Toyota Carina E - when will it stop?!

manatoo

i've seen pics of that! Looks bizarre in a museum... not sure it's that momentous....

BrianD3

manatoo wrote: »

I have to say I have a mate thats a mechanic with Renault who said that of a bad make, the Laguna II was their worst model! You haven't had any of the engine problems going round? The EGR valve? The tyre pressure sensors bullsh1t? The constant window regulators? Aren't all those things dealer only and €500+ problems?

Yes I have had a couple of tyre pressure sensors, 3 coils and one regulator. No EGR. I've spent around 500 quid in total on the above, only the pressure sensors were main dealer only.

The safety thing, yeah I hear you but you can look at that two ways. When cars that are now old came out first they were considered state of the art safetywise and we all drove wherever we wanted in them, how can they now be unsafe? On the other hand, mine doesnt even have a driver's airbag. Sometimes I find myself looking at the Toyota emblem on the steering wheel and wondering if some day it'll be imprinted on my forehead as the horn beeps unceasingly.....

Well modern cars are just safer overall in collisions with other cars and with immovable objects. Another issue that relates to your point is that modern cars have gotten more "aggressive". In a 30 mph crash, the average car in 2010 will intrude more into a Carina E that the average car in 1995 would have.

king_of_inismac

had an xli corolla with 300000 miles on it.

Has been sitting in a field for the last 2 years and will still start without a bother.

Lu Tze

My father is still driving a 93 Opel Vectra 1.7 TDI. 280,000+ miles on it, the first 100,000 of which it was used as a taxi we found out later. Still going strong, has the isuzu engine in it though, not the opel one.

d'Oracle

I was in NZ for a year+.
Bought one just after arriving.
Lived in Rotorua for a year, (sulphur gas is bad for cars).
Got rid of it just before going round the south island in favour of something bigger (Nissan Terrano).

Stupid rookie mistake.
Not going into details on the Terrano, but I will say that the Carina E (which was neover 10 years old at the time) drove better when we got rid than when we got!

manatoo

d'Oracle wrote: »

I was in NZ for a year+.

Not going into details on the Terrano, but I will say that the Carina E (which was neover 10 years old at the time) drove better when we got rid than when we got!

U sure it was a carina E? I lived in Australia for a while and there was never any version of the Carina including the E sold there....

cian1500ww

Lu Tze wrote: »

My father is still driving a 93 Opel Vectra 1.7 TDI. 280,000+ miles on it, the first 100,000 of which it was used as a taxi we found out later. Still going strong, has the isuzu engine in it though, not the opel one.

It would have been remade into something by now if it had the opel engine

manatoo

BrianD3 wrote: »

Yes I have had a couple of tyre pressure sensors, 3 coils and one regulator. No EGR. I've spent around 500 quid in total on the above, only the pressure sensors were main dealer only.

What engine is in yours? I'd actuall love to own one of these, been in a few taxis n stuff and when they're working they're such a comfortable car but the horror stories I've heard from mechanics and taxi drivers alike along with the suspiciously microscopic prices you see them advertised for always puts me off....

manatoo

king_of_inismac wrote: »

had an xli corolla with 300000 miles on it.

Has been sitting in a field for the last 2 years and will still start without a bother.

What year? what engine? Why did you stop using it??

kermitpwee

BrianD3 wrote: »

The main thing to watch for with that car now will be rust. You could have insidious rust eating away inside a box section or sill and only discover it when you get flaking paint or bubbles on the outside. Also watch for rust under window and sunroof seals and for water leaks into the boot and interior.

QUOTE]

BrianD3 wrote: »

The main thing to watch for with that car now will be rust. You could have insidious rust eating away inside a box section or sill and only discover it when you get flaking paint or bubbles on the outside. Also watch for rust under window and sunroof seals and for water leaks into the boot and interior.
QUOTE]

I have never seen a Carina E with rust unless it was damaged or accident repaired ad I have had 5 of them. They dont rust around the windows or in the sills like normal cars. They can leak in the boot if the lid is out of line.

