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We bought a new Aygo vvt-i 5dr in December 2009. It has done about 70k and was serviced every 10k miles at the Toyota dealer in Bath. About 6 weeks ago, the car developed a fault, it started to struggle to get up the hill. We brought the car to Toyota Bath and they told us that the gearbox seal was broken and the gearbox oil had leaked away. This caused the clutch to slip and fail. The clutch was replaced and the gearbox reconditioned, then resealed. Including a service, the total cost came to £1200. However, although the original problem is now fixed, the car doesn't drive well. At every gear change the car shudders and jolts, as if a learner driver drives the car and can't be bothered to let the clutch come up smoothly. Three weeks ago the car went back again to Toyota Bath. Apparently the clutch/gearbox system has a 'learner' mode and adjusts to the driving style when new. This system was reset to 'learn' anew. This worked for a couple of days, then it reverted to juddering and jolting. It has now gone back, again, to the dealer in Bath, and again they have 'reset' this system. The dealer says that if the problem happens again, the accelerator needs to be replaced at a cost of about £1000. They also said that the problem must be caused by our terrible driving style. Well, we are both in our 50s, and our driving style is rather sedate. Does the vvt-i system have a problem if acceleration is not fast or sporty? I have a number of problems with all this. First, a Toyota is supposed to be reliable and of good quality. I don't think that a car that needs thousands of pounds in repairs after 5 years can be classified as a good quality car. In the first years we had the car, we had water-in-the-booth problems as soon as it rained. The car went to Toyota Bath, and some rubber seals were replaced (under warranty at the time). It didn't fix the problem. We had to visit them again, with a wet booth after heavy rain, to prove to the dealer that the problem was still there. It was, only then, finally fixed. Is it just our Aygo that has these problems (clutch, gearbox, water inlet, others) or is it quite common? The second issue is with the Toyota dealer. The quotations we get from him are rather on the expensive side, and there's no guarantee that the repair will actually fix the problem. It seems that we keep paying expensive repair bills until the dealer finally happens to replace the part that causes the problem. This is also not what I had expected from Toyota. Especially as, in the first years after buying the car, we were pestered by the dealer to fill in queries (to be sent to Toyota HQ) that we were 'extremely satisfied' with the dealer. If only we could fill in another query now. The third issue is with Toyota Customer Services. When I complained about the, in my eyes, poor service of the dealer, and poor quality of our Aygo, they said (in effect, in my words) that as we hadn't taken out the extended warranty, we deserved all we got. I was not aware that if the extended warranty isn't taken that Toyota will try to bleed you dry if problems arise with the car. It is also not what I expect from a company with Toyota's reputation. So, can anyone recommend a good car dealer in Somerset/Bath/Bristol, someone who is actually capable of repairing an Aygo vvt-i? And at rather less harsh pricing? How common are these Aygo problems? Is it just our car or is it quite common?

use good fuel, drive it like your stole it It should always run fine ;)

Hi all Had really nice weather today in Devon and not being to happy with the white wheels as they were staining and had a few kerb marks, I spent the day rubbing them down re-shaping the lip and painting matt black. Much happier now. Also painted and refitted the Toyota badges happier the recess is filled and not to noticeable in white. The wife bought me a iq model so I stripped it and painted it to match the car 😃 Now chilling with sunburn and a cider Cheers all Lee

The simplest way to be sure is use the headunit number on the front of the player and do a Google search similar to : " mp3 adapter ebay 'headunit number' avensis " Most eBay sellers list all compatible headunits in their listings. Choosing Google images and the headunit number generally provides helpful photos to save you pulling the radio out to check connections etc.

Hi I recommend this http://www.xcarlink.co.uk/product.php?productid=35&cat=11&page=1 I have it in my T25 Avensis and I`m totally satisfied.

Nick Hope it works out ok. Starbeck, many times have been waiting there for the level crossing to open and there is a great fish and chip shop on the main road. Happy times. Bryan

If your broken conrod has mashed the crankshaft beyond repair then you have few options: You could fit a new crankshaft if the engine block isn't too mashed to accept it, but by the time you buy the crank and associated bearings, conrod and perhaps pistons etc, and add the gaskets etc it would probably be pretty expensive. You could buy a new short motor (probably only from Toyota). This is the "bottom half" of the engine where the crankshaft, conrods and pistons live. You'd need to fit all the other stuff from your old engine to the new short motor, which is fairly labour-heavy. You'd still need the expensive gaskets etc, and short motors don't tend to be cheap either. You could continue your quest for a replacement second hand engine. I'd try a call to Toyota for a price on a short motor first, if only to rule it out. Then I'd try some breakers, try ebay but search for previa breaking etc rather than previa engine. If I was still getting nothing I'd try to figure out what else had your engine and what was different about it, and try sourcing one of them. Edit for typo

The mpg has been 61mpg for 3 days now after putting the cleaner in.and fuel range now gives a proper 508miles rather than a pathetic 403 miles from a diesel.

