[mayank10]

Well, called the Trivandrum dealer to book a service appointment. Received the information that only those vehicles which were manufactured between 08 august to 08 october are the ones which have to attend this service. Since my car was manufactured in July, i need not take my vehicle for this service. They have taken my details and will call me back for further details.
Fellow Etios/ Liva owners, can u please confirm this information with your respective dealers.

[A350XWB]

Originally Posted by mukeshgoel

Calling Fortuner for brake problems would have definitely bad for Toyota's image. So that was done secretly but calling Etios/Liva for filter hose is good for Toyota image. So, Toyota is not very honest in recalling its cars, at least in India.

This was the same thing which was going through my mind.
You have a brake problem, you keep quiet and fix it behind the curtains. Why? Because your reputation will be "manufacturer of an unsafe car!"
You have a fuel pipe issue; you advertise it all over and get it fixed. Result - "What a brave manufacturer!". Comments like this even in a forum like this.
Isn't it the same case with Maruti also? They fixed the engine problem using a recall; what about the poor braking in LXi and VXi?
For me, fixing the bug is the duty of the manufacturer and not that they are doing any favour. Others who don't do that are not doing their duty well. It has nothing to do with courage and bravery.
Agreed, the trust on the brand will increase, but looking at Maruti, can we safely assume that all the problems will be fixed?

[RadiantKarma]

Originally Posted by mayank10

Well, called the Trivandrum dealer to book a service appointment. Received the information that only those vehicles which were manufactured between 08 august to 08 october are the ones which have to attend this service. Since my car was manufactured in July, i need not take my vehicle for this service. They have taken my details and will call me back for further details.
Fellow Etios/ Liva owners, can u please confirm this information with your respective dealers.

The notification (Toyota - What's New) states the service is for vehicles mfrd upto 8th October 2011. I have booked service for my car of March 2011. Is there some further development?

[amateurpro]

Originally Posted by mayank10

Well, called the Trivandrum dealer to book a service appointment. Received the information that only those vehicles which were manufactured between 08 august to 08 october are the ones which have to attend this service. Since my car was manufactured in July, i need not take my vehicle for this service. They have taken my details and will call me back for further details.
Fellow Etios/ Liva owners, can u please confirm this information with your respective dealers.

RadiantKarma is right and the recall is applicable for all vehicles manufactured till Oct 2011. Mine is a July 2011 one and I have confirmed with the dealer that the recall is applicable on mine too. Please speak to your dealer again.

[amateurpro]

What was the customer problem that could have prompted Toyota to recall?

One of the most significant problems faced by many users in Etios was fuel economy. Some of us tried novel and at times crazy methods to improve mileage, but of little help. Only few of us (me included) felt a significant improvement in mileage after the Odo had crossed 3000 kms. But even now, I get only 11kmpl in city and 15 kmpl in highways (provided speedo does not cross 100 kmph - that is tough). I always felt that it was illogical that mileage was a serious issue in a car that was lighter than most hatchbacks.

Now let us look at the recall issue. I am not technically competent to comment about a filler hose, inlet pipe or fuel tank. But I get this nagging feeling that this is linked to fuel leakage and therefore fuel economy.

Anyways, I am happy that Toyota admits and addresses the issue through the recall.

[VeluM]

I agree with the sentiment of the thread, and not the implication of the thread starter that this is a reason to doubt the quality of the Etios or Toyota vehicles in general. Yes, the design is boring, Spartan, uninspired and whatever else, but it certainly isn't poorly put together.

This recall is not of a critical component that might cause a high-profile accident on the road, so Toyota could have kept quiet and changed the hose when the vehicles came in for service - but they didn't. And whatever the case, a recall is much better than taking the vehicle to the service centre after failure has occurred.

[nkrishnap]

Originally Posted by Munish myetios

If you take my opinion I always trust Tyoota and that is the sole reason that I invested my money into Toyota ETIOS.

I trust Toyota but not Toyota ETIOS Quality. I respect the brand Toyota only and not ETIOS.

Even Toyota tried to resolve individual customer complaints at the dealer outlet hoping that the things will not come out. Even I was asked by the dealer to sell the ETIOS and bear the losses but I will never take the loss of faulty engineering by Toyota Engineers.

This recall is an eyewash there are too many problems in ETIOS. The poor engineering is just being turned into the favor of Toyota by saying that-
Toyota is showing their responsiveness to customer commitment.
Toyota reduced the Quality of its vehicle to be more asessible to indian masses.
benefit of doubt to Toyota? Why? Who's money is being wasted in the experimentation to improve the Quality of Toyota ETIOS?