Common problems are the lambda sensor goes in them. It will turn on the engine management light, the car will still run fine with it gone but a little heavier on fuel. It will also pass the Nct on emmissions as the fueling will work on a safe mode setting.
The throttle body can stick in them and they will idle at 1400- 1600 revs even when warm. Cleaning it generally doesn't work as the butterfly and the throttle body casing are made out of materials that expand at siginificantly different temperatures.


If its running rough an odd time or during driving it will start to hesitate or lack power(it can missfire a lot when idling if its very bad) then you have a faulty fuel injector. These can not be cleaned as the problem is with the electrical unit on the injector itself. This unit loses resistance under high temperature conditions.
They do the bushins in the back suspension a lot, its not a big job, fuel lines are a common issue at Nct time but these can be done cheaply. As age gets a hold steering racks can leak and gearboxes can be weak, also the wiper linkages need to be done.

On the whole a very reliabile vehicle, I have pointed out the common flaws, you may never experience them. If your on a budget then they are a cheap car to run. In mixed driving they can return 42mpg and up to 48mpg on the motorway at a steady 60mph.

P.s they do need more oil top ups then normal cars but they will still pass the test easily on emmissions.

keithclancy

In fairness though, i've seen some overpriced sh*tbox Carina E's around.

ERRA ITS GRAND SHE'LL DO ANOTHER 200000 MILES ...

that'll be 2 grand there boss.

mecanoman

Great cars, i seen alot more of them around recently.

No software problems, or ECU problems. Basic sensors, for basic

driving from A to B, love them.

d'Oracle

manatoo wrote: »

U sure it was a carina E? I lived in Australia for a while and there was never any version of the Carina including the E sold there....

Said so on the back.:D
It was imported from the UK.
Someone loved it.

BrianD3

BrianD3 wrote: »

Mechanically it could go on pretty much indefinitely and just need wear and tear items replaced. On the other hand the engine or gearbox could expire tomorrow

Engine and gearbox failure on the Carina E is/was very uncommon, I would think that at 130000 miles the transmission is barely worn at all if the gearbox hasn't suffered a leak.

Unlike the ST202 Celica GT that had quite a name for worn synchroes, I friend had one that was getting very bad, my own Celica was quite whiney but it had an LSD which apparently do whine a bit. Still, was a bit worrying.

king_of_inismac

Just wanted a change really. The car was in PWO to be honest.

The only that that I had to change was the drop links, but that's a 20 minutes job and you'd expect them to go with the state of irish roads.

If I put a set of new tyres on it, It could be back on the road tomorrow (1.3 petrol engine).

p.s. I kept it regularly serviced (oil/filters/plugs etc.)

Tea 1000

manatoo wrote: »

Brian, I hear you on the rust thing but so far I havent seen anything potentially a problem. sills are very clean and chassis seems of all round. theres some surface rust just where it got tipped off various things over the years but nothing thats spreading.

I have to say I have a mate thats a mechanic with Renault who said that of a bad make, the Laguna II was their worst model! You haven't had any of the engine problems going round? The EGR valve? The tyre pressure sensors bullsh1t? The constant window regulators? Aren't all those things dealer only and €500+ problems?

The safety thing, yeah I hear you but you can look at that two ways. When cars that are now old came out first they were considered state of the art safetywise and we all drove wherever we wanted in them, how can they now be unsafe? On the other hand, mine doesnt even have a driver's airbag. Sometimes I find myself looking at the Toyota emblem on the steering wheel and wondering if some day it'll be imprinted on my forehead as the horn beeps unceasingly.....

EGR valves and all that lark are all to reduce emissions, EU regulations etc forcing their existance.

manatoo

kermitpwee wrote: »

BrianD3 wrote: »

The main thing to watch for with that car now will be rust. You could have insidious rust eating away inside a box section or sill and only discover it when you get flaking paint or bubbles on the outside. Also watch for rust under window and sunroof seals and for water leaks into the boot and interior.

