Just bought an Avensis!

[Guest]

On 11/25/2022 at 3:20 PM, Cessna said:

So pleased to hear that your windscreen issue has been sorted. Sounds like a cowboy job first time around, so AXA and Autoglass had a responsibility to fix it.

I’m so glad that they stood by it and put it right. That’s totally defused me from the point of wanting to cancel my policy to being much more loyal to them. I had to go into a local branch and had someone there take personal ownership of the issue, but she did a phenomenal job. I’m planning to send some praise through for that too. Credit where credit is due and all that. 
 

the Avensis actually lowered my premium price for this year by about £70 too compared to the DS3

[patientbear]

On 11/14/2022 at 5:46 PM, SB1500 said:

Love that photo with the circle in the sand! I don't see too many Avensis in that colour about but they are stunning! 

As for the Android head unit, saw this on AliExpress complete with the 2015-18 Avensis fascia surround. It's tempting, especially as it looks like the UI incorporates the cars speed / engine data. On the other hand, I don't know if I'd want something 4G enabled that came from the CCP! haha 

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804494917074.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.5ea2cd094qpFt5&algo_pvid=e6624ff6-e94f-48c9-9cee-0230e414ecce&algo_exp_id=e6624ff6-e94f-48c9-9cee-0230e414ecce-3&pdp_ext_f={"sku_id"%3A"12000030081169114"}&pdp_npi=2%40dis!USD!215.98!114.47!!!!!%402101d8b516684475186221268e3c58!12000030081169114!sea&curPageLogUid=WqMuXpXTrIkB

 

I got the EGR recall done in February, but I watched a video the other night showing how to unblock the EGR which apparently is prone to clogging? I wonder if the recall solves that or not.  My car was getting mid 50s MPG when I bought it, but after the recall I'd be lucky to push 50 in the real world, even with feathering it. Even on a long journey I'm getting 50 or so.  I have the cheapest dirt tyres on it from the last company that owned it, I'm not sure if they could be the cause? 

I wonder if Toyota would investigate as a warranty issue... probably not? 

Is anyone else who owns the 2015-18 Avensis here planning to keep them until they're done? 

Thank you. The pictures do make the colors standout. But I too agree it looks better in this color.

The fuel efficiency isn't that great , neither is the performance. 

Thanks for the stereo link , will check it out.

Also looking to get a second car , will probably get the Toyota Camry.

I definitely plan to keep this car as long as possible. Toyota has released a new warrantly programme for older cars , Toyota Relax. Have you heard about it? link : https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/industry-news/toyota/relax-10-year-warranty/

 

[Guest]

I was thinking today, and I reckon the reason I'm getting bad MPG is the tyres. There are four 2018 produced budget 'Churchill RB009' tyres on my car. So if I drive foot down, roughly, I average around 40-42.  I've figured out that on anything but short journeys, I can drive so easily that it pretty much moves up the .1 , .2 digits. The most I've got so far is 44.8 / 45.2.   

Toyota says what.. 67 mpg. I'd expect high 50s on the Avensis really when driven leisurely... it must be possible? 

I've been itching to put four new Pilot Sport 5's on the Avensis, to see what it drives like and how it corners. It's surprisingly more agile when pushed than the DS3!  And yet, it's not known for anything special. It doesn't feel as agile as the Mercedes CLA, but it's never let me down cornering even when I've pushed it a bit too far (so far - touch wood lol).  That's on **** tyres though. 

If I were to put some Michelin Primacy 4's - the one with the A-rain, A-efficiency rating, I wonder what the impact would be? 

Current tyres are E-fuel , C-rain.... pitiful.   I know A-to-B-to-C maybe doesn't make a real world difference, but A-from-E?  Anyone got real world experience of that one? 

 

[TonyHSD]

15 hours ago, SB1500 said:

I was thinking today, and I reckon the reason I'm getting bad MPG is the tyres. There are four 2018 produced budget 'Churchill RB009' tyres on my car. So if I drive foot down, roughly, I average around 40-42.  I've figured out that on anything but short journeys, I can drive so easily that it pretty much moves up the .1 , .2 digits. The most I've got so far is 44.8 / 45.2.   

Toyota says what.. 67 mpg. I'd expect high 50s on the Avensis really when driven leisurely... it must be possible? 

I've been itching to put four new Pilot Sport 5's on the Avensis, to see what it drives like and how it corners. It's surprisingly more agile when pushed than the DS3!  And yet, it's not known for anything special. It doesn't feel as agile as the Mercedes CLA, but it's never let me down cornering even when I've pushed it a bit too far (so far - touch wood lol).  That's on **** tyres though. 

If I were to put some Michelin Primacy 4's - the one with the A-rain, A-efficiency rating, I wonder what the impact would be? 

Current tyres are E-fuel , C-rain.... pitiful.   I know A-to-B-to-C maybe doesn't make a real world difference, but A-from-E?  Anyone got real world experience of that one? 

 

Tyres does affect efficiency in real world but not as much (3-5mpg) at most. This is also a difference between summer and winter ( all season) tyres. The later ones does create more drag and kill the free roll ( inertia) of the car which is one of the most important factors for low fuel ( energy) consumption, immediately after the aerodynamics. Any car fitted with one of these tyres will have lower efficiency than cars fitted with standard touring summer tyres, which btw are the best for day to day use. Tyres like HP high performance and UHP ultra high performance are also not a efficiency friendly one, they are rough too, produce more road noise and more drag, higher rolling resistance. Michelin primacy or Goodyear efficient grip performance 2 are best in business and particularly the Goodyear’s, I can’t recommend them more. , really good one.🛞👌

[Guest]

Gearbox Oil Change, Winter Driving & Nearly One Year

Posted elsewhere about the gearbox oil change, called the local dealer today - which tbh, has really impressed me - Toyota is run really well, I wasn't a big fan of the same franchises other brands when they're open. 

So despite the app promising £49 for my car, the actual price of the oil itself is about £47 then including labour is about £136.  I think it would have been less but I suspect something with the 1WW / 2WW BMW engines is different than usual as the advisor had to go check with the mechanics. 

