Yaris - Brilliant car, suspect gearbox, poor dealer service. (Toyota Yaris in general)

Member Name: Oldie

Product:	Toyota Yaris in general
Date:	02/10/01 (2273 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Versatility, Economy

Disadvantages: Suspect gearbox, useless computer

Six months ago I bought a new 3-door Yaris GS. Shortly afterwards I posted a short comment to the effect that I was enchanted with just about every aspect of the car.

Soon after posting, however, the car developed a fairly loud, high-pitched howl. This seemed to be a gearbox problem, since I heard it only in fifth gear and only when the engine was loading the drive-train (i.e. it ceased when I lifted off or declutched).

This noise first appeared as my wife and I were driving through the Irish Republic en route to Somerset, on a schedule constrained by ferry sailings, and so I decided to complete the trip without using fifth. I can tell you that a round trip of 1000 miles or so, constantly wondering whether the gearbox is about to fail, adds little to one's enjoyment of a new car...

I reported the problem to the dealer as soon as we returned home - and then began a comedy of errors that I won't bore you with because they're not directly relevant to the car itself. Suffice it to say that, between early April and last week I made repeated attempts to get something done about my gearbox, but without success. Just about everyone on the dealer's staff drove the car, heard the howl (which by this time was audible in both fifth and third), agreed that it was abnormal - and did absolutely nothing about it.

Throughout this time, the howl was decreasing in volume, and was becoming concerned that if it were to disappear altogether the dealer could then claim, with a clear conscience, that there was nothing wrong with the car.

That is precisely what happened last Friday (Sept 21st) when, following yet another test drive, the dealer's service manager told me that he was unable to hear anything unusual. I promptly went straight home, wrote a long and detailed letter of complaint to the Customer Service Director of Toyota GB, with a copy to the dealer, posted it on Saturday - and on Wednesday Sept 26th my Yaris was fi
tted with a complete new gearbox...

...which produces a fairly loud, high-pitched howl(!!) - this time in fourth gear.

However, despite all this - and despite the fact that the fuel-consumption readouts from the on-board computer are utterly useless - I still think the Yaris is one brilliant wee car. It's surprisingly nippy for a 1-litre buzzbox. It's very nimble, it holds the road well, and the brakes are splendid. The unconventional speed/odo/tach display is both a stroke of genius and a guaranteed conversation piece, and the fore & aft adjustment of the entire back seat is one of those things that makes you wonder why nobody seems to have thought of it before.

Also, because of the useless fuel-consumption readouts, I've been doing things the old-fashioned way and can report that, over the first 5,500 miles, I'm getting a genuine 49.6mpg.

Altogether my Yaris is a great little car, marred only by a very suspect gearbox, some Comic Cuts electronics, and a dealer who reflects no great credit on the Toyota organisation.

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