Almost all cars are front-wheel drive. Four-wheel drive, too, can not be afraid, everything is like a "rafik", but they are extremely rare. In addition, these are exclusively sedans with not too powerful engines. At the same time, the Avensis is one of the few cars that have more problems with manual transmission than with automatic transmissions.

Avensis has one interesting feature. In all cars with "stock" motors, the drives rarely break down. Sometimes the CV joints fail, occasionally cuts off the splines of the drives. But so that the "stick" of the drive itself breaks in half - this happens only with Toyota. The reason lies in the corrosion of the part under the load pad. Corrosion wears away an already lightweight shaft, and when driving over irregularities with traction or slipping, this shaft breaks. Fortunately, contract parts with Toyota Wish in the back of the ZNE10G will help out. Fielder 123 will also work: it is inexpensive, and the condition of the part is usually excellent. It is worth buying the original only new, all "used" ones are more or less affected by corrosion. The same details will come in handy in case of failure of the original CV joints, which are also quite flimsy here.

As I said, there are enough problems with the manual transmission. Basically, the bearing of the secondary shaft under the number 90903-63010, more precisely, its "ancestor" 90080-36139, brings it down. But there are also difficulties with oil leaks through the shaft seals. Unfortunately, if you do not go to the service at the first suspicious noises, there will be nothing to repair: the remnants of a dead bearing will sail around the box, knocking out the rest of the bearings, gears and, finally, the differential. From which machines the boxes are suitable, you can guess if you read the paragraph about drives and CV joints. The original ones with Avensis are again quite scarce.

In principle, the price of repairs will not be too high anyway. That contract boxes, that small repairs are inexpensive, in the range of 15-40 thousand rubles with work. But this is already a bit too much of a problem for a reliable brand, isn't it?

If you do not want difficulties, then you can take a car with automatic transmission. With a little care, there will be no problems, especially since the oil is changed quite often according to the regulations, the boxes have a good cooling system and conservative settings. U341E mainly works with 1.8 liter engines, and a stronger U140 / U241E is used with two liter engines. But engines with a volume of 2.4 liters rely on a five-speed automatic transmission of the U151E series.

All automatic transmissions are considered almost eternal. In any case, they are more reliable than motors and, with normal maintenance, will go far beyond 300 thousand kilometers. They have little wear out of the blocking linings of the gas turbine engine, they have good and strong mechanics. But, unfortunately, everything can be broken.

Four-stage U140 / U241 - the boxes are strong, withstand motors up to three liters of working volume. A two-liter for them is not a problem at all. But the front planetary gear set, due to the peculiarities of the lubrication system, always fails before the rest of the elements, especially if the driver did not spare the box and the engine.

From purely resource problems, you can find wear on the rear cover, which also depends on loads and driving style, but also does not forgive contaminated oil. After the rear cover is worn out, the pressure leak finishes off the direct clutch pack and the seat of its drum. And, of course, boxes operated with dirty oil usually fail the oil pump bushing or the oil pump itself.

Much more often, the "first bell" manifests itself in the form of failures in the valve body. Its problems are directly related to the wear of the gearbox mechanics and oil contamination. Usually the main problem is fouling and erosion of the solenoid channels. For their repair, there are restoration kits from Sonnax, but more often than not, “used” valve bodies are simply selected: there are still enough parts, and repair requires a high level of production culture, as a result of which not all workshops can do it.

The U341E boxes are the same miniature U140s. They have exactly the same difficulties with overloading the front planetary gear and with the rear cover. But the valve body is somewhat more reliable and less hassle. Their resource is definitely not less than that of the older brother, so you can safely take it. Just check the purity of the oil and listen at low speeds if there is a "trolleybus" sound in the first or second gears.

The five-speed U151E is designed for more aggressive driving. In many ways, it is similar to four-speed gearboxes, but with its own characteristics.

The blocking pads for the gas turbine engine wear out quickly enough here, especially with an aggressive driving style. Already after 150 thousand mileage, it is necessary to carefully monitor the oil contamination in order to prevent them from "triggering" to the adhesive layer.

The Forward clutch package is significantly overloaded and very sensitive to pressure losses. And they happen for the same reasons as in the four-stage counterparts: mainly due to the wear of the rear cover and the seals of the forward package drum.

In the photo: Toyota Avensis "2003-08

Destruction of the needle bearing of the cover is much more common. But planetary gears are loaded more evenly, and problems with them occur less often.

