Toyota yaris, major flaws?

[SierraMikeHotel]

Springs can snap (sometimes piercing the tyre), knackered ball joints can pop open, knackered bearings or CV joints can fall apart - not just a Toyota thing.

Sounds plausible - she has an Agila now so I'm sure that'll be fine.

[1duck]

OK so we found one, bought it off eBay drove it home all seems ok apart from the heater blowing cold. My first moment of terror was oh here we go head gasket time, but the internet doesn't seem to suggest they are a weakness.There was no sign of mayo but I don't really know how else to test it.

 

 

I'm guessing it's a case of check thermostat, then heat exchanger? Anyone had to do a heat exchanger on one of these? I'm praying it's not a dash out job. If it looks like a pig of a job, she might have to cope with a cigarette lighter heater as shit as they are.

[Sir Snipes]

Have to ask, why buy one with a moody heater and try to fix it when there are literally thousands on the road?

[sierraman]

Probably the thermostat. Time will tell if it’s going through coolant.

[1duck]

Have to ask, why buy one with a moody heater and try to fix it when there are literally thousands on the road?

because I didn't realise the heater was on the blink until I was half way back on the motorway, gutting thing is that we overpaid for a relatively low mileage one with really clean mot history.

[Jim Bell]

I'd say thermostat, unless it's a D4d. They do blow hgs. Never seen an hg fail on a petrol one. Guess it's possible though. Fingers crossed it's an easy fix after we all talked you into it.

[michael t]

Never owned one myself but my auld fella had one about 4 years ago. He seemed to like it and it never caused him any trouble, mechanical or otherwise. As others have said there are still tonnes of these knocking around, plenty of 1999-2003 models have survived. When the North Korean's do eventually nuke us all there will only be cockroaches and old Yarii left.

[1duck]

I'd say thermostat, unless it's a D4d. They do blow hgs. Never seen an hg fail on a petrol one. Guess it's possible though. Fingers crossed it's an easy fix after we all talked you into it.

Aye here's to hoping, can't get my grubby paws on it to give it a proper poke as she has laid it up at her mothers gaff as she can't insure it until her company car insurance runs out. So it is just preying on my mind in the mean time.

[mercrocker]

because I didn't realise the heater was on the blink until I was half way back on the motorway, gutting thing is that we overpaid for a relatively low mileage one with really clean mot history.

 

Normally when I buy a car one of things I do is let the bugger idle for about 25 minutes while I pretend to be checking everything I have already looked at or aren't interested in like the handbook.....   This lets me know if there are potential HG or heater issues.  

 

Still managed to buy a Fiesta for the winter with No Fucking Heater.......

[Stanky]

Is the coolant up to the mark in the expansion tank? They don't have a coolant temp gauge, just a blue icon in the instrument abyss thing when its cold, and presumably a red one when it cooks itself. Get a decent OBD2 reader and it should output the actual temp live.

 

Where are you? I have a good one you are welcome to use gratis but its connected to a laptop and isn't easily posted.

 

That will tell you everything you need to know about the subject I suspect.

[sierraman]

Usually the heater tap on the bulkhead on a Fiesta.

[1duck]

Is the coolant up to the mark in the expansion tank? They don't have a coolant temp gauge, just a blue icon in the instrument abyss thing when its cold, and presumably a red one when it cooks itself. Get a decent OBD2 reader and it should output the actual temp live.

 

Where are you? I have a good one you are welcome to use gratis but its connected to a laptop and isn't easily posted.

 

That will tell you everything you need to know about the subject I suspect.

Any recommendation for a decent obd2 scanner , I've been meaning to buy one for a long while now and I think this is as good an excuse as any!

[Jim Bell]

I got an orange affair for £10 from eBay that's not been stumped yet.

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F142815938586

 

 

Mega basic but turns lights off resets codes and reads historical codes etc.

[Stanky]

The reader isn't necessarily the most important bit - its the ability of the paired software or app to display live readouts. The OBD2 port will provide this info to the reader, but the signals need to be interpreted and then rendered out graphically somehow.

 

I have an old laptop and a knock-off Delphi DS150e reader and software running on it, its pretty good, but was about £35 for the cable and software, and you'd need a laptop to run it on. Its iffy software and almost certainly riddled with malware and viruses so have a laptop dedicated to it, which is permanently disconnected from the internet.

 

There may well be apps like torque pro for android which will display this stuff in real time, but I suspect they'd be the paid-for ones, the free apps IMHE only give you static data.

 

As ever, I may well be talking tosh

 

TBH though, spending a few quid on a half decent code reader and diagnostic app is money well spent. You'd be surprised by the number of friends, neighbours and co-workers who suddenly remember their car has all sort of warning lights on when they find out you have one, and a scan and clear of codes for £5 a go or in exchange for a couple of beers quickly results in the app and reader paying for themselves.

[Matty]

While everyone's going down the hgf route what about the more prosaic possibility that the temp dial (a slider on these if I remember corrwctly?) On the heater controls is fucked? Does happen...

[Jim Bell]

What news dude?

[1duck]

What news dude?

Well i missed this, erm news...the heater still doesn't work. Took the dash apart, all cables seem to be connected and moving properly. The in and out pipe to the heater matrix seem to be hot under the bonnet as do the top and bottom radiator pipes. 

 

 Done about 400 miles in it, coolant level hasn't shifted. Took a casual look at what was involved in replacing the heater matrix, decided that can jog on, especially not knowing if that is the problem or not.

 

Bought my lass a heated seat cover, she seems content with her little econobox so...all is ok in the world i guess.