QUOTE]

BrianD3 wrote: »

The main thing to watch for with that car now will be rust. You could have insidious rust eating away inside a box section or sill and only discover it when you get flaking paint or bubbles on the outside. Also watch for rust under window and sunroof seals and for water leaks into the boot and interior.
QUOTE]

I have never seen a Carina E with rust unless it was damaged or accident repaired ad I have had 5 of them. They dont rust around the windows or in the sills like normal cars. They can leak in the boot if the lid is out of line.

Common problems are the lambda sensor goes in them. It will turn on the engine management light, the car will still run fine with it gone but a little heavier on fuel. It will also pass the Nct on emmissions as the fueling will work on a safe mode setting.
The throttle body can stick in them and they will idle at 1400- 1600 revs even when warm. Cleaning it generally doesn't work as the butterfly and the throttle body casing are made out of materials that expand at siginificantly different temperatures.


If its running rough an odd time or during driving it will start to hesitate or lack power(it can missfire a lot when idling if its very bad) then you have a faulty fuel injector. These can not be cleaned as the problem is with the electrical unit on the injector itself. This unit loses resistance under high temperature conditions.
They do the bushins in the back suspension a lot, its not a big job, fuel lines are a common issue at Nct time but these can be done cheaply. As age gets a hold steering racks can leak and gearboxes can be weak, also the wiper linkages need to be done.

On the whole a very reliabile vehicle, I have pointed out the common flaws, you may never experience them. If your on a budget then they are a cheap car to run. In mixed driving they can return 42mpg and up to 48mpg on the motorway at a steady 60mph.

P.s they do need more oil top ups then normal cars but they will still pass the test easily on emmissions.

Jeez ur worrying me now. It's been so insanely reliable over the years that I never thought twice about bringing it to france when I was booking the ferry back in May. Hope she survives it. Gruelling 3000 miles in 30+ degree heat.

Are you a mechanic? Since you seem to know what youre talking about, there has been 1 thing. It's happened about 3 times in the five years I've had it, the most recent about 3 weeks ago. Basically I start the car, it fires as normal but then idles really roughly. After grevving to about 2000 and holding it there it smoothes out after bout 7/8 seconds and runs perfectly then. It doesnt seem to be due to hot/cold starts or anything. No idea what it is/could be. Just hope if it's the injector thing u mentioned above that it wont ruin my holiday!

manatoo

RoverJames wrote: »

Engine and gearbox failure on the Carina E is/was very uncommon, I would think that at 130000 miles the transmission is barely worn at all if the gearbox hasn't suffered a leak.

Unlike the ST202 Celica GT that had quite a name for worn synchroes, I friend had one that was getting very bad, my own Celica was quite whiney but it had an LSD which apparently do whine a bit. Still, was a bit worrying.

Question - I read in the manual that the tranny fluid is supposed to be changed every 60,000 miles. Didn't know how to do it so....just didn't do it. Could that be a potential problem? I often think that since I inevitably crash the gears every so often there must be little pieces of metal inside the casing that could potentially do damage. Is this something I need to think about? It works 100% though, silky smooth gear changes

Guy:Incognito

My 2 highest mileage vehicles were my Peugeot Partner @ 180k (could have been a bit more I cant remember exactly, but it's still going around) and my current 97 expert @ 135k.

One of my Safrane's had 130 on it and everythign worked as it should , which considering it had electric everything (4 windows, mirrors, heating/movign/memory seats, steering wheel adjust, dual zone climate control etc) made it a super car for the peanuts I got it for . It was a 93 I bought it in 2006. Although I must be mistaken because I've been reliably informed here that Renaults are only good for 3/4 years then they die :rolleyes:

My Xantia has had an easy life. Just 65k in 10.

Outside of that the only other 100k + car currently in the family is my dads 00 Laguna (on 125k) and apart from seeming to be a magnet for middle aged woman to crash in to (doors and wings on both sides replace in the last year) , hasnt missed a beat.

manatoo

d'Oracle wrote: »

Said so on the back.:D
It was imported from the UK.
Someone loved it.