The valve body was also found to be more sensitive to dirt and more expensive to rebuild than four-speed transmissions. The box requires more careful maintenance, but better withstands the increased loads from the "riders".

It is much more expensive to repair. But the maximum resource of the mechanism is still high, just the conditions for achieving it are noticeably stricter. Change the oil more often, preferably every 30 thousand kilometers, and keep it clean. A large external radiator and an external box filter would also come in handy here, as on other five-speed Aisin boxes.

Motors

Toyota engines are considered among the most reliable. True, a lot of tales are associated with the 1ZZ series engines, as well as with the D4 direct injection. And not all of these stories are lies. To the company's credit, it must be said that in any case, the layout solutions and workmanship are very high, and other brands have a lot to learn. But there is no legendary reliability here. Moreover, catalysts, exhaust, supports, cooling systems and even wiring are already entering the time of withering, complicating and shortening the life of motors.

The most common Avensis engine is the 1.8-liter 1ZZ-FE series. A lot of swear words have been said about him. Now it is obvious that the real problems of the engine are an unsuccessful piston group until 2005, a small resource of the timing chain, the lack of repair dimensions and the absence of full valve seats in the cylinder head.

Timing chain 2AZ-FE 2.4

price for original

5 188 rubles

The lightweight cylinder block also turned out to be very sensitive to overheating, which even caused serious condemnation of the Open-Deck designs in general among Toyota drivers.

The situation is significantly improved by a reliable control system, inexpensive spare parts and its prevalence. In addition, there are cast-iron sleeves, which are damaged only during prolonged work with fixed rings. In an extreme case, the sleeve is cut out and the motor sleeve is re-inserted. True, the fragile structure of the block makes this operation quite difficult.

Having bought a killed unit, you will find out that there are no repair dimensions, and if there are cracks on the valves and their seats are "killed", then you will be offered to immediately change the cylinder head: there are no classic cast-iron seats.

In the photo: Toyota Avensis Sedan "2003-06

The valve seals are weak, and the increased cylinder head temperature reduces their service life to four to five years.

But the chain is relatively inexpensive and easy to replace - only slightly more expensive than replacing the belt.

Oil pump

price for original

RUB 3,061

The main complaint about the motor is its tendency to oily appetite. And in general, he is not as reliable as expected of him (this is sarcasm). But as they say, these are your expectations and your problems. For many owners, these motors have traveled 250-350 thousand kilometers without overhaul, which means that the potential of the motor is not bad. With a new or modified piston group (some owners simply drill holes to drain oil from the oil scraper ring or change it to a wider typesetting ring), after careful assembly and with a catalyst replaced in time, the engine can go a couple of hundred thousand kilometers. But for this you will have to service it on time and prevent overheating of the oil in the crankcase by installing "protections" and prolonged idling with the air conditioner on. As a last resort, you can buy a contract unit very cheaply. Almost at the price of metal.

In the photo: Toyota Avensis Wagon "2003-06

On the Avensis T250, you can find copies of the engine with pistons of the "problem" series 13101-22031 with a moderate oil appetite, which, with the slightest overheating or an unsuccessful choice of oil, tends to develop into a serious one. It is strongly recommended to "upgrade" to 13101-22032 or, if possible, even 13101-22140 / 13101-22142 / 13101-22180. Cars up to the 2006 model year are at risk. But it is also not worth counting on the complete absence of problems with more recent engines: the problem was complex, and the manufacturer tried to solve it until the end of the release of this series of engines in 2013.

Photo: Toyota Avensis Wagon "2006-08

"Small-sized" versions of this 1.6-liter 3ZZ-FE series engine inherit mainly the positive qualities of the 1.8 liter engine. The oil appetite is much less pronounced and manifests itself mainly after runs for 250 thousand, the cylinder head works more reliably, and even the chain runs longer. But cars with this engine are extremely rare and in very simple configurations.

The two-liter 1AZ-FE engine is traditionally considered more reliable than the 1.8-liter. And therefore, many willingly overpay for a more powerful modification. However, here it was not without a few "buts".

European cars relied on a motor not only with conventional distributed injection, but also with direct injection 1AZ-FSE. Its fuel equipment is distinguished by a noticeably higher price, increased complexity in diagnostics and frankly poor starting qualities in winter. In addition, these motors, when operating in the mode of short trips and in winter, noticeably increase the cylinder output in the upper part due to the ingress of a large amount of gasoline.

