There hasn’t been much to report on our long-term Toyota Auris Hybrid and that isn’t because it’s been running faultlessly, on the contrary. I haven’t seen the car for the better part of two months now. Let me explain.
Early in October “my”car’s engine warning late illuminated one evening on the way home from the city. This was accompanied by a mild shudder that manifested when the steering wheel was turned, but not in a straight line.
The very next day I took the car into a local dealer where the hybrid service specialist diagnosed water ingress to the plug leads… His solution was to dry the leads out on a sunlit window sill. As I suspected the leads weren’t at fault and the car remained for a bit longer.
A few weeks later they thought they had a handle on the issue when a donor ECU seemed to cure the problem. A new ECU was ordered and I was asked to retrieve the car once it was installed. On the way home from collection the same problem existed. I was not amused.
This time the car was collected and taken back to the workshop for further diagnosis. Another hybrid expert was called in and the new diagnosis lay blame with the transmission. So, out came the CVT and a replacement unit was fitted in its place. This still didn’t solve the problem.
So the car has been moved (with the aid of a flat-bed tow-truck I hope) to a regional technical centre. Last I heard another hybrid expert thinks that the driveshafts are to blame. Last communique stated that the new items were on order from Japan though no deliver date or vehicle return has been hinted at.
I’ll keep you posted as things develop.