Please help - Avensis problem... injectors or something else?

March 4, 2020

Hi there - first post, and I'm here looking for help (sorry).

After my beloved Passat went to car heaven (or so I thought --- another story), I got this car from a small independent dealer;

it's a 2007 Avensis 2.0 T3-S D-4D that I thought was OK. I was not given a warranty, but bought one separately from Warranty Assist, even thought the car is "old" and had done just <12,000 miles when I got it mid-November (not just over 114,000).

The car started to behave strangely a few weeks ago, losing it's "impetus" (I am sure there is a technincal term for it) at 1800- 2200rpm, almost as though I had put it into the wrong gear.....

I took it to an independent garage that I had never used before (I had lost faith in the one who had looked after my Passat for about 8 years) and had their "Gold Service", which checks 60 things. Two things were highlighted - Intercooler leaking and Injectors 1 and 2 leaking. It seemed that this garage did not want to do the work, and would not let me have any kind of estimated price that I could then submit to the warranty company as a requirement. Although only the fuel injector problem was/is covered anyway.

So, my friend took it to HIS garage (which is too far away for me to easily get to and from when it has to stay "in") and they put in a new intercooler (cost just under £500) but did not say that it was imperative that the injectors be done. However, since then, it has really struggled just to pull away from being parked or otherwise stationary, so I am thinking that whatever the problem is with the injectors has got worse..... There is no code showing (athough the mpg reading is all over the place), and no fault lights, so another garage said there is no point in connecting for a diagnosis, which is what the warrenty company says is necessary before work can be done..... (That said, I am prepared to pay for it myself, but obviously would prefer not to.)

So, I'm a bit all over the place - and currently very worried that this lack of power will just get even worse quite quickly - maybe not even get me to "a" garage (not even sure which to even go to now....). As I am sure there are some experts/experienced folks on here, I am hoping for words of advice......any and all input is greatly appreciated :o) Thank you so much.

March 4, 2020

First of all, the warranty you bought does not absolve the selling dealer of responsibility. He has a responsibility under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Go back to him and discuss the issue.

Secondly you need to get it looked at by a Diesel specialist who can do proper diagnostics. There is no short-cut around this. That includes monitoring of live data from the engine, measuring fuel pressure etc etc. A 'poke and hope' approach will not work. Look for a well-reviewed Diesel specialist in your local area.