I booked it in just given that it's a once per 4-year thing and I was a bit concerned about the filling method, I know some people online showed a 'fill as you drain until it comes out clear' approach which is fine with the right kit and an unlimited supply of the oil, and easy access like a car lift that will lift it right up overhead and keep it level, but despite access to a relative's fairly good garage, I thought this time I'd pay Toyota. I know, head in shame and all that.. lol    He had mentioned two gaskets as well in the parts only quote.. I hadn't even pictured that. In my Fiat, it was just a screw out part to drain, and another screw out part to fill on up!  Did it on a kerb side, got the job done though...

But I trust that Toyota are doing the work. I've found the parts prices fair this year and even some specific queries I had about buying the parts for the heated seats to be retrofitted using the proper parts - they actually entertained that and got my the prices etc. So on this one I'm happy enough to leave it to them. They assured me today that anything they do involved Toyota parts and Toyota fluids etc, there is no running to the auto-factor. Sadly the now closed nearby Fiat dealer wasn't like that 6 years ago, they admitted that unless the customer requested the proper oil (and paid for it) they used local stuff. DS / Citroen nearby (different franchise) quoted a very low price but never said that it was aftermarket 'approved' parts, as opposed to the nearly double 'genuine' parts. 

So, as much as I want to believe so, I probably won't feel a slicker gear change, or any other noticeable benefits from having this done other than knowing that I'm keeping it in top shape according to the manual.  That's all the million mile Honda and Toyota owners in history said they did... sure they didn't own BMW engined Toyota or Honda shells... but we'll see, let this thread be an ongoing long term experiment for anyone still reading. 

Winter Driving with the Avensis

After being, quite unwell all Saturday night / early Sunday morning... today was the first day I felt well again, head and all... took a drive into town and started the car up on what it told me was -5˚c.  It must admit other than the new found joy of just being still / not being in pain that we experience after bouncing back,  it was glorious driving the Avensis through the pure white countryside into the cityside in pure comfort. It does quite well driven gently on the ice and snow - even with the Poundland tyres. When the time comes I'll take @TonyHSD's advice and go for the Primacy 4+ (A/A rated) models. 

There's something oddly satisfying about watching a diesel start in the ice as well. I turned the key, waited for the lights to go off on the cluster, turned off the climate, turned off auto lights and wipers and anything electrical, then started it. No problem! It's taken longer to start on summer days due to the dash cam.   It doesn't defrost as fast as the little Panda did back in the day, but I don't remember it being -5˚c then either.  I didn't like the flimsiness of the boot lid as it broke free from the icy rubber seals, but other than that it was very pleasant.  I'm one of those saddos that likes to watch the ice melt off the car - when the time is there to kill. 

 

Nearly One Year

Nearly one year on this forum, it's been great sharing updates. I'm pleasantly surprised nobody has complained at this thread constantly being refreshed to the top of the Avensis section. But I am learning a hell of a lot and seeing regulars and I want to thank you all for your time reading and replying this year. I hope for anyone like myself a year ago, looking to buy an Avensis 2015-2018 with the BMW engines, that this thread has a wealth of info. And things like the silly interior lights etc, when people go looking for Avensis specific, or maybe even just UK Toyota specific advice, they find this and can reach out to me if I can be of use. 

I wonder how different this year would have been had I got the 1.6 D4D Auris Business Edition, can't imagine how happy I'd have been to finally have heated seats... but that's one for the next car. And an automatic gearbox, but the way things are going I'll not need to put much thought into that one come new-car-time if the Avensis lives up to its Badge. 

 

 

[Cyker]

TBH I find the ratings labels on tyres practically worthless. My old Mk1 had tyres from A ratings to E ratings and it had no noticeable effect on the mpg - Averaged 64mpg on the A tyre as well as the E!

The sound one too, as it's the *external* sound, and I often find tyres with lower sound ratings are noisier inside the car!

Car's looking great and I enjoy reading your updates! Keep 'em coming!  

 

[Auris James]

Always enjoyed your updates. I have had heated seats on my Volvo's since 1998 on a Volvo 1986, 340. 1986 740. 1989,240 and currently 1996 940. Too be honest I hardly use them. The heater on the old rear wheel drive Volvo's are like a nuclear reactor and really heat well.

Auris in the near 3 years of ownership used around 4 times. I expect as Sweden is a cold country seat heating was a standard thing and Volvo decided UK spec the same.

James.

[TonyHSD]

Good job done ✅, and nice and frosted pictures ❄️ 
Next car if Toyota, hybrid should be. And for now don’t worry about been a beemer powered car, these aren’t too bad, it’s more how they been used and maintained more than anything else. You look after yours per the book so should last you as long as the other Toyotas does. 👌👍

[davidif]

I'm enjoying the updates. Keep them coming!

 

 

[Guest]

So, bit of a new plan for the LED ambient lights that are making a whine, I posted over on that thread with full details. It probably won't be much use to anyone until someone has the idea to fit it to their Toyota. 

Whilst troubleshooting that, the Dashcam I presume, caused the Battery to run flat. I had to jump start the car from a 12V Battery that was sitting around the garage. 

Toyota can't seem to give me any guidance, nor will Nextbase on the correct fuse to use for my Avensis. I'm no expert, but I can't imagine it's something they can't find the answer to..... You know, especially with them having co-developed and actively supplying and fitting a Nextbase camera specifically for Toyota and Lexus models at dealerships... it's like... they'd have it on their system somewhere which fuse might be useful... but nope. No guidance. 

I'm thinking of using the 12V included power cable that comes with the camera, having it permanently plugged into the 12V socket (which I never use for anything else anyway) and routed through a drilled hole under the centre console box, under the chair / carpet and sill, up through the fuse box / dash and A-Pillar round and neatly out of the way, similar to how it looks now...   

This would stop the issues of me using a fuse that is 24/7 live, or only live during the ignition, but that cuts off during the start/stop system reboot at traffic lights, leaving me with a shut-down camera whilst driving.  I presume that the cigarette lighter 12V socket won't do this?  Rather, the system has some kind of intelligent or intended reason for doing that based on whatever the empty slot (or system) from the fuse box is intended for by design. 

