 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, an intermittent fault with my car is becoming more frequent and possibly dangerous. I'm convinced something just needs cleaning out so am looking for a good mechanic or garage who would investigate this instead of just slapping new parts on (already been through that in the UK).
Can handle it in French so no issues there, just want someone competent and trustworthy!
Car is a Toyota diesel and symptom is difficulty engaging the turbo.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I use the garage at the Morzine end of Les Gets, he had my car up and running in 3 days over Xmas after a spring snapped. Garage Elan, Route des Grandes Alpes - D902 74260 Les Gets, France
+33 4 50 79 75 64
Failing that there is a Toyota garage in Sallanches
Toyota
Zone Industrielle - 950 Avenue André Lasquin
74700, Sallanches, Haute-savoie
Good Luck!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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What do you think needs cleaning out?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Chattonmill, thank you for the information. Sallanches is a bit of a stretch but the good service from Elan in Les Gets is noted!
bar shaker, I don't want to second guess any mechanics as I don't have the knowledge, but it really does seem as if the car just has trouble breathing - around 2,5k to 3k revs it kangaroos a bit and then either gets over it or shuts down the motor in limp mode. The issue now is that if I need to get up a hill at speed (think even a gentle rise on a dual carriage way) the motor might decide to cut out if I accelerate to maintain speed.
However, as soon as I turn the car on and off again it's ok to drive away. Also, as the fault is intermittent and seems to be getting worse (ie, more likely now to shut down than get over it) it just seems logical to be an ongoing build-up of something, somewhere! It's ten years old, after all.
On a previous car it was a case of just cleaning out a valve, and if that's the case I really don't want to go to a dealer who will just plug in a computer and tell me I need a new turbo. There are some great resources online for checking this kind of thing but I don't have a garage and the lack of light and plentiful snowfall make me reluctant to poke around outdoors...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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If the light is flashing and it's in limp mode, any garage with access to an ECU reader will do. In fact, if it's undriveable, even the French equivalent of AA might be able to do that for free. Touring Club Switzerland plugged in the lappy to mine in the motorway services, showed me the failure (to prove he'd fixed the right thing), and reset the codes. Get the guy to give you the print-out, or better still see it on the machine too. Quite impressed by what the ECU can log. Mine showed that the LH window mechanism had failed, and one of the headlight tilt mechanisms too.
Could be a sticky DV or something.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Hmmm, big ask, as you know the industry is full of thieves and charlatans even in ultra-competative uk, let alone adding in the french-alps premium and tourist "fair-game" factors! I've been in Morzine 20 years and never found what you're asking for. Considering it's an intermittent fault (bad), on a non-french car (worse) your options are limited.
I'd go for (in order of preference):
A/ getting it back to uk and trying to find a good "independent" there
B/ take it to the Toyota dealer Chattonmill detailed, pay through the nose but probably get good service
C/ get the OBD fault-codes read at any local garage (Elan are as good as anywhere), get on a Toyota forum and see if someone can tell you what parts need changing, go back to the garage armed with this info (yes you do have to do their job for them if you don't want to pay €70/hr for Maurice to use the scatter-gun approach), or even order the parts yourself on oscaro.com and fit yourself if you're here for long enough and have the facilities/ability.
Sorry not to have a silver bullet but being realistic based on my experiences. Good luck![/i]
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shep, I know it's a big ask but I've come from another resort where I knew very clearly which garages to avoid, so in the very least perhaps you could tell me the least bad!
I see hundreds of Toyotas around here so they must be used to them, and it's got French plates with a local address on the carte grise so they can't just take me for a tourist they'll never see again!
After some dreadful experiences with Honda (and seeing how BMW dealt with my dad) I'm kinda reluctant to ever go near a main dealer again.
I could try to get it back to the UK in April but don't fancy all that motorway given the nature of the issue.
In any case it's already been to a diesel specialist there two years ago when the problem first arose; he hooked it up to lots of stuff and told me under pressure the turbo was fine etc, then changed some valves. The issue went away for a few months then came back... It's now much worse.
andy, that's interesting, might try and get a simple computer diagnostic done at the garage next to Carrefour then (I live in Montriond so can walk back), or order an OBDII cable on eBay even. Was scared it would just summarise any faults as 'turbo  please pay 2.5k'...
