Approved used 145 point inspection not given

[TonyHSD]

59 minutes ago, Mushu84 said:

The 145 point check is a sale gimmick amd a bad joke for me

 

Just bought my MK4 Yaris 2 years old 11k miles with full service one owner

After sale I’ve discovered that the wheels are not balanced and the wheel’s alignment was not done. I’ve emailed them but the answer was they were done and confirmed including an email by the service Manager and they are not responsible for anything after that.

I will keep the car as I like it a lot and the discount received makes up for any other issues for me.

For anyone else buying second hand check the car like crazy as they don’t!

Valet and cleaning was a joke, I did it at home as I did it better then them. 

Sorry to be grumpy but realistically you buy a second hand car and you need to check. And make sure if 100%.

 

You haven’t read the poor experience from people buying brand new ones., not much different from used approved., if not even worse.
Cars arrived with scratches and dents all over. Broken or misaligned body panels, twice as much pressure in the tyres. Then is the first service, you get extra oil for free, 0.5ltr overfilled on average., and the list is going on. Always check yours and never trust fully any car trade or estate agents. 😉👌

[Cyker]

Yeah, I must admit as my first buying a new car experience it has put me off doing it again in future - I thought you'd get a bit better treatment than the average backstreet used car garage, given how much money is involved, but apparently not!

Used Approved really doesn't mean the car is any better than if it was from any other used car place; As far as I can tell it only means the car has been serviced by Toyota - Whether it's good or not will depend entirely on the previous owner, so you still have to check through it as you would with any other dodgy used car place.

This sort of thing is why I can't understand why so any people are willing to buy cars sight-unseen through all these big online sellers that are popping up - Sure you can give the car back, but then you'd have no car, since they'd have taken your old one!

[Andrew56]

On 8/12/2023 at 5:02 PM, Stevie J said:

quickly

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

As regards refunds, etc, see the followig from Which? re the Consumer Rights Act 2015:

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/the-car-i-bought-has-a-problem-what-are-my-rights-aAnMC5b0ZzJb

The contract will be between yourself and the dealer, not the manufacturer (ie. Toyota).

[Mushu84]

Unfortunately the reality is this:

1. Check the real car history, do not trust what they say (ex. When I asked they said the service was just done, but I've checked the book it was done in March so 5 month ago)

2. Check tires, check lights, check engine for leaks, check levels, check for any suspension noise no matter what miles the car has.

2. Check all panels for repaint as even if it says is approved and HPI clear it doesn't mean is not repainted if needed (ex. mine has front bumper corner small repaint job 10 cm from parking I've checked under the panel to make sure nothing else is affected), also check for accident marks as if it was done avoiding the insurance is not coming up in the history.

3. Ask to see proof of any work done to the car and get written approval for anything will be done with the car

4. For any agreed discount ask for email confirmation and the same for any approved work on the car agreed 

5. Before talking the car do another visual inspection for damages and drive it to make sure all is ok, make sure you have all the paperwork done and included.

6. Always try and get discount from the dealers for any car new or used, I got discount on both a approved used car I bought from Mini and Toyota, just insist on it.

Stop trusting blindly the dealerships, maybe you had a good experience until now but that not makes it ok for them to sell cars like that, not checked like they should be. Always for me I was disappointed by UK aftersales services.

 

Just to understand where my knowledge comes from one of my firsts jobs is Romania was to sell second had cars so I know what to look out for.

Take care in the future.

[Immysl]

It is glad to hear that there are still some good Toyota dealers out there. Makes me a bit hopeful when purchasing my next car. 

About approved used cars, seems like better to get one that isn't and save that extra money to sort out issues with the car after collection lol. Will try this method here after 

As for the car itself, I am thinking of keeping it since these issues don't seem to be that big compared to the previous rust bucket I bought lol. Anyway, I've got in touch with Toyota UK regarding these issues and got the standard reply of talk to the dealer first, which I already have. So I asked what is the point of their certification and the reply was send in a complaint if not resolved after contacting the centre principal. I am irked by the fact that Toyota makes money out of this scheme, yet try to stay away as far as they can when things don't go wrong. Shouldn't they be held accountable since these cars are sold as being approved by them? I was thinking of complaining about this to the motor ombudsman, but they seem to be dealing mainly with the dealers unless I've understood this wrong.

