[GH0ST]

Thanks for this wonderful story Vigsom. My 2009 Altis GL Petrol has done 1,40,000km. I did face a similar issue when my mechanic by mistake damaged the bypass hose nozzle. Unfortunately this led to entire assembly replacement.

Originally Posted by vigsom

Ageing issue in the cooling system of a Corolla Altis


Summing Up

Barring this observation in the coolant system, the Corolla Altis also proves why she is the most loved sedan world over. Where else can one get Quality, Cost, Delivery – all in one, at steal deals on pre-owned examples? A pre-owned petrol Corolla Altis at 10 years of age and 1,00,000 km on the odo for INR 3.5-4.0 lacs would still be a more reliable machine than newer machines from most other brands. Such cars will never be built again, unfortunately.

Yes, Absolutely.

I have never faced any big issue with mine in these 12 years.

The quality, cost and value it delivers is better than most new sedans below 15 lakhs.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Could it be a fail safe system in the event the thermostat is stuck? It will atleast keep water flowing in the system. On polymer or plastics being used on the cooling system, this has been going on for decades

Thank You @sandeepmohan. During a cold start up, the coolant is anyways just circulating through the cylinder head, and floating with the radiator until the thermostat opens. It is surprising to see this inlet pipe, and the nozzle fail, when actually the radiator inlet and outlet tanks, and the neck are typically plastic and never fail unless subjected to severe impact.

Originally Posted by vishy76

polymer isn't very resilient to engine overheating.

In case of an overheat, the plastic can melt given the right temperature and pieces of it can break off and block coolant passages

Thank You, @Vishy76. This plastic can easily withstand even boiling coolant temperatures, but yes, temperature shocks during heating and cooling cycles, coupled with some of the ingredients in the coolant, can affect the integrity of the material over time. That's why one sees these parts fail after, say, 10 years and not early.

Originally Posted by VWAllstar

The design has aged well with polarizing perspective at the start.

Thank You, @VWAllstar. The E140 is indeed an ageless design.

Originally Posted by TrackDay

when it came to cabin comfort & peace of mind there was nothing else like it

Very true, @TrackDay. Peace of mind and longevity of parts - yes.

Originally Posted by Govardhansupra

I'm facing the exact same problem on my Corolla Altis 2009 1.8GL too

Welcome to Club Altis, @Govardhansupra. All you need to do is to replace that radiator inlet pipe. Toyota part number 16577-0D040.

Originally Posted by madhavrchandra

It is sad that reliable Toyota's like these are slowly missing from the Indian market

True, @madhavrchandra. The Crysta is a pale shadow of the first gen Innova. Same with recent Altis vs old Altis.

Originally Posted by R2D2

my 2008 Altis is very low mileage vehicle at just about 30K kms in 12.5 years

@R2D2, Your car deserves to feature in the Guinness book as the lowest run Corolla Altis.

Originally Posted by GH0ST

My 2009 Altis GL Petrol has done 1,40,000km. I did face a similar issue when my mechanic by mistake damaged the bypass hose nozzle.

Great going @GH0ST ; 1,40,000km is actually nothing for the Corolla Altis, but given our non-ideal climatic and driving conditions, a lot of life has already been snuffed out of this car.

[asit.kulkarni93]

That was a crisp review of the Altis. I had briefly considered the 2011-14 Altis VL CVT or the D4D as a replacement for our Figo. I really liked that design and my family swears by the comfort of the Corolla. The VL CVT was rejected because petrol prices are sky high and our usage is high at times. A close friend runs his Altis on CNG and I personally don’t have an issue with CNG but beyond Nasik, it’s useless. The Diesel Altis actually made a strong case but the low end power delivery was a major irritant. The highways that we have in MH would make it worse. My family loves the power delivery of the Figo and when I drove the Altis, I personally didn’t find it a worthy upgrade. Maybe because I was comparing it to my diesel Laura or the petrol Corolla. All said and done the NVH was impressive. It’s sad to see it discontinued.

[Govardhansupra]

Originally Posted by Govardhansupra

I'm facing the exact same problem on my Corolla Altis 2009 1.8GL too.
Attachment 2168021
Attaching a picture, since I don't know the exact technical word.
Problem is from the part circled in red and coolant is leaking in minute quantities.

And yes, I will be cleaning the engine bay today

Attaching more pics of mine
The residue left by the leak is visible.






And thank you Vigsom, for the part number
It costs some 1169rs in boodmo, I guess

[Rapidholic]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Introduction

After owning two 9th Gen Toyota Corollas, and being involved in the ownership of many more, the logical progression is to move on to the next gen – the Toyota Corolla Altis. This is an account of my journey with three such cars – a 2010 D-4D G, a 2010 1.8GL, and a 2011 1.8VL Automatic. Like the 9th Gen, the 10th Gen Corolla Altis was a virtual fill it–shut it–forget it car, but with some chinks in its armour. Those chinks are listed in the next few posts.

Thanks a lot for this wonderful write up. I got myself a used 2009 Corolla altis 1.8G at 1 lakh on odo two days back. Hoping for a great ownership experience. Will post further details after a week or so. I'm quite happy with peppy engine, steering wood and leather finish, powered driver seat , 5 alloys, autodim irvm, cavernous boot to name a few. This is from a time when feature deletion and cost cutting were third world concepts because I remember my new i10 from that time barely had any features. This lovely sedan however is loaded and rightly so VFM.

Mod Note: Please quote ONLY the relevant bits of a post. Quoting a full, long post inconveniences our mobile readers.

