Toyota Yaris Mk3 2011 onwards.

[Xpcoindetective]

I am presently looking into buying ether an early Mk2 Yaris which I know are excellent for reliability, good mpg etc or a Mk3 Petrol Toyota Yaris. I just cannot find much information concerning the reliability of the Mk3 or much about its pro's and con's.

Question is does anybody on this forum own the early Mk3 Petrol 2011 onwards and have any positive/negative infomation regarding this model?

More concering, are the engines as good as the earlier models maybe also common problems associated to this model etc. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards to everyone.

Andy.

[Bernard Foy]

Hi Andy, my wife runs a 2015 Mark3 and it’s given no trouble at all. I love driving it around town, it’s only a 1ltr so it’s a bit short in the power department, but that’s to be expected. All in all yes a very good wee motor.

[FROSTYBALLS]

The 1 litre engine is the same as used in the mk2 Yaris and both generations of the Aygo.

The 1.3 engine in early mk2's was a carry over from the mk1. This was replaced at the end of 2008 by the 1.33 (different engine) with a six speed gearbox, and was carried forwards into the mk3.

The 1.33 was also used in both generations of the Auris, Verso S, and the Urban Cruiser.

[Guest]

I do like my Mk3 (pre basking shark mouth version). The engine is, and has been, bulletproof. Timing chain so keep up with the engine oil and filter changes. Mine is the Multidrive (CVT) which to some is not ideal. It's fine for me.

I have had some issues with the perceived parts quality. Others have had no similar problems with theirs. A rear wheel bearing failure at 30k miles (changed both) , broken road spring(M.o.T. fail), failed l.e.d.s in the third brake light and very recently a failed gas strut on the tailgate. Replaced both earlier this week by 2 x Febi struts. I didn't dare ask the price of the Toyota replacements!

Still happy with the car though.

[Cyker]

Aside from the 2009-2010-ish 1.33 VVTis, which have a reputation for burning loads of oil, they're all generally quite reliable.

If you want a smaller car with unrivalled interior flexibility, the Mk2 wins hands-down - It has more storage cubbies than you can shake a stick at and has sliding and folding rear seats! I really miss those seats in the Mk4 as with them pushed fully back your rear passengers would have more leg room than an Auris!

The Mk3 is very much a conventional car and doesn't really have any cool things like that, but it is a bit less wallowy and is generally more reliable as they'd worked out most of the big problems with the 1.33 by then. Most of the focus in the Mk3 was on the infotainment system.  All the engines are chain-cam so it's essential they had regular quality oil changes, so with any of them a continuous service history is very important.

None of them will be as fun to drive as your Mk1 D4D tho' so be prepared for that!!

 

[Xpcoindetective]

12 hours ago, Bernard Foy said:

Hi Andy, my wife runs a 2015 Mark3 and it’s given no trouble at all. I love driving it around town, it’s only a 1ltr so it’s a bit short in the power department, but that’s to be expected. All in all yes a very good wee motor.

 

12 hours ago, Bernard Foy said:

Hi Andy, my wife runs a 2015 Mark3 and it’s given no trouble at all. I love driving it around town, it’s only a 1ltr so it’s a bit short in the power department, but that’s to be expected. All in all yes a very good wee motor.

Hi Bernard, what kind of Mpg do you get around town for instance?

Andy

[Xpcoindetective]

6 hours ago, Cyker said:

Aside from the 2009-2010-ish 1.33 VVTis, which have a reputation for burning loads of oil, they're all generally quite reliable.

If you want a smaller car with unrivalled interior flexibility, the Mk2 wins hands-down - It has more storage cubbies than you can shake a stick at and has sliding and folding rear seats! I really miss those seats in the Mk4 as with them pushed fully back your rear passengers would have more leg room than an Auris!

The Mk3 is very much a conventional car and doesn't really have any cool things like that, but it is a bit less wallowy and is generally more reliable as they'd worked out most of the big problems with the 1.33 by then. Most of the focus in the Mk3 was on the infotainment system.  All the engines are chain-cam so it's essential they had regular quality oil changes, so with any of them a continuous service history is very important.

None of them will be as fun to drive as your Mk1 D4D tho' so be prepared for that!!

 

Hi Cyker, Thank you for your excellent feedback regarding my post! just the infomation I was looking for.  I would prefer to stick to just chain driven I am not a fan of cam belts just another expense at the mechanics. I service and maintain my cars with quality full synthetic oils and a splash of ZX1.