Any obvious drawbacks to this? I'd probably lose parking mode but given that it never seems to catch anything useful anyway, might not be such a loss. 

The Nextbase hardwire kit is supposed to monitor for something like a dropped 12v signal, then cut off, but in my experience that it total horse sh**. And until anyone from Nextbase could give some guidance as to... which fuse might be useful to piggy back off of that can guarantee that this little cut-off works, I don't buy it! 

Hopefully that will make the dead Battery a thing of the past on such a modern car. I think how I have it wired in using the fuse piggyback kit must be the problem, I just can't figure it out personally. The car seems intelligent enough to know when the battery is a bit low for start-stop, but that is bypassing something and continue to sip power when it wants and the car is unable to cut it off.  At least the car is programmed to handle accessories via the 12V port. 

If any of you use a Dashcam to your 12V port, permanently plugged in, can you confirm if the start/stop behaviour I mentioned happens? Or if it delivers power for a few minutes after the car is switched off and locked? Very interested to know before I spend the time routing the cable

 

Not much else exciting other than planning these changes to save the battery. I took the car to a shopping centre valet place this weekend as it was freezing to wash the car (and after getting sick last weekend I didn't want to wash it in the cold in case it was making me more susceptible to getting sick again!). So I paid £10. This place uses Autosmart products apparently. It was quite a nice clean compared to how filthy with salt and grime the car was. I ran out of wheel cleaner a month ago too so the allows were particularly bad. They got them perfect! 

[2009joe]

46 minutes ago, SB1500 said:

So, bit of a new plan for the LED ambient lights that are making a whine, I posted over on that thread with full details. It probably won't be much use to anyone until someone has the idea to fit it to their Toyota. 

Whilst troubleshooting that, the dashcam I presume, caused the battery to run flat. I had to jump start the car from a 12V battery that was sitting around the garage. 

Toyota can't seem to give me any guidance, nor will Nextbase on the correct fuse to use for my Avensis. I'm no expert, but I can't imagine it's something they can't find the answer to..... You know, especially with them having co-developed and actively supplying and fitting a Nextbase camera specifically for Toyota and Lexus models at dealerships... it's like... they'd have it on their system somewhere which fuse might be useful... but nope. No guidance. 

I'm thinking of using the 12V included power cable that comes with the camera, having it permanently plugged into the 12V socket (which I never use for anything else anyway) and routed through a drilled hole under the centre console box, under the chair / carpet and sill, up through the fuse box / dash and A-Pillar round and neatly out of the way, similar to how it looks now...   

This would stop the issues of me using a fuse that is 24/7 live, or only live during the ignition, but that cuts off during the start/stop system reboot at traffic lights, leaving me with a shut-down camera whilst driving.  I presume that the cigarette lighter 12V socket won't do this?  Rather, the system has some kind of intelligent or intended reason for doing that based on whatever the empty slot (or system) from the fuse box is intended for by design. 

Any obvious drawbacks to this? I'd probably lose parking mode but given that it never seems to catch anything useful anyway, might not be such a loss. 

The Nextbase hardwire kit is supposed to monitor for something like a dropped 12v signal, then cut off, but in my experience that it total horse sh**. And until anyone from Nextbase could give some guidance as to... which fuse might be useful to piggy back off of that can guarantee that this little cut-off works, I don't buy it! 

Hopefully that will make the dead battery a thing of the past on such a modern car. I think how I have it wired in using the fuse piggyback kit must be the problem, I just can't figure it out personally. The car seems intelligent enough to know when the battery is a bit low for start-stop, but that is bypassing something and continue to sip power when it wants and the car is unable to cut it off.  At least the car is programmed to handle accessories via the 12V port. 

If any of you use a dashcam to your 12V port, permanently plugged in, can you confirm if the start/stop behaviour I mentioned happens? Or if it delivers power for a few minutes after the car is switched off and locked? Very interested to know before I spend the time routing the cable

 

Not much else exciting other than planning these changes to save the battery. I took the car to a shopping centre valet place this weekend as it was freezing to wash the car (and after getting sick last weekend I didn't want to wash it in the cold in case it was making me more susceptible to getting sick again!). So I paid £10. This place uses Autosmart products apparently. It was quite a nice clean compared to how filthy with salt and grime the car was. I ran out of wheel cleaner a month ago too so the allows were particularly bad. They got them perfect! 

that the foylside shopping center that dose that i see it there never got my car done yet with them. my car just went threw another years mot there today  and thats with my mods that doi did myself like using techstream and stopping that annoying seal belt chime the seat belt light still flashes on the dash so i thought that was good enough. the other thing i did away with by putting in a jumper wire was do away with that annoying push clutch in to stgart . it was to cold to bother rewiring it back so thought il just let it go threw and i didnt bother spending the 20 quid mot wash as i just went to the car hose self car wash put 2 quid into the machine and blasted the hose in around each wheel and under he car as much as i can and whatever time left i blasted the hose over the car washing it . well it passed so great job 

[Guest]

Update for January 2023... One year into ownership now. And I've already spent over £1,000 on the car.... oops. 

The old tyres were cracking up pretty badly so I bit the bullet and ordered four new Michelin Primacy 4 S1's - feels very nice and smooth, though not too drastically different. MPG is a tad better but still, an overtake or take off in a hurry can put it right back down... Hopefully these last a few years and that cost won't have been too bad. £660 including fitting. 

I needed a new Battery because mine died in the snow mornings, even with a solid drive / charge after being jump started, the next morning it'd be flat again. I blame the Dashcam personally so re-wired it so that it can only be on when the engine is running to be safe. The new Varta Battery is an AGM which is allegedly better, not sure if my chinese interior lights qualify as being a big drain, but it should cope with that and the Dashcam which are on when the car is running, and bound to have some kind of load over normal. May it last at least 5 years...or forever....please?!  £255 from EuroCarParts for that one. 

