2010 plate Auris - Should I replace the heating unit or just sell and get something different?

[BobTheBlob]

Hello everyone, 

The background

I hope it is appropriate to ask in this part of the forum. Approximately a year ago I bought a 10 plate Auris, with about 53000 miles on the clock for about £3500. It was low mileage, and so far it has been very reliable. 

I use it mainly to get from A to B (I am a shift worker and public transport is not reliable where I work) - Which is a 20 mile round trip or so. I take the parents out shopping at times or to visit relatives occasionally. It has needed the obvious works (brakes, discs, I replaced the windscreen wipers at one point) but other than that, no major issues. 

 

The problem

As the weather has been getting colder, I noticed that my windscreen has been misting on the inside. And it appears the defrosting vents right by the windscreen are not putting out any hot air. I got the dealership to look into it, and ultimately some part of the heating unit which controls the vents is bust and it needs a full replacement. They quoted £2200 for parts and labour.  There is a problem with the water pump also, as there is some minor spilling (though coolant levels are good, I have been advised to get that replaced soon also) -  I have not had any overheating issues. 

The mechanic was kind enough to manually set part of the vent stuck in an "open" position, but it I have to put the fans up really high to get anything out of just one side and leave the controls well alone. It is concerning because visibility, especially in the cold nights, is not great unless I open my windows. At one point it started raining and it misted so much I had to pull over and stop. And now as the frost will start to settle in, I can imagine it being a nightmare. 

I do not have any open containers of liquid in the car and nothing that is very damp. I've been using a chamois sometimes - and when that gets too damp I just keep it at home/wash it. 

 

My thoughts 

Ultimately, is it worth it to get the heating unit and the water pump replaced?

1. I could just grit my teeth and get them both replaced. It is otherwise a low mileage car with no other problems and has been reliable...so far. So it should last me for a long time. 

2. Given that it is a fairly old car, even if I fix these problems then something else could come up in the future and it will turn into a significant money pit. 

3. I could buy the heating unit myself (if that is possible) and ask around independent garages for their labour rates. The dealership said it would be about 6-8 hours labour as a lot has to be taken apart and put back together again. And I imagine independent garages have low labour rates. So the overall price could be cheaper? MAYBE if I get it down to £1000 in total? But that is optimistic I imagine. 

4. OR I could just sell it up / part exchange it for something slightly newer. My budget is approximately £3k, and my parents have kindly offered to add £1k to that. In the long run it might be wiser anyway. 

I do not like to finance or lease cars - I like to own it outright as there are less finances to manage. I am not a petrol head as such. I just care about reliability really. 

 

If you have read this all the way through, then thank you very much! 😁

 

[furtula]

Is it auto AC, or manual controls?

Water pump on Auris is an easy job, it's easily accessible, and not that expensive, but then again, i am writing this having in mind you have the gasoline version (you did not write it in your profile).

I had mine replaced maybe 2 yrs ago, i remember at the time, the part itself was maybe 50GBP in average + coolant + work.

It's also advisable to replace the serpentine belt, because, it was some 8-10GBP then.

This all could be done at independent garage, why go to Toyota to be overcharged?

 

BTW, what is a heating unit? From what i know, there is a small radiator where hot coolant goes, then blower blows onto it, forcing the heat into the car. 

Small servos operate the latches, to move heat in different directions ( on auto climate control), and i presume it's all manual on manual controls.

As for the misting, you need your AC to be turned on, to dehumidify the air.

 

Does the blower blow, are there any sounds, is there heat in general, or are you having issues directing the heat to necessary places?

Does AC work fine?

 

 

[mcntosh]

I'm just wondering if the whole heating unit needs replaced or if it's actually some smaller (and cheaper) component of it that is broken. There is a tendency to replace whole systems rather than troubleshooting properly to find the actual problem. I've no experience of this - probably it would require an independent Toyota specialist.

This is not a good time to looking for another car, given the state of the market. On the other hand, £2200 is a lot of money to sink into a car for which you paid £3500. 

It must be a frustrating situation. I'd expect a 53000 mile Toyota (even an 11 year old one) to have bit more life in it and I'd hate to have to get back on the finance treadmill.

[BobTheBlob]

1 hour ago, furtula said:

Is it auto AC, or manual controls?

Water pump on Auris is an easy job, it's easily accessible, and not that expensive, but then again, i am writing this having in mind you have the gasoline version (you did not write it in your profile).

I had mine replaced maybe 2 yrs ago, i remember at the time, the part itself was maybe 50GBP in average + coolant + work.

It's also advisable to replace the serpentine belt, because, it was some 8-10GBP then.

This all could be done at independent garage, why go to Toyota to be overcharged?

 

BTW, what is a heating unit? From what i know, there is a small radiator where hot coolant goes, then blower blows onto it, forcing the heat into the car. 

