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Both Headlamp Beams Defective £626 to Fix


MattBycroft
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8 hours ago, Gerg said:

This is strange, in an effort to progress the same problem as yours on our own Auris, I took the liberty last year, of ringing your dealer to see what the outcome was for your car.

The (helpful) person I spoke to, on checking his service notes, was under the impression that your headlamps had been changed at that dealership!  So they got that wrong, then...

This headlamp fault (albeit in reversed LHD form) generates more interest on a French hybrid forum than it seems to on this one.  Even if out of warranty, if the car is bought from a dealer, posters are advised to make sure the headlamps get changed free-of-charge by the dealer.

The French Toyota technical bulletin shows this picture as an example of the fault, just to clarify what new headlamps offer:-

1581107196_AurisHeadlampchange.thumb.png.0ab73a090eb3b4cc1cc2c64050f74d77.png

 

The triangle on the right hand side of the picture (of this left hand drive car - so reverse this for the UK) shows the area of improvement.

The concern above is known and is also covered by an English TSB BE-0058T-0515 there are two "buts" though:

1. This concern is not an MOT issue as the "missing" area is not considered, MOT is looking at lamp security, light intensity & aim, not width of pattern

2.The bulletin pointed out that the original lighting installed is not faulty and working as designed/legislated, but there is based on a Customer complaint only, an improvement possible by installing different headlamps. Warranty cover would no longer apply for this as potentially affected cars are now over 5 years old.

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I bought a 63 plate Auris Excel Icon Estate in 2017. They replace the headlights on the first MOT I had in 2018( quite why it was not done when I bought the car, I don't know.

Have now sold the car.

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6 hours ago, Brian Austin said:

I bought a 63 plate Auris Excel Icon Estate in 2017. They replace the headlights on the first MOT I had in 2018( quite why it was not done when I bought the car, I don't know.

Have now sold the car.

The assistance of a TSB does not automatically mean every car affected is repaired, especially in this case where Toyota made it clear replacement was only on the basis of a customer complaint, in the case of your 63 Auris the original owner didn't report it therefore no repair was completed.

 

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  • 2 months later...

I have just had my reg. 64 car serviced and was told there was a fault with the headlights so it wouldn't pass the MOT (by a Toyota garage/dealer). New headlights will cost the best part of £600 after they contacted Toyota. The full cost would have been around £800. My problem is there is a tear in the reflectors of both lamps which shows as a defect in the top part of the beam, visible when shining onto a wall. Apparently the reflectors will curl up more when the lights heat up. I have spoken to Toyota Customer Relations who deny that this is a manufacturing defect and therefore will not assist further with the cost. If this had been spotted last year then it would have fallen within the 5 year warranty. I took it to another garage to ask them to check the lamps (my daughter's car was having a service and MOT there) and the mechanic checked the lamps' output and said that they did not fail the MOT requirement, although we could see the slight deficiency in the beam. This is apparently a known problem but not very common. It doesn't seem to be exactly the same problem as the previous correspondence. I am now in a quandary as I don't know whether I really need them replaced. Will this issue get worse if I don't deal with it now when I at least have some discount?

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2 hours ago, CHM said:

I took it to another garage to ask them to check the lamps (my daughter's car was having a service and MOT there) and the mechanic checked the lamps' output and said that they did not fail the MOT requirement,

I would ditch the main dealer(trying to upsell?) and have this garage carry out the MOT test if they say the lights meet the requirement.

Then further tackle Toyota. A headlight reflector shouldn't do that. Particularly both of them. You haven't fitted some higher intensity/heat generating lamps hopefully?

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Suppose that if Toyota say it isn't a manufacturing fault, it wouldn't have been covered under the five year warranty anyway.

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18 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Suppose that if Toyota say it isn't a manufacturing fault, it wouldn't have been covered under the five year warranty anyway.

In spite of that I would have hoped they could offer some explanation as to why this has happened and why it isn't a manufacturing fault?

 

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22 hours ago, CHM said:

This is apparently a known problem but not very common.

Plus CHM writes this, and it would be helpful if they could show where this "problem" is "known".

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The "known" problem as you put it is a different problem, not the one you are having. The previous owner may have fitted non standard bulbs, which are well known to cause this exact type of problem with excess heat being generated

 

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I am very happy to say that Toyota have been in touch with me and are now replacing the headlights and providing me with a courtesy car whilst I wait for the parts as only one headlight was immediately available. My MOT was due yesterday so now I can't drive my car. (I am the first owner of this car apart from the original dealer and there is no question of anyone installing the wrong bulbs btw.) 

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  • 2 months later...

