Interior Build Quality

[Diddly]

Hi,

Just purchased a 2nd hand 2005 Corolla 1.6VVTi T-Spirit. Overall I'm very happy and it's great to drive but I do feel slightly let down by the build quality. For instance there is a gap between the stereo and the top of the dashboard of about 5mm, which appears much worse when cold and largely goes away once warm. Anyone come across this issue? The interior door handles feel slightly loose or ill-fitting too and the rear bumper has come loose on one side. It's only done 7000 miles!

[DaveSR]

Yep i've had and still got the dash problem .... been in a number of times at Toyota and now I can't be ubikd with it anymore.

I also agree with the build quality

At first I had a yaris and had not one problem with it, my 04 Corolla on the other hand

Plus have you seen the interior of the new yaris'

[Diddly]

Yep i've had and still got the dash problem .... been in a number of times at Toyota and now I can't be ubikd with it anymore.

I also agree with the build quality

At first I had a yaris and had not one problem with it, my 04 Corolla on the other hand

Plus have you seen the interior of the new yaris'

Yep, seen it. never really like the central dials.

[T600]

Is Toyota's build quality as good as it used to be?

Sadly, no. Not by a long way, IMHO. They need to get their act together, or I won't be buying another one.

My dad who has been a Toyota fan since the first one he bought about 25 years ago has finally traded one of his for a Mazda, and I don't think Toyota will see any more business from him either.

[Ed_Shek]

I've got the dash problem too on my 2002 T-Sport Corolla. Car now has a few squeaks and rattles after 5 years.

It is the best built car I've had having previously owned a peugeot and a ford though!

Don't think I'll be getting another Toyota after this one. :(

[Panners]

Don't think I'll be getting another Toyota after this one.

Same here, my first and very much the last. The car rattles more than my old 18 year old Golf. I'm looking forward to next summer when I have more time off and can get rid!

Cheers.

[Kerby]

yep my car was in toyota just last week over the gap above the stereo. they replaced the top half of the dash. but there is still a gap there but it isnt as big. so i will be going back once again

[Diddly]

yep my car was in toyota just last week over the gap above the stereo. they replaced the top half of the dash. but there is still a gap there but it isnt as big. so i will be going back once again

Just got the bumper sorted out. The dashboard is "warped" apparently! and needs replacing. That'll wait till the new year. It (the gap) is much worse when cold which makes me wonder is it the plastic itself that's warping or some other part of the car warping the plastic. It's almost like it's being squeezed and buckling upwards.?????

[Parts-King]

yep my car was in toyota just last week over the gap above the stereo. they replaced the top half of the dash. but there is still a gap there but it isnt as big. so i will be going back once again

Thats an old problem that wont get cured, Toyota changed this item a few times and they are still like that!

Build quality is as good as ever, its the componants used which have become cheaper and cheaper in an ongoing fashion to produce cheaper and cheaper cars. Don't blame the guys who put them together :D:

Kingo

[don21]

yep my car was in toyota just last week over the gap above the stereo. they replaced the top half of the dash. but there is still a gap there but it isnt as big. so i will be going back once again

Thats an old problem that wont get cured, Toyota changed this item a few times and they are still like that!

Build quality is as good as ever, its the componants used which have become cheaper and cheaper in an ongoing fashion to produce cheaper and cheaper cars. Don't blame the guys who put them together :D:

Kingo

Does this mean our toyotas will become less reliable as they are sourcing cheaper parts to build them.One of the reasons I drive a toyota is because I work as a mechanic and very rarely have to do jobs on a toyota that are commonplace on a lot of other manufacturers vehicles.If this were to change I think honda would have a new customer soon.

[UKDM323]

I noticed that gap but doesnt really bother me too much long as it wont get worse!! :o the quality i found is bit better than my old 2003 mazda 323F & more solid as well, 1 or 2 areas on interior rattles not too bad though if only i know exactly where it was coming from then sure something can be done or even reduced slightly, saying that a Nissan Almera i use for work dont rattle at all only slightly if it does & thats a 1998 car so quite impresive! i

My nxt car in few yrs time wont be a Toyota either, nothing to do with quality or any issues some people say,is same as i wont own a Mazda either as i owned 2 now & also 2nd toyota & my family owned lots of Toyota's/Mazda in the past!! is fact i want a JDM Integra DC5 or a Eclipse if i can find one & put up with left hand drive!!

