Toyota Problems

YOU'RE right to look at Toyotas for their renowned reliability. The car has average kilometres for a 10-year-old model. If it's in good condition, is safe, and has been well serviced, then consider it. Old Toyotas tend to battle on if they've been well looked after.

BUYING used is not going to cost you as much as buying new, but you need to know about cars or have the help of someone who does. Otherwise, buy new and get the security of a warranty. The new car will also be safer. Generally they have more safety features built into them and will probably use less fuel than an older car. Look at the Mazda 2, Toyota Yaris, Nissan Tiida, Ford Fiesta, Hyundai Getz and VW Polo.

TOYOTA promoted the Avalon to the taxi industry and most cabbies were happy with them. The LPG system most use is one developed for Toyota by Apollo Gas and works well.

CARMAKERS tune their cars to suit the average motorist and they also leave a safety margin with their tuning so they can be confident they won't have problems once their cars go into production. Tuners can tune more precisely to achieve a desired outcome, be it more power, torque or fuel economy, and they can play within the manufacturer's safety margin. By some fine-tuning they can extract more power and torque than a manufacturer would dare do. That means you're running closer to the edge when you install a chip, but that doesn't mean you will have a problem. Your best course of action is to choose a chip maker with a long-established, good reputation for doing reliable work, and perhaps with some sort of warranty. Then ask to speak to other owners who have had the same chip fitted to their cars.

THERE'S no problem running the V6 on LPG. It's a popular conversion. There's an IMPCO kit available that fits well into the car.

GEORGE Peake, of Victorian Autogas Supplies, says he fits a Flashlube system if owners ask for it, but he doesn't think it's necessary. Toyota engines are robust enough to do without it, he says.

I UNDERSTAND you can get a height-adjustable tow tongue that slides into the Toyota square tube receiver. Hayman Reese, I am told, makes one. There's no need for weight-distribution bars unless the tow-ball weight is excessive.

I CONTACTED Toyota and believe a technician will inspect your car. The theory is that it might be a sticking sliding joint in the driveline.

PERHAPS you should ask yourself why our governments haven't standardised with most of the world on left-hand drive. That would fix your complaint immediately. The reason carmakers don't standardise is the cost of engineering cars for right-hand-drive markets. Jumping between cars all the time I, too, occasionally wipe the windscreen when I don't mean to, but do it once and you learn not to do it again. It's not a big deal in my view.

APOLLO Gas developed the dual-fuel system. Call 9761 7883 for advice.