mrfixer

tracking should be nowhere near £170. Typical alignment (4 wheel) can be had for under £50 inc. adjustment. Basic front wheel tracking for half that.

Main dealers don't see many cars at 5+ years old whereas conversely independent repairers see mostly 5+ year old cars! I doubt a main dealer sees many worn racks and when they do they will undertake a complete unit replacement with a new part, as opposed to a repair/rebuild.

With just 57k on it I doubt that its the rack and pinion unless a rack boot has split and water has got in. If the knock/play is in the steering assembly then first suspect the inner or outer tie rod ends. Toyota do not sell the inners - they want to sell you a complete new rack! Inners are cheaply available from aftermarket suppliers. Outer tie rod ends are very cheaply available from numerous suppliers. Another possibility is wear in the intermediate shaft - good secondhand part for under £50 and well under an hour to replace. It may even just be movement in the splined couplers. To be honest it is madness to go to a main dealer with a problem of this sort on a vehicle of this age. The repair cost will probably exceed the value of the vehicle. Get to a decent independent repairer (NOT a fast fit outfit) and they should be able to narrow the problem down for you. Its an everyday bread and butter fault for them. In the unlikely event that it really is wear in the rack/pinion assembly then contact ACS power steering in Tamworth for a rebuild at a fraction of the cost of the dealer part. We have used them many times with good results.

P2127 should relate to the accelerator pedal position sensor. The ECU is not receiving a signal or the signal is implausible.. Check the wiring to the sensor connector etc. If you have Toyota Techstream you should be able to monitor the signal.

Really not a fan of those adapter plates. You'd need to inform insurance co. etc.. And you have to remember they will increase the offset. The Avensis is 45mm and the GT86 is 48mm. If the adapter plate is, say, 10mm then your offset with the GT86 wheels will be 58mm - so 13mm more than spec. Generally you should stay within +/- 5mm of spec otherwise you'll impact steering feel, bump-steer etc. Obviously you would also need to check clearances lock-lock. If it were me I would sell the GT86 alloys and buy a set of s/hand OE-spec Toyota ones that fit without any modification.

Unsuitable. The GT86 is Subaru drivetrain, hubs, brakes etc. Different PCD. Its possible to get adapter plates but certainly not advisable and not sure if they are even legal.

This is due to a defect within the self-parking mechanism in the wiper motor. Easiest solution is probably a secondhand wiper motor.

What other symptoms do you have? Bad idle or rough running?

Bearings gone... New turbo required.

Assuming your Avensis is the 2009-on T27 series then the power steering is implemented via a column-mounted electric motor, not by hydraulics. The electric power steering motor sits behind the dashboard and if faulty you would hear it making a noise when turning the steering whilst stationary with the engine running. Your car does have a vacuum pump to supply vacuum to the brake servo. If you are hearing noise I would suspect a faulty pump, damaged pipe or leak inside the servo. If you can disconnect the outlet pipe from the pump and then plug it that would isolate the pump. If you still get noise then its the pump. If no noise then its not the pump but maybe a vacuum hose or servo problem.

Avensis makes a good taxi but a 2004 diesel could get expensive on repairs. I would try to find a 2006-on 1.8 VVT (petrol) they are just about bulletproof and fairly cheap to repair .

I'm a passive partner in a used car business. We typically stock 20 cars in the range £5-15k. All cars are mechanically checked (90 point pdi), basic service and MoT'd. We renew brakes/tyres etc if they don't have 6 months/6000 miles in them. Plus of course we provide a warranty and can offer finance via three lenders. We tend not to panic until a car has been in stock for 90 days. At that point we'll review the pricing, trade out etc. I'm not that closely involved with the day to day running of the business but I do recall an Alfa Romeo that took a year to shift! The car business is slow right now. People are anxious about Brexit and, whatever you might read in the papers, the economy is fragile. You would be surprised how few people have £5k cash to buy a car. Most will need finance - which the private seller can't offer. You're also at a difficult price point to sell without warranty. Its a complex car and although they are pretty reliable they can be costly to repair IF they go wrong. You will also find that hybrids sell much better in large cities - where the benefits are more apparent. My suggestion: Price the car at £5495. Get a basic Toyota dealer service, battery check and MoT done. Give it a thorough valet. Note the new MoT and service in your ad and if a potential purchaser looks at the car don't drop below £5400. If the car is OK they won't walk away.

Normally Bank 1 is cyls 1&2, Bank 2 is 3&4. Sensor 1 is pre-cat. Sensor 2 is post-cat.

Don't believe the error code until you have scoped the sensor output or viewed live data. Look at the switching speed and check the emissions.