blower motor works on all settings : if not .. new heater resistor  - a diy job and £10 used ebay  or £50 new plus labour.  And so on..

Exhausts rust round rear wheelarch - .

Cats fail eventually  .

Anti roll bar bushes fail and tiebar bushes fall apart.. 

ANY signs of mechanical neglect - run away..

They will rust round rear wheel arch area ..and check rear floorpan near suspension mountings.. 

If owner lives near the sea, the salt will destroy most of the black painted suspension and brake mounting parts UNLESS the car is regularly washed and waxed- underneath.

Ours - which we have owned since 2005- is near perfect underneath and the exhaust is original and everything works - because I diy and have learned how to fix the FEW  things which have gone wrong usually cheaply..

Hello madasafish. Thanks for replying. I'd already bought the car by the time of your reply. However I would like to maintain the car the way you have as long as the engine is still in good condition at this point which I'm not sure about now tbh due to the loud constant humming noise when I go above 40mph in 4th gear as detailed above. And the engine management light is on showing error with glow plug heating circuit A. Not sure if the glow plugs need changing or whether as suggested above, it will require an ecu upgrade from Toyota. Any solutions would be appreciated.

Also, the car has a few other issues such as the front ds electric window doesn't work as the glue which holds the bottom of the glass into the clips underneath it has come loose? Not sure if this is an easy issue to resolve. The seller said he tried to fix it already and bought new plastic clips and installed them but used super glue to fix the bottom of the window to the clips but the glue has come loose. 

Also the button on the key to unlock the vehicle seems to be working intermittently need to press very hard on it to get it to unlock. The lock button seems to work ok though?

These are the main issues atm. The car has done 86k miles and seems to have been serviced regularly. The last service was on 08/03/18 and costed the seller £154 which i doubt he would have done if the engine was in its way out. The car was also serviced last year year by the same garage. Before the seller bought it the car was only driven a total of around 10k miles in 5 years - there is no service history for this period. And before that it has 6 service stamps from Toyota up to around 55k miles.

the car cost me £1300 with a full tank of fuel. I hope not to spend too much more on it to get it up to scratch if it's worth it. But the above issues need to be resolved for me to want to keep it and look after it. No point doing all this if the engine is already on its way out.

Any ideas?

[Cyker]

Is this humming high pitched or low pitched? Are we talking more like bees/mosquitos or air rushing past? I don't suppose you could record it? (Tricky since the road/air noise at that speed will probably mask it unless you've got some super wide dynamic range mics!)
Also, stick a tankful of V-Power diesel or some Redex in it and see if that quietens it down or makes it worse.
Could also be the gearbox oil needs changing.

Blue coolant light is normal and nothing to worry about - Diesels are *far* more thermally efficient than petrols so they take *ages* to warm up (In the middle of winter I could get half way to work before the blue light went out if I was driving super economically! With Petrol Yaris it was out by the time I got out off my road and entering the dual carriageway!).
Now, if you see the red coolant light, then it's time to start worrying! XD (The engine may be on fire at that point... XD)

Needing to press hard on the remote either means the button is damaged or it needs a new Battery. Most likely the Battery. Don't press it hard any more as you may break the button off the circuitboard! This totally didn't happen to me. Nope. Nosirree. ... (Okay it did.)
Could also be local interference if the problem only happens in certain places.

Don't know about the window; On my old one there was a bit of slip on one side as the window went up and down but I never bothered to fix it! Didn't know the window was glued on, I thought it was clamped somehow to the regulator somehow. If it is glue, superglue is the worst glue he could have used as it's far too brittle; Some 3M VHB doublesided tape or whatever the heck ungodly goop they use to bond windscreens on modern cars would be a lot better.

[Nick7]

53 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Is this humming high pitched or low pitched? Are we talking more like bees/mosquitos or air rushing past? I don't suppose you could record it? (Tricky since the road/air noise at that speed will probably mask it unless you've got some super wide dynamic range mics!)
Also, stick a tankful of V-Power diesel or some Redex in it and see if that quietens it down or makes it worse.
Could also be the gearbox oil needs changing.

Blue coolant light is normal and nothing to worry about - Diesels are *far* more thermally efficient than petrols so they take *ages* to warm up (In the middle of winter I could get half way to work before the blue light went out if I was driving super economically! With Petrol Yaris it was out by the time I got out off my road and entering the dual carriageway!).
Now, if you see the red coolant light, then it's time to start worrying! XD (The engine may be on fire at that point... XD)

Needing to press hard on the remote either means the button is damaged or it needs a new battery. Most likely the battery. Don't press it hard any more as you may break the button off the circuitboard! This totally didn't happen to me. Nope. Nosirree. ... (Okay it did.)
Could also be local interference if the problem only happens in certain places.

Don't know about the window; On my old one there was a bit of slip on one side as the window went up and down but I never bothered to fix it! Didn't know the window was glued on, I thought it was clamped somehow to the regulator somehow. If it is glue, superglue is the worst glue he could have used as it's far too brittle; Some 3M VHB doublesided tape or whatever the heck ungodly goop they use to bond windscreens on modern cars would be a lot better.

Hello mate just spoke to a mechanic I know and he seems to think the noise is due to a wheel bearing issue as the noise only really becomes an issue and higher speeds as this is apparently when the wheel bearings start to heat up causing the noise? Not sure if you have any experience with this? The noise is definitely not normal, there's no way anyone would have bought this model if that was normal noise. After around 25 mins it gets very annoying. It's like a loud humming/vibration noise but no knocking or rattling just a constant drone like the engine is having to work really hard or being pushed?

in regards the window, assuming the motor is still working - I haven't tried as if I try it the clips may come down without the glass and then the glass may fall in due to no clips under it keeping it in place, he said that epoxy resin is the correct glue required to keep the window glued into the clips although this is not a fix I could do myself I don't think. 

Hopefully it is a wheel bearing issue on one of the wheels as it would be a lot cheaper to fix around £25?

[Cyker]

Yeah, I suspect it'd be a bit fiddly as you'd need to take the door card and power window switches off to get at the window regulator, and that's between the metal outer door metal the metal inner door bars.
I had to take the passenger side one off on my first Mk1 for some reason I can't remember and had a little look.

This is a good video showing how to get at the window regulator (Although not how the glass is attached apparently)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql998DIxDPI

Just don't use a pen-knife to pry the doorcard away like he did!!! (I mean, c'mon, at least wrap something around it that won't scratch/cut the paint or doorcard!!)


And yeah, here's hoping the noise is just a wheel bearing!! Never had any wheel bearing issues with mine so couldn't say I'm afraid...

[Madasafish]

You need a special sealant to bond glass together. I repaired Yaris front window  after it stopped working .. see http://tinyurl.com/yad2fa8t

 

Hum over 40 mph.. sounds like a wheel bearing.

I'm getting too old to repair cars:-)

 

[Cyker]

You need some Minions! :D