Radiator

price for original

31 926 rubles

The early series of engines, up to the restyling of 2006, are very prone to "pulling" the thread of the cylinder head bolts from the block, and therefore the craftsmen are extremely reluctant to take on their repair. And if the antifreeze has already flowed, and the motor has managed to overheat, then the unit will most likely have to be replaced.

In principle, motors of this series have no unsolvable problems, especially if the injection is conventional distributed, and if you wish, even the cylinder block can be repaired, but when buying, you need to know about these features. In addition, the engines have two catalysts and four lambdas, they are characterized by a tendency to increased carbon formation in the intake manifold. And FSE versions suffer from very serious carbon deposits on the valves. The repair dimensions of the piston group are also missing. In short, the 1AZ engines after 2006 are really quite "Toyota" in terms of reliability, but only with conventional injection. Otherwise, you need to be prepared for surprises.

The undoubted advantages include a good resource of the piston group.

Motors of the 2AZ-FE and 2AZ-FSE series repeat 1AZ, but there are no problems with the thread of the cylinder block, but balance shafts have been added. The piston group resource is still slightly higher on average, and in general it is the most reliable FE version engine on the Avensis. But it is also the rarest.

In the photo: Toyota Avensis Sedan "2006-08

Diesel engines are rare, but there are a lot of problems with them. This is clearly not Toyota's strong point. Leave them to European users.

Summary

I think now it's clear why the Avensis is not as popular as the Camry. The brand pulls the price up, but there is no real reliability and legendary "indestructibility" here. And the difference in price with the larger Camry in the new cars was practically absent. But the larger car was equipped with much more interesting power units and was generally more reliable ...

Toyota Avensis of the second generation received the factory index T250. Avensis entered the car market in 2003, where it held out until 2008. He was going in three body versions: sedan, station wagon and hatchback. In 2006, the model underwent minor restyling. Avensis enjoyed good popularity, largely due to its attractive appearance, spacious interior, good driving performance, high safety and ... reliability. Although not everything is smooth with the latter, there are serious reservations.

Engines

Under the hood, atmospheric gasoline engines with a working volume of 1.6 liters and 110 hp could be installed. (very rare), 1.8 L - 129 hp (1 ZZ-FE), 2.0 L - 147 HP (1AZ-FE) and 2.4 liters - 163 hp. (2AZ-FSE). Also in the range of engines there were diesel units with a working volume of 2.0 liters with a capacity of 116 and 126 hp. and 2.2 liters with a capacity of 148 and 175 hp.

Many owners of Toyota Avensis with gasoline engines notice a noticeable vibration of the engine running at idle - after 50-100 thousand km. Sometimes the engine cushions are to blame. But in most cases, it is not possible to establish the cause of the vibrations. The owners resort to cleaning the throttle valve, replacing spark plugs, ignition coils, someone is trying to "alter" the engine tuning program. But all is in vain.

The most popular 1.8 liter engine turned out to be seriously flawed. The motors assembled before May 2005 had a big “butter appetite” due to a constructive miscalculation. Oil consumption could reach up to 1 liter per 1000 km, which is quite a lot to agree. After the design of the pistons and oil scraper rings was finalized, and the disease was cured. You can moderate the appetite of gluttonous engines after the "capital" by replacing the rings and pistons. The cost of such repairs is about 35-40 thousand rubles. There is another unpleasant situation with these engines - seizure of the connecting rod bearings on engines manufactured in 2007-2008 with a mileage of about 60-90 thousand km. Fortunately, there are few such cases. In the presence of such a defect, the owners noted a pronounced extraneous rattling under load in the range of 2500-3000 rpm.

"Diesel" engine 1.8 l on a cold engine indicates the need to replace the drive belt tensioner of the ancillary units. The problem may appear after 50-100 thousand km. The reason for the extraneous sounds is the wear of the plastic bushings of the tensioner. After replacing custom-machined caprolon bushings, you can forget about the problem for a long time.

A 2.0 liter gasoline engine is considered more demanding on fuel quality, but in reality there are few problems with it. A serious problem with these motors is the stripping of the threads of the cylinder head bolts and their pulling. True, such cases are few. The essence of the problem is that due to the pulling out of the bolts, the head begins to adhere loosely to the block, which leads to a leakage of coolant, overheating of the motor, etc. etc. The cost of repairs is from 50 to 100 thousand rubles.

Also, on 2-liter gasoline engines, gasoline may start leaking from under the "leaky" O-ring under the fuel pressure sensor. This will be indicated by the characteristic smell in the cabin, which appears when the "climate" is turned on. It is recommended to replace the O-ring with a copper one.