Unfotunetly my  Mk1 D4D isn't that much fun because it as a fault code P1229 and needs a diesel specialist appointment to sort its misfire issue. The Mk1 is unbelievably reliable but when diesels go wrong its very expensive to have fixed, thats why im looking towards small petrol instead. I prefer to avoid complicated cars with turbo's with complex fuel systems probably cost more than my car is worth to repair it.

Just out of interest my first car was a Mk3 Ford Fiesta 1L 44bhp lol, saw the same model recently with over 750000 miles on the clock 0ver 3/4 of a million miles lol. Used for regular Lake district camping trips dont know how I did it probably cause a massive tailback on the M6 if I did that these days. Lol

What Mpg do you get on average?

best regards

Andy

 

[Bernard Foy]

11 hours ago, Xpcoindetective said:

 

Hi Bernard, what kind of Mpg do you get around town for instance?

Andy

I couldn’t tell you Andy, she buys the petrol for her car all the time and will never let the petrol indicator go below half full, yet she rarely drives longer than 15 miles round trips 😝.

[bw10]

Hello Andy. I have a mk3 2012 yaris 1.0 petrol in white with 45k on the clock. Only 30 pounds road tax and insurance is quite cheap also. I am yet to test mpg. Generally it's a good car, rather nippy acceleration a big plus. I had an auris prior to this that guzzled a lot of oil. Having checked the oil regularly on the yaris I've not had to top it up since. Would recommend that you get one with service history as I took a risk and bought one without it so I am having to replace brake parts and shockers I'm guessing this is normal around 50k mileage though. 

[Cyker]

My Mk1 D4D averaged about 64mpg across its life with a low of something in the mid/high 50's and a high in the high 80's IIRC.

The Mk2 1.33 I had before the gearbox and AC system shat themselves averaged high 40's/low 50's depending on how I was driving.

The P1229 code in my Mk1 was due to contamination in the fuel causing the fuel filter to get blocked up, but I think you said you tried changing that already so not sure what else it could be!

[Xpcoindetective]

On 4/1/2022 at 8:41 PM, Cyker said:

My Mk1 D4D averaged about 64mpg across its life with a low of something in the mid/high 50's and a high in the high 80's IIRC.

The Mk2 1.33 I had before the gearbox and AC system shat themselves averaged high 40's/low 50's depending on how I was driving.

The P1229 code in my Mk1 was due to contamination in the fuel causing the fuel filter to get blocked up, but I think you said you tried changing that already so not sure what else it could be!

Hi Cyker, thanks for replying to my topic much appreciated. The P1229 code can be a number of things concerning fuel over pressure blocked fuel filter, fuel pump mine having the sender low pressure pump integrated with the high pressure pump earlier models being separate units. I did a ohms multimeter test on my fuel pressure regulator and the fuel pressure sensor the regulator test revealed a short or zero ohms. I think replacing my fuel pressure regulator will sort out the problem but not yet convinced myself. 

Regards

Andy

[Xpcoindetective]

On 4/1/2022 at 8:11 PM, bw10 said:

Hello Andy. I have a mk3 2012 yaris 1.0 petrol in white with 45k on the clock. Only 30 pounds road tax and insurance is quite cheap also. I am yet to test mpg. Generally it's a good car, rather nippy acceleration a big plus. I had an auris prior to this that guzzled a lot of oil. Having checked the oil regularly on the yaris I've not had to top it up since. Would recommend that you get one with service history as I took a risk and bought one without it so I am having to replace brake parts and shockers I'm guessing this is normal around 50k mileage though. 

Just out of interest are the shockers a common fault on the mk3? Brakes are not an issue for me I fit my own quite an easy fix and cheap, drum or disc brakes I more concern myself with engine problems and gearbox.

Regards

Andy

[TonyHSD]

53 minutes ago, Xpcoindetective said:

Just out of interest are the shockers a common fault on the mk3? Brakes are not an issue for me I fit my own quite an easy fix and cheap, drum or disc brakes I more concern myself with engine problems and gearbox.

