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Warning About Toyota Cars


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Just a little heads up for those who have or are planning to buy a Toyota car.

 

Our 1.6 Toyota Altis automatic was bought way back in 2002, I personally liked the huge body and style of the car. And because it was a Toyota I was expected it to live up to the Toyota standards of quality and longevity. Fast forward to the present... its 2007 and our cars has about 40,000 kilometers on it, which in my opinion isn't a lot.

 

But lo and behold, the car suddenly becomes sluggish and has black smoke coming out of the muffler. But when brought to Toyota Quezon Avenue for a check up is given a clean bill of health (change oil lang daw). 2 days later my driver reported that during his daily checklist routine he found that the car had no more oil in it! A fact confirmed by Toyota Quezon Avenue when I brought it to them that same day, and guess what else they told me. They said I needed to have my engine overhauled. OVERHAULED!!! When 2 days ago it was given a clean bill of health and when the car only has 40,000kms on it.

 

I opted to have my car fixed at a auto shop my friend (who used to work for toyota) recommended. In short I spent 40K or so on the car. Sucks aint it. But this isnt just a rant about my personal experience. Because I know of another person who had the same exact trouble on his car. He is a very good friend from high school who I met a few weeks ago during our group reunion. He casually mentioned his complaints about his toyota to which I asked for more details.

 

Turns out he bought his toyota on the same year as I did, but get this. His car only has 18,000kms on it. Same symptoms (sluggishness, black smoke) and exact same diagnosis from Toyota Quezon Avenue , complete overhaul; where my friend spent in excess of 100k.

 

To get to the bottom of this I went back to the head mechanic of the auto shop I brought my car to. He used to work for Toyota and he said the people at toyota did admit to him of certain design flaws in the engine. Specifically he said that the oil pump of the car is too small and this is the main cause of engine failure. Since the oil pump is too small it cannot circulate the oil throughout the engine and as any mechanic knows, this will definitely cause the engine to need a premature overhaul.

 

He also said this doesn't just apply to the Toyota Altis but to all cars in their stable that has 1.6 and lower engines (Altis, Vios and the new one which I forget what its called) . Only the 1.8L Altis is said to be free from this defect.

 

So a word of warning to all potential car buyers out there. Just remember a brand name is just that, and is never a guarantee of quality.

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Hi there, I'm read your original post in Tsikot about your Altis. If you are posing a warning, you have to mention that you didn't follow the recommended oil change schedule. That's the first rule about maintaining your car's engine.

 

Also, Toyota Quezon Avenue has the worse reputation among all the casas of Toyota. I experienced that first hand when i had my Vios brought there for it's 1st 1,000 km checkup. Lousy service and they even damaged my car's paint. I normally have my car serviced at Toyota Shaw before and now at Toyota Otis. It's already 41,000km and counting.

Btw, I'm not working for Toyota nor am i connected them in any way.

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yes meron ako na heard of that problem about overhauling of the altis but the problem is the owner never chaneg oil and cause the engine to be overhaul. Binibigyan ng owner yung driver ng pera ng pang chaneg oil but apparently the driver is putting the cash in his pocket.

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superfunkibey,

 

maybe we should get our group together and build a data base. we can probably have the engine replaced or at least get our money back (I spent P63k for the same oil defect overhaul on my 2003 with 25,000 mileage)). I know of two others in the same boat. that makes 5 of us already.

 

if interested to pursue, this my moblie is 0917xxxxxxx. text or pm if ever.

 

I knew there are others like me...

 

By the way, even if you dont follow the recommended oil change schedule it is not supposed to cause this kind of damage. Mga tol I have had my share of vehicles, I never follow oil change recommendations ( sa adventure ko nga 1 year bago ako magpalit) but this is the only car that needed an overhaul.

 

Besides, my friend did follow the oil change schedules, but even if he did not. How can u explain needing an overhaul after 18,000 kms?

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lol nice one super. Another one of those "sorry na lang Sir" cases. Tsktsk... I wonder if something like this happens to the US - I am sure that Toyota would make drastic actions...but sad to say not here.

