I always thought Toyota's were good cars - not exciting to drive, mind you, but in return you got something very reliable and with good customer services.
The gearbox on my 2001 vvti Corolla was faulty when I bought it in 2001 new - very notchy and difficult to use. Three Toyota dealers looked at it under warranty, all claimed it was fine, and refused to do anything.
At 95K miles the car started making a sound like a load of nails from the front. Into Toyota Cambridge - a very helpful dealer, BTW, unlike the others I used, and they diagnosed a gearbox fault - probably worn bearing/s. Cost - £300 plus whatever is wrong with it as they have to strip the whole gearbox down.
Letter to Toyota UK to see if they would help even in part, as, although out of warranty, the only reason the fault is there is because their dealers wouldn't fix it under warranty.
Response - as you guessed - they won't even help towards the cost at all.
Staggers me really - for some reason Golf 4's get a bad press on HJ for reliability, but our Beetle 1.6 (Golf 4 bits, after all) has been utterly reliable apart from 2 bin things where the lids have worked loose - and replaced under warranty.
If I had known about this, I would have got something interesting to drive, like a Leon - and I reckon it wouldn't have failed its gearbox in just over 2 years ! The new Corolla has the same gearbox - anyone out there having problems ?
So when renewal time comes up, Toyota is not going to be on my list !
Anyone out there no a good gearbox specialist, either around Cambridge, north of London or north London, that gives good service and won't try and tell me I need a whole new gearbox or something.
v. annoyed Toyota driver !
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Well, regular readers will know my Toyota experience is rather different. I guess you can only speak as you find, and my 97 R Carina (82K miles) hasn't given me a sniff of a problem. I couldn't speak highly enough of Toyota, and for me they beat all the rest hands down. A couple of queries about your post : how come your car's out of warranty if it's only 2 yrs old ? and anyway, you've done 95K miles and you're complaining about a gearbox ?? You ought to try a few Rovers or VWs !!!
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The three dealers you took the car too when you were unhappy with the gearbox must have records verifying this.
Toyota have a very good reliability record and may offer an ex gratia payment if the records exist, however 95k in just over 2 years is serious mileage.
Take it you have FSH?
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In reply to the couple of posts - it's now 2.75 years old - and I do 35K per year ! And yes, those dealers must have records - which is why I am realy suprised by Toyota's attitude in all this.
Of course, 100K is a high mileage, but modern cars are (supposed) to do this - Bob's Carina has done 85K - which is why I'm convinced I must have either a Friday afternoon job - or there is something endemic about the Corolla's gearbox.
Like I said, I think people buy Toyota's because of their claimed reliability - if they loose this, there are more interesting cars to drive out there...
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Have to say as well my Toyota experience was fantastic, best car I ever owned, and I plan another Toyota once in funds.
My Toyota dealer was exemplary. Grosvenor Garage in Guildford, the only fly in the ointment being that Grosvenor lost the Toyota franchise due to some political thing (which they explained to me but I've forgotten) and are now a Honda dealership.
But I would still take a Toyota to them as apparently the other Toyota dealers still send them the 'difficult' problems...
Anyway, to the point, I would be highly surprised if Toyota did not deal with you equitably if you could get to speak to the appropriate person. Fax head office in Japan maybe?
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You still haven't said why it's out of warranty. Have Toyota stopped giving 3 yr warranties ?
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I think they have a max of 60,000 miles. I agree with the other posters that you have been unlucky. My Toyota Avensis has been excellent and at 104k drives perfectly. I would buy another Toyota tomorrow...
I don't understand why if you knew there was a problem with the gearbox did you let the matter rest?
Even if they don't pay up - at 95K you would only have spent £3-500 on getting it fixed and would still have a car capable of another 100,000 miles.
There are lots of people who have had to pay out far higher sums on this forum
MB
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I have a Toyota Hi Ace Diesel 144k, original brake disk pads and clutch never missed a beat 7years of use and only parts replaced are radiator and exhaust back box and thats it never even replaced a bulb..........the best!!
Previous vans VW Transporter knackered after 120,000 expensive miles and Transit that I could write a book about.
But it seems that other Japs owned in my family are simular Accord, Primera, 626 all praised very highly with very little trouble.
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I'm sorry, but I don't get this. A car allegedly has a gearbox problem from new. It goes to three Toyota dealers (or the same dealer three times) and they can't find a fault. Said car goes on and does 95000 miles. Can't have been too bad a fault. Owner now expects Toyota to cough up for new g'box ??? Have I missed something here ??
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Agree entirely with Bob.
Just because its a Toyota doesnt mean that its invincible and built to last for ever.
I have had nothing but praise about Toyotas.Faultless reliability and virtually unbreakable.
However depends on how well you treat the car.Thrash it around and you will get problems regardless of whether its a Toyota or a VW/Benz or that matter.
After 95000 miles i think its ridiculous to expect Toyota to cough up money for a new gearbox.
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I doubt the gear selection problem was anything to do with the bearing failure - the two are unlikely to be related.
For a gearbox rebuild I have heard good reports of Milton Keynes Gearbox Centre - if that's not too far away.
Also, a bit further afield, Nicol Transmissions in Kidderminster (ask for Nick Bevan).
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The gearbox on my 2001 vvti Corolla was faulty when I bought it in 2001 new - very notchy and difficult to use.
Might be a daft question, but is this your first Toyota? Their gearboxes are usually notchy so it may not have been a fault, simply normal for the car. I was surprised how different the box in my Yaris was to anything else I'd driven (Saab / Fiat) but I've got used to it and there doesn't seem to be a problem.
As others have said, a gear selection problem is unlikely to be related to the failure you describe anyway.
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Thanks for the info...
Actually, I am very suprised at this fault too - although my mileage is high the car isn't old and has had a nice time running up and down motorways - so I don't change gear as much as you would think from the mileage.
My car was worse than other Corolla's I drove as courtesy cars...
I suppose the moral here is find another dealer, and put your foot down if you think something is wrong !
In the meantime, letter to Japan on the way ...
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My dad's Carina E has a very notchy gearbox, that's no worse six years after buying it. Sometimes I have to lift the clutch before trying for first/reverse again, and sometimes it doesn't just click home and jumps out of gear. Not enough to be a 'fault' but persistent enough to be annoying.
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That's because of no synchro on first/reverse.
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"Sometimes I have to lift the clutch before trying for first/reverse again"
My Mk1 Avensis was the same.
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Arnold:
I'll apologise because this is going to sound unsympathetic and I'm not really!
Am I supposed to not buy a Toyota because one person(you) has suffered gearbox failure, or take notice of the thousands of very happy customers who take part in Which, JD Power and other satisfaction and reliability surveys?
I think the sensible course if searching for reliability and good customer service is to look at the results of large samples (i.e preferably greater than one in number).
My order for an MR2 is placed and I won't be cancelling it! 8 weeks and counting down!!
I hope you can get a result that satisfies you soon.
Andy
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I knew this would roll up some comments !
Take a look at toyotaownersclub.com; there are a lot of owners, especially the new Corolla, with a LOT of problems - but it is interesting that when I looked through most, they were either annoying electrics OR gearbox/clutch.
Personally, I think the engine/body/suspension on my Corolla is first rate, and will probably do a lot more miles, but that Toyota have an endemic gearbox/clutch fault here they are not letting on about...
I think HJ needs to update his breakdown for the Corolla !
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If Aprilia's suggestions are not convenient, I have heard this place is good: www.hardyengineering.co.uk/
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