Regards

Andy

Shocks can last ages but also can fail fairly shortly and all that will depend how the car been driven. The biggest enemy to shock absorbers are speed bumps, kerbs and hitting a pothole at speeds, anything that can eventually overload them will kill them very quickly. Other big issue is failed protectors , those black plastic or rubber boots around them, once they fail and let debris to enter the shock stem, game is over. If the car been taken care well and drive easy nothing to worry about, you can check shocks prior to purchase. 👍

[Stopeter44]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

Shocks can last ages but also can fail fairly shortly and all that will depend how the car been driven. The biggest enemy to shock absorbers are speed bumps, kerbs and hitting a pothole at speeds, anything that can eventually overload them will kill them very quickly. Other big issue is failed protectors , those black plastic or rubber boots around them, once they fail and let debris to enter the shock stem, game is over. If the car been taken care well and drive easy nothing to worry about, you can check shocks prior to purchase. 👍

Hmm, that must have been what happened to the shocks on my 208, the last 600 metres to my house are not exactly smooth, and whilst the village does not have traffic lights it does have unavoidable speed bumps, which I am very careful to slow down for.

[TonyHSD]

22 minutes ago, Stopeter44 said:

Hmm, that must have been what happened to the shocks on my 208, the last 600 metres to my house are not exactly smooth, and whilst the village does not have traffic lights it does have unavoidable speed bumps, which I am very careful to slow down for.

It could be, usually if you are going over speed bumps slowly and without brakes (slow down before you hit the bump) the suspension is not compressed and there is plenty of free travel and the shocks and springs are just doing their job, but if at higher speeds the shocks/springs get compressed quickly and sharply which load them a lot more, same happens when slowing down at very last moment and hit the bump while still on the brakes , this is the worst for all suspension components. Once in a while perhaps not a big deal but driving  like that all the time will obviously shorten the life of the parts, same as for the tyres, faster corners and roundabouts faster tyre wear 😉👌

[Xpcoindetective]

On 3/31/2022 at 11:02 AM, FROSTYBALLS said:

The 1 litre engine is the same as used in the mk2 Yaris and both generations of the Aygo.

The 1.3 engine in early mk2's was a carry over from the mk1. This was replaced at the end of 2008 by the 1.33 (different engine) with a six speed gearbox, and was carried forwards into the mk3.

The 1.33 was also used in both generations of the Auris, Verso S, and the Urban Cruiser.

Hi thanks for your feedback concerning Yaris engines I wasn't aware that they fitted the Mk3 with the earlier mk2 engine obviously stood the test of time I know the 6 speed gearbox as a few hiccups, the standard 5 speed though is a brilliant quality gearbox. Most vehicles gearboxes fail and have linkage and sycramesh issues with only low miles. The Mk1 yaris I own as not had anything go wrong concerning suspension, gearbox, wheel bearings etc Japanese quality is unbeatable in my view but sadly not all Japanese cars are built like a Toyota. I used to own a Mk1 Mazda 2 that was also excellent quality not sure about later ones though.

Regards

Andy

[FROSTYBALLS]

4 hours ago, Xpcoindetective said:

I used to own a Mk1 Mazda 2 that was also excellent quality

Yes we had one of the last MK1 Mazda 2 - a 57 plate Capella. The sister cars were the Ford Fiesta and Fusion. All three were built by Ford in Spain for the European market.

[flash22]

5 hours ago, Xpcoindetective said:

Hi thanks for your feedback concerning Yaris engines I wasn't aware that they fitted the Mk3 with the earlier mk2 engine obviously stood the test of time I know the 6 speed gearbox as a few hiccups, the standard 5 speed though is a brilliant quality gearbox. Most vehicles gearboxes fail and have linkage and sycramesh issues with only low miles. The Mk1 yaris I own as not had anything go wrong concerning suspension, gearbox, wheel bearings etc Japanese quality is unbeatable in my view but sadly not all Japanese cars are built like a Toyota. I used to own a Mk1 Mazda 2 that was also excellent quality not sure about later ones though.

Regards

Andy

The 1.0 1KRFE has been around since 2006, 09 onwards is a much better engine, in the Mk3 that had the bigger clutch what was an issue in older cars - downsides - a bit under power in the yaris, you really need to work that gearbox to get the most out of it, No cruise control it's not even programmed into the ECU

you say Japanese quality, but they are build in France with parts from across Europe as of 2001 (apart from the Mk1 Tsport and 1.8 SR)

[davidif]

36 minutes ago, flash22 said:

The 1.0 1KRFE has been around since 2006, 09 onwards is a much better engine, in the Mk3 that had the bigger clutch what was an issue in older cars - downsides - a bit under power in the yaris, you really need to work that gearbox to get the most out of it, No cruise control it's not even programmed into the ECU

you say Japanese quality, but they are build in France with parts from across Europe as of 2001 (apart from the Mk1 Tsport and 1.8 SR)

For me, rightly or wrongly, I see the Japanese quality in terms of design and 'their' way of doing things rather than the actual place of manufacture.

