Both Headlamp Beams Defective £626 to Fix

[MattBycroft]

64-reg Auris Touring Hybrid, had since 2017. Recent MOT (post 5 year warranty) passed but advisory on "both headlamp beam patterns slightly defective", told that it may fail next MOT and cost to replace is £626.14. Asked if I had been previously advised of this 'known issue with the Auris?' I had not, and even had car serviced a few months earlier, just prior to the 5 year warranty expiry and was not informed of this issue then. I asked why I was being informed of this just after the warranty expiry - no real answer, then told that Toyota may perform a recall on this known issue.

Has anyone had a similar issue with their headlamp beam patterns? Would be good to know, as my next step is to contact Toyota directly to sort out this potential costly fault.

First time on this forum, so sorry if this topic has been answered previously. Thanks for any help/advice.

[MattBycroft]

Update - actual MOT certificate states: Headlamp lens slightly defective Nearside and Offside [4.1.1 (b) (i)]

[FROSTYBALLS]

There was a recall for headlights which were made to an incorrect specification - this was for the pre-facelift second generation Auris. One can use Toyota's recall checker to establish whether yours was one of the affected vehicles.

https://www.toyota.co.uk/owners/vehicle-information/recall-checker

[MattBycroft]

Thanks Frostyballs for the quick reply.

Just checked the recall checker and nothing pending on my 64-reg Auris.  I'll check out the recall elsewhere (i.e Google!) as mine is a 2nd gen Auris (pre-facelift) I believe

[MattBycroft]

The vehicles concerned may have been equipped with a headlamp service part with incorrect specification. As a result, light distribution may be affected and there is a risk of the lights blinding drivers coming in the opposite direction.

The recall concerns vehicles which have been produced from October 2012 through May 2015.

My vehicle was first registered in Sept 2014 - so I'll follow up with Toyota

[MattBycroft]

Found a similar forum topic (Headlight Recall R/2016/169) which is slightly confusing. I'll follow up with Toyota I think.

Thanks for your help 

[Gerg]

It would be very useful if you post any updates you have on this issue. 

I have an Auris with the 'problem' headlights but never got to get the headlamps changed by Toyota as the car was bought just after the warranty expired, and the original owner didn't know that the headlamps could be changed if you explained there was a problem to your dealer. (This is assuming that the dealer actually went away to check for the Technical Service Bulletin that existed for this specific problem - some dealers were unaware of this until you showed the TSB reference number.)

My MOT test didn't pick the headlamp beams as being a problem, but the beam spread is like no other car I have driven.  We have another Auris that has had the headlamps replaced under warranty because we knew to ask - the beam spread is better although the headlamps are still very underwhelming.

 

[MattBycroft]

Hi Gerg,

I'll look into this with my local dealer and get back to you with any resolution/findings

Cheers, Matt

[eygo]

we had our 13 plate auris headlights changed due to the recall

you wont see any better light coverage distance wise with the new version

but at least you will have new headlights without it costing you anything.

[Kineticsteve]

Had an Auris come in Monday for an mot with poor beam pattern, 2013 I just put a new hir2 bulb in as the Element has Expanded ( the bulb was old ) 

beam image was perfect after. 
 

then talked them into putting led upgrades in which I fitted today funny enough 

[mrpj]

10 hours ago, Kineticsteve said:

then talked them into putting led upgrades in which I fitted today funny enough

Would that pass a MOT?

[eygo]

1 hour ago, mrpj said:

Would that pass a MOT?

i also thought that led / hid upgrades where not road legal as the headlight had only been tested using the std bulb

[Kineticsteve]

On 10/19/2019 at 10:47 AM, mrpj said:

Would that pass a MOT?

 

On 10/19/2019 at 12:13 PM, eygo said:

i also thought that led / hid upgrades where not road legal as the headlight had only been tested using the std bulb

Only if there led bulbs in a projection head lamp. As you won’t lose the beam image 
hid bulbs make the head lamp lens get hot and dirt gets baked on. So you need head lamp washers. 
led bulbs don’t give out any heat. 
 

[eygo]

the bulbs you used do they have heat sinks on the back of them to help cool the led driver,

what led bulbs did you use and have you had any feedback from the owner of the car

[Holiday786]

I would suggest you buy the Toyota 2 for 1 warranty via the Toyota website and if it fails then you don’t need to pay anything. Furthermore you get 2 free MOTs for the duration of the plan. We had the same issue and it was fixed for free. 