 

Toyota is more than capable of defending itself. I hope that one day, consumers will learn to protect each others interest.

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Ung casa po sir ang may kasalanan, not toyota in general, kasi po, regular wear and tear nalang po ng engine parts yan eh (kahit naman po siguro BMW, Mercedez, Honda nasisira din naman po ang parts nya), ang naging problema po, is that hindi chineck ng casa kung sira na ung oil pump or any part in particular.

 

Normally po, pag hindi po tayo nagpapa maintenance regularly, mas umiiksi po ang buhay ng ating mga sasakyan..

 

"Oil Pump Failure

With regular oil and filter changes, an original equipment oil pump should last the life of the engine. Today, that means upwards of 150,000 miles or more. But some oil pumps may not go the distance because the pump is the only internal engine component that runs on unfiltered oil all the time. If the vehicle owner neglects regular oil changes and/or drives his vehicle in a dusty or dirty environment, the pump will suffer the consequences." - http://www.aa1car.com/library/2005/us020516.htm

 

Meaning hindi lang po sa mileage ang basehan ng breakdown ng engine part. Pag nasira po ang Oil pump nyo, ang mangyayari po nyan ay masisira po talaga ang engine nyo, kasi po lahat ng moving parts masisira. "An oil pump failure is like cardiac arrest because the results are often fatal." - http://www.aa1car.com/library/2005/us020516.htm , to which ang nangyari sa inyo po ay overhaul. Mas makakamura pa nga po siguro kayo kung bumili nalang kayo ng surplus na engine eh.

 

Malalaman nyo rin naman po yan kung nauubusan na po kayo ng oil or sira ung oil pump kasi po mag iilaw naman po sa gauges nyan. Kung na-check nyo po yan personally, at hindi po driver lang ang gumagamit, siguro po na-isalba pa ang makina nyo po.

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We've had so many Toyotas in our family and so far no problems whatsoever. Parts are everywhere and cheap vs. other Japanese brands and the car is reliable and matibay except for the early 80's models which are rust magnets.

 

The thing is we never went back to the casa for maintenance of our cars from the day we bought them, even with the freee warranty thing. Why? Because (my dad's observation) the guys there are mostly young aprentice boys who are doing their OJT's from technical schools and newly grads from vocational schools AND most of them don't own cars. They know the theories but lack the experience. I think its not Toyota, it's the service quality of that particular casa.

 

I don't work for Toyota.

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superfunkibey,

 

maybe we should get our group together and build a data base. we can probably have the engine replaced or at least get our money back (I spent P63k for the same oil defect overhaul on my 2003 with 25,000 mileage)). I know of two others in the same boat. that makes 5 of us already.

 

if interested to pursue, this my moblie is 0917xxxxxxx. text or pm if ever.

 

bro, i would suggest that for the database, you try to visit grupotoyota.com. baka may mga nakaencounter na din sa kanila neto.

but i would have to agree with the previous posts here that you have to comply with the regular oil change requirements of your vehicle.

Edited by Google
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Hi,

 

Thanks for the info, big help for my friend who's actually planning to buy a 2002 Altis 1.6.

 

Any info on Toyota Diesel Engines naman? Mine is a 1992 Townace 2c Diesel A/T. It alreaay has almost 160K kms on it and so far besides changing the oil gasket, tsaka yung mga wear n' tear parts, no major repair has been done on her.

 

Baka me feedback kayo good or bad para di na ko masorpresa kung me lalabas na sakit dito.

 

Thanks

 

:cool:

 

Peace

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well I for one agrees to that. with my experience with Toyota Altis is is not really so good as well. I had a bad experience as well with my 1.8 which I had bought in 2001. after 3 years I had a lick in mygas tank and to think at first maybe it is my fault. but the time I had brought it to the case they said they need a week to investigate. I had brought this instead to a well know car shop in QC and they had told me it is really a factory defect. because the time that they had removed the tank it has a dent on the upper portion of the tank which is imposssible to be hit by something. then last year my opwer door lock on the rear passenger side broke down. I had my hoda Civic the 1995 model for more than 6years I had no bad experience at such.