Jaago Grahak Jaago!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am waiting for three more recalls-
Recall 1 - Cabin Noise from road and engine.
Recall 2 - Engine Noise inside the cabin.
Recall 3 - Engine Vibration inside the passenger cabin..
Give some wisdom to Toyota.

One thing is very clear from your posts. The car did not meet your expectations. But one thing that is just not convincing is how did you buy the car when you did not find the car good with quality and the loads of design copying insights you are giving. Just because Toyota is selling a car one would not buy it blind folded. If people buy Etios/Liva and expect Corolla like quality, they are bound to be disappointed. As far as I have met the Etios/Liva owners, majority if not all are satisfied with the car.

I have put my hard earned money on Liva knowing very well what the car's +ves and what the -ves are. To me it did tick the majority of the boxes and hence I went ahead with the purchase. If you refer to my thread, I have been posting my observations whether positive or negative about the car in my thread. And the latest observation is that though the wiper has a good sweep area, the blades are not of that good a quality.

Originally Posted by AutoIndian

I completely disagree with you nkrishnap. Why should the forum lose its shine if someone is just airing his grievances? Is this not a forum for good debates & constructive criticism? There are many folks who cannot digest any sort of criticism of their cars, in which they have invested their hard earned money. We should rather appreciate Munish for not defending his purchasing decision. He might have relied too much on the "Q Class" campaign of Toyota, but then that is the very reason why he is so dissatisfied.

A constructive criticism would be appreciated by most, but not the sort of posts Munish has been putting up on Teambhp. I would have appreciated Munish if he substantiated this claims with proper supportings (except for the door beadings), but most of his posts are claims with bad intentions of pulling a brand down. Neighter Toyota pays me nor I own any shares in Toyota. So please dont call me a fan boy. Please read my thread for my observations, I have not been just harping about the car. If I feel something is short coming, I will definitely share it on the forum, but nowhere me or any respected member would post that Toyota is here to cheat or some other manufacturer is here to cheat and take away hard earned money. It would be better if the whole episode is seen with a Macro eye rather nit picking.

Originally Posted by revintup

Easier said than done. Sell and move on. What happens to the hard earned money? Who will bear the losses? Not you, not me, not toyota.

If somebody buys an etios, it is mostly because of the toyota name which seems to epitomise quality. No one buys it for its interiors/exteriors/perfomance. So when the quality aspect is suspect, what peace of mind does one get?

Its very easy to blame others but as long as the reason is valid, I think munish is totally justified in 'mud slinging' though i would have used the word 'blaming'.

Please read my reply to Munish. I guess nobody has a money plant to fetch easy money. Majority if not all would have put their hard earned money to buy a car. But if somebody's ego does not let them accept they made a bad decision, then one would look at alternatives to justify their purchase. The case here is Mr. Munish. Hence the advise.

With regard to peace of mind, can I pose a question to you? Do you own Etios/Liva and have you lost peace of mind. I would rather suggest, please go by facts and not just whats written over the internet.

[pgsagar]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

as i believe no engineering process is perfect and there are bound to be some defect seepage sometimes. .

But I thought this is what we say about Tata cars. Sorry, I expect a niggle-free car from world's numero uno carmaker who has been around for nearly 100 yeras. And just out of curiosity, would you be as accommodating if the car in question wrere from Tata Motors? Or, would you have a different yard-stick like most die-hard Toyota fans here?

[Saanil]

Guys - Let us not target the thread maker. He had a problem with a car - he wanted to share it. Nothing wrong in it. I know one can feel bad when the car they own is criticized but then you have to accept it. Let us be happy that Toyota is acknowledging it and taking care of it.


I was wondering about one thing – How do car makers know that something is wrong in the car? Is it that one fine day a Toyota engineer decides to go through the car diagrams and finds a fault? Or is it that a number of customers face a common problem, the dealer then notifies the company about many people facing the same problem. The latter seems to be the way. I think there would be many ETIOS customers who must have complained about this problem to their respective dealers and then the dealers must have notified Toyota. What exactly is this problem and what problems did the customers actually face – did their car break down?

[mayank10]

Originally Posted by Saanil

I was wondering about one thing – How do car makers know that something is wrong in the car? Is it that one fine day a Toyota engineer decides to go through the car diagrams and finds a fault? Or is it that a number of customers face a common problem, the dealer then notifies the company about many people facing the same problem. The latter seems to be the way. I think there would be many ETIOS customers who must have complained about this problem to their respective dealers and then the dealers must have notified Toyota. What exactly is this problem and what problems did the customers actually face – did their car break down?

Have you ever seen a broken down Toyota?