From fitting those lights last summer, I scratched the hell out of the passenger door plastic handle (the one used for pulling it shut) so I ordered a replacement from Toyota, £24 for that. I also spotted on a video online that the boot floor is supposed to have a little plastic lever, mine is broken off and annoyingly, dirt always builds up in it. That was £16 so I told them to add that too... There's £40 / £50 including the VAT. 

While I was at Toyota, I bought the special oil for the 1WW BMW diesel engine, 6L and genuine oil filter, as well as the engine air filter. These won't need done until March, the car hasn't done that many miles since Oct/Nov when I last changed the oil. I changed the cabin filter then - thinking it was clogged and not a real part as I thought, though it turned out to be Autoglass's fine craftsmanship.... as the steaming stopped when I had the Pilkington glass fitted. But that won't need done until the Autumn service at the end of the year. I'm sold on using that 1WW oil for the life of this car and engine, I'm sure not many people here outside of the warranty / dealer service period are, it'll be interesting to see if it makes a difference long term... if they've put any kind of special additive in it that keeps parts from drying up or wearing out that caused hell a decade ago in various low end BMWs and Mini's.... Toyota, the Japanese firm wouldn't overlook that, I'm sure, but Toyota Europe, subject to all sorts of legislation by the EU and the pressure at the time from the diesel scandal, might just have been happy to choose a quick fix, let our cars all die at 6-7 years old, and give us one damn good reason to sell em' for a Hybrid and say 'good riddance' for diesel.. but I'm getting a bit conspiracy theory there!!!

The only other issue now is the rear passenger door check strap / latch is creaking. Upon close inspection, there is a brown sludge on it, and the actual 'ankle?' of the hinge bit that bends, has a permanent and fresh metal indent where it's been rubbing against something to its detriment... I don't think oiling it will restore that, nor do I think I can personally readjust it well enough to not make the door look wonky... the paint job on that side is now bad enough and faded. I might go back to the body shop and ask them to cover the cost of replacing it, though judging by the attitude the Dashcam picked up when I took it down to get the door straightened, could be about to burn some bridges in doing so (not intentionally, but they seem to think a customer expecting it done right is the pr***).  Do you folks think that's a reasonable request? The repair was done in August 2022 but then again it's taken that long for this tiny bit of malalignment to result in the noise , resistance and wear.  Toyota quoted £125 for that... so that'll be a March expense. Other than its own self destruction and an awful noise when opening the door, it probably won't do any more harm for another two months.  

I'm aware most of this is all stuff I could have gone for a cheaper option on, or just left until it was 'required' a bit more, but I do like investing in the car and though I said it a month ago, I probably well and truly am exhausting the list of things I could do to the car now, and all of this will hopefully pay off well over the coming years. I think £150 per oil change / £200 service for Toyota parts is fair, I'll probably keep doing it twice a year to keep the engine happy... that's better for the planet than commissioning a new car be built right? Especially those dirty EVs that scrape the planet of it's rare materials and ramp up our dependence on dirty fossil fuel burning power plants 😉 lol 

[TonyHSD]

Not bad only a £1000 where the new tyres and Battery almond make the mark. 👍
Without counting on new tyres I did last October because I hadn’t bought any in the last two years I only spent £125 for a new wheel bearing and £100 windscreen replacement through the insurance.
3 x service at home which will be £150 at most and £60 chain tensioner plus £65 gasket set for egr cleaning work which I haven’t done of yet. 
Mot £30 , no road tax as it’s still £0. Total mileage traveled 34000 miles. Average mpg 55-58. I don’t think I can get any better with any other car. 

[2009joe]

5 hours ago, SB1500 said:

Update for January 2023... One year into ownership now. And I've already spent over £1,000 on the car.... oops. 

The old tyres were cracking up pretty badly so I bit the bullet and ordered four new Michelin Primacy 4 S1's - feels very nice and smooth, though not too drastically different. MPG is a tad better but still, an overtake or take off in a hurry can put it right back down... Hopefully these last a few years and that cost won't have been too bad. £660 including fitting. 

I needed a new battery because mine died in the snow mornings, even with a solid drive / charge after being jump started, the next morning it'd be flat again. I blame the dashcam personally so re-wired it so that it can only be on when the engine is running to be safe. The new Varta battery is an AGM which is allegedly better, not sure if my chinese interior lights qualify as being a big drain, but it should cope with that and the dashcam which are on when the car is running, and bound to have some kind of load over normal. May it last at least 5 years...or forever....please?!  £255 from EuroCarParts for that one. 

From fitting those lights last summer, I scratched the hell out of the passenger door plastic handle (the one used for pulling it shut) so I ordered a replacement from Toyota, £24 for that. I also spotted on a video online that the boot floor is supposed to have a little plastic lever, mine is broken off and annoyingly, dirt always builds up in it. That was £16 so I told them to add that too... There's £40 / £50 including the VAT. 

While I was at Toyota, I bought the special oil for the 1WW BMW diesel engine, 6L and genuine oil filter, as well as the engine air filter. These won't need done until March, the car hasn't done that many miles since Oct/Nov when I last changed the oil. I changed the cabin filter then - thinking it was clogged and not a real part as I thought, though it turned out to be Autoglass's fine craftsmanship.... as the steaming stopped when I had the Pilkington glass fitted. But that won't need done until the Autumn service at the end of the year. I'm sold on using that 1WW oil for the life of this car and engine, I'm sure not many people here outside of the warranty / dealer service period are, it'll be interesting to see if it makes a difference long term... if they've put any kind of special additive in it that keeps parts from drying up or wearing out that caused hell a decade ago in various low end BMWs and Mini's.... Toyota, the Japanese firm wouldn't overlook that, I'm sure, but Toyota Europe, subject to all sorts of legislation by the EU and the pressure at the time from the diesel scandal, might just have been happy to choose a quick fix, let our cars all die at 6-7 years old, and give us one damn good reason to sell em' for a Hybrid and say 'good riddance' for diesel.. but I'm getting a bit conspiracy theory there!!!