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

49 minutes ago, flash22 said:

The 1.0 1KRFE has been around since 2006, 09 onwards is a much better engine, in the Mk3 that had the bigger clutch what was an issue in older cars

The above applied to the Aygo rather than the Yaris. The 2005-2009 Aygo had a smaller clutch until the larger clutch from the Yaris was fitted from 2009.

[Xpcoindetective]

On 4/4/2022 at 10:34 AM, flash22 said:

The 1.0 1KRFE has been around since 2006, 09 onwards is a much better engine, in the Mk3 that had the bigger clutch what was an issue in older cars - downsides - a bit under power in the yaris, you really need to work that gearbox to get the most out of it, No cruise control it's not even programmed into the ECU

you say Japanese quality, but they are build in France with parts from across Europe as of 2001 (apart from the Mk1 Tsport and 1.8 SR)

Thanks Flash22 I never knew the clutch was changed after 2009 on the 1.0 1KRFE engine. That's good to know I always wondered why that always came up in some Toyota yaris ads " New clutch fitted" made me think is their a clutch issue as you have reliably confirmed. Larger clutch less friction makes sense. Will definitely be buying a post 2009 model.

Andy.

 

[Xpcoindetective]

On 4/1/2022 at 8:11 PM, bw10 said:

Hello Andy. I have a mk3 2012 yaris 1.0 petrol in white with 45k on the clock. Only 30 pounds road tax and insurance is quite cheap also. I am yet to test mpg. Generally it's a good car, rather nippy acceleration a big plus. I had an auris prior to this that guzzled a lot of oil. Having checked the oil regularly on the yaris I've not had to top it up since. Would recommend that you get one with service history as I took a risk and bought one without it so I am having to replace brake parts and shockers I'm guessing this is normal around 50k mileage though. 

Hi bw10, thankyou for your feedback much appreciated, I am really  surprised your shockers needed replacing after 50k that is  another topic.

My Mk1 never needed new shockers it's 2005  with 123000 plus miles on the clock. I understand the Mk3 rear wheel bearings need replacing also again my mk1 still as original bearings. Yes the 1l is a cracking little engine 3 cylinder 69bhp which is okay the same engine is fitted in the Mk2 but I think the Mk 3 gets slightly better mpg possibly because the mk3 is lighter but not sure. I must be honest I do prefer the shape of the Mk3 over the Mk2 but which is the best quality that's the question. 

I do not think newer cars are built to the same quality standards like the early ones just going off what comments are coming through by owners of later Toyota Yaris models, and my own opinion, just a shame the mk1 petrol isn't in the low £30 tax bracket I would buy one seen some with really low miles and lovely condition. My mk1 D4d is like a lightweight slightly rusty tank but very economical indeed lol 🤣

Andy.

[hafnia]

I own the early MK3 Petrol 2011, 1.0 liter with 5 speed manual, and common issues on this gen is rust on the tailgate, check beneath the rubber cover which leads the wires and other stuff to the tailgate, and rear shocks/springs/bushings, which can produce a clunk (shock/springs) or squeaking (bushing) sound when going over bumps, so definitely take it on a test drive. Other than that it's a solid car, unless u do a fair bit of highway driving I would recommend 1.3, but for city it's fine.

[bw10]

 I agree with hafnia, the car is best suited for city driving, and occasional motorway use - in my experience the rev counter is at 3000rpm when driving only 60mph in 5th gear. Not sure if 3000 is okay for long periods on the motorway? And yes there is a very noticeable squeak when going over speed bumps, I too suspect from the rear springs/bushings/shocks. I wonder if some silicone spray/WD40 would help it but I dare not risk it.  I wouldn't worry too much about the shocks as I mentioned it's my fault I purchased the car without service history, it had a few minor advisories across it's MOT history so I suspect it's just inevitable wear and tear at around 50k, BUT only later when the mechanic put it on the ramp did he notice corroded front shocks (1 completely failed after I noticed leaking and a clunking noise) and a lot of surface rust. He said judging by the previous owner MOT test location history being carried out at a coastal town that if the owner lived there then seasalt would be a big factor for the signs of corrosion.