 

[Corollanutter]

I had terrible service from a Toyota dealer a couple of years ago when I purchased my Corolla. I had previously used my local dealer for 11 years and received excellent service, both in used sales and in service.  However due to the shortage of cars, I had to go to another dealer for this purchase. No inspection, no valet (just a basic clean), agreed body work not done, dealer purchased accessories not fitted, V5 not sent to DVLA - the list goes on....  Sadly, a main dealer is no guarantee of good service. However, in my case I think a lot can be put down to the very idle sales person. 

[Immysl]

I took a video of the engine bay and forgot to post before, so here it is now. Is there any good engine bay cleaning services that are out there, or should this be more of a DIY thing?

Posted some photos too in case the video doesn't work properly on Google Chrome.

 

[ISL]

Unless you like a clean engine bay, I would leave it as it is and just spray some WD40 about on metal items, circlips etc.  Looks like a good honest engine bay and sometimes when a dealer supplied them fully steam cleaned, they could be hiding oil leaks etc.   It doesn't look that bad.  The problem is with steam cleaning is that you strip away a lot of natural grease and grime that provides a natural protection.

[Guest]

Not relevant, but I like that paint colour.

I use a silicone aerosol spray on plastic and rubber part occasionally. It allegedly adds some protection as well as looking quite good.

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, Immysl said:

I am irked by the fact that Toyota makes money out of this scheme, yet try to stay away as far as they can when things don't go wrong. Shouldn't they be held accountable since these cars are sold as being approved by them?

More than likely the dealer's technicians, who are Toyota trained, undertake the car inspection against the Approved Used criteria to determine whether a car is suitable to come under the scheme. At the end of the day, with used car sales it isn't the manufacturer who profits, but the dealer, and this applies to whatever marque the car is from.

[Puglet]

Personally I would only manually clean with cloths and elbow grease, even back in the day of minimal wiring and few sensors, I never used steam cleaner/pressure washer, so with today's engine bays full of electronics and sensors a deffo no no.  There more black plastic than metal nowadays so need different cleaners, but once you done it properly keep on top of it and it will look a lot better.

Interesting to hear others stories of used car buys, ours have been simliar in that all dealers be it franchise dealer or small independent have cars with issues, some faults and missing trim are not acceptable, but I'm a realist, usual wear n tear is fair enough, but depending on the age / price of the car I use judgement as to what I will accept or not. To be fair usually when I pick up on what needs fixing/replacing etc the dealers have sorted it, but they do put onus on the customer to spot these things, but they thinking of their profit margin so the more we spot the less profit they make. As for the interpretation of a 'full valet' is interesting, but again doing a thorough proper job takes time and more money.

 

[wildtapholer]

It's not hard or rocket science, when you check the oil weekly or monthly, just to wipe a rag around at the same time, you've got one in your hand to wipe the dipstick at the very least you know the bonnet has been up sometime between it's yearly service.

[TonyHSD]

If me I will definitely jet wash this engine bay or pay a pro valeter to do so. The car has never been washed and all that dirt can have salt in it and with the time can make same results as the previous car. There is also a lots of dirt and debris all along the wiper gutter, this will cause bad smell through the ac, then will block drain holes and cause water leak inside the car and again bad smells etc. or even damage to electronics.
The proper 🧼 of cars and keeping them in tidy and clean state all the time extends life and prevent premature failure of all components. This is what I am after, not just to be shiny. If it’s mine I will not use any shiny stuff after properly washed. Only will dry, treat metal fasteners with wd-40 including hinges and wd-40 silicone on those parts that touches plastic or rubber and all rubber seals. Then lube the bonnet hook with lithium grease and add oil to the locking mechanism. After each car wash I will open bonnet, dry any excess water all around , check and clean the gutter and refill some screen wash, check all other fluids and oil. 
But that’s just me. 😂

[bathtub tom]

I'd vacuum out the tray in front of the wiper. Next time I washed the car, i'd go over the engine and engine bay with a soft brush on the end of a hose (the same as I do to the bodywork). I'd not spray anything like WD40 or silicone, as I reckon it tends to leave a sticky residue that just attracts more dirt.

