alan333

I can't really hear anything but if it's a rattle then I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that the air cleaner box vibrates and sounds terrible. If it's a high pitched whistle then it's probably drawing air somewhere.

I think I'm the wrong way round then. I thought the older engines had chains (pre 2006 ish?), and when they updated the engine and mated it to the new 6 speed box they went to belt driven. I learn something new every day 🙂

I think the 5 speed version is a chain, the 6 speed in a belt (but I’m not certain)

I don't see any reason they could affect the warranty. The warranty is for replacing things which wear out/break/stop working prematurely.

Toyota's 1.8 vvti engine could develop the oil usage problem until mid 2005, then was reportedly cured. The newer 1.8 valvematic engine has no such problems.

Yeah, cut through the crap... the car should have air con, it had air con from the factory, it was advertised as having air con, blah blah. Either get the dealer to re-instate the missing parts and get the air con working, or reject the car and get a refund.

I've had weird steering behaviour on two Toyotas, both a good few years ago: I bought a T25 Avensis with 2 brand new cheap front tyres fitted. The steering wheel was off centre. I adjusted the tracking, the steering wheel was now back to being centred, and the car drove fine and with no uneven tyre wear. The car also had a drone noise at speed which I blamed on the cheap tyres so I changed them for decent tyres. The steering wheel was now the same amount off centre the opposite way, ie if I hadn't previously adjusted it, it would now be perfectly straight. It never solved the drone noise tho, and the car was sold fairly soon thereafter. We also had an Auris with 4 new cheap tyres (I think it was all 4, maybe not tho). The car 'tramlined' really badly and never felt surefooted. It also slid across a wet roundabout with me one day at an appropriate speed where it shouldn't have (I'm an experienced driver of 30-odd years and have a 'feel' for when a car could/should lose grip). It felt dangerous at speeds above about 60mph. I messed about with tyres/tracking and although I could vary the symptoms I never got the car to feel right. My OH had, by this time, lost confidence in the car and we didn't want to waste cash on new tyres, and it was sold. Check your tyres and wheels, and try swapping the fronts to the rear and see if anything changes.

The auto main beam I had on a Mazda worked fine on A-roads but was rubbish on motorways, it didn't 'see' oncoming cars until much too late, the same with cars ahead of me, and it regularly dipped the beam for road signs and mile markers. At least I think it was for mile markers, there wasn't anything else around. And main beam just wasn't available in the slightest of steamed up windows. I turned it off and used manual mode. Maybe Toyota ones are better, their auto wipers certainly are (it wouldn't be difficult to better the Mazda ones tho).

Sometimes components are permanently supplied with +12v and the switch (or horn button in your case) adds negative. Check your wiring again with the horn button pressed.

It's refrigerant gas (different types dependant on car/age of car). It's not uncommon to need a top up/regas maybe every 3 years or so, but also not uncommon to last for 10 years with no regas. It's luck of the draw, but using it regularly prevents the seals drying out thus prolonging it's life. Lots of different views on air con and whether it causes the car to use more fuel etc, so people can be hesitant to use it all the time. Personally I haven't owned a car (since a/c became common) that it made any difference to whatsoever, and mine is either set to auto or on all year round.

Yes the cvt (constantly/continuously variable transmission) is fully automatic, and 'creeps' like a full automatic. It's revvy tho, like you're driving with a slipping clutch. Great around town, but annoying on hills at motorway speeds.

I haven't read of any problems with the valvematic engine, are they prone to problems I haven't came across?

In the UK, the T25 model Avensis was available from 2003-2008, had a 1.8vvti engine, and was available with a traditional torque converter automatic gearbox. I can't remember if it was called the multidrive s or not. Then the new model T27 was released in 2009 with a 1.8 valvematic engine and a cvt automatic gearbox. Which is yours? The year suggests T27 but everything else suggests T25. I've owned both (automatics). The T25 drives well but is underpowered since the gearbox zaps a lot of its power, especially noticeable above about 50-60mph. It isn't very economical, at around 35 miles per gallon. The T27 has plenty power and decent fuel economy (40+mpg is quite easy to achieve) and the gearbox is seamless but revs high, especially buzzy/annoying at motorway speeds. Both seem to be reliable gearboxes. The T27 is a far better car to drive.

Sounds like your thermostat is stuck open

Not sure if the control panel would swap, but I'd guess not. The climate control system is completely different to the manual system. You would need to fit electric actuators etc to the system. IMHO not worth the hassle.