Well, before you kill me, let me accept that it is not my statement. Your last statement reminded me of that famous Toyota commercial (Came almost 5-6 years back). Just to feel good, you can visit the link below:

Have you ever seen a broken Toyota? - YouTube

I did not paste that link to defend Toyota, just to soothe the nerves. Meanwhile, i will be visiting the dealer tomorrow to confirm and fix a service appointment.
I got the information from Toyota Bangalore helpline that the problem was reported by one owner, and after an analysis, Toyota engineers found out that there may be a potential issue with the part. Thus, as a preventive measure (Before more owners reach them ), they decided to conduct this special service.

Will be posting the updated information tomorrow. My Liva is growing strong and i have covered 3300 kms and getting a mileage of 13-14 in city driving. (With heavy traffic and frequent upshifts/ downshifts ).

[drmohitg]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

But I thought this is what we say about Tata cars. Sorry, I expect a niggle-free car from world's numero uno carmaker who has been around for nearly 100 yeras. And just out of curiosity, would you be as accommodating if the car in question wrere from Tata Motors? Or, would you have a different yard-stick like most die-hard Toyota fans here?

So if Toyota is one of the largest car makers , does that make them GOD? I do not see the logic in trying to say that Toyota cannot get anything wrong. They make cars just like all other companies out there and are better then most in doing there job with precision. If still an error crops up they are willing to come forward and replace the part for you. If this doesn't satisfy you as a car lover or customer then I doubt anything will.

Just an example although from a different field: Do you know how tough it is to get a marketing license and approval for any new drug that enters the market? FDA ( USA) is the supreme authority and they go about there business in the most serious manner possible. After years of research and trials on a variety of patients is a drug approved for marketing. But still so many times we keep seeing withdrawals since they discover something new about the side effects of the drug. The point here is no mechanism can be perfect. There are bound to be mistakes in anything and everything.

The comparison to Tata is really unwarranted. Yes I am a Toyota Fan but that doesn't make me against Tata. Tata is honestly far behind Toyota's standards Sir. People don't criticize Tata for just one small niggle here and there. But a fairly significant proportion of there cars develop some issue or the other. The same is not true with Toyota or Honda or Maruti. I hope you understand what I am trying to say here.

[mayankjha1806]

Originally Posted by pgsagar

And just out of curiosity, would you be as accommodating if the car in question wrere from Tata Motors? Or, would you have a different yard-stick like most die-hard Toyota fans here?

Yes i would be equally appreciative if Tata does the same. As an example i was the first benefeciary of Tata's fix recall in Indicas in 2000/2001. Where in they changed/added few things which fixed the irrigular tyre wear problem and some others.

You have a right to expect a problem free car and thats what is being done to ensure your car is problem free. If you want a problem free car from day one, then all i can say is "all the best", because there is no manufacturer that can promise you that.

[nanduchitnis]

The general thumb rule is "Never buy a newly launched vehicle/car/new model. Wait for a year."

This wait period gives enough time for a buyer to get user reviews.

People fell for the ETIOS and lined up to buy this car because of Toyota Brand name. Initial test drive and reviews do not reveal much. Wear and tear over 50,000 kms driving does reveal much more as is the example of ETOIS.

Users have pointed to at least 4/5 defects in this car which will get addressed by
Toyota next year. By and large the 2012 ETIOS will not have so many issues.

[heman_369]

Okay so lets get the conspiracy theories out of the way !

I own a march 2011 12k run Etios (P)
I saw the recall message on facebook fan page of Etios 2 days back. Immediately called my SA who said i can come anytime to get the free replacement done.

Called the SA today morning at 9. Reached workshop at 9.15. Met the SA. He immediately created the job card and took the car to the shop floor. I requested to be on the shop floor and he agreed immediately. I was on the shopfloor for the entire duration.

The service mechanic connected the car ECU to the hand-held. Disconnected the engine fuel supply and drained the fuel via a touch of a button on the hand held. Neat. Petrol quantity was showed to me.

Then the car was raised and the fuel pipe connecting the fuel inlet and fuel tank was replaced.I had alook at the old part and it didnt show any cuts or bruises. The service mechanic said that out of 1000 cars coming to DSK toyota only 1 had shown a bit bruises. Anyways toyota is replacing them free of cost for all the cars.

Then the car was taken to a complementary wash and cleaning.
Total time in the workshop 1.5 hrs. Total cost 0

I had a detailed chat with 'Etios master' and he said it is a minor problem and seen in just 1 car. He mentioned that TKM is working on NVH levels and interiors of Etios and a refresh edition may come out in next 6 months. I talked to the service manager and he said that whatever can be retrofitted to older cars like mine would be done.

I highly recommend my SA Vishal and flawless service of DSK Toyota.

[heman_369]

Check out the pics