The 2.4 liter engine is just a good thing compared to the rest. All gasoline engines eventually begin to take oil after 100-150 thousand km, even the modified 1.8 liter. As a rule, the “butter appetite” for 150-200 thousand km does not exceed 1-2 liters per 10,000 km.

Diesel units are generally not capricious, but they prefer only the best grades of diesel fuel. After 150-200 thousand km, you will most likely have to face the need to clean the geometry of the turbine and the EGR valve. Diesel engines with a working volume of 2.2 liters may also require replacement of the cylinder head gasket. In addition, 2,2D-CAT, with a catalyst, had problems until 2007 due to clogged catalyst tubes. After that, the design of the tubes was changed, and a repair kit was issued to replace the previously installed ones.

With a mileage of more than 100-150 thousand km, you may be asked for a replacement pump (original about 3 thousand rubles), a thermostat (about 800 rubles), a starter (wear of brushes - about 1600 rubles).

Transmission

Together with the engines, a 5-speed "mechanics" or a 4-speed "automatic" was installed, with the exception of a 2.4-liter petrol, which was combined only with a 5-range automatic transmission.

"Mechanics", contrary to the usual, turned out to be extremely unreliable. As a rule, it all starts with the appearance of a hum when you run more than 60-100 thousand km at a speed of 60-80 km / h. These are the bearings of the input and output shaft, and sometimes the differential. It is not worth delaying repairs, otherwise some of the overtaking may end sadly. Cases of box jamming at speed are proof of this. A set of new bearings will cost 3-5 thousand rubles, and work on their replacement - 7,000 rubles.

Owners of Avensis with manual transmission after 100-150 thousand km also note the poor (difficult) inclusion of odd gears and reverse, as well as biting the lever at first speed. Replacing the clutch does not solve the problem for long. A new clutch kit costs about 9,000 rubles, and its resource is about 150-200 thousand km.

"Automatic" is much more reliable than "mechanics" and, as a rule, does not cause problems, and cases of unforeseen repairs are rare.

Undercarriage

Suspension Toyota Avensis copes well with Russian roads and at the same time does not "crumble". The struts and bushings of the front stabilizer travel more than 20-40 thousand km, the rear stabilizer - more than 60-100 thousand km. Front and rear wheel bearings serve more than 150-200 thousand km (6-7 thousand rubles assembled with a hub). The case for levers and shock absorbers with a mileage of less than 180-200 thousand km, as a rule, does not reach. Steering tips run more than 100-120 thousand km.

With a mileage of more than 50-100 thousand km, the front caliper often begins to rattle. To eliminate the "breaks", it is necessary to replace the guides.

On the Toyota Avensis with a 1.8 liter engine, electric power steering is used, on the rest - power steering. After 30-50 thousand km, clicks or plastic crackling may appear in the steering wheel of Avensis with EUR. The reason is the backlash in the worm pair due to the wear of the plastic gear. To eliminate the drawback, it is enough to rearrange the gear at an angle of more than 90 degrees.

Body and interior

There are no complaints about the Toyota Avensis body iron, no foci of corrosion were noticed even on the first copies. Many probably noticed the difference in the shade of the front bumper and the hood of the pre-styled Avensis. The first thought - the car was repainted! But in fact, this is a feature of the factory painting of pre-styling Toyota Avensis.

A lot of complaints were caused by the optics of the headlights. In 2-3 years, the reflector mirror crumbles, and the headlights cease to illuminate the road normally. More often the problem occurs on vehicles with xenon lights. In addition, the headlight units themselves often fog up.

Backside insects are common. The flashlight itself often sweats, and when removed, up to half a glass of water is found inside. The reason is a leaky seal that needs to be replaced.

On cars older than 7-9 years, the headlight washer motor may fail (about 160 rubles) or the telescopic nozzle may jam due to dirt. In winter, the plastic pin of the gas tank flap lock is often broken off. The new mechanism is sold only in assembly for 3-5 thousand rubles. But showing ingenuity, parts of the pin can be glued together. In cold weather, the folding / unfolding mechanism of the exterior mirrors may wedge.

Door locks do not like the simultaneous pulling of the handle and the actuation of the central lock for closing / opening. This leads to the destruction of the plastic axle of the lock pinion and loss of functionality. A new castle costs about 3-4 thousand rubles.