Small servos operate the latches, to move heat in different directions ( on auto climate control), and i presume it's all manual on manual controls.

As for the misting, you need your AC to be turned on, to dehumidify the air.

 

Does the blower blow, are there any sounds, is there heat in general, or are you having issues directing the heat to necessary places?

Does AC work fine?

 

 

It is manual controls, and it is a petrol 1.2 litre engine. 

The AC otherwise works fine - There is hot air and cool air - it is merely directing the air to the windscreen. The blowers blow fine from other sources. So I I do turn it on, and if I have it high enough it can demist the windscreen if there is a very light layer. But anything more or any frost and it really does not work.

On their video report they explained that this heating unit has a "flap shaft" that controls the opening and closing of the flaps by the windscreen. And that shaft has simply snapped. But they cannot just replace it as an independent part. Hence the new unit being required.  I have tried searching for Toyota Auris 2010 heating unit but it is coming up with either blow motors, controls, things like that. 

I usually go to Toyota for the servicing and checking things, but if I want parts replaced I have learned to either get them myself and go to an independent garage or just go to an independent garage nearby. 

[BobTheBlob]

1 hour ago, mcntosh said:

I'm just wondering if the whole heating unit needs replaced or if it's actually some smaller (and cheaper) component of it that is broken. There is a tendency to replace whole systems rather than troubleshooting properly to find the actual problem. I've no experience of this - probably it would require an independent Toyota specialist.

This is not a good time to looking for another car, given the state of the market. On the other hand, £2200 is a lot of money to sink into a car for which you paid £3500. 

It must be a frustrating situation. I'd expect a 53000 mile Toyota (even an 11 year old one) to have bit more life in it and I'd hate to have to get back on the finance treadmill.

I was thinking the same thing about the state of the market, and was hoping to get a lot more out of the vehicle. 

As for the precise problem, I answered someone else with the following:

"On their video report they explained that this heating unit has a "flap shaft" that controls the opening and closing of the flaps by the windscreen. And that shaft has simply snapped. But they cannot just replace it as an independent part. Hence the new unit being required. " 

It sounds like to me it is not possible to just fix the existing unit. But an independent Toyota specialist sounds like a good idea actually. I might give it a google - I hadn't thought of that. Thank you!

[TonyHSD]

Low mileage cars usually has more problems than high mileage cars because in many cases those had not been maintained well and often been abused. My advice is to get the car checked by independent garage, friend or someone who knows about cars and can help to repair for cheap or free as diy project. In older cars like that out of warranty there is no point spending that sort of money on any car any time. Or perhaps buying another one can be a better option since you can get a lots of money for this one even with the problem which no one would find out if you trade it in. All used cars has something hidden and this problem could have been there even before you had bought the car. 

[BobTheBlob]

4 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Low mileage cars usually has more problems than high mileage cars because in many cases those had not been maintained well and often been abused. My advice is to get the car checked by independent garage, friend or someone who knows about cars and can help to repair for cheap or free as diy project. In older cars like that out of warranty there is no point spending that sort of money on any car any time. Or perhaps buying another one can be a better option since you can get a lots of money for this one even with the problem which no one would find out if you trade it in. All used cars has something hidden and this problem could have been there even before you had bought the car. 

I am heavily leaning towards buying something new. I don't know many people who would want it as a DIY project, but I might chat with them. Though I would also want to take part and help of course. I always thought low mileage cars are better but that logic of not being maintained and being abused seems to be about right honestly. I would feel guilty not mentioning that problem though! 🙃 Which is why parts exchange may be a better option. 

[TonyHSD]

1 hour ago, BobTheBlob said:

I am heavily leaning towards buying something new. I don't know many people who would want it as a DIY project, but I might chat with them. Though I would also want to take part and help of course. I always thought low mileage cars are better but that logic of not being maintained and being abused seems to be about right honestly. I would feel guilty not mentioning that problem though! 🙃 Which is why parts exchange may be a better option. 

I know, I will feel the same but many wouldn’t and here it is how probably the problem turns out after the purchase., even on cars bought from franchise dealers are full with issues. Your car may needs some parts even not new , can source from scrap cars eBay and some time and someone to help get it fix. But again a full investigation needs as problems with heating usually comes as a result of other issues, pest infestation or skipped service intervals, like old coolant can cause corrosion on heating components and then after blocking the heater core,  or rats eaten the flaps in the air control unit for example or after an accident and poor repair. For the moisture one tip though, good to check in the boot under the spare tyre cover, usually this model gets a rain water through the rear lights clusters and can even be so much to flood the entire spare wheel well and rear seat foot wells . Another place water can enter the car is from windscreen seal , check the roof too and front seat foot wells. Hope it helps you sort the issues. 
Good luck 👍

[mcntosh]

2 hours ago, BobTheBlob said:

I was thinking the same thing about the state of the market, and was hoping to get a lot more out of the vehicle. 