Update - Last month my 64-reg was MOT'd and failed due to the headlights. Toyota (Steven Eagell, St. Ives Cambs) provided me with a courtesy car (and then a hire car so they could have their courtesy car back) and eventually once Toyota GB had supplied the new headlights replaced them both 100% free of charge. They even said they had multiple cars waiting for the same fix. No questions asked or any upfront payment necessary from myself. I have to say that Toyota (Steven Eagell) were excellent in keeping me updated, the main delays were from Toyota GB.

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That's interesting. 

The old headlamps will have different beam patterns to the new ones especially at the far left and right of their projection, as previously mentioned (I'll label this as 'problem 1'). 

But were you able to see other aspects of the headlamp's beam pattern or output as worsening over time? (As in MoT failure related output, so, 'problem 2', as per the poster above, CHM.)

It does seem like there are two distinct problems here.  One that the car comes with new, and another age related problem.  What I am trying to figure out is if you can anticipate this problem - the sooner you bring it to Toyota's attention, the better chance you have of them accepting responsibility.  A 'generous' MoT tester could be setting you up for an expensive problem further down the line!

Ta.

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I also claimed under the recall and got two brand new lights on 2013, around 3 years ago, did male a difference

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My offside headlamp suffers from condensation on my 2015 Auris hybrid. It clears to the front of the bulb but not to the far right. Is condensation inside normal? Certainly never noticed on my glass headlight Volvo 940.

James.:thumbsup:

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On 12/8/2020 at 10:18 PM, Auris James said:

My offside headlamp suffers from condensation on my 2015 Auris hybrid

Whenever I have noticed condensation in the headlamps, it is largely symmetrical across both headlamps.

 

On 9/29/2020 at 12:28 PM, CHM said:

I have just had my reg. 64 car serviced and was told there was a fault with the headlights so it wouldn't pass the MOT (by a Toyota garage/dealer).

I have an idea that one manifestation of the problem Christina (CHM) was having with the reflector problem, would produce a headlamp pattern like this. A new, updated headlamp is to the right, an old (defective?) headlamp to the left):-

P1140431.thumb.JPG.f8467238cd0fc93993634ac2ffee5a94.JPG

On closer examination of the picture you may notice an orange coloured fringe to the brightest area of the left hand headlamp.  The left hand headlamp bulb has been changed from a Philips to an Osram after this 'fault' was noticed, both bulbs were standard HIR2, not higher powered variants, to see if this made any difference - it didn't make any difference.

Respect is due to Valeo and Toyota for coming up with such a weird beam pattern and/or failing mode.

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  • 8 months later...

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and headed your way in search of information regarding the headlights of my newly aquired Toyota Auris TS made 10.2014. I love the car, after 6000 km we get pretty well together, EXCEPT the headlights... We took a trip to Greece and after dark, on tight curved roads the provided side light is insufficient, to the point it makes driving dangerous. As stated by other users, the side cutoff makes turning into the dark really dangerous. I attach a video link to illustrate this experience, fortunately I had a LR Discovery Sport driving in front of me and took advantage of its excellent LED lights, which helped a lot, but I hope you'll get what I mean: 

About possible solutions to this problem, the situation is as follows: I am the 4th owner of the car, which was first bough in Germany and had 2 previous owners in Romania. The car is now 86.000 km (traceable, for real) and it was serviced on time at Toyota dealerships both in Germany and Romania until I purchased it. I myself chose not to continue with the dealership because I considered what they charge is a rip-off. I have the tools and ability to perform the regular maintenance myself, so I did an oil/filters change (Toyota 0w20 oil) and a complete brake job, because the rotors were unevenly worn (rusty on the inside). Properly cleaned and greased the caliper slide pins, now everything looks fine. The Battery health check was carried anually and is due in December, I will go to the dealership for this, to keep the 10 years extended hybrid system warranty.

Now, what do you think the chances are to get my headlights replaced based on the technical service bulletin you mentioned? I have noticed several other users in France and Belgium successfully got theirs replaced, probably in other countries, too. 

How should I contact Toyota? I'm afraid that contacting the local dealer first would not do much, since they are not Toyota, but an entity agremented by Toyota to sell their vechicles and perform maintenance. They only want to make profit.

How did you approch this issue?

Any advices are much appreciated. Sorry for my English, I'm not a native speaker...

 

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The usual step would be via the Toyota dealer. Could try contacting Toyota Romania, but they may refer you back to a Toyota dealer.

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Thank you FROSTYBALLS, I will consider your advice. However, I think a written approach with carefully chosen arguments would be better than a call or visit, what do you think? Moreover, given the age of the car (7 years soon) and the fact I chose not to do the last maintenance at the Toyota dealership, what do you think the success chances are?

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Depends on the stance your Toyota importer takes. If the car had a full Toyota service history, Toyota Romania may consider help under goodwill. However, it really is down to them. 

