Peter Williams

Thanks Trent, that makes sense.

No, it doesn't happen on start up. Is it possible for the VVti to have issues and make noise at other times?

Hi all, My 2008 ATX is just about to hit the 100k mark and I thought I should investigate an engine issue I have had for the last year or so. I have noticed under certain driving conditions, I hear a rattling noise from the engine. It sounds similar to the VVTi-rattle on startup, but not as loud, and it doesn't happen on startup. Normally, I will hear this noise if I am going up a multistory carpark. At higher speeds, say if I'm going down the highway, it will happen if I am going at a constant speed, then ease off on the accelerator, then use just enough throttle to slowly accelerate. Has anyone else noticed this before? It's been doing it for years now, and every time I've mentioned it to my mechanic they've not found anything. I don't really want to take it to a dealership (after my painful experience with them trying to get a replacement for a melting dash). Any feedback or advice is appreciated.

Hi Helen, do you have a link to the facebook page? I've googled but cant seem to find it... Thanks :)

I've written to Toyota and they want me to take it to a dealer. I don't want to go there just to be told it's not under warranty, so I've asked Toyota what to say to the dealer when they inevitable tell me to go away. I've not heard back from them yet, it's been a week, so thought I'd take some photos and send them directly to Toyota. Luckily, my dash isn't as bad as some of the examples I've seen here. The problem only really stands out when it is warm and in bright sunlight, when the shine reflects up onto the windscreen. It is most shiny right up near the windscreen, which is obviously the area that heats up the most in bright sunlight. But, I'm not driving my Toyota through the sun, so I fully expect that this shouldn't be happening at all. Toyota has always taken pride in their "quality cars" made for Australian conditions. Toyota USA have recognised this problem and corrected it with a large recall program, even though those cars were outside their warranty periods. Attached are some photos. I will keep everyone updated with the outcome.

I agree, Helen. If Toyota in the USA can recognise and correct a fault for its "valued customers", they can do the exact same here in Australia. It is obvious the fault is exactly the same, caused by a known manufacturing defect. Toyota owners deserve better. If Toyota do not fix this problem without me having to jump through endless hoops, I'll be trading it in for something that I'm sure will last more than 6 years.

Thanks to this thread, I too have discovered my 2008 AT-X has the same problem. It's not too bad at the moment - but is noticeably shiny and sticky on the front part of the dash close to the windscreen. I've emailed Toyota to see what they are going to do about it; if similar vehicles have been recalled in the US for this problem, you would expect Toyota Australia to do the exact same thing - replace the dashboards free of charge. I know what their response is going to be, but I'll post here when they get back to me with their standard 'fob-off' a 'valued customer' response. "Oh, what a feeling!"