Toyota HiLux Problems

We phoned around and the price you were quoted was very close to the prices we were quoted, it was actually lower than one. Few of us look beyond the purchase price when we buy a new car, but it’s a good idea to check the ongoing costs we will face after we’ve bought it. You experience is a good example; by buying the Navara you face higher servicing costs.

Fitting an external oil cooler to your auto is a good safety measure when you're doing a lot of towing, and shifting down a gear before you get to a hill is also good driving practice.

We asked Toyota to look into your case and, while they haven't yet reported back to us, they told us they would investigate it. In the meantime to solve your problem it would be best to fit a transmission oil cooler.

It will almost certainly affect the structure of the front-end of the HiLux, which will in turn affect the crumple rate of the body, and in turn affect the operation of the airbag.

We received the following feedback from Toyota telling us that a Technical Field Manager inspected Peter Shanahan's HiLux and the issue was discussed with the owner. The Manager's findings were that "the vehicle was fitted with a bull bar, driving lights, canopy, and roof racks, all of which add additional weight and can restrict the cooling dependent on driving conditions, terrain, speed, ambient temperature, wind, caravan type etc. The ATM temperature light illumination as per the owner's manual recommends to slow down/pull over to allow the transmission to cool. This is considered within design intent."

Toyota's conclusion was that the vehicle was operating normally, which should be a warning to other HiLux owners that they should be aware of the possible effect accessories could have on the performance and cooling of their cars, particularly when under the additional load of towing. As for yours, I could imagine the auto would be under a heavy load when ploughing through sand and could well need a breather. It's probably worth fitting a transmission oil cooler.

It wouldn’t take a huge hit to knock a light aluminium tray out of alignment, and I’m guessing from the fact that you dented the door that you hit the tray on a corner, which would be the worst point to hit it. Hitting at 10 km/h would also be quite a big impact.

The Castlemaine Rod Shop in the Victorian town of Castlemaine used to make a kit that adapted the Holden V6 to the Toyota gearbox for just such a conversion, but have stopped supplying it because of the difficulty in covering all possible bases with the one kit. However, they say that installing a Holden V6 with its gearbox is a relatively simple job.

We've asked Toyota about the 'fix' and whether it applies to the HiLux and will report back once we have an answer.

Reading the handbook should be a "must-do" for new car buyers, even though most of us don't even open it at all until there's a problem. Don't take it for granted that the car you want to buy will do what you want. Tell the dealer what you plan to do with your new car, particularly if you're going to tow with it, and ask if there are any precautions you should take to ensure trouble free operation under those conditions. We would be keen to hear VCAT's determination on your claim.

The BFG tyre is regarded by the industry as one of the best of its type, but what you’re feeling is a characteristic of the type of tyre and not related to the brand. Any tyre of this type, with the large tread blocks, moves around and feels uncomfortable, but the movement reduces as the tyre wears and blocks wear down. They then feel better, which is why the half-worn tyres felt better when you put them on the rear. It would also feel better if you replaced all four tyres at the same time.