120 SERIES INJECTOR PROBLEMS

[ROSCOE]

This is a problem which has been ongoing here in Australia with Toyota Australia unwilling to address the problem. This problem has been addressed overseas (UK, Spain, NZ, ETC) by way of recall. The problem has been discussed on Prado Point ( over 160 pages of comment) & also on the Hilux site as they have the same D4D motor. As I travel Australia numerous people with the 120 series have expressed concerns with the same problem & the poor way Toyota Australia are dealing with them. The problem existed in my vehicle whilst it was still under warranty but Toyota Australia have said as usual the sound the problem makes was normal even though it wasn't there from new. Now it is out of warranty they don't want to know anything about it. They said they would review but it has taken over 4 weeks without any contact from Toyota to let me know what stage the review is at or when an answer will be given to me. I have always had Toyota service my vehicle & consider myself a loyal customer but it would appear there is no loyalty in return. If this problem were to cause an accident/injury or considerable expense to people travelling outback Australia are Toyota prepared to accept responsability? Please be reasonable Toyota Australia.

[CROCO]

The D4D injector problem has scared me to buy a d4d prado or hilux, especialy when there worth bomb to replace and if left, the injector problem can lead to other problems, such as hole put through one of the cylinders,with all these problems I honestly dont know why people buy the turbo diesel over the v6 petrol, the v6 petrol on the other hand is absolute perler of a engine, very reliable and powerfull and I reckon not too bad on fuel,beats the D4D in performance anyday, yeh I know all the pros and cons of both, and yes if you do a lot of outback travel and towing you get a better range, but my old v6 petrol 120 could adverage between 10 and 11L 100 and in the city around 15L 100 and could get between 1400 and 1500km out of the two tanks .

I would like to know if it only the earlier D4D diesels having the injector issues or is it the later ones, I think I remember reading they changed them in the last of the 120 series and in the 150 series , if there not having injector issues with the newer prados I would definetly consider a d4d prado ,but if not I will stick to the 4.0 v6, and I agree toyota australia need to relise that there is a problem and adress it ,I have also read the pages of complaints on prado point with the injector issues, if consumers get treated bad they will soon wise up and look else where and purchase other makes of vehicles.

[dazz]

I would recommend anyone looking at a diesel prado consider the 4.0 v6 pertol instead. I recently purchased a petrol one 2008 120 series after doing some thorough research on the injector issue. Yes Toyota know its an issue but here in Australia they refuse to acknowlege it. I get excellent results from my pertol model and it tows like a dreram. Plenty of power etc. with no downside to 4wd ing having the petrol. Service costs are cheaper too and service intervals longer. They are also slightly quieter inside.

[Steven]

I would recommend anyone looking at a diesel prado consider the 4.0 v6 pertol instead. I recently purchased a petrol one 2008 120 series after doing some thorough research on the injector issue. Yes Toyota know its an issue but here in Australia they refuse to acknowlege it. I get excellent results from my pertol model and it tows like a dreram. Plenty of power etc. with no downside to 4wd ing having the petrol. Service costs are cheaper too and service intervals longer. They are also slightly quieter inside.

Bit of a long standing myth there - servicing a diesel is roughly the same cost in parts as the petrol equivalent. Oil, Oil Filter, Air filter (if needed) are all basically the same cost as a petrol if you wander down to your local supercheap and price the parts up.

The only additional thing worth looking at is the fuel filter in the engine bay, which should be done every 2nd service. Cost about $20.

You'd get 10k between services easily enough and if you cared about your petrol engine living a full life you'd service it at 10k too (rather than 15k).

The fuel economy argument doesn't mean alot when your talking around town or on the highway - they come out very similar due to the petrol getting great economy on the freeway whilst the diesel gets it around town. The benefit here with the petrol is that they are alot quicker and more traffic friendly.

Of road or loaded up the economy is vastly different. Carrying an extra ton, or doing semi-serious off roading the petrol will absolutely drink the fuel like there's no tomorrow. The economy penalty in the diesel though is much more reserved, with even my 05 model only getting as high as 12L per 100km when constantly towing 1+ ton loads or running up and down the beach.

The aftermarket is also developing some serious gear lately to really get the diesel moving, with aftermarket turbos and ECUs that go far beyond the whole "fuel pressure" chips of yesterday. Plus the price of injectors has dropped from being around a 4k repair to only about 1.3k IF you should ever need it. My 05 model has 190,000 on the clock, running the factory injectors that when tested about 3 months ago all came up within spec.

Horses for courses, ask yourself what you will be using the vehicle for. If mostly around town, petrol is fine. If carrying loads or doing a bit of offroading you'd be either very rich, or very stupid, not to consider the diesel.