The interior of Toyota Avensis is assembled from solid materials and is not prone to creaks. The reason for the periodic squeaks in the area of ​​the windshield or rear window is the plastic hooks of the guides, which must be cut off.

With a mileage of more than 100-150 thousand km, some drivers notice that the seat begins to squeeze, and scuffs appear on the leather seat lining. Sometimes the seat squeaks due to the contact of the springs with the chair frame. On cars over 7-8 years old, the seat trim is burned by the heater.

After 100-150 thousand km, the damper actuators may rustle or click, and problems with the correct distribution of flows appear. As a rule, the drive from the passenger side first fails, and after a while the driver's. Often it is possible to restore the drive's performance after cleaning and lubricating the contacts. The heater motor may fail due to wear on the brushes of the electric motor.

With a mileage of more than 150-200 thousand km, an air conditioner compressor failure occurs. More often, the pulley damper plate breaks due to compressor wedging. The cause of the "wedge" is the leakage of freon and, accordingly, the lubricant from the system.

Simultaneous display of ABS, TRC OFF and VSC may indicate insufficient battery charge. But more often the reason in the Bosch ABS unit is a break in the mass on the board. The cost of a new block is about 80,000 rubles, you can find a block for 5-8 thousand rubles at auto dismantling sites. Any master who repairs electrical equipment will be able to find a break point and re-solder the track for 1-2 thousand rubles.

Due to the failure of the resistors in the wiring diagrams, the displays of the on-board computer (on dorestayls) and the head unit cease to display information. The cost of repair is about 1.5-2.5 thousand rubles.

Conclusion

The second generation Toyota Avensis leaves a mixed impression. Here, the usual reliability coexists with ridiculous design mistakes and shortcomings. The ideal choice would be a Toyota Avensis with a 2.4 liter engine. These cars had only an automatic transmission and a high level of equipment.

Toyota positions itself as a manufacturer of expensive but reliable cars. Leaving behind the VAG concern, Toita has taken a leading position in the world car market. But Avensis was an exception, failing to justify the number of sales in the CIS. What are the reasons for that? I'll talk about this further.

History

In 2003, Toyota launches mass production of the second generation T 250 Avensis. The expected excitement did not happen: due to low sales for Europe, the equipment line was expanded, diesel units were added to the power line, even a reduction in Camry supplies, but nothing helped. It is noteworthy that the Camry 30 was cheaper than the Avensis, despite the prestige and class. The CIS secondary market was replenished with cars from Europe, thanks to the created image of a reliable, inexpensive car with an optimal power line. Today, the car is massively imported into Ukraine and the territories beyond its control from Europe, most often in a station wagon and a liftback with diesel engines, due to the attractive cost of the "European".

Gasoline engines started from 1.6 to 2.4 liters, for Europe they added a couple of “diesels”. Front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive versions are extremely rare. For the CIS, the sedan body has become popular. The undoubted advantage is the exquisite work of the engineers in the field of the chassis, as well as good materials for the interior trim. The car competes with the Opel Vectra C, previously mentioned in one of my articles, and the Mercedes-Benz C-class W203.

What about reliability?

About the body

If you come across a completely rotten Avensis, be sure - the car has been in a major accident. But it is also impossible to call the corrosion resistance ideal. The body is not fully galvanized: the "charm" of a thin paintwork is shown on the pillars and the frame of the windshield. Chips turn into corrosion centers over time. Owners note the ingress of water into the cabin through the windshield joint in the roof area.

The outer part of the wheel arches corrodes over time. Inadequate wheel arch liners provoke rust on the rear arches. Unfortunately, the corrosion process in this area cannot be stopped, therefore, cars with a patched arch are often found.

The level of underbody protection is slightly better. Small foci of corrosion at the point of attachment of the C-pillars are not cause for concern. It is important to monitor the condition of the metal in the area of ​​the factory sealant on the front side members. Swollen paint on the front glasses urgently requires attention, since it is not far from the formation of through holes. When buying a car, you need to carry out a comprehensive anti-corrosion treatment using high quality materials.

Light optics - solid minus of the model. The headlights become cloudy after a few, and the mileage is not important. The company launched a recall campaign to that end, but the fogging of the headlights hasn't gone away. Over time, the tightness between the glass and the body is lost, and the headlight leaks. We'll have to change the headlight along with the lens. On the restyled version, the problems were solved so that in these cars the headlights become cloudy even faster. The taillights are so sealed that they are home to flies, not to mention the presence of water inside the body.

