Avenis what to look for?

[Itsbrasso]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum and as of  yet not purchased my avensis

I have noticed that there are many models available to the second hand buyer, and a few quite high mileage cars.

I won't lie, I know absolutely nothing about them having driven Ford's and Citroen for years. 

 

When considering buying an older used model, what are rhe main areas to look out for problems, In particular corrosion and any other areas which require a closer look.

I'm looking forward to possibly purchasing an avensis later on in the year, and thank you all in advance for any help and advice I can obtain

 

Yours

 

John B

[Catlover]

Hiya John.  To narrow it down a bit….…. Are you looking for a petrol or a diesel Avensis.?

[john p williams]

8 hours ago, Catlover said:

Hiya John.  To narrow it down a bit….…. Are you looking for a petrol or a diesel Avensis.?

Manual or Automatic ?

[Konrad C]

As with any car regardless of the make, lots of paperwork and receipts, the overall condition of the car and MOT records, can help give you an idea. Regular oil changes important.
You state 2006 which is 15/16 years old. That will be T25 Mk2 territory. The facelift versions came in and they had repeater indicators on the wing mirrors and the more wing like grill. Rust is the usual enemy. Diesels head gasket is a known issue, so unless ignored or missed during the first 10 years of life, should be less of an issue now. Injectors have been a known issue with the diesels. Usual blocked EGR issue that just needs cleaning. Owners complain about the headlight performance. Everything will be age related wear and tear. For spec don't go lower than T3-X or TR. If you get a car with navigation, make sure the disc is with the car or the radio unit will not work, especially if the main Battery has been disconnected! T2 is basic spec and T3-S only adds the 'Nav' unit which by now is useless.
If looking at the Mk3 T27 models, I can say a lot more, especially the Valvematic manual version. The early cars had weak metal on the front doors at the door strap mounting point. This will shown as cracking of the paint or worse! The Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) can give problems, but a lot of issues are external and nothing to do with the unit itself. Valvematic controllers of 2010/11 seem to fail on any Toyota (not just Avensis)! A few owners have had the diesel head gasket issue, but like the previous Avensis you got be unlucky. Check for overheating and coolant condition. 
For both models, try and go for higher spec. I had TR as the lowest spec to go for and that's what I own. Like the T25, avoid the basic T2 spec models. TR spec gets most of the missing kit. Early TR had 'Nav' as option, but I got the standard stereo with built-in handsfree. 

Overall look and if possible drive the cars. Get someone experience to check the car.       

 

[MrAurisT]

I recently bought a (2010) 1.8TR Valvematic (estate) in November last year, so far, great car. The main chunk of good advice is above, but a plus one from me on the servicing bit. I was told beforehand that, in particular the valvematic engines should be regularly serviced with the correct oil. If so  should be bomb-proof. The TR is a nice spec, comfortable and feels a good quality.  Good luck.

[Itsbrasso]

20 hours ago, Catlover said:

Hiya John.  To narrow it down a bit….…. Are you looking for a petrol or a diesel Avensis.?

Thanks all for the replies. Do Avensis have timing belts or do they have timing chains?

 

One other question, if I had to have a clutch changed, how much would I be looking at.

 

I would probiblibly be going for a petrol with Manual gearbox, but have no issues with diesel cars, as have driven them for years, but now I don't drive nowhere as many miles as I used to (less than 6K per year)probably couldn't justify the extra fuel cost, but if one came along another right price, I wouldn't rule one out.

 

What are the main areas to look for corrosion, tbh the avensis I have seen all look OK

TIA

[AJones]

The older diesels with the Toyota engine, 1ad-ftv or 2ad-ftv, watch out for rough starting from cold.

Some of them develop an issue where they can be very difficult to start from cold and it isn't a simple fix like swapping glow plugs, it seems hard to pin point the cause, suggested due to fuel pump pressures and injector performance,  swapping the suction control valve and updating the ECU firmware is suggested as a possible solution but even that isn't guaranteed. 

[2009joe]

1 hour ago, AJones said:

The older diesels with the Toyota engine, 1ad-ftv or 2ad-ftv, watch out for rough starting from cold.

Some of them develop an issue where they can be very difficult to start from cold and it isn't a simple fix like swapping glow plugs, it seems hard to pin point the cause, suggested due to fuel pump pressures and injector performance,  swapping the suction control valve and updating the ECU firmware is suggested as a possible solution but even that isn't guaranteed. 

what about a 2014 2.0 d4d 1adftv do they suffer with this problem. tbh my old 1.9tdi was a bit hard to start since i bought it loads of years back started the same for 11 years i had .it always started but was just a tad slow and a puff of smoke when it did start could never find out the problem was not the starter, or Battery or alternator .got this avensis now hope dont suffer with that problem but if dose well if eventually starts well half the battle then .i always seen these toyotas they never had much bother starting tbh the pickups and all great at starting 

[MrAurisT]

11 hours ago, Itsbrasso said:

Thanks all for the replies. Do Avensis have timing belts or do they have timing chains?

 

One other question, if I had to have a clutch changed, how much would I be looking at.

 

I would probiblibly be going for a petrol with Manual gearbox, but have no issues with diesel cars, as have driven them for years, but now I don't drive nowhere as many miles as I used to (less than 6K per year)probably couldn't justify the extra fuel cost, but if one came along another right price, I wouldn't rule one out.

 

What are the main areas to look for corrosion, tbh the avensis I have seen all look OK

TIA

All the petrol engines are chain. I will leave someone more informed comment on the diesel cars, as, one engine I believe is BMW sourced.

Clutches, again, depend on whether petrol or diesel. The former are a lot easier to change and the parts cheaper. Not had one done on these cars.

I was the same when I came to change cars regarding less miles now. I bought an X Type Jaguar estate 2.0d way back in 2013 to ferry my 2 kids back and forth to university, so mileage went from 50k when bought to 123k when I sold it in October last year. I bought a petrol Avensis as my kids are long gone/finished Uni 6 years or so ago, so just don't need one anymore (although the X Type was a great car to be fair). Also, the Government are getting more and more grumpy about older diesels! The 1.8 petrol shows an indicated 45 - 50mpg on motorway runs, so, give or take, not far off what my old diesel used to give me. Miss the torque though!

Corrosion, nothing too much to worry about, rear subframes get a bit of a hammering on our great British salty roads, but not heard any 'horror' stories.