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[quote="albinomountainbadgerandy, that's interesting, might try and get a simple computer diagnostic done at the garage next to Carrefour then (I live in Montriond so can walk back), or order an OBDII cable on eBay even. Was scared it would just summarise any faults as 'turbo please pay 2.5k'...[/quote]
There may still be a problem with the turbo. Last year my wife's Honda broke down with a similar problem in Holland and she was towed to the local Honda dealer. Their equipment diagnosed a problem with the mass airflow sensor which they cleaned. Car ran OK for a few days then started getting sluggish again. A few days later a horrible rattling sound and lots of smoke. 
If it is the turbo any good independent should be able to replace it fr half the price of a main dealer. Most turbos are just rebadged Garret. So in our case instead of paying Honda £1500 for the part we got it for £700. Total cost for the repair for £1100 instead of the £2000+ that Honda wanted.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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amb, sorry didn't want to be negative, but not knowing you're local I was intent on gently persuading an assumed tourist that vacation car-diagnostics might not be a good idea! In that case I would get Andy at activeedgemorzine@hotmail.com to take a look, he's a great guy and excellent independant mechanic who won't rip you off. He won't have all the proprietary Toyota diagnostic equipment etc. but will work through the fault-finding process in a logical and least costly way if he's not too busy with transfer buses and running their chalet! You may need to be patient but that's your best bet imho.
As far as "least bad"  local garages are concerned, Elan are ok, so are the carrosserie down by the post-office, the guy in St. Jean, and the guy on the Le Biot straight, but even though they're reasonably honest the cost of doing business here and nature of your problem would make them an expensive option. A code-read and friendly Toyota forum will probably get you a long way in terms of what valves and sensors to look at, Andy has indoor facilities, by a process of elimination changing the cheapest parts (order from oscaro) first, you'll eventually find it I hope!
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shep, Sounds perfect, I owe you beer!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I would pay Toyota to do a diagnostic for the codes (its about £50 in the UK) and then get any repairs done at a local independent.
Without a code reader, swapping parts and crossing your fingers is the *only* way of fixing a faulty sensor.
Your fault sounds like Mass Air Flow sensor or, more likely, Manifold Absolute Pressure sensor. If it has been into limp home mode, it will definitely have fault codes in the memory. The skill is not just reading the codes, but knowing what may have caused them. From how you describe it, it sounds like the wastegate is not controlling the boost correctly. There is a small valve with a hole approx 1mm diameter in the pipe, to smooth out the reaction to the turbo spooling up. This could be clogged. Reading the codes will determine where the mechanic should start to look.
Taking a problem like this to someone who doesn't have an OBD code reader and good skills with turbo engines could prove to be exactly what you are trying to avoid.
My first step would be to take it to the main dealer and get their advice and a quote.
Alpine villages will never have the choice of skilled indy repairers that you would find in Essex or Kent, for example.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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I'm no mechanic, so I'll get shot down in flames but:
1) Does your DPF need a regeneration? Can sometimes cause it with lotsof local running around and very cold outside temp
2) I've had the same symptoms with an EGR before. Solution took an hour: disconnect exhaust from EGR, disconnect EGR, spray with a cleaner (specialist cleansing foam available on ebay). Clean it off, reassemble and then rag the t*ts off it for half an hour to give the DPF a blast too. Problem sorted.
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Stumbler, it was the EGR that needed cleaning on my last car, but I took it out of this one last year to have a bit of a clean but it moved relatively freely so think this might be something else. bar shaker, Very interesting post - and mostly greek to me ! - but these 1mm holes in valves are the kind of thing I'm suspicious about.
As suggested I will try and get an OBD reading first to be forearmed (forewarned?) and then contact shep's suggested chap to discuss further.
I thought with so many of these things tootling around the mountains that every second garage would be a diesel turbo specialist!
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You know it makes sense.
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If you feel like going down the hill Garage Anthonioz in Tanninges is v good. They certainly do Toyota and the lady who runs it is English If that helps
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Nunfa1, already placed an order for something just like that on amazon but useful to know I'll need the pro version of the android app. Thanks.
Thanks also for all further replies, I do appreciate the garage recommendations down the hill but am scared of that as once I get down there and drop the car off I might not be able to get back up! (French garages don't seem to have many courtesy cars!)
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