[Parts-King]

Does this mean our toyotas will become less reliable as they are sourcing cheaper parts to build them.One of the reasons I drive a toyota is because I work as a mechanic and very rarely have to do jobs on a toyota that are commonplace on a lot of other manufacturers vehicles.If this were to change I think honda would have a new customer soon.

The practice of sourcing cheaper componants is not limited to Toyota, it affects ALL manufacturers, just look at the major German marques over the last few years, you buy what you would consider a premium brand only to find it breaks down on a regular basis. The drive to produce cheaper and cheaper cars is what the customer wants, but at what price? I firmly believe Toyota are one of the better manufacturers who do actually care about their customers, more than can be said for a lot of other notable manufacturers

Kingo

[Diddly]

Fair comment Parts-King. It's just that when you spend a small fortune on a newish car you like it to still be perfect. I'm sure mechanically Toyotas are still sound.

[Parts-King]

Fair comment Parts-King. It's just that when you spend a small fortune on a newish car you like it to still be perfect. I'm sure mechanically Toyotas are still sound.

Your quite right diddly, Toyota do have issues with a few items, as can be judged on here, DMF and MMT problems to name but two, but generally they are a fantastic manufacturer, far better than most, we all want a perfect product when we buy something new, Toyota's are still a sound product.......without doubt

Kingo

[Starensis]

I work in Manufacturing ( of cars ) & can say that all Manufactureres push for cheapest price possible from suppliers. This does not mean the quality of the product suffers, in fact, in Toyota's case they assist their supplier in reducing costs by making them work more efficiently.

Most other Manufacturers though just expect a cheaper part, which in most cases will last for 5 years opposed to 8.

I would always buy Toyota as I still feel they are superior to other makes regarding reliability & durability. The odd squeak & rattle can be fixed easily. Dealership network is also very good ( in most cases ). Believe me, if you visit a Ford Dealer you will know what I mean.

Toyota have also admitted via Manufacturing news articles that their quality has slipped due to their rapid rate of expansion. They have plans in place to correct this I have read.

[UKDM323]

I believe toyota dealer network is good but regarding what i think of Ford cars i also beleive there dealer network is gd, why?i went to a Ford/Mazda dealer to buy my 323F in 2006 & thought it was excellent service & i remember reading somewhere lot of people rated them good hence why ford is so popular other reasons being cheap parts & easy to repair than other makes!

Anyways back to quality, its all very well reducing costs & using cheaper materials(if thats what u saying?) doent change the fact that new cars still costs alot to buy new ?it may be cheap to some people but we pay more for cars than lot of other countries!! obviously new cars + higher spec & technology cost more than the old model that dont have it, how i see it is i pay a certain price i expect certain quality & reliabilty. i sometimes wonder where the costs goes that manufacturers earn when they sell them new cars......

I work in Manufacturing ( of cars ) & can say that all Manufactureres push for cheapest price possible from suppliers. This does not mean the quality of the product suffers, in fact, in Toyota's case they assist their supplier in reducing costs by making them work more efficiently.

Most other Manufacturers though just expect a cheaper part, which in most cases will last for 5 years opposed to 8.

I would always buy Toyota as I still feel they are superior to other makes regarding reliability & durability. The odd squeak & rattle can be fixed easily. Dealership network is also very good ( in most cases ). Believe me, if you visit a Ford Dealer you will know what I mean.

Toyota have also admitted via Manufacturing news articles that their quality has slipped due to their rapid rate of expansion. They have plans in place to correct this I have read.

[don21]

Does this mean our toyotas will become less reliable as they are sourcing cheaper parts to build them.One of the reasons I drive a toyota is because I work as a mechanic and very rarely have to do jobs on a toyota that are commonplace on a lot of other manufacturers vehicles.If this were to change I think honda would have a new customer soon.