As for the precise problem, I answered someone else with the following:

"On their video report they explained that this heating unit has a "flap shaft" that controls the opening and closing of the flaps by the windscreen. And that shaft has simply snapped. But they cannot just replace it as an independent part. Hence the new unit being required. " 

It sounds like to me it is not possible to just fix the existing unit. But an independent Toyota specialist sounds like a good idea actually. I might give it a google - I hadn't thought of that. Thank you!

. That report sounds worrying but perhaps an independent might be able to get the offending part from a breaker if Toyota don’t offer it separately. Definitely get a second opinion if you can.

Good luck with it whatever you decide to do. My own car has similar mileage (although only 7 years old) and I’d be b****y annoyed if this happened to me. Am hoping to get it to the age of your car without this kind of expense.

[furtula]

Their report just sounds like bull***. A piece of plastic broke off, oh, we need to replace whole thing, or maybe better scrap the car...

So  your issue regarding AC is that when you turn it on, it blows kinda fine, but if you direct it towards the screen, not all air is forced through there.

Some of it also escapes to other vents, am i correct?

Try removing the glovebox, and see if you can see the mechanism that regulates the flaps.

If that does not help, you can also try removing the radio, that should give you plenty of space to diagnose the issue. Could be just flap hinge broken on one side, or something like that.

If in some case you would need to take the whole dash apart, i had written a manual for that, it can be done in  30 minutes or less, if you do it 1st time. With dash out, you have very easy access to the whole assembly, but it would be better to diagnose the problem first, if it's just a broken flap, could be fixed with a bit of epoxy.

As for the water pump, just take to independent garage, as i said, it's easy job for them, no need to pay Toyota dealers for that.

[BobTheBlob]

17 hours ago, furtula said:

Their report just sounds like bull***. A piece of plastic broke off, oh, we need to replace whole thing, or maybe better scrap the car...

So  your issue regarding AC is that when you turn it on, it blows kinda fine, but if you direct it towards the screen, not all air is forced through there.

Some of it also escapes to other vents, am i correct?

Try removing the glovebox, and see if you can see the mechanism that regulates the flaps.

If that does not help, you can also try removing the radio, that should give you plenty of space to diagnose the issue. Could be just flap hinge broken on one side, or something like that.

If in some case you would need to take the whole dash apart, i had written a manual for that, it can be done in  30 minutes or less, if you do it 1st time. With dash out, you have very easy access to the whole assembly, but it would be better to diagnose the problem first, if it's just a broken flap, could be fixed with a bit of epoxy.

As for the water pump, just take to independent garage, as i said, it's easy job for them, no need to pay Toyota dealers for that.

I imagine that it is not a part that they can take off or reattach with a screw or whatever. So they would have to get the part from some sort of breaker and glue it on and for some reason they don't do that? In any case, it seems such a small thing to cause a big problem. They called it a "wear and tear item" even. 

The AC blows well from all the other vents, but as it is currently, it only blows a little from one side of the defrosting vent up against the windscreen. 

I had not thought of the glovebox and/or radio option. Maybe if I can get some time on my hands...and patience! 

But yes, if I can keep the car I will take it to an independent. There is one nearby in any case and they have been alright. 

[furtula]

Dealer tends to replace parts, not fix stuff. If it's just a plastic flap or something, sure you can fix it with some epoxy, and it will hold until the car dies.

Dealer does not put 2nd hand parts, nor does he fix stuff, but they will order whole new setup and replace, if available, which is why you were quoted such ridiculous amount.

Anyway, i don't know if the manual AC operates the flaps via cables, or it uses a servo motor.

Either way, i would definitely try to fix it. 

2 years ago i had to remove the whole top dash, so on that topic there's a howto, and PDF with details, if you need to remove the dash.

Also, the part of the manual also shows how to remove the radio, basically the silver trim pieces pop off, and then you undo few screws and pull it out. 

 

Good thing to do is to check used parts on eBay, to get the idea how the whole box looks like.

 

 

 

[preperationlaunch]

I'd be shocked if a bad heater control unit would write off a car, even a modern one.

Looking on eBay, you can buy an entire heater box for about £100. They often are the bits that contain all the flaps.

You'd have to look up the part number for yours, and it may be labour intensive, but I wouldn't expect it to be world ending either.

[1.8 hybrid]

my feelings towards main dealer mechanics are they can only unbolt and bolt back on

that seems to be the limit of their skill set and dont have the capability to engineer

a solution for their customers , indie's on the other hand will only replace the failed item

and go the extra mile to change the defective item only.

 

 

[Cyker]

Yeah, they're fitters, not mechanics - You need to find a place with a real mechanic who can repair the unit, otherwise source one from a breakers. Search on eBay or ring some up to see if they can pull one out for you. The tricky bit is describing what bit you need; Photos would help.