The only other issue now is the rear passenger door check strap / latch is creaking. Upon close inspection, there is a brown sludge on it, and the actual 'ankle?' of the hinge bit that bends, has a permanent and fresh metal indent where it's been rubbing against something to its detriment... I don't think oiling it will restore that, nor do I think I can personally readjust it well enough to not make the door look wonky... the paint job on that side is now bad enough and faded. I might go back to the body shop and ask them to cover the cost of replacing it, though judging by the attitude the dashcam picked up when I took it down to get the door straightened, could be about to burn some bridges in doing so (not intentionally, but they seem to think a customer expecting it done right is the pr***).  Do you folks think that's a reasonable request? The repair was done in August 2022 but then again it's taken that long for this tiny bit of malalignment to result in the noise , resistance and wear.  Toyota quoted £125 for that... so that'll be a March expense. Other than its own self destruction and an awful noise when opening the door, it probably won't do any more harm for another two months.  

I'm aware most of this is all stuff I could have gone for a cheaper option on, or just left until it was 'required' a bit more, but I do like investing in the car and though I said it a month ago, I probably well and truly am exhausting the list of things I could do to the car now, and all of this will hopefully pay off well over the coming years. I think £150 per oil change / £200 service for Toyota parts is fair, I'll probably keep doing it twice a year to keep the engine happy... that's better for the planet than commissioning a new car be built right? Especially those dirty EVs that scrape the planet of it's rare materials and ramp up our dependence on dirty fossil fuel burning power plants 😉 lol 

hi shane that not bad considering new Battery and tyres plus genuine oil change etc. i have mine 2 years now im guessing and well i have did nothing that much only i like yourself have to but the drivers door car door handle cover piece of trim as who ever had my car last had rings on and scratched the hell out of the silver was more anoying than anything. plus i bought those new Speakers for my  speaker and class d amp upgrade . plus when i bought my car i put on the most expensive Mitchell tyres on my car the front ones . well the back tyres are still good so i have no changed them at all but i dont travvel far tbh 

[RussG]

Just bought a 2004 Avensis (Mk2?) with 135K on the clock... delighted to finally own a Toyota!   

[Guest]

 

 

Here are some assorted pics from various stages of washing the Avensis today. Pressure washer (new to my routine of regular washing).  Rinse, Snow Foam it then rub it in with a Meguiar’s lambs wool mitt. Rinse off again.  Then use some Turtle Wax (TW) redline wheel cleaner - not so cheap it’s useless, but not so expensive you’re scared to use enough!  Then a wheel brush to make sure it gets the dirt off properly. Cleanest the wheels have been in a while.

 

I used some of that TW ‘Wax it wet’ stuff too, I think it’s good stuff tbh. Nearly too easy. I think it gives it a noticeable shine top up as well. For anyone who has used ‘professional grade’ stuff (you know, the kind that has to cure overnight in a garage at a set temperature kind of stuff detailers use) - does it really deliver much more of a noticeable lasting shine to this for this kind of car / paint quality? I’d love to give it a go when the longer evenings come and warmer weather to see. But then the other part of me, seeing all the wear and tear on the bumper, the back door not matching etc, thinks that it might be a waste to strive for perfection when it’s literally impossible on this car given it’s few years of experience in the real world!

 

I’ve focussed a few photos around the back right door where it was repaired too… it really REALLY (really) annoys me how it doesn’t match. I think it’s really noticeable, I think other car people would see it very easily as well…  Yet, I can’t seem to find anywhere that can fix it. Any suggestions there?  I also took it back to the bodyshop who fixed it this week as the check strap latch has been making a grinding noise with some resistance and noticeable wear… They just greased it and claim to have readjusted it, but the door now has a MASSIVE GAP between the front and rear doors…. Is it noticeable from my pictures? I can get my little finger right in on the driver side which was repaired, but not quite on the other side when I try.  Am I being petty, or a hassling customer to want that put right? Already heard back some of the crap they were talking about me on the dash cam the time I took it back to have the door re-adjusted… But it was £600 out of my pocket and whilst they did a flawless job pushing the metal back into place in a complicated shaped zone, the back door is legitimately a shade darker.  Apparently the whole side will need resprayed, but I’ve read on BMW / Audi / Marc forums where people had the same issue, that it took 2-3 attempts before it was done right.  Am I going to be disappointed to expect they might do that? The work was done in August to be honest.  I also tried to get the price / replace the check strap myself, expecting it to be a <£50 part… £120 something from Toyota and not listed online anywhere cheaper….

 

That door alignment and paint really does put me off the car, sad as it sounds. I’ve gotten some prices for the car to be wrapped - but I’d not do that until next year if I ever do it at all. Some people are saying it’s not worth it for this car, but if I were to keep it until the wheels fall off (sorry bz4x owners!!!) then potentially not a waste. Already put a big sum into the car as that’s exactly what I intend to do, and for that reason I think my pride in it is quite essential really. It’s phenomenally comfortable and safe if nothing else compared to my other cars, and that alone can override the slow speed and poor MPG I get to be honest.

 

What do you think of the paint on the back door and what do you recommend I do?

[TonyHSD]

46 minutes ago, SB1500 said:

 

 

Here are some assorted pics from various stages of washing the Avensis today. Pressure washer (new to my routine of regular washing).  Rinse, snow foam it then rub it in with a Meguiar’s lambs wool mitt. Rinse off again.  Then use some Turtle Wax (TW) redline wheel cleaner - not so cheap it’s useless, but not so expensive you’re scared to use enough!  Then a wheel brush to make sure it gets the dirt off properly. Cleanest the wheels have been in a while.

 

I used some of that TW ‘Wax it wet’ stuff too, I think it’s good stuff tbh. Nearly too easy. I think it gives it a noticeable shine top up as well. For anyone who has used ‘professional grade’ stuff (you know, the kind that has to cure overnight in a garage at a set temperature kind of stuff detailers use) - does it really deliver much more of a noticeable lasting shine to this for this kind of car / paint quality? I’d love to give it a go when the longer evenings come and warmer weather to see. But then the other part of me, seeing all the wear and tear on the bumper, the back door not matching etc, thinks that it might be a waste to strive for perfection when it’s literally impossible on this car given it’s few years of experience in the real world!