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I think the thread starter's intent is to warn people that things can go wrong even with a Toyota, a brand known for reliability. It is not an automatic condemnation, although the Thread Description is a bit exaggerated.

 

As for other's people comments, yes, I agree that the casa personnel will differ from place to place and I've had a bad experience with the Quezon Ave branch as well. That's where we got my boss' car. It's a 1.8 Altis, scheduled maintenance all the time, no problems, running well.

 

How many Altis owners are out there? The Altis club might have a good idea. 5 bad apples will not a bad basket make, unfortunately. There will be cars that will run just fine even without the correct scheduled maintenance, and some that will be touchy if you miss it repeatedly. Same with cars that will go bad even if you stick to the sked. It's only a question of how many, before it can really be called bad design.

 

In my field, you can't say food poisoning even if 10 people get sick if you served a few dozen people the same and they're not sick.

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makikigulo lang ako....

i don't work for toyota and i don't have any connection either....

 

i received a letter from toyota last december saying they are recalling all innova manufactured 2006

for a replacement of the rear axle shaft. it's free of charge. i have mine replaced last month.

they said that it was due to a design flaw which might cause the innova to be immobilized. imagine? wrecker

yan pag nagkataon. they were prudent enough to admit they made a mistake and replace it. magkano kaya ginastos nila?

anyway, i just thought na if ever totoong design flaw yang pump ng altis, hindi ba dapat ganito rin ginawa nila and replace

it free of charge?

 

now, para naman sa ford lynx ko, it was a 2000 model. around 2004, with a mileage of around 25k, naging sluggish at may jerking

pa ang takbo, dinala ko sa casa. ford quezon avenue to be accurate. sabi nila they need to change an electronic part which costs

15k. sabi nila, lahat daw ng lynx pinapalitan yun, sabi pa nila, ang cause daw ay nagkakarga ako ng fuel na hindi unleaded (i.e. velocity,

blaze or vortex gold) i dunno how true, i never heard of such thing, and wala rin sinabi sakin ang ford makati (where i bought the car)

nung binili ko yan na hindi pwede kargahan ng hindi unleaded....

 

in conclusion, i would rather go toyota, at least they admit their fault.

 

*sino jan may ford lynx at nagkaganito? time to create a new thread! haha

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well, some of the things that toyota does not want to admit that their vehicles have factory defects:

 

corolla altis- power window malfunction, power door lock malfunction, windows frequently misalign, trunk hard to close

innova- D4D - will jerk or shut down due to fuel injection problem, manual shift will not shift to 2nd gear, rattling sound underneath when fully loaded

vios- busted lights due to signal light switch malfunction

rav4 04 model- brake pad replacement needed coz it will eat up the brake disc, oxygen sensor problem

revo- always rattling back door

 

 

 

BEWARE!!!!!!NEVER USE THE AMALIE SYNTHETIC OIL IT BUILDS UP SLUDGES ON YOUR ENGINE!!!!!! it was not recommended By Toyota Motor PHILS but the Casa owner TOYOTA QUEZON AVE. sell them because they have a huge margin for profit.

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The thread starter has every reason to be mad, ikaw ba naman ang masiraan ng sasakyan.

 

But I think condemning Toyota as a whole is out of line. The recent JD Power Vehicle Dependability Ratings ranks Toyota and Lexus (its high end counterpart) on top of every other car maker around. in another survey, I forgot which one, they found out that 86% of Toyota Corollas purchased in 1989 are still running. I know this is US statistics but think again. In a country where junking an old car is a common thing, why would Corolla owners still use their old cars?

 

If he wants to make a case against the dealer who did the oil change, then do it. s@%t happens, Sorry ka na lang at sa 'yo nangyari ito. Ho humm...

 

cHECK THIS LINK

http://www.jdpower.com/corporate/news/rele....asp?ID=2006133

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The problem may be due to the local components that Toyota uses on its cars. Toyota needs to satisfy the government's requirements regarding local content. My father has a Toyota and had problems with its power windows. Upon further inquiries and research, he found out that the malfunctioning parts were locally made.

 

I agree though that Toyota should have done a better job assuring the quality of the parts that it sources from its local suppliers.

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