Very Poor Fuel Consumption

[Catlover]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

Hello friends, 

small turbo engines are known for poor performance and economy within car business, even Toyota has moved onto a bigger engines size with the new Corolla upcoming, and that’s why would be available only as a Hybrid variant in the UK. 1.2T might sounds alright on paper but in reality they are not as efficient as they should be, simple physics and it’s same with VW, Ford , Vauxhall ect. , however 25mpg its a bit of a high consumption, 30-33mpg for your driving needs would be a more realistic figures. Tyre types and pressures also very important, but most of it it’s how you drive and where you drive and for how long. I personally get 60mpg of my driving with Auris Hybrid first gen and all that from mixture driving motorways 80% and town driving 20%. After I switched to winter tyres mpg went down to around 55mpg and with the cold weather coming will drop at least another 5 but overall I am happy. Been using a small petrol engine car before that and never achieved any good fuel consumption. Small engines can only suits small cars of up to 1 ton weight and driving between towns A and B roads up to the speed limits with smooth acceleration. Best to check with other owners off the same car and compare what they get out of their motors. 

Have a nice weekend 

👍

My friend has a Ford Focus with a small turbo petrol engine, his mpg is way above what you suggesting small engines do. 

[Phil_1985]

- Is the tyre wear even on all the tyres? (If the suspension is out of alignment this will increase fuel consumption)

- When was the vehicle last serviced and where?

It might be worth resetting the ECU by disconnecting the Battery so that the car can 'learn' your driving style. 

[Danny1.2]

I bought the car from Toyota Oxford so I am assuming they did a full technical check before selling the car. They did mention it. They also serviced the vehicle not long before that. Does resetting ecu really work and do I just disconnect Battery positive answer negative cables? 

[Danny1.2]

I also noticed that my stop start feature didn't work at all today on two 14 Mile A roads and motorway journeys. Is that normal? My average mpg today was 35 mpg aswell which is quite low considering. 

[furtula]

Does not hurt to do an ECU reset, disconnect Battery for 10 minutes, reconnect, let it idle for 10 minutes, should be ready to drive after that.

Removing negative cable should be enough for this (black one).

[FROSTYBALLS]

There are certain conditions where the stop/start system won't work, and these are described in the owners manual (around page 283).

[Danny1.2]

58 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

There are certain conditions where the stop/start system won't work, and these are described in the owners manual (around page 283).

I just went through the manual and it doesn't mention any of the conditions but just found one of your previous posts that lists the conditions.

[FROSTYBALLS]

The full owners manual, which is the one I referred to, or the abbreviated owners manual? The full owners manual may be downloaded from https://www.toyota.co.uk/tme#/my-toyota/eManual

[Danny1.2]

Thank you. I am going to try and reset the ECU tomorrow. Do I just need to disconnect the Battery for 10 minutes? 

[Danny1.2]

Quick question. I took out the negative Battery terminal and pressed on the barked and reconnected the terminal 13 minutes later. The mpg info has reset but the radio is still setup. Does that mean that the ECU hasn't reset? 

[furtula]

I do not know what do you mean by pressed on barked, but that should be it. Let the car idle for 10 minutes, then it's ready to be driven.

You remove cable from Battery for 10 minutes, then reconnect, that's it.

 

ECU and Radio are separate units.

[Danny1.2]

Thanks furtula. Yes I removed the Battery. I read that you should depress the brake to release any electrical discharge. Not sure how true that is. 

Let's see if it makes a difference. Hearing mixed things whilst reading online. 

[Danny1.2]

Still monitoring them fuel consumption. I think it must be the city driving unfortunately. Anyone know what I can do about the windows steaming up all the time? . It's driving me mad. Have to have the demister on all the time. 

[Heidfirst]

check fo any leaks into the interior.

check/clean/replace pollen filter.

use aircon.

[furtula]

2 hours ago, Danny1.2 said:

Still monitoring them fuel consumption. I think it must be the city driving unfortunately. Anyone know what I can do about the windows steaming up all the time? . It's driving me mad. Have to have the demister on all the time. 

I also noticed there's a bigger issue with this compared to my old car, but i dont have it that bad. Maybe try the kitty liter trick, placed near windscreen, try searching online for how it looks like.

[Danny1.2]

54 minutes ago, furtula said:

I also noticed there's a bigger issue with this compared to my old car, but i dont have it that bad. Maybe try the kitty liter trick, placed near windscreen, try searching online for how it looks like.

Does it have to go on the dashboard though? . Doesn't look particularly nice.. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

I've used a car dehumidifier bag previously to reduce overnight condensation in a previous car.  Car was garaged but went through a period of difficult demisting. Left one of the dehumidifier bags on the car dashboard when garaged for a few days and removed when using the car. Did the trick for us, and haven't used it since.

Examples - https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Car+dehumidifier+bags

I used a 1kg bag.

NB: using the air con with the heater provides faster demisting.

[Danny1.2]

9 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

I've used a car dehumidifier bag previously to reduce overnight condensation in a previous car.  Car was garaged but went through a period of difficult demisting. Left one of the dehumidifier bags on the car dashboard when garaged for a few days and removed when using the car. Did the trick for us, and haven't used it since.

Examples - https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Car+dehumidifier+bags

I used a 1kg bag.

I did use one of these once on my old car. Didn't seem to work that well. Might try it again. The issue is not when I get into car, it is while driving. If I switch off demister for 1 minute the windscreen and windows seem to steam up again. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

It isn't on recirc is it? As I said earlier try using the air con with the heater to demist.

[Danny1.2]

I switched it of recirc and not much better.

[furtula]

I always have AC on as it speeds up the process,  i think without it it fogs up like yours does.

[Konrad C]

With demisting, the Avensis uses the aircon by default, with the correct setting. The heating, ventilation and air-con system, needs to be in good working order. That means the filters changed, the system clean, the drainage system clear and not blocked, and the air-con gas at optimum level and good pressure. Also regular use of the air-con helps as the gas and oils help with the sealing. 
Also checking around the car for moisture which may indicate a possible ingress of water. Places like windows, door seals, plus the rear light seals. Check the boot area and rear vents in the wheel arch area. Going through deep puddles can add to the problem. Also make sure the brakes are not binding!
An Auris that is two years old should be in good order, unless it has been abused, been in a serious crash and rebuilt, a badly made car! 
Demisting problem and poor fuel economy does not sound good for a car of that age. I had an old '98 Avensis from  2003 until 2016 and apart from age related wear and tear, plus gearbox at around 120,000 miles, has served me well. My current Mk3 estate is doing well so far. Even now I am getting 36.5 mpg in London stop start traffic.  
I would be very disappointed if had an Auris like Danny's and get the problems he is reporting. I would expect to be around 40+ mpg.

 

[Danny1.2]

On a low traffic run today on the way to school I averaged 42.5 mpg on a 4 mile journey so I was thinking that the low mpg is due to the other times when traffic is usually bad? 

[TonyHSD]

42mpg is an ok consumption for that type and size engine, and driving conditions. if you like to achieve better you may need to look for a hybrid car. If you want to have your windshield clean from moisture do not use air con at all, just set the climate control to blow directly into the windscreen and in the footwell and turn the temperature to around 22c . Keep it that way and don’t use air con to speed up the process, most likely this is the reason why  you get mist on the windows. Car dehumidifier also helps a bit as some people already suggested. 

Regards 

[FROSTYBALLS]

54 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

If you want to have your windshield clean from moisture do not use air con at all, just set the climate control to blow directly into the windscreen and in the footwell and turn the temperature to around 22c .

No. See RAC advice in first post of the following: