Toyota Problems

It's an old stager and I'm guessing it's done heaps of miles. Have it serviced.

You need to read the warranty to check on what service provisions it might contain. Some extended warranties require you to have the car serviced by the dealer who sold you the warranty.

Toyota spokesman Mike Breen says: "Our inspection of Mr Katahiotis's Camry hybrid taxi revealed the hybrid battery failed due to overheating which was caused by the cooling fan being blocked by lint and fluff accumulation. Toyota recommends hybrid vehicles used as taxis are fitted with an additional filter due to the high incidence of entry and exit from the passenger-side rear door, which was not fitted in this case. All Toyota dealers and outside service agents have been advised of this requirement by service bulletin as well as major taxi fleet operators. In this case, despite the considerable distance travelled, Toyota has agreed to contribute 25 per cent as a gesture of goodwill and, in addition, a filter was installed and the owner advised of the regular maintenance requirement".

I couldn't recommend either one, both have issues with their transmissions as your homework suggests. I would urge you to look at similar models from brands such as Mazda, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai and Kia.

Jeep is overhauling its customer support systems in Australia and I'm much more confident in recommending the Grand Cherokee. It will also be fine for your towing and any off-road work.

Clean it inside and out and make sure it's dry when you park it in the shed. Leave the handbrake off and put the transmission into Park if it's an auto and in gear if it's manual. Change the oil and filter, and change the coolant if the life limit will be exceeded while you're away. Disconnect and remove the battery, clean it and store it in a clean, dry place. Place the car on stands, remove the wheels and store them flat in cool, dark place. Use a cover made of natural material and the garage is dry and well ventilated. Finally, rethink your plan to store the car; it's a lot of effort for what is an ordinary car.

It would seem likely that the oil pickup has become blocked, starving the engine of oil. That's a problem with the turbo-diesel engine, caused by fuel leaking past the seal on the fuel injectors and contaminating the oil. The cracked dashboard is also a common problem. If you feel strongly about it you could approach Toyota with a request for a refund of the cost of repairs.

The Impreza is a good choice with all-wheel drive safety and a raft of airbags, so too is the Corolla, but you could also consider the Mazda3. It's best to stick with the recognized Japanese brands, European brands can be appealing, but they tend to be more troublesome and more expensive to service.

Thanks for the email. Hopefully I can keep this simple. 

I would strongly recommend a Toyota Aurion V6 $30,990 drive away or the Toyota Camry $28,990 drive away (pricing current September 2015). 

Unless you want the acceleration of the V6 I would opt for the four cylinder Camry, which is spritely enough and will also deliver good open road fuel economy. 

For the type of driving you're doing you do not need the hybrid Camry. 

Also, the base model Camry on the smaller wheels and Michelin tyres will be much more comfortable and a touch quieter than the dearer Camry models that come with sports tyres. 

In both the Aurion and Camry you will be protected by seven airbags and a five star safety rating. A rear camera is standard on both models too. 

The servicing costs are among the cheapest in the business. 

Furthermore the intervals are longer than other Toyotas (15,000km rather than 10,000km) and the capped pricing lasts four years or 75,000, whichever comes first (other Toyotas are three years, 60,000km). 

This was done to help Aurion and Camry appeal to fleets. 

However, your warranty is the same as other Toyotas at three years/100,000km. 

Dealership extended warranties are generally not worth the paper they are printed on, so save your money if you're offered an extension. 

Please check you're comfortable when driving the Aurion and Camry. They have ample room inside and a lot of travel in the front seat rails. 

Meanwhile, you're right in your assumption that Toyotas are regarded as a premium over Holden and Ford. The price is cheap because Toyota is trying to keep the factory running until 2017. It is in effect making a loss with each Camry it sells. 

Toyota also has a vast rural dealer network so hopefully you're never far away from help should you need it. 

Lastly, the Camry was at $26,990 drive away for much of last year and the price may limbo to that level again in the lead up to the end of the year or early next, to clear 2015 stock. This is not an inside tip, merely an educated guess on my part.

Good luck and let me know if I can help any further. I hope I'm still driving big distances in my 80s.