 

I’ve focussed a few photos around the back right door where it was repaired too… it really REALLY (really) annoys me how it doesn’t match. I think it’s really noticeable, I think other car people would see it very easily as well…  Yet, I can’t seem to find anywhere that can fix it. Any suggestions there?  I also took it back to the bodyshop who fixed it this week as the check strap latch has been making a grinding noise with some resistance and noticeable wear… They just greased it and claim to have readjusted it, but the door now has a MASSIVE GAP between the front and rear doors…. Is it noticeable from my pictures? I can get my little finger right in on the driver side which was repaired, but not quite on the other side when I try.  Am I being petty, or a hassling customer to want that put right? Already heard back some of the crap they were talking about me on the dash cam the time I took it back to have the door re-adjusted… But it was £600 out of my pocket and whilst they did a flawless job pushing the metal back into place in a complicated shaped zone, the back door is legitimately a shade darker.  Apparently the whole side will need resprayed, but I’ve read on BMW / Audi / Marc forums where people had the same issue, that it took 2-3 attempts before it was done right.  Am I going to be disappointed to expect they might do that? The work was done in August to be honest.  I also tried to get the price / replace the check strap myself, expecting it to be a <£50 part… £120 something from Toyota and not listed online anywhere cheaper….

 

That door alignment and paint really does put me off the car, sad as it sounds. I’ve gotten some prices for the car to be wrapped - but I’d not do that until next year if I ever do it at all. Some people are saying it’s not worth it for this car, but if I were to keep it until the wheels fall off (sorry bz4x owners!!!) then potentially not a waste. Already put a big sum into the car as that’s exactly what I intend to do, and for that reason I think my pride in it is quite essential really. It’s phenomenally comfortable and safe if nothing else compared to my other cars, and that alone can override the slow speed and poor MPG I get to be honest.

 

What do you think of the paint on the back door and what do you recommend I do?

Hi, the gap on the right doors is more than usual, are you getting any extra wind noise? The rear doors both look off from the rest of the car, are they both been re done or it’s perhaps just how it is ? Silver colour is one of the most difficult to match and I have seen a lot of silver cars with different shade panels. I am not sure if it’s worth it looking into these things and trying to fix them. The door gaps yes but the paint, maybe just leave it like that and focus on enjoying driving and going to places., washing and polishing etc, that’s a real pleasure 👌👍 Good job done ✅ 

[2009joe]

2 hours ago, SB1500 said:

 

 

Here are some assorted pics from various stages of washing the Avensis today. Pressure washer (new to my routine of regular washing).  Rinse, snow foam it then rub it in with a Meguiar’s lambs wool mitt. Rinse off again.  Then use some Turtle Wax (TW) redline wheel cleaner - not so cheap it’s useless, but not so expensive you’re scared to use enough!  Then a wheel brush to make sure it gets the dirt off properly. Cleanest the wheels have been in a while.

 

I used some of that TW ‘Wax it wet’ stuff too, I think it’s good stuff tbh. Nearly too easy. I think it gives it a noticeable shine top up as well. For anyone who has used ‘professional grade’ stuff (you know, the kind that has to cure overnight in a garage at a set temperature kind of stuff detailers use) - does it really deliver much more of a noticeable lasting shine to this for this kind of car / paint quality? I’d love to give it a go when the longer evenings come and warmer weather to see. But then the other part of me, seeing all the wear and tear on the bumper, the back door not matching etc, thinks that it might be a waste to strive for perfection when it’s literally impossible on this car given it’s few years of experience in the real world!

 

I’ve focussed a few photos around the back right door where it was repaired too… it really REALLY (really) annoys me how it doesn’t match. I think it’s really noticeable, I think other car people would see it very easily as well…  Yet, I can’t seem to find anywhere that can fix it. Any suggestions there?  I also took it back to the bodyshop who fixed it this week as the check strap latch has been making a grinding noise with some resistance and noticeable wear… They just greased it and claim to have readjusted it, but the door now has a MASSIVE GAP between the front and rear doors…. Is it noticeable from my pictures? I can get my little finger right in on the driver side which was repaired, but not quite on the other side when I try.  Am I being petty, or a hassling customer to want that put right? Already heard back some of the crap they were talking about me on the dash cam the time I took it back to have the door re-adjusted… But it was £600 out of my pocket and whilst they did a flawless job pushing the metal back into place in a complicated shaped zone, the back door is legitimately a shade darker.  Apparently the whole side will need resprayed, but I’ve read on BMW / Audi / Marc forums where people had the same issue, that it took 2-3 attempts before it was done right.  Am I going to be disappointed to expect they might do that? The work was done in August to be honest.  I also tried to get the price / replace the check strap myself, expecting it to be a <£50 part… £120 something from Toyota and not listed online anywhere cheaper….

 

That door alignment and paint really does put me off the car, sad as it sounds. I’ve gotten some prices for the car to be wrapped - but I’d not do that until next year if I ever do it at all. Some people are saying it’s not worth it for this car, but if I were to keep it until the wheels fall off (sorry bz4x owners!!!) then potentially not a waste. Already put a big sum into the car as that’s exactly what I intend to do, and for that reason I think my pride in it is quite essential really. It’s phenomenally comfortable and safe if nothing else compared to my other cars, and that alone can override the slow speed and poor MPG I get to be honest.