[MattBycroft]

Thanks Holiday786, I didn't realise you could extend the warranty, odd how the local dealership that has seen my car for 2 years now didn't mention it, especially with the issue with the beam. I'll look into it :)

[Holiday786]

On 10/25/2019 at 1:17 PM, MattBycroft said:

Thanks Holiday786, I didn't realise you could extend the warranty, odd how the local dealership that has seen my car for 2 years now didn't mention it, especially with the issue with the beam. I'll look into it 🙂

Hi do you have an update from Toyota about the solution?

[Sp41]

i do u have any updates from toyota about your headlights, let us know plz.as i got auris 14 plate with same problem with failMOT

[FROSTYBALLS]

The OP hasn't visited the club since their last post (25th October).

[Sp41]

Thanks frostyballs for your reply.

Any idea on the above issue, I checked Toyota recall checker and nothing .

[Gerg]

I did sent a message to the original poster some months back to see what happened next, but unfortunately I didn't get an answer.

Out of interest, I contacted the Toyota dealer that (I guessed) was involved in this.  They told me that the headlamps were replaced free-of-charge to the customer last year.  They didn't explain who had picked up the cost for that.

Some weeks later, I contacted my local Toyota servicing garage (same dealer chain as the original poster) and explained the situation and also what had happened to the OP, to see if there was any chance of getting the headlamps changed on our car.

(Background: I am not the original owner of our car - but it was supplied from new by that same dealer chain as the OP, and had a full service history - all from that chain (but this was not the same specific garage that the OP was dealing with)). 

The garage said that they understood the situation, and they would contact Toyota on my behalf.  Despite my further calls, I heard nothing back in the following weeks.

So, I went on to contact and explain the situation to customer services at Toyota GB, who logged a case with the above information, and said someone would be in touch.  Two weeks later I contacted them again and said no one had contacted me.  They said they would look into this.  Two weeks later, no one had contacted me so I rang Toyota GB again, they said someone would contact me - nothing happened.  Two weeks later, I contacted Toyota GB again, they said that they would try to progress this case, and someone would contact me.

A week or so later,I received an email from my Toyota service dealer, saying, yes, they could replace the headlamps, and that that would cost me £800-odd pounds.

Which is where I am now.

HTH

 

[Jason 2020]

Hi, I don't know much about cars but was your mot done at a main dealer?, if not, I'd be alittle concerned on weather the advisory was genuine, or maybe I'm just being paranoid. Iv had cars with an advisory that wasn't mentioned the next year it was moted and I didn't even sort the advisory out. If you have actually noticed the fault yourself then fair play lol 😀. Mind you, even if the advisory was not genuine he can't guarantee you will get the work done at his garage so he makes money, so Yeah I'm probably being paranoid lol, soz 😀.

 

[MattBycroft]

Update (July 2020) - MOT due in October so now time to take this up with the dealership.

So contacting Steven Eagell Toyota (St. Ives) today and will see what response I get before possibly escalating it to Toyota GB.

Will update once I hear.

btw there is a recall on my vehicle: Confirmation “We have identified that your Toyota is subject to a voluntary customer service campaign or outstanding safety recall.” This can be rectified at no cost. Not sure what this is related to headlight or not? but have asked dealership anyway.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Probably one of the recalls mentioned on the following - https://www.toyota.co.uk/owners/vehicle-information/recall-checker

[Gerg]

This is strange, in an effort to progress the same problem as yours on our own Auris, I took the liberty last year, of ringing your dealer to see what the outcome was for your car.

The (helpful) person I spoke to, on checking his service notes, was under the impression that your headlamps had been changed at that dealership!  So they got that wrong, then...

This headlamp fault (albeit in reversed LHD form) generates more interest on a French hybrid forum than it seems to on this one.  Even if out of warranty, if the car is bought from a dealer, posters are advised to make sure the headlamps get changed free-of-charge by the dealer.

The French Toyota technical bulletin shows this picture as an example of the fault, just to clarify what new headlamps offer:-

 

The triangle on the right hand side of the picture (of this left hand drive car - so reverse this for the UK) shows the area of improvement.