The quality of the rear window seam shows itself in cold weather - water flows through the seam onto the head of the rear passengers. You have to re-glue it yourself. If you slam the front doors hard, you will have to get the glass inside the door, as they break off the guides. Heated side mirrors are weak. But the heated wipers have a different function - they form cracks on the windshield.

Door seals lose their tightness after several hundred thousand kilometers. Experienced owners push a tube inside the seal, but they will not get rid of the increased noise, although the model does not differ in special noise insulation.

What's in the cabin

High-quality material tends to emit creaks and crickets with age. The seat frame also squeaks, and you will have to completely disassemble the seats to fix the problem. The engine compartment is well soundproofed, which cannot be said about the arches and the bottom, from where the main noise comes to the cabin. Some owners did not neglect additional noise isolation, solving the factory problem. The air conditioner can fail at the most inopportune moment: the compressor clutch fails due to an imperfect design. The rest of the interior, even after 15 years, looks decent, without any traces of exploitation.

Electrical part

A car electrician can also be a hassle, namely:

• the generator resource barely exceeds 100 thousand km, after which glitches of electronic systems and dim headlights are noticed;
• the rear bulbs need to be changed frequently (due to a tightness problem);
• quite often a whole "garland" of control lamps is lit on the instrument panel for various reasons (dirty throttle and candles, failure of the oxygen sensor);
• constant pollution of the mass air flow sensor.

To understand the many causes of malfunctions, complex diagnostics of the mechanical part is needed, for example: a dirty intake module, clogged injectors, low fuel pump pressure, etc. Owners of Avensis T250 are advised to purchase an OBD2 scanner to understand and eliminate ECU errors on their own.

Chassis, steering and brakes

The braking system is reliable if each brake pads change the anthers of the guide brakes and lubricate them well. The ABS unit often suffers from malfunctions up to the point of failure of work.

Everything is fine with the undercarriage: the shock absorbers have a resource of 150,000 km, which is solid by today's standards. Cars with a mileage of 200,000 km are still on the original suspension, except for the bushings and stabilizer struts. The bushings and ball joints and bearings of the front bearings are changed separately. The only caveat is weak wheel bearings, which need to be replaced every 100,000 km.

The design of the rear suspension is sophisticated. It is a MacPherson strut multi-link that provides comfort when the suspension is in perfect condition. If you do not pay attention to the guide post, then the slightest play of it will lead to a skid on the road.

Once a year, wheel alignment needs to be done, but here, too, there is a surprise - soured breakup bolts that need to be cut with a grinder.

The electric power steering does not have advanced features. Often, the fault is due to the “garage” repair of the rack with tightening the rack and rearrangement of the gears. The problem is typical for motors 1.8. In versions with 2 and 2.4 motors, there is a power steering. Pre-styled versions suffer from constant pump leakage. Active steering, dirty oil and filling the pump with Dexron oil will lead to sudden breakdown. Power steering requires an individual low viscosity oil Pentosin.

About transmission

A half-axle drive that breaks in half is a typical Toyota problem, and this is due to corrosion, but the CV joints are very reliable. The gearbox can “please” with a sudden breakdown of the secondary shaft bearing and oil leakage from under the shaft oil seals. If you do not notice the emptying of the gearbox crankcase in time, then it will have to be thrown away, since the completely “killed” bearing will break and with its remnants will break the entire interior of the mechanical transmission. The story with the automatic transmission is the opposite. The resource of the automatic transmission exceeds the resource of the engines. The automatic transmission can withstand torque higher than the factory values, but everything can be broken. Reliability will have to pay with frequent oil changes. If the box operates under high loads, then the back cover will be the first to fail, which will erase the clutches. If the oil is not changed on time, then the oil pump will order to live a long time immediately.

Power ruler

Toyota engines are traditionally reliable. There are many legends about the 1ZZ series engine, and some of them are true. Despite interesting modern solutions, legendary reliability is gone. The cooling system, catalysts, engine wiring and engine mounts shorten the life of the engines.

I will touch on the popular 1ZZ-FE 1.8 engine. The claims to the motor are more than justified by the following facts:

• "Raw" piston group up to 2005;
• weak timing chain;
• cylinder head design does not imply full valve seats;
• no repair dimensions of pistons, rings and liners;
• increased oil consumption.

The lightweight cylinder block is vulnerable to overheating, which is why it scattered at auto dismantling with a bang.