 

What do you think of the paint on the back door and what do you recommend I do?

pics look class  shane its the same color  as my car .but the old cold weather i dont wash mine as much tbh lol. plus when it comes to color shades my car is the same for sure i think my rear bumper is a bit different than the rest but nothing bad . if the last person had it hit it but the panel joints are perfect so cant reall see been hit bad . tbh who had it before must have hit the rear bumper again as it got a wee paint crack in it . im not really worried either .i have came to a thought well another scratch to add to the car lol as i get mad when i see a scratch in it. i got a bad scratch in my passengers side door when i went away to redcastle hotel for a break i always parked somewhere safe but i parked it and on my last day at the hotel and i was leaving i looked at my passengers front door and was scratched with so other axxholes car door .thank god most of the transfer paint came off with wd40 but there is still 1 bad scratch in it . i was  really angry about that but thought this is why i cant have a nice car people are scxm and they dont care .i just whish i caught them as i would for sure make them pay to fix it threw toyota 😞

[Guest]

9 hours ago, 2009joe said:

pics look class  shane its the same color  as my car .but the old cold weather i dont wash mine as much tbh lol. plus when it comes to color shades my car is the same for sure i think my rear bumper is a bit different than the rest but nothing bad . if the last person had it hit it but the panel joints are perfect so cant reall see been hit bad . tbh who had it before must have hit the rear bumper again as it got a wee paint crack in it . im not really worried either .i have came to a thought well another scratch to add to the car lol as i get mad when i see a scratch in it. i got a bad scratch in my passengers side door when i went away to redcastle hotel for a break i always parked somewhere safe but i parked it and on my last day at the hotel and i was leaving i looked at my passengers front door and was scratched with so other axxholes car door .thank god most of the transfer paint came off with wd40 but there is still 1 bad scratch in it . i was  really angry about that but thought this is why i cant have a nice car people are scxm and they dont care .i just whish i caught them as i would for sure make them pay to fix it threw toyota 😞

Not gonna lie Joe, with the hassle I've had with the DS3 (electronics and bodywork) and the expense I've put into the Avensis (don't get me wrong, willingly so to keep it right and all) it's definitely p*ssing me off. Starting to reminisce about the little Fiat's and how straightforward they were, and how if anything the minor issues they did have added character :'-) lol  4 more years of finance - and time to get a return on all the spending I've done - but if the notion hasn't left me I might just go back to it lol 

[2009joe]

4 hours ago, SB1500 said:

Not gonna lie Joe, with the hassle I've had with the DS3 (electronics and bodywork) and the expense I've put into the Avensis (don't get me wrong, willingly so to keep it right and all) it's definitely p*ssing me off. Starting to reminisce about the little Fiat's and how straightforward they were, and how if anything the minor issues they did have added character :'-) lol  4 more years of finance - and time to get a return on all the spending I've done - but if the notion hasn't left me I might just go back to it lol 

Don't get me wrong I love my Toyota Shane but my last car I liked it maybe stupid things went wrong with it but I didn't care about it as much as thos Toyota as when parking in parking lots etc people putting dents and scratches on it .saying that my Toyota is a way better car real comfortable etc .so I really do like it .but just hate the way it gets fked up by others out and about etc .I like the Toyota but was looking into a Toyota rav 4 2014/15 one but there expensive with high miles so came 2 the point why should I get rid of the one I have now as got next to no miles on it and it's well speced for something that's got big miles and we'll road tax expensive so going 2 keep my Toyota it's a great car if I don't get bother with my dpf as to the low miles I do 

[Guest]

49 minutes ago, 2009joe said:

Don't get me wrong I love my Toyota Shane but my last car I liked it maybe stupid things went wrong with it but I didn't care about it as much as thos Toyota as when parking in parking lots etc people putting dents and scratches on it .saying that my Toyota is a way better car real comfortable etc .so I really do like it .but just hate the way it gets fked up by others out and about etc .I like the Toyota but was looking into a Toyota rav 4 2014/15 one but there expensive with high miles so came 2 the point why should I get rid of the one I have now as got next to no miles on it and it's well speced for something that's got big miles and we'll road tax expensive so going 2 keep my Toyota it's a great car if I don't get bother with my dpf as to the low miles I do 

Aye, this one's a real hassle in the multistorey for my work as well, very tight car park - most people let their passengers out before parking it's that tight. I park out on a footpath where the parking enforcement seem to have forgotten (along with a range of others who tend to do it, including a massive new BMW 8 series coupe! Dwarfs my Avensis when I look down from the 4th floor at it!). 

Hard to keep pride in a car when reality is people making contact in car parks with their doors etc, I was actually surprised how many everyday people who assumedly don't care about cars don't even see that as a damaging thing to other peoples property 😕 

I took a look at Fiat Panda's today... £16,000 for a new one now! Same model as years ago, it used to be the basic one was £6,999 as recently as 2015. I can't believe it. Needless to say, I don't think I'd pay that much of a price for one! But still admirable how simple they are and small. I must admit it's the safety rating that puts me off, compared to the Avensis which was one of the safest cars you could buy about a decade ago if I'm right in thinking so?!  As much as I know Euro NCAP's zero star rating in 2018 was at best, a sponsored ad from the VAG group to try and catch up with its combined EU sales over the VAG group's washing machine superminis that don't come close to the Italian's! lol 

How long I keep my Avensis will probably come down to BMW... and how well they've built the engine! lol  I really wish there was an in-depth description of the changes Toyota made to read into, but I'd say they changed very little tbh.

Never even thought about the DPF stuff! My uncle's just spent a fortune at Mazda having his auto 2.2L Mazda 6 Tourer carbon cleaned as it's been clogged up. He does a few hundred miles a week at least, down to Enniskillen etc, so nobody could say the diesel hasn't been thrashed. I think part of the issue there is the auto doesn't allow for a good over-revving as easily as a manual, which we all are led to believe makes a difference to cleaning out the suit. Wonder how far that will go, or if the carbon clean means much in practice since of course they can't have perfectly cleaned every inner channel to new like quality. 

I checked today, I think my settlement figure is just £200 more than what WeBuyAnyCar would give me... that would have been a perfect exit door had I wanted to change cars again but given I've spent over a grand in 2023 already, I'd need to keep it at least another two years from today to get a decent chunk of my money's worth on the tyres and Toyota parts I paid a bit more for etc.  Maybe another year or two, I suppose I'll see.  I can't imagine buyers or dealers accepting new tyres, even these good ones, as anywhere close to what I paid for them on-to the market value of the car lol 

[2009joe]

6 hours ago, SB1500 said:

Aye, this one's a real hassle in the multistorey for my work as well, very tight car park - most people let their passengers out before parking it's that tight. I park out on a footpath where the parking enforcement seem to have forgotten (along with a range of others who tend to do it, including a massive new BMW 8 series coupe! Dwarfs my Avensis when I look down from the 4th floor at it!). 

