Konrad C

locking with the key is the best solution. I forgot about that, but then that is what would happen with no power. Have a look at the following - http://www.japan-parts.eu/toyota/eu/1998/avensis/at221r-almekw/3_273540_026_/electrical/8424_anti-theft-device/2

That's my post regarding another issue, that affects early Mk3 T27 Avensis - door cracking. I greased the strap for that reason. I now use silicon grease. Should work for the T25 to silence the door strap. I think I had to do the same for my old Mk1 T22. A few minutes around the car and you should be all good.

No. Just disconnect battery. Normally the system only detects general battery voltage drop. I understand what you are saying though. Remember when reconnecting the battery, have your keys on you. The doors may lock when connection is made. Don't need the keys locked in the car! A long time ago when I owned my '98 Mk1. I hadn't use the car for a while and the battery was below par (needed topping up). The alarm went off at nearly midnight. I went out and could get the starter to even turn over. I manage to roll the car off the drive, turn it and roll it down the slight incline to bump start it. Drop around the block then parked up. Topped up with distilled water and went to bed. The next evening when I came home from work, checked the car started and all was fine.

No, the washer slowed down the problem, not stop it! I since put larger washers to help spread the load. I will examining the door when I can, to see the current state of the doors. I have the metal needed to repair the area. If it needs to be done, I will get a body work friend to do the welding. I will strip the door, so he does his stuff. That's my backup plan. My car is one of the first built, so it's done well overall.

You need to identify which version Avensis you have (T25 Mk2 or T27 Mk3), and type of stereo fitted - standard or nav unit? if what you say the previous owner had cut the AUX cable, I would be annoyed. It's totally unnecessary, and there are plenty of adapters that can be used, without cutting any wire. Everything has been plug and play for a while. Talking of adapters, I have a Bluetooth, USB/SD, AUX adapter fitted to my stereo, and it's all hidden under the trim. But that's another topic. Let me know the version and stereo you have with photos, then we can assist. If your car is T27, you need to access the engine compartment fuse box. There are two fuses for the audio system 16 (30 amp) marked AMP and 20 (15 amp) marked RAD NO.1. If it doesn't work, you may need to record the sound and when it happens.

I am sure there is some form of copy protection embedded in the memory card, but I could be wrong. For the benefit of others - Your SD card which has the map info, is not installed! You need this to reboot the system when the power supply has been too low, or the battery is disconnected! Hope you have the SD card or you will have to source one only, which is far cheaper than Toyota.

The OP should try social media or local newspapers to find out if any other customer has had damage caused by fuel. Remember the fuel contamination back in 2007 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_United_Kingdom_petrol_contamination The advice was to keep receipts from the fuel station and receipts for any repairs. Since the garage has a report that the fuel caused the damage, they are your expert witness with fully documented evidence. If they supply the OP with this evidence, the fuel company will be liable for any costs. A decent court should hopefully find favour for the OP. That's my thoughts. Good luck. 👍

I have inspected the original belt, and it shows no sign of deterioration for a 11 year old original. If the belt does break unexpectedly, I have tools to replace the spare belt on the spot. I remember my old '98 Mk1 managing 12 years, until the crank pulley failed damaging the belts. I put the spare belt on and limped the car a few hundred yards back home. Had to wait a few days for a replacement pulley. Just in case the belt does break, you still need to remember how to route the new belt. It is not as difficult as some. You can't go wrong using the following diagram.

The alternator belt is not a difficult to change. My car is still on it's original belt, but I keep a spare in the boot. The details of the belt are in the photos. To release the tension on the belt, undo the the locking bolt under the long adjustment bolt. You may also need to undo the the lower bolt on the alternator, to ease movement. The locking bolt just below the long threaded adjustment bolt. Then screw the adjustment screw in to loosen the tension on the belt. Look at the following video -

Actually there now has been three mentions of the brake fluid level. The first cars that I owned, the brake fluid level monitor was in the fluid reservoir cap. There are cables and plug in the cap. The parking brake light has always served has the fluid level warning light!

True about using soap liquid. I use wash and wax then polish. The water in my area tends to leave mark when drying, so I dry by hand then polish. I love to see the rain water bead off the the car.

My car is silver, so have not noticed the staining. But then I polish the car after every wash. I washed and polished my previous car which was dark metallic green. If i don't polish the car after washing, there are water stains as the car dries.

Check the brake fluid level first. After that, check the parking brake switch. I viewed a video that confirmed the fluid level is linked to the parking brake (E-brake) light - This could stop the cruise control function, so after any fix of the parking brake light, check the cruise control works. The cruise control is always disabled for safety reasons, when something is wrong with the brakes or emissions.

I second what you said about Halfords installing dashcam, plus the OP gave another example why! I had a friend who had a Nextbase 312 dashcam, hard wired wrongly into permanent power. I have the lower 212 version, but use the lighter socket, and remove mine when parked up. He never removed his. Basically the dashcam failed, and the first he realised this is when I checked for footage of an incident, The memory card was corrupted, due to the continuous over writing and overheating. Another problem was he didn't know about the screen saver mode, where the screen powers down, and was stopped by the police. He was forced to relocate the camera close to the left of the rear view mirror, gluing the sucker mount on the shade section of the screen! If Halfords had done the installation properly, he would still have the dashcam. Plus they didn't advise him on setup and usage! My old 212 still works, and I format the memory card after use, after backing up the footage on to my large storage drives. First generation Nextbase dashcams don't like being connected to permanent power supply, as this ruins the battery. Other brands use capacitors which are not affected as much. I upgraded to Nextbase 222X with the rear facing camera, improved battery and management, plus for me MP4 recording. MP4 can be copied to my phone to be edited and uploaded via OTG to my phone if necessary. I would buy the dashcam from Halfords if a good deal, but install it myself, or if I was not confident enough, get someone who is reliable.

I don't think it's the bulbs. When a bulb fails, the flashing rate increases with remaining working bulbs. I would look for the fuse or relay. Read through the following post -