The practice of sourcing cheaper componants is not limited to Toyota, it affects ALL manufacturers, just look at the major German marques over the last few years, you buy what you would consider a premium brand only to find it breaks down on a regular basis. The drive to produce cheaper and cheaper cars is what the customer wants, but at what price? I firmly believe Toyota are one of the better manufacturers who do actually care about their customers, more than can be said for a lot of other notable manufacturers

Kingo

Well I can certainly attest to BMWs quality decline.The modern ones are nowhere as reliable as the older ones.I believe Mercedes are going down the same road.As for the French well enough said.What is worrying is the trend by manufacturers to keep putting more and more technology into vehicles before it is tried and tested.From what I have seen Toyota seem to wait until they are sure something works properly before they use it.One example was the rush to do away with throttle cables and go for a pedal sensor.These on some manufacturers were quite unreliable.When we bought our 04 Corolla I was reassured to see a throttle cable at the same time knowing when they were happy they had a reliable fly by wire system Toyota would fit tit.

[albi969]

Hello All,

Only 3 areas rattle in my 98 gs Liftback, the power window lock button and the parcel shelf , tried putting a piece of cloth under the shelf stubs , but made no difference and the button rattle i put up with.The other rattle is the better half :D . Not bad for a coming up to 10 years old.

Regards

Albi.

[Red Yaris 54]

. Not bad for a coming up to 10 years old.

Regards

Albi.

Hello Albi.

Are you sure that you should be driving at such a young age ;)

[ae102]

Does this mean our toyotas will become less reliable as they are sourcing cheaper parts to build them.One of the reasons I drive a toyota is because I work as a mechanic and very rarely have to do jobs on a toyota that are commonplace on a lot of other manufacturers vehicles.If this were to change I think honda would have a new customer soon.

The practice of sourcing cheaper componants is not limited to Toyota, it affects ALL manufacturers, just look at the major German marques over the last few years, you buy what you would consider a premium brand only to find it breaks down on a regular basis. The drive to produce cheaper and cheaper cars is what the customer wants, but at what price? I firmly believe Toyota are one of the better manufacturers who do actually care about their customers, more than can be said for a lot of other notable manufacturers

Kingo

if you care about your customers why did lindops damage my car and refuse to put it right! toyota used to be a good manufacturer but they are the same as the rest now - very french! the build quality of british built cars are appalling - we have always built crap cars so why toyota decided to build here doesnt make sense!? when toyota first started building in the uk with the carina e the reliability dropped by 80% over jap built carina's and it looks like it has stayed that way. strange how the celica t sport (jap built) doesnt seem to have the problems as british built corolla t sports.

[Hogie]

Its not so much probs its the amount of money it cost to get them fixed,parts from toyota way over the top. What is the mark up on them? Had a ford and renault before this one and the toyota is no better than them,good bit worse to be honest. Think ill have to sell a kidney to keep up with the bills!!!

Car has full service history too,so not like it was neglected

[UKDM323]

toyota used to be a good manufacturer but they are the same as the rest now - very french! the build quality of british built cars are appalling - we have always built crap cars so why toyota decided to build here doesnt make sense!? when toyota first started building in the uk with the carina e the reliability dropped by 80% over jap built carina's and it looks like it has stayed that way. strange how the celica t sport (jap built) doesnt seem to have the problems as british built corolla t sports.

I cant say i had much probs with my t sport apart from what i said earlier the quality i found is better & more solid than my 03 323f that was one of the last ones before the mazda 3 replaced it. since the carina e things must of got better since back in the days when my dad owned a Camry i remember reading a toyota magazine my dad use to get through the post that the facelift carina e had improve quality & material whn it got facelift so it could only get better once the avensis came out ??

Its not so much probs its the amount of money it cost to get them fixed,parts from toyota way over the top. What is the mark up on them? Had a ford and renault before this one and the toyota is no better than them,good bit worse to be honest. Think ill have to sell a kidney to keep up with the bills!!!

Car has full service history too,so not like it was neglected

I found toyota parts are cheaper than some japanese car brands like Mazda & mitsubishi unless its jst where i live, i agree some car dealers do overcharge but i guess its not only toyota u find it be european cars too, like Mazda even thouh Ford owns half of it & controls Mazda of what models they release etc..., they didnt do anything to keep prices of mazda parts & servcing costs down!!!!

[Hogie]

toyota used to be a good manufacturer but they are the same as the rest now - very french! the build quality of british built cars are appalling - we have always built crap cars so why toyota decided to build here doesnt make sense!? when toyota first started building in the uk with the carina e the reliability dropped by 80% over jap built carina's and it looks like it has stayed that way. strange how the celica t sport (jap built) doesnt seem to have the problems as british built corolla t sports.