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12 hours ago, Victorine said:

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and headed your way in search of information regarding the headlights of my newly aquired Toyota Auris TS made 10.2014. I love the car, after 6000 km we get pretty well together, EXCEPT the headlights... We took a trip to Greece and after dark, on tight curved roads the provided side light is insufficient, to the point it makes driving dangerous. As stated by other users, the side cutoff makes turning into the dark really dangerous. I attach a video link to illustrate this experience, fortunately I had a LR Discovery Sport driving in front of me and took advantage of its excellent LED lights, which helped a lot, but I hope you'll get what I mean: 

About possible solutions to this problem, the situation is as follows: I am the 4th owner of the car, which was first bough in Germany and had 2 previous owners in Romania. The car is now 86.000 km (traceable, for real) and it was serviced on time at Toyota dealerships both in Germany and Romania until I purchased it. I myself chose not to continue with the dealership because I considered what they charge is a rip-off. I have the tools and ability to perform the regular maintenance myself, so I did an oil/filters change (Toyota 0w20 oil) and a complete brake job, because the rotors were unevenly worn (rusty on the inside). Properly cleaned and greased the caliper slide pins, now everything looks fine. The battery health check was carried annually and is due in December, I will go to the dealership for this, to keep the 10 years extended hybrid system warranty.

Now, what do you think the chances are to get my headlights replaced based on the technical service bulletin you mentioned? I have noticed several other users in France and Belgium successfully got theirs replaced, probably in other countries, too. 

How should I contact Toyota? I'm afraid that contacting the local dealer first would not do much, since they are not Toyota, but an entity agremented by Toyota to sell their vehicles and perform maintenance. They only want to make profit.

How did you approach this issue?

Any advices are much appreciated. Sorry for my English, I'm not a native speaker...

 

The bulletin from Toyota was quite clear the issue is not a fault and the lamps are fully compliant legally and work as intended, any replacement was only agreed within warranty and only based an a customer complaint. 

If your car was originally a German registered car any responsibility would be on Toyota Germany and any offer would be purely on a goodwill basis, as the car has now been through Romania and Greece it is extremely unlikely Toyota Germany are going to assist and as you have chosen not to use Toyota Greece for purchasing or maintaining the car you have shown no goodwill towards them so they will likely say no to any request. 

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Hi Devon Aygo, thanks for your reply.

First of all, I don't think I made myself clear, or you might have red my post in a hurry. The care is registered in Romania, we only took a trip to Greece for vacation and I mentioned I was very content with the car during this 2000 km trip, except that I had the chance to experience the poor light provided by the headlights during the night on tight curves between the Greek villages.

Second, I understand the good will as a positive attitude manifested by Toyota in addressing this specific customer complaint, since the headlights are fully compliant ant work as intented. Since the car is out of warranty anyways (except the hybrid system, in certain conditions - which I intend to follow), I have no obligation in carying any maintenance at the Toyota dealership. Of course, if I knew about this technical bulletin before, I would have maintained it at the dealeship once more, just to have a complete history before requesting the technical bulletin application. However, it's not too late, I can still do an oil change there within the 15.000km interval, although I changed it when I first got the car.

Third, I would like to believe Toyota has a non-discriminatory attitude towards all clients in all countries, since the issue and the technical bulletin are related more to the car itself and less to the client. 

Finally, I will consider all aspects and I think it worths a try. If I succeed, I must say I will appreciate even more this car maker and their good will to keep customers happy and constantly improve their vechicles 🙂

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1 hour ago, Victorine said:

I don't think I made myself clear, or you might have red my post in a hurry. The care is registered in Romania

What Devon Aygo has said is that as the car was first bought in Germany, and presumably first registered in Germany, it would be Toyota Germany who would be responsible for considering this issue, and as the car has effectively been exported to Romania, it is doubtful they would look at the issue favourably.

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I understood that correctly, but he also seemed to believe the car is registered in Greece, since he referred to Toyota Greece for purchasing or maintaining the car. Just wanted to make sure I expressed myself corectly about this. The car is registered in Romania, which is a member of the EU, same as Germany. I'm thinking Toyota.eu...

As far as I'm concerned, the technical bulletin referres to the car itself. There are no mentions regarding limitations to country/ owner number/ warranty period/ etc. So no discriminations should be made, as far as Toyota good will towards the customers apply 🙂

 

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As Devon Aygo works for a Toyota dealer, he is far more aware of TSB's etc than most members on this forum. 

However, as you're not taking notice of what he is saying, take whatever steps you see fit.

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Don't get me wrong, I appreciate every single reply and advice, just wanted to clear any missunderstanding about car registration. 

It's not that I'm not taking notice of what he said, I exposed my understanding and my view (which I reccon are quite optimistic) of the whole situation. I also understand the "good will" goes both ways. Of course in the end I will take the steps I see fit 🙂, after having considered every advices I get, too. 

Finally, in case my endeavour will be unsuccessfull, can anybody provide the parts codes for the fitted headlamps after TSB? I would highly appreciate. Thanks all for involving!

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