Hard to keep pride in a car when reality is people making contact in car parks with their doors etc, I was actually surprised how many everyday people who assumedly don't care about cars don't even see that as a damaging thing to other peoples property 😕 

I took a look at Fiat Panda's today... £16,000 for a new one now! Same model as years ago, it used to be the basic one was £6,999 as recently as 2015. I can't believe it. Needless to say, I don't think I'd pay that much of a price for one! But still admirable how simple they are and small. I must admit it's the safety rating that puts me off, compared to the Avensis which was one of the safest cars you could buy about a decade ago if I'm right in thinking so?!  As much as I know Euro NCAP's zero star rating in 2018 was at best, a sponsored ad from the VAG group to try and catch up with its combined EU sales over the VAG group's washing machine superminis that don't come close to the Italian's! lol 

How long I keep my Avensis will probably come down to BMW... and how well they've built the engine! lol  I really wish there was an in-depth description of the changes Toyota made to read into, but I'd say they changed very little tbh.

Never even thought about the DPF stuff! My uncle's just spent a fortune at Mazda having his auto 2.2L Mazda 6 Tourer carbon cleaned as it's been clogged up. He does a few hundred miles a week at least, down to Enniskillen etc, so nobody could say the diesel hasn't been thrashed. I think part of the issue there is the auto doesn't allow for a good over-revving as easily as a manual, which we all are led to believe makes a difference to cleaning out the suit. Wonder how far that will go, or if the carbon clean means much in practice since of course they can't have perfectly cleaned every inner channel to new like quality. 

I checked today, I think my settlement figure is just £200 more than what WeBuyAnyCar would give me... that would have been a perfect exit door had I wanted to change cars again but given I've spent over a grand in 2023 already, I'd need to keep it at least another two years from today to get a decent chunk of my money's worth on the tyres and Toyota parts I paid a bit more for etc.  Maybe another year or two, I suppose I'll see.  I can't imagine buyers or dealers accepting new tyres, even these good ones, as anywhere close to what I paid for them on-to the market value of the car lol 

shane trust me drive it into the ground dont spend any money on it other than what it needs . i will be driving mine until it goes bang. tbh i dont like over reving cars even diesel ones as they say good for dpf. i dont care now and well i cant see the point reving the **** out of the engine so it breaks quicker. when my dpf goes out im going to go down the path of taking out the insides of it and mapping the dpf egr out of the car. tbh love to do it now when the car is so low miles on it but i desided against it as its not broke yet and well fk it if it happens it happens . i have a frien with one of those 1.6 nissan kaskey jeep things and he had to get his dpf insides taken out and mappend out he got in touch with a good guy deals in that and well costed him i think £350 quid all in i think .well worth it in my book 

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, 2009joe said:

shane trust me drive it into the ground dont spend any money on it other than what it needs . i will be driving mine until it goes bang. tbh i dont like over reving cars even diesel ones as they say good for dpf. i dont care now and well i cant see the point reving the **** out of the engine so it breaks quicker. when my dpf goes out im going to go down the path of taking out the insides of it and mapping the dpf egr out of the car. tbh love to do it now when the car is so low miles on it but i desided against it as its not broke yet and well fk it if it happens it happens . i have a frien with one of those 1.6 nissan kaskey jeep things and he had to get his dpf insides taken out and mappend out he got in touch with a good guy deals in that and well costed him i think £350 quid all in i think .well worth it in my book 

That's probably my best bet, although it's cursed with the BMW engine, I suppose the rest of it is all quality Toyota parts / will hold up over time. On the flip side, this car should easily last until it's 15 / and we're a few years past the petrol/diesel ban. Will be interesting to see if it actually happens.  Either way, it's the last stretch of owning diesels (fresh ones anyway, I know they won't ban the old models on the road but they won't be getting any younger). 

Good shout on getting them removed, must keep it in in mind if I have any bother. not sure if the BMW 1 series or Mini's have big issues with it, must investigate as they're the best indicator of the 1WW I would imagine 

[2009joe]

21 minutes ago, SB1500 said:

That's probably my best bet, although it's cursed with the BMW engine, I suppose the rest of it is all quality Toyota parts / will hold up over time. On the flip side, this car should easily last until it's 15 / and we're a few years past the petrol/diesel ban. Will be interesting to see if it actually happens.  Either way, it's the last stretch of owning diesels (fresh ones anyway, I know they won't ban the old models on the road but they won't be getting any younger). 

Good shout on getting them removed, must keep it in in mind if I have any bother. not sure if the BMW 1 series or Mini's have big issues with it, must investigate as they're the best indicator of the 1WW I would imagine 

tbh shane im half in my mind of buy a toyota rav 4 2014/15 one but there brave in expensive shane and well have got over 100k or abouts so thats is kina putting me  off plus the road tax on them are 160 quid a year. so im not going to bother thinking about it and enjoy my toyota avensis and drive it into the ground i just like to think of it as a tractor that will last and last and last lol 

[Bernard Foy]

23 hours ago, 2009joe said:

pics look class  shane its the same color  as my car .but the old cold weather i dont wash mine as much tbh lol. plus when it comes to color shades my car is the same for sure i think my rear bumper is a bit different than the rest but nothing bad . if the last person had it hit it but the panel joints are perfect so cant reall see been hit bad . tbh who had it before must have hit the rear bumper again as it got a wee paint crack in it . im not really worried either .i have came to a thought well another scratch to add to the car lol as i get mad when i see a scratch in it. i got a bad scratch in my passengers side door when i went away to redcastle hotel for a break i always parked somewhere safe but i parked it and on my last day at the hotel and i was leaving i looked at my passengers front door and was scratched with so other axxholes car door .thank god most of the transfer paint came off with wd40 but there is still 1 bad scratch in it . i was  really angry about that but thought this is why i cant have a nice car people are scxm and they dont care .i just whish i caught them as i would for sure make them pay to fix it threw toyota 😞

With same coloured bumpers often are a slightly different shade, I think that it’s because of the plastic. Other people have commented on that as well.