White Dust / White Power Yaris Hybrid 2014 MK3 - please help

[inteli7]

Update from Toyota - 08/02/24

They found the issue! It is the evaporator, as many have said previously. 

Their warranty administrator manager has sent the claim through so they can get this done under warranty. The vehicle is ready to collect, which I'll do later.

When that comes back, they will give me a ring to book it. 

Does anyone else have any advice for me? I took plenty of pictures of the dash and the inside of the car. 

Hopefully, they won't rush the job, and everything will be the same.

[Stevie J]

Interesting to know all this. I haven't experienced any of this white dust in my car yet, just the usual dust that you get in any car that hasnt been hoovered for a while. I am presuming that it is caused by using the a/c on a regular basis such that the evaporator coil gets wet and goes through these cycles regularly, causing the metalwork of the coil to corrode.

All I do know is that when I do use the a/c in my car, is can sometimes cause the system to smell a bit "pungent", but I dont get any white dust blowing out of the vents. As I dont use the a/c very often, that is maybe why I am not experiencing the problem yet and with the car only having done 31K miles for 9 years old, the evaporator is probably still in reasonably good condition.

I will keep an eye out for this issue now though, as others with 2014 Mk3 Yaris's have said they have the issue, and mine is also a 2014.

[inteli7]

Update from Toyota - 12/02/24

Toyota booked the car on Thursday, the 15th of February. The job will take the whole day, but I expect to pick up the car on Friday.

I'll be taking pictures of the dash and the car interior, and hopefully, I will get it back in the same shape.

[inteli7]

Big update on car

The car was booked for the 15th of February, and I have been told it will take a day or so. I have been asked to drop the car off on the 15th as early as possible as the job will have to start. So I decided to drop it on Wednesday, the 14th, in the evening after work. 

I was kind enough to tell them there is some flexibility, and as long as I can get it on the 17th (Saturday - service is still open between 8 AM to 12 PM), I will be okay. 

On Friday, I get a call that the car hasn't been touched on Thursday and that the work has started on Friday, and they are not even halfway through. On Monday I had a hospital appointment which I couldn't cancel and getting there by public transport would have been a massive pain. I kindly asked for a courtesy car for that day, which they happily provided. 

On Monday, the 19th, while picking up the courtesy car, I was informed that the technician looking after this job had called in sick. (shit happens) I got a call on Tuesday saying the technician went to the GP and should return on Wednesday. 

On Wednesday, the 21st, I got a call saying that the job wouldn't be done that week as the technician would return on the 26th.

I am concerned that only one person/technician out of the workshop could do this. Indeed, as a mechanic, you should be able to pick up in a colleague's absence and finish a job. 

Perhaps I was wrong, or something went wrong, and they didn't want to be honest. The technician could have been sick, or the wrong part had arrived, and they had to wait for 1 to come from Japan.  Either way, I will never know for sure what happened.

I got a video link today saying the car is ready to collect. When I showed up at the dealership, one of the persons from the service department that served me didn't know that the car was ready. It looks like the technicians didn't communicate at all with their colleagues. 

The job wasn't done correctly as some of the brand-new parts had been scratched, making me mad upon seeing them.  I guess I will have to pretend that I have never seen them.

There is something concerning which I need some advice on. 

The steering wheel feels stiff at low speeds. If you were to turn at a junction, it looks like the steering wheel "locks" itself and stays there. Usually, the steering wheel is always light and returns to its straight position without much or no interaction from the driver.

It also feels very light at higher speeds, which seems to be the reverse.

What do you guys think?

p.s Some raw pictures of a Toyota Yaris 2014 Hybrid with the dashboard taken apart have been attached.  Enjoy!

[Parts-King]

As this is warranty, only certain level technicians are allowed to carry out the work. Other technicians would be capable of doing the work but for warranty purposes you cannot. As it is a big job, I suspect any of the other techs would be already loaded with work in the diary, sometimes it is very difficult to catch back time when somebody goes off sick, hence having it booked to your man. 

[inteli7]

1 hour ago, Parts-King said:

As this is warranty, only certain level technicians are allowed to carry out the work. Other technicians would be capable of doing the work but for warranty purposes you cannot. As it is a big job, I suspect any of the other techs would be already loaded with work in the diary, sometimes it is very difficult to catch back time when somebody goes off sick, hence having it booked to your man. 

That makes sense. Thank you for your explanation.

I took the car back for it to be checked due to the stiff steering that was not there before. Some other scratches need to be addressed, and hopefully, they will be resolved. They seemed reasonable and understanding, and I hope they will make it right. Mistakes can happen, and they can also be fixed.

[Cyker]

You did the right thing - Mistakes happen, it's how they get dealt with that matters, but they need to at least get a chance to fix them. Hopefully they'll be up to the standards we expect from Toyota!

 

[wildtapholer]

You can see why anyone who doesn't have the relax warranty, either gets rid of the car or lives with it. I've been looking out for a CH-R maybe trade my CT in, but there are very few what's kept the MD service history up, I'm talking about 3-4 yr old cars, why wouldn't you as any problem would be void.

[inteli7]

13 hours ago, wildtapholer said:

You can see why anyone who doesn't have the relax warranty, either gets rid of the car or lives with it. I've been looking out for a CH-R maybe trade my CT in, but there are very few what's kept the MD service history up, I'm talking about 3-4 yr old cars, why wouldn't you as any problem would be void.

I guess you can say that, but there are a few considerations. My Yaris came from my elderly neighbour, who barely drove the car throughout his ownership. It was low mileage (9800 miles when I got it in April 2023) and in immaculate condition. Don't forget that it was always serviced at Toyota through his ownership.

To me, this was a big thing, and I considered that it would be an upgrade from the shitty Corsa from 2017 that I previously had. 

Another car/new car would have been nice, but I have other plans in mind and don't want to spend money on one. The job was free, but I remember that my dealership was where I took the car to get the money from Toyota GB. Also, I took the car to them in one condition, and I expect the car to return in the same condition. 

I might give up the car if they come tomorrow and offer me a great deal on a new Corolla Touring Sports Excel in the configuration I want them. (highly unlikely)

[inteli7]

Another update!

Got the car back today (a few days later) with all the issues sorted. I hope there will be no more surprises but so far so good!

They made it right 🙂

[inteli7]

https://carspecmn.com/toyota-and-lexus-white-dust-on-the-dash-and-vents/

https://www.toyotanation.com/threads/white-powder-on-dashboard-from-vents-on-2014-toyota-avalon-xle.1678857/

Some reading to do.

 

Something I forgot to add is that this job varies in hours. From what I was told, it could be from 12 to 18 hours. 

Remember that my local dealer charges £87 per hour, so that you can do the maths. Mine took 18 hours, from what I was told. (+parts)