Bob I must have had an off day in not responding to your query or the fact it was answered. Anyway I went out quickly to see if the dampers of my car were intact. They were and here are the photos. front, gearbox under airfilter, offside engine has two and the slightly blurred oblong damper is not on the vvti, only the early engines, the rear from two different angles. I also got part numbers for my car: http://www.japan-parts.eu/toyota/eu/1998/avensis/at221r-almekw/3_273540_026_/tool-engine-fuel/1107_mounting Your car has one less: http://www.japan-parts.eu/toyota/eu/2001/avensis/zzt221r-almekw/3_273540_107_/tool-engine-fuel/1107_mounting At £29 for a damper, I would rather go to the breakers or try and glue the old back! Konrad

I finally got hold of anew dampener.Tried ebay,halfords,eurocar parts,1st choice spares, as any number of sites online attempting to get one though i did discover a new rear mounting is bloody expensive lol. This came from the parts dept of mu local Toyota dealers......took 4 days to get and cost £29 inc vat......that's a result if you ask me lol. Be fitting it 2moro [emoji3] [emoji3] [emoji12]

Hi Guys I finally got around to fitting my Lukas 7950 and it is very, very good. I picked the Lukas 7950 for a number of reasons.I wanted a high quality Duo front and back set up. Although I will rarely use the parked feature it may prove useful in the future. The Lukas can be switched On, Ignition only, or park. It takes standard CPL & UV filters which protects the lens. Built in vehicle battery cut -off, super-cap, GPS and a wi-fi dongle to an APP, on a smart phone. I was also aware that many Dash Cams cause DAB radio problems but Lukas appear to be well screened. Last but no means least, price. I bought mine from Calgary Dash Cam and saved £130 on the UK price. At £200 with CPL and 40GB it’s a bargain. The installation in a Toyota Auris Hybrid (Corolla in some countries) was not too bad once I found the fuse box. Toyota hide it upside down behind the glove box, at the bottom of the box. The only way to see it is to lay on your back, feat in the air, in the passengers foot well (RHD). Not a position I am comfortable with. The fuses do not relate to the hand-book and are not normal mini fuses but new flush fuses. The good news is the fuses I wanted to use were at the very end of the fuse box, marked P/ Outlet, 1, always hot, and Cig,17, ignition on. The handbook says the P/ Outlet is for the luggage area but on my Hybrid Auris that outlet only works with ignition on. I wanted to use fuse taps “ add a circuit” and I needed A “Hot” and Ignition to use the camera in park mode. At first these new flush fuse looked too small to use fuse taps. After a visit to an auto electrician I was told they were the same pitch but while you can use standard mini fuses in the flush fuse holder, you cannot use mini flush fuses in the fuse tap. As the fuse taps need two fuses (one replace the used circuit and one for the added circuit) you need two mini 15Amp and two 3Amp fuses. The Lukas glass fuses are not needed so these were discarded and the bullets soldered. The Front camera was installed behind the mirror, the screen clip allows it to be slid out to get at the chips and I do not want any visual distractions, lights,voices or LED’s, while driving. All these features can be switched via the AP or the viewer. The cables tucked out of the way under the headliner, across the top of the passenger A pillar and the top of the B pillar to the back. These look to be above the air bags.The power cable runs down under the weather strip into the void behind the glove box. The rear camera is much smaller and is fitted to the high stop light cover. Access to the headlining can be gained by removing the three studs and the weather strip around the tailgate. The stop light plastic cover just pulls off and the cable can then be fed through the gator. The end of the gator in the tailgate is easy,but the end under the roof- lining is tricky to re-seat. The hard white plastic saddle needs to be released and pushed out of the hole upwards, from under the headlining. The rubber gator fits over it and it then needs to clip back in the hole to form a tight seal. A piece of stiff wire and string may be a better way, in hindsight, but either is a bit of a fiddle. Once into the tailgate it is all very straight forward, a slot in the cover for the cover to fit flush over the cable and job done. I could not avoid the heater wires completely but they hardly notice.

or people who live in cities with lots of stop, start traffic ...

http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/163523-hi-lux-2008-service/?hl=%2Btiming+%2Blight+%2Breset#entry1357951 :)