There are also good points: the liners are changing, spare parts for the motor are inexpensive and common. The potential of the motor is 300-400 thousand km. Acquisition of Avensis with a “dead” engine will entail serious financial expenses, so the unit needs to be diagnosed far and wide.

Outcomes

Toyota Avensis T250 is a car that, after 15 years, does not lose its relevance among fans of the brand. Like all cars, he loves timely service and quality parts. Unfortunately, not all components and assemblies are endowed with the same "Toyota" quality, like all cars of the marketing era.

Rare engines 1.6 3ZZ-FE (110 hp) and the most popular 1.8 - 1ZZ-FE (129 hp) until 2005 suffered from problems with oil. Toyota was clearly unsuccessful in picking up the piston rings, but over time it eliminated this problem. Most of the engines of the early Avensis are already capital, although the quality of these repairs remains in question. The difficulty of restoring the killed variants is aggravated by the fact that there are no piston overhaul sizes, and also there are no valve seats, they adjoin directly to the cylinder head, therefore, in case of critical wear, the block must be cased, and the "head" is replaced as an assembly.
- The timing chain on ZZ motors has an unpredictable resource, but you can focus on the number 120-150, while listening to extraneous sounds on a cold one.
- There are no hydraulic compensators either, so every 100 thousand prepare money for the selection of pushers in height and their adjustment of the thermal clearance in the valve mechanism.
- On AZ motors, the problem of the oil burner is not typical and the chain runs longer - on average 200 and more thousand, although you cannot call it eternal either. This applies to both 2.0 (1AZ-FE / 1AZ-FSE 147-155 hp) and 2.4 (2AZ-FE / 2AZ-FSE 163 hp).
- The 2-liter engines also had a problem with spontaneously unscrewing cylinder head bolts. So if you see a leak from under the "head", but about repairs with reinforced threads (this was done, including under warranty), the owner does not know anything, replacing the gasket may not be enough.
- The main problem is that most of the "older" engines here are with D4 direct injection. The cost of the pump and injectors is high, with cold start problems, the valves become covered with carbon deposits faster, and in the case of frequent trips over short distances in winter without warming up, the upper part of the cylinders also suffers from a lack of lubrication. In general, as already mentioned, it is worth looking for an option with distributed injection.
- Diesel engines are presented in two series: 1CD-FTV belt motor (2.0 116 hp), as well as three chain motors - 1AD-FTV (2.0 124 hp), 2AD-FTV (2.2, 150 hp) and 2AD-FHV (2.2 173 hp), the latter with expensive piezoelectric injectors instead of electromagnetic ones and a cunning D-CAT multi-stage exhaust cleaning system. As already mentioned, it is not worth getting involved with diesels due to the very high cost of the components of the fuel system.
- In addition to the standard problems, the 1CD-FTV also has a clearly overestimated timing belt replacement schedule. He does not always take care of 150 thousand - it is better to cut it down, and by half.
- AD series motors have another problem - too aggressive EGR mode, which metered so much exhaust to the intake that carbon formation exceeded all expectations. EGR cleaning should take place here at every service. Additionally, AD motors are also famous for their weak cylinder head gasket - watch out for antifreeze leaks.

Good afternoon. In today's post, I will tell you about the weaknesses of the 2003-2008 Toyota Avensis. The article will be useful to everyone who evaluates the feasibility of purchasing this car. We will agree on the shore - the article was written by a reseller, so you will not find layouts for the price of ownership, but what it costs and what to watch when buying is told quite objectively.

Car enthusiasts are used to thinking that there is nothing in the world. On the one hand, cars from the Japanese company really top many reliability ratings and fail much less often than most of their classmates, but in reality it turns out that the operation of the "Japanese" cannot be called completely problem-free. There are also plenty of weak points or features in the design of Toyota cars. And a clear example of this is the second generation Toyota Avensis, which debuted in 2003 and is still in steady demand in the used car market.

Body and interior.

There are no complaints about the body of the Japanese car, but there are some for its front optics. Not only do the Avensis headlights often fog up, but also the reflector mirror in them crumbles after 2-3 years of car operation. As a result, the headlights stop illuminating the road properly. In addition, after 7-9 years of operation on a Toyota Avensis, the headlight washer motor usually fails. It is for this reason, during disassembly, it is extremely rare to find live headlights, and what the Chinese offer is suitable only for appearance when selling. shines pretty bad.