[Kumaran93R]

Originally Posted by vigsom

After owning two 9th Gen Toyota Corollas, and being involved in the ownership of many more, the logical progression is to move on to the next gen – the Toyota Corolla Altis.

Hi Vigsom,

I'm currently looking for a facelifted 2005-08 Corolla for my father. He is currently using a Vento TDi for highway runs and a Figo TDCi for smaller trips in and around town. The Figo was shared by me and my dad and has done 1.8L kms. We're planning to sell the Figo and get a used EcoSport or similar for my usage (mostly highways). And a used Corolla for his usage around town (around 50 kms radius). The car will be driven mostly by him and occasionally by his office juniors.

Neither him nor me like the looks of the Altis and thought of saving some cash by going for the older Corolla. I was considering the 3rd gen City, but the Corolla felt better for my dad's use case than the City. Also, we're used to spending on the Vento, so thought Corolla will still feel lower on maintenance.

I work in Chennai, so thought of joining your Chennai Corolla Club.
His preferences would be in this order:
1. Corolla Face-lift 2005-08 (Thought ABS will be a good safety feature to have)
2. 1st owner with less than 70-80k kms
3. Pearl white or Super white

I'm not able to DM you as I'm a newbie here. Although I've been reading teambhp since my teens.

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by Kumaran93R

- Preferences
1. Corolla Face-lift 2005-08 (Thought ABS will be a good safety feature to have)
2. 1st owner with less than 70-80k kms
3. Pearl white or Super white

A 2008 model will be ready for RC renewal in 2023. Are you willing to take that pain? It is difficult to get a low run example. I'll suggest going for a 2010 or '11 Altis because you'll still have 4-5 years to go for RC renewal. Altis is almost as cheap to maintain as the old Corolla, and rides better too.

[vikramvicky1984]

Dear Vigsom,

Thanks a lot for the thread.
One question- what is your view on the 11th generation? Haven't ever been inside one.
Look forward to hearing from you and other members. I have driven the 10th generation few times and liked it ( yes the diesel one)

I have been eyeing the 10th generation D4D for many years but could only found a "J" variant 2016 i.e. 11th generation in my state. 70k run asking 8.0 lakhs. It's in another city, hence doing all homework before travelling.


Why D4D and corolla:
1 fuel costs will matter for me now.
2 Highway speeds will be 70-80.
3 Ground clearance and ruggedness matter as it'll be used over bad roads and highways. Not much city usage.
4 I have developed a lot of respect for Toyota as my Innova nears 10 years- truly fill it, shut it, forget it.
5 Mod aditya's thread on non enthusiast cars

[vigsom]

^^ The 11th Gen I think sports the same diesel motor as the 10th Gen. Please note that the diesel motor is super reliable but is pathetic to drive in the under 2000rpm band. With respect to the option that you've shortlisted, I'd take the odo reading with a pinch of salt. In my view, you'll be better off looking at great examples in, say, DL or WB, and taking the trouble of getting an NOC and re-registering it in your state. Please do the math before you take the plunge.

Attaching a review by the owner of a top end 11th Gen diesel Altis for reference.

https://youtu.be/rK4UlDNu82Q

[vikramvicky1984]

Originally Posted by vikramvicky1984

I have been eyeing the 10th generation D4D for many years.

Originally Posted by vigsom

^^ The 11th Gen I think sports the same diesel motor as the 10th Gen. Please note that the diesel motor is super reliable but is pathetic to drive in the under 2000rpm band.

Thanks to vigsom sir's extensive support and advice, I got myself a clean 51k run 2011diesel altis G( pre facelift).
Added perfinza in stock size, 60k service at a.s.s. ( with some filters and stuff still to be done, have been ordered) & a new windshield.
Small TLC, tool kit and RC transfer are pending.
Interestingly, the spare wheel had never even been opened in the car, I inaugurated it today for balancing & valve change.

It's a stark contrast in every way from my previous used cars ( w124 e220 and then Cedia sports) except that it's also a sedan.This time I intend to spend more time & money on actually driving the car than on doing a perfect restoration.

[goenkakushal]

Hello Altis owners,

I wanted to know if anyone has got the engine mounting replaced for petrol engine?

What is the cost involved and from FNG or Toyota workshop?

[goenkakushal]

Originally Posted by vigsom

Ageing issue in the cooling system of a Corolla Altis


Damaged Bypass hose nozzle on Radiator neck
Attachment 2167902

I have same issue jus below the radiator cap. I was told to replace entire radiator assembly . Do you have any solution for it? apart from Mseal

[vigsom]

Originally Posted by goenkakushal

I have same issue just below the radiator cap

Replacing the radiator outlet channel, called the Radiator Tank Lower (Part No. 16461-0D390) would do. For this, the radiator would have to be removed, and the new part installed. This is a specialized job to be entrusted to a radiator specialist.

[goenkakushal]

New engine mounting for my Altis. ASS recommend to change all 4 mounting but going by FNG advise . I am changing the main
hydraulic mount for now.
In case vibration issue not resolved , we will go for all 4 mounts replacement.

[goenkakushal]

Originally Posted by goenkakushal

New engine mounting for my Altis. ASS recommend to change all 4 mounting but going by FNG advise . I am changing the main
hydraulic mount for now.
In case vibration issue not resolved , we will go for all 4 mounts replacement. Attachment 2268171

Mounting replacement done . The difference is really day and night. Car feels much younger
Total Damage
Rs 6500/- Main Mounting.
Rs 800 Labor
Rs 7300/- Total