Thats classic. Imported n all. Wish I brought the E to oz myself. Would've been far less costly than the crapheap I had out there. Mitsubishi Magna. Terrible machine. Constant overheating and it had really low kms. It was like a million years old though...

manatoo

Stekelly wrote: »

My 2 highest mileage vehicles were my Peugeot Partner @ 180k (could have been a bit more I cant remember exactly, but it's still going around) and my current 97 expert @ 135k.

One of my Safrane's had 130 on it and everythign worked as it should , which considering it had electric everything (4 windows, mirrors, heating/movign/memory seats, steering wheel adjust, dual zone climate control etc) made it a super car for the peanuts I got it for . It was a 93 I bought it in 2006. Although I must be mistaken because I've been reliably informed here that Renaults are only good for 3/4 years then they die :rolleyes:

My Xantia has had an easy life. Just 65k in 10.

Outside of that the only other 100k + car currently in the family is my dads 00 Laguna (on 125k) and apart from seeming to be a magnet for middle aged woman to crash in to (doors and wings on both sides replace in the last year) , hasnt missed a beat.

French car fans Ye do seem to be the lucky ones though. My Dad had 3 renaults in a row. All terrible. My uncle is currently on his second laguna, the first was a 5 yr old laguna I bought with dealer warranty. It crapped out in no time and the dealer said it was so f*cked that he gave him a newer laguna II as a replacement. Needless to say he has now returned the II and is trying to get his money back....

um7y1h83ge06nx

My current ride is a '99 Nissan Almera saloon 1.4 petrol on 164K miles, nothing a bother with it. I drive it all over the country, urban, rural, back roads and motorways.

God bless the Japs.

Guy:Incognito

manatoo wrote: »

French car fans Ye do seem to be the lucky ones though. My Dad had 3 renaults in a row. All terrible. My uncle is currently on his second laguna, the first was a 5 yr old laguna I bought with dealer warranty. It crapped out in no time and the dealer said it was so f*cked that he gave him a newer laguna II as a replacement. Needless to say he has now returned the II and is trying to get his money back....

That hasnt been all our Renaults. We currently have a Grand Scenic, had a Scenic before that. I had a 2nd Safrane. The mother had a Clio (I owned that one too) and now a Megane. Never been let down by any of them. Theres been a couple of well specced early Laguna II's, Clio's and Megane's as well as 21's 19's and there may well have been a 25 at one stage I discovered aftger a recent conversation floating around the extended family, again all fine.

manatoo

Stekelly wrote: »

That hasnt been all our Renaults. We currently have a Grand Scenic, had a Scenic before that. I had a 2nd Safrane. The mother had a Clio (I owned that one too) and now a Megane. Never been let down by any of them. Theres been a couple of well specced early Laguna II's, Clio's and Megane's as well as 21's 19's and there may well have been a 25 at one stage I discovered aftger a recent conversation floating around the extended family, again all fine.

thats incredible. I mean people dont make up the stories about them going wrong...

BrianD3

manatoo wrote: »

[]
What engine is in yours? I'd actuall love to own one of these, been in a few taxis n stuff and when they're working they're such a comfortable car but the horror stories I've heard from mechanics and taxi drivers alike along with the suspiciously microscopic prices you see them advertised for always puts me off....

Just the 1.6 petrol in mine. Many of the horror stories are related to the diesels or the 2.0 petrol (which was never sold here)

There's no smoke without fire but with my family having had mostly Renaults for over 20 years I would say much of what is said about their unreliability is exaggerated. Similarly, the "bulletproofness" of cars like the Carina is often exaggerated. I see in ths thread a poster has said that they don't rust like "normal cars". Wishful thinking in my opinion, all cars start to rust eventually, they just take a lot longer than they used to.The newest Carina are now around 12 years old which is prime rust territory

Anyhow good luck with your Carina and hope you get many more trouble free miles from it. In a few years time it may start to be regarded as a semi classic

Guy:Incognito

manatoo wrote: »

thats incredible. I mean people dont make up the stories about them going wrong...