I reckon spray on engine, tyres and interior looks like a back street dealer job.

[Immysl]

Going through some YouTube videos about engine bay cleaning. What do you think of this one? 

 

[Corollanutter]

22 hours ago, Immysl said:

Going through some YouTube videos about engine bay cleaning. What do you think of this one? 

This is probably very similar stuff - but a lot cheaper in the UK. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Citraclean-Citrus-Degreaser-Concentrate-Litres/dp/B00JDI9MPE/ref=asc_df_B00JDI9MPE/

 

[TonyHSD]

You can do ad you wish. Most important things are to block air intake so no water can enter through air filter. Check air filter if it’s dry beforehand you start the engine. If using a jet wash which is the better option make sure you are spraying from a safe distance and keep the lance moving so no risk of cutting wires. Wipe down any excess water. If you do it yourself remove the large debris around the wiper gutter by hand or with vacuum cleaner first , then wash it and wash the whole car at the same time including all door shuts , rear door included. Clean car and well maintained equals trouble free car. 👍

[Immysl]

Finally managed to get the 145 check point list. No mention of all tyres being of the same brand unlike in the 161 point American one. There's no mention of cleaning the engine compartment either, so no wonder they didn't look into any of this. I'll try to post the list here later, cos think someone might find that useful.

[Immysl]

So here is the list of the 145 check point for Toyota approved used cars in the UK. Hope it helps someone searching for it. Sorry for the bad scanned copy, but that's what I received from my dealer 

[Uncle Nig]

Good evening, 

My son recently purchased a used Toyota Yaris from a reputable dealer, however on the night we signed the necessary paperwork, and ready to leave for our journey home the sales rep stated that there was only one key ?????

I found this somewhat of a concern as he had not once mentioned this during negotiations etc. A few day’s later I called the salesman to challenge this matter, he got back to me and stated the sales manager stated that they were not responsible for providing the second key free but that I could purchase one for approx £200. Can anyone advise me as to what steps I can take to have this issue resolved to my satisfaction?

 Thanks 

Nigel.

[chilaspt]

On 3/2/2024 at 2:37 PM, Strangely Brown said:

 

 

On 2/28/2024 at 8:15 PM, Uncle Nig said:

Good evening, 

My son recently purchased a used Toyota Yaris from a reputable dealer, however on the night we signed the necessary paperwork, and ready to leave for our journey home the sales rep stated that there was only one key ?????

I found this somewhat of a concern as he had not once mentioned this during negotiations etc. A few day’s later I called the salesman to challenge this matter, he got back to me and stated the sales manager stated that they were not responsible for providing the second key free but that I could purchase one for approx £200. Can anyone advise me as to what steps I can take to have this issue resolved to my satisfaction?

 Thanks 

Nigel.

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how has this worked out for you? What stealership was this? I've got a feeling I've been scammed in the same way...

[androbinuk]

On 3/10/2024 at 8:56 PM, chilaspt said:

 

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how has this worked out for you? What stealership was this? I've got a feeling I've been scammed in the same way...

I managed to get my second fob key after sale but I had to send several emails to the dealership and eventually only when I raised a complained to Toyota CR team they decided to give me the second one (only after propose to cover only after of the cost and give me the second key for £100. I insisted and eventually I got it for free but it was hard. Ask the service team how much would be to reprogram the ECU in case the only fob they provide gets lost. It would be £1000+, you really need the second fob.