I cant say i had much probs with my t sport apart from what i said earlier the quality i found is better & more solid than my 03 323f that was one of the last ones before the mazda 3 replaced it. since the carina e things must of got better since back in the days when my dad owned a Camry i remember reading a toyota magazine my dad use to get through the post that the facelift carina e had improve quality & material whn it got facelift so it could only get better once the avensis came out ??

Its not so much probs its the amount of money it cost to get them fixed,parts from toyota way over the top. What is the mark up on them? Had a ford and renault before this one and the toyota is no better than them,good bit worse to be honest. Think ill have to sell a kidney to keep up with the bills!!!

Car has full service history too,so not like it was neglected

I found toyota parts are cheaper than some japanese car brands like Mazda & mitsubishi unless its jst where i live, i agree some car dealers do overcharge but i guess its not only toyota u find it be european cars too, like Mazda even thouh Ford owns half of it & controls Mazda of what models they release etc..., they didnt do anything to keep prices of mazda parts & servcing costs down!!!!

Found them really expensive for parts. Example 800 euro for secondary injection air pump, a/c compressor over 800 again(not that shocked by that 1,knew they cost an arm and a leg) 400 for a heater matrix, 110 for the gear knob. Thats just what i can remember of top of my head.

[Parts-King]

if you care about your customers why did lindops damage my car and refuse to put it right

Sorry to hear you had problems with our company, I don't know the circumstances so I can't comment, but the last time I looked, having your car damaged has little to do with build quality!

we have always built crap cars so why toyota decided to build here doesnt make sense!

Toyota started to build cars here because if you remember, the Japanese car manufacturers were subject to import quota's and you could only import a certain number into Europe. Since building at Burnaston and Deeside, Toyota has contributed significantly to the UK, in terms of jobs and investment, not to mention the taxes paid to the treasury. Car building in the UK has benefits to tens of thosands of people who rely on them for jobs within the company and also with the componant suppliers who supply the factories

when toyota first started building in the uk with the carina e the reliability dropped by 80% over jap built carina's and it looks like it has stayed that way

I'm not sure where you got that figure from, I have never seen that published, but the Carina E was the first car built in a brand new factory, there were issues with it, but you could never compare an Auris to a Carina E, the quality and production techniques have improved significantly, in fact, Toyota's production techniques are copied worldwide by many different companies because it is a proven way of building in continuious improvement into manufacturing.

strange how the celica t sport (jap built) doesnt seem to have the problems as british built corolla t sports.

It's a different car so you cant compare chalk and cheese, but if Japanese cars are so well built, why have we seen Celica engines failing failing? It has nothing to do with where its built, its the quality of componants used. As side issue. Toyota Japan (TMC) have instigated a team to deal with reliabilty issues and recalls. Japanese built Toyota's in particular have been recalled in unprecidented numbers in the last few years and TMC have put a range of measures in place to rectify this. Toyota just cant keep up with the worldwide demand for engineers to design and build cars, a good story relating to the problems can be found here this story is from last year, but still applies today

Kingo

[geoffb]

I firmly believe that Toyota still build to a high quality level which I think has been the point Kingo has been trying to get over. My serious concern though is the quality look, and we shouldn't confuse the two which are distinctly different.

I've said it elsewhere in the forums here at TOC and make no apologies for repeating myself again - it is the quality look and feel that seems to be going down the pan big time not necessarily the build quality. The current ranges (IMHO especially the Aygo - which to be fair is engineered down to a lowish price anyway, Yaris and Auris) all look horrendously cheap and nasty inside and represent big retrograde steps when compared to previous models. It is this which would definitely send me into other showrooms for at least a look round where hitherto I would simply buy the Toyota that best suited my lifestyle and pocket.

In relative terms Toyota are not the cheapest on the block (not a problem in itself if you perceive that it represents good value overall) but couple that with our being in rip off UK price wise and I do think they need to look way better quality-wise than most models currently do. And believe me, I have been a diehard Toyota fan for many many years and I do not say this lightly :(

This could all boil down to a reappraisal of the plastics used. Witness Volkswagen who, I believe, have got their plastics compounds just about right for projecting that quality feel. My Corolla runs VW pretty damn close in that respect but Toyota then took a nose dive with the Auris.