They dont but some things catch hold better. One good example, I think it was a link that Brian had from the ADAC reliabilty index. The Transit from the similar period to the Laguna II (think it was 03 - ) was worse for issues than early Laguna's , yet no one has an issue with the transit. A lot of peopel seem to like to Renault (and French cars in general) bash, often without every having 1st hand experience.

Many cars handle being mistreated a lot worse than others and in general the mototring public mistreats their cars. This will obviously multiply problems and the more prone to the effects of the mistreatment a car is, the bigger the mutiplier.

manatoo

I guess so...but that doesn't really explain the electric problems. They're not down to mistreatment are they? My mate has a 98 Megane coupe that he bought same time as I bought the Carina. It was 7 yrs old and the carina was 10. His had 80000, mine had 63000. Mine now has 131000, ive spent zilch on things beyond normal maintenance. His has 117000 and in that time he has spent around a grand and had wipers fixed, malfunctioning rear lights fixed, exhaust linkages about 10 times, the reverse gear engagement cable he had to pull with a pliers every time to get reverse and now the whole thing has died due to the failure of the 4 main ecu's. He has given up on it for good now. Like thats unacceptable from a car that age with that mileage and you hear stories like that all the time. Actually, haven't you noticed all the renaults driving around with one of the indicators lighting up every time the guy hits the brake? Its such a pity cos when they're working they're so much more desirable than almost anything else out there IMO

Funny you should say that bout the transit though. I never heard that fact yet another mate I have has had nothing but trouble with an 03 transit true enough.

Guy:Incognito

manatoo wrote: »

Actually, haven't you noticed all the renaults driving around with one of the indicators lighting up every time the guy hits the brake? Its such a pity cos when they're working they're so much more desirable than almost anything else out there IMO.

I have and I had it on the missus 00 Scenic. I spent ages sortingit out. I changed the bulb holder, the wiring the lot. In the end, the thing it turned out to be was it didnt like certain bulbs. There was a halford brake light in it at the time. I eventually figured seeing as i tried eveythind else I'd try the bulb for a laugh, hey presto, new bulb (I think it was bosch, but it was definately a branded bulb) and everything worked fine again, and stayed that way till the car was replaced.

I was happy enough in the end to change the wireign anyway because whatever eejit had the car before obviouly favoured the yank it out method of getting the bulb holder out of the houseign over using the clips. The cables were pulling from the block connector.

Tea 1000

manatoo wrote: »

I guess so...but that doesn't really explain the electric problems. They're not down to mistreatment are they? My mate has a 98 Megane coupe that he bought same time as I bought the Carina. It was 7 yrs old and the carina was 10. His had 80000, mine had 63000. Mine now has 131000, ive spent zilch on things beyond normal maintenance. His has 117000 and in that time he has spent around a grand and had wipers fixed, malfunctioning rear lights fixed, exhaust linkages about 10 times, the reverse gear engagement cable he had to pull with a pliers every time to get reverse and now the whole thing has died due to the failure of the 4 main ecu's. He has given up on it for good now. Like thats unacceptable from a car that age with that mileage and you hear stories like that all the time. Actually, haven't you noticed all the renaults driving around with one of the indicators lighting up every time the guy hits the brake? Its such a pity cos when they're working they're so much more desirable than almost anything else out there IMO

Funny you should say that bout the transit though. I never heard that fact yet another mate I have has had nothing but trouble with an 03 transit true enough.

A few of those items are kind of Renault classic problems alright, but in the heel of the hunt a grand isn't a lot to spend over the course of 3 or 4 years to be fair. And as said above, some plebs sell their half rotton and abused Carina E's for 2 grand, cause of the reputation, you might pick the Renault up for €500, and in 3 years the renault owner might have to add a grand to it, but that's €1500 for 3 years ownership against €2000 for the Carina, provided nothing breaks on it.

pajo1981

BrianD3 wrote: »

In a few years time it may start to be regarded as a semi classic

That would be a sad sad day for motoring...