The salon of the second generation Toyota Avensis does not begin to creak even with age, but even without this there are enough claims to it. So, for example, after 100 thousand kilometers, the driver's seat in a Japanese car begins to push through, and clearly visible scuffs appear on its upholstery. By the same mileage, many owners of Avensis begin to complain about problems with the correct distribution of air flows during the operation of the air conditioner. This happens due to a failure of the damper drive. In addition, you should be prepared for the fact that the heater motor will refuse to work at all. The reason for this is worn out motor brushes.

A little later, Avensis begins to upset with more serious problems. After 150-200 thousand kilometers on a Japanese car, the air conditioning compressor may fail. And that's not all. Failure of resistors in electrical circuits is a serious problem, although you can call it, but you still have to spend time and money on fixing this malfunction.

Engines and their disadvantages.

The most popular engine installed on the second generation Toyota Avensis is the 1.8-liter petrol four (129 horsepower). And to call it reliable and unpretentious will not work even with a stretch. Due to a constructive miscalculation, the power units that were assembled before 2005 are. On some cars, oil consumption reached one liter per thousand kilometers, which exceeds all reasonable limits.

Over time, the Japanese improved the design of the oil scraper rings and pistons, which solved the problem. However, other problems remained. The main one is the seizure of the connecting rod bearings, which appear after 80-90 thousand kilometers. In addition, the owners of the second generation Toyota Avensis should be prepared for the characteristic diesel engine, which may appear after a run of 70-100 thousand kilometers. It occurs on an unheated engine and indicates the need to replace the drive belt tensioner of the ancillary units.

The two-liter gasoline unit (147 horsepower), although picky about the quality of the fuel, looks a little better in terms of reliability than the 1.8-liter engine. The biggest problem with the two-liter Avensis engine is pulling and stripping the threads of the cylinder head bolts. In fairness, it should be said that this problem has not received mass distribution, but the fact remains. So, owners of Avensis with a two-liter engine can buy a used car and after a while shell out for very expensive repairs.

The 2.4-liter (163 horsepower) engine under the hood of the Toyota Avensis is not very common. And the more offensive. Indeed, in terms of reliability, this particular power unit seems to be optimal. Only after 150-200 thousand kilometers does it start eating up oil. Its consumption, however, rarely exceeds a couple of liters per ten thousand kilometers.

Diesels.

Diesel engines were also installed on Toyota Avensis of the second generation, but cars with them are extremely rare in our market. And there is no point in buying them, since modern diesel power units are extremely sensitive to fuel quality, and after 150-200 thousand kilometers they will certainly upset with problems with the EGR valve. The disadvantages of Avensis diesel engines include the fact that most non-core mechanics are practically not familiar with them.

Weaknesses of the transmission.

Gearboxes installed on a Japanese car also cannot boast of high reliability. for example, it may start buzzing after 60-100 thousand kilometers. This is due to the bearings of the primary and secondary shaft. And the worst thing is that you cannot delay with the repair, because in the worst case, the delay can result in the box jamming. After 100-150 thousand kilometers, owners of Avensis with a manual gearbox begin to notice that increased effort is required to shift gears. After another 50 thousand kilometers, it is time to replace the clutch. Against this background, gear shifting looks much more preferable. It does not cause any particular problems.

Suspension weak points.

In the suspension of a Japanese car, the struts and bushings of the front stabilizer are the first to surrender. They can withstand no more than 20-40 thousand kilometers. Rear stabilizer struts and bushings are about twice as long. The rest of the "consumables" are even more reliable. Hub bearings on the "second" Avensis can withstand at least 150-200 thousand kilometers. Suspension arms with shock absorbers have about the same resource.

Steering.

In the steering of a Japanese car, the weak point is the electric amplifier, which was installed on the version with a 1.8-liter engine. Already after 30-50 thousand kilometers, when turning the steering wheel, the owners of this version of Avensis can hear clicks or plastic crackling, which indicates a backlash in the worm pair. As for the steering tips, they, as a rule, can withstand at least 100-120 thousand kilometers.

Conclusion.

It seems that the second generation Avensis was not designed by Toyota engineers at all, but someone else. There are even too many weak points in the design of the Japanese sedan. The only good news is that Toyota was gradually correcting the existing shortcomings. So if you buy a second generation Toyota Avensis, then it is better to opt for the freshest cars. Most of the "children's" problems on them have already been resolved.

In conclusion, I suggest you watch this video review of the second generation Avensis:

That's all for me today. If you want to supplement an article about the weaknesses of the 2003-2008 Toyota Avensis - leave comments, share your experience.