Scion tC Problems and Solutions

genee

VIN 12145 - yeah! that's quite a few and I have yet to see another on the road in the Portland, OR area. (though the man who did my leather said he had done 26 of them ...)

Macabee, is there any way we can contact R&D or someone with the things we are finding badly - or thoughtlessly - engineered? I know it is petty but I am really frosted about the 1/3 working brake light. Now, I have found a manual - posted on the other thread - that says if the LED fails you must replace the turn signal and high brake light as a "unit." Could it be that it was originally designed to be a brake/turn light and two wires are not connected?
Seemingly UNIVERSAL problems: 1)roof "pop"; 2)long pull on e-brake handle; 3)stereo lid that works when it wants; 4)no way to find correct button on HomeLink since they are dark; and others.

hc72

I am in Hillsboro Oregon. Where did you go to get the leather, how much and how good is it? Does it affect car warrantee with aftermarket seat cover?

genee

The leather was done by Classic Soft Trim just off 217 in Beaverton. You can get their number from "installation" on the web site. It is better leather than any - except very high scale - factory option ... and more of it. Most of the PDX area dealers have a good share of their leather done there. If you have not taken delivery on a tC, you can work through the dealer and have the price as part of your contract. Just call CST and get a quote and a name to use for a lever at the car store. My quote was several hundred dollars UNDER what the dealer wanted but they came around and matched the price. Good deal because then THEY had to furnish wheels while my tC was in the shop getting done. It is ABSOLUTELY beautiful ... seats, side panels, and console. They have about 30 colors to work with .. perf is $50 and two-tone is $50 if you decide to go that way. OH! the warrantee is 3yr/36K miles just like any Scion accessory. Send your email address to me (I see yours is listed as private)and I will send you pictures.

hc72

Genee, thanks for the info. I will definately give them a call. They probably have couple of cars that they are working on that I can take a look. Thanks for the info.

mackabee

I'm sure someone at Scion/Toyota is already working on a fix. What color is your tC and what color leather did you have put in?
                            
                       Mackabee

Weazell

I got my tC on August 8th. The last four digits of my VIN are 8351. Like many of you, I am experiencing the "pop" in the sunroof. Has anyone actually gotten theirs fixed yet? (I hear a lot of talk but I'm not sure I've heard from anyone who actually has it taken care of.)

Also, as I live in Oregon, I may be interested in the company in Beaverton that does the leather installation. Does anyone have any pics of the work? Also, can you give me a better idea on the cost. It sounds like something that would would be pretty expensive!

Thanks,

Peter

genee

Your email address is listed as "private" so I cannot send you pictures of the leather. I have sent them to Mackabee. You can get the telephone number for Classic Soft Trim by going to their web site classicsofttrim.com and clicking on "Installation." Call them, tell them you have heard of the Black Cherry tC they recently did with Opal leather. Then ask them for a quote. It takes two days - in one and finished the second - for the work. My dealer quotes for the leather were $1190 (changed to $1395) and $1695 from a dealer's on line site. They did mine for CONSIDERABLY less than any dealer was wanting.

dat2

just had my silver tc in for its first service, complained of the long throw e-brake and popping sunroof. they said they tightened the bolts on the roof and the e-brake was within tolerance, even though it doesn't hold until the final click or two. the roof still pops. also asked them about installing my rear sway bar which i recvd from mcgeorge in richmond, and they said two hrs labor, $185, this seemed like way too much so i said no. will go somewhere else. btw, highly recommend mcgeorgeparts.com, they were very efficent and cheap!

saitek33

I'm a 21 year old salesman at a Scion Dealership so you can all imagine how much fun I have at my job Its been cool reading what you all think about "our" product, especially since most of it seems positive. The engine in the Tc is a "drive-by-wire" system that Mackabee did a good job explaining. If you want to "wow" your friends with a neat fact about how awesome your car is, only Scion-Toyota and Porche have the VVT-i tech. I'll keep a regular eye on this thread and if you guys have some questions, Ill do my best.

hc72

Is your AC cold enough? I just got the car 2 days ago. I took it out this afternoon and turned on the AC. It is only 72F outside, ~80 inside. The AC gets going but it is just cool and not cold. I have both my sun shades closed and AC in circulation. This is going to be a problem next summer when it gets real hot. Are any of you having the same problem?

Did Toyota put in the Echo AC system as in xA and xB? Anyone knows whether a Camry AC system is retrofitable?

tuffyleung

Hey, Can you send me your tc pics to me too? I live in beaverton OR. tuffyl@yahoo.com Can you tell me what dealership did you buy your tc from? How long was the wait and stuff? I am planning to buy one too, need your valuable experience, please.

mackabee

I got the tC pics from genee and the car looks great! I forwarded them to my son in Florida just in case he decides to add it to his car later on. Thanks genee. I hope everyone else enjoys them like I did.
                    : )
                   Mackabee

genee

People keep asking for pics of the leather interior on my tC. I cannot send them while your email address is "private." You have to edit your profile so your address is posted. (It does NOT appear in the messages .. just to those who look it up.) Post it for 24 hrs and then change your profile back to "private" status. Tuffyleung, I will send you detailed info -dealer, etc. - when I have your address. I don't think the forum is the place to post such items for public perusal. I hope you have a fast connection because there are about seven shots ...

axiomowner

Hi genee,

Can you add me to the list of those wanting to see the leather pics? I'm trying to decide if I should install on my Azure Pearl.

Thank you kindly!

Weazell

Hey Genee. I'd love to see those pics and have freed up my email address for you to be able to send 'em. Thanks!

genee

Check the clock on your computer. It says you posted this more than an HOUR FROM now. Oh! Check your profile again, too. It still says "private" for email.

OK. The posting times are EDT. But your profile needs changing for me to send you the pictures.

shifter

I've had my tC for about a week, and while I love the car, the shifter pops out of 3rd gear when the engine is under a lot of torque (e.g. accelerating up a hill or "punching" the gas in 3rd gear. Has anyone else experienced this problem? I can watched the shifter as it slowly slips back and out of 3rd into neutral.

I agree with the other posts that the tC is hard to shift smoothly. My concern is that the engine may have too much torque for the tC shift linkages.

I have the tC in the shop now, just curious if anyone else had the same problem.

maxhonda99

VVTi-variable valve timing with intelligence.

No biggie here, more than just Toyota and Porsche have Variable valve timing. BMW has VANOS, Honda has VTEC and now iVTEC, Cadillac has variable valve timing.

BMW's is probably the most advanced out of all. And Honda's is better in a way than Toyota's also, because it controls intake and exhaust valves, Toyota's VVTi only does intake valves.

stickguy

Can't say that I have had any problems with the shifter. Sounds like it might be an adjustment issue. But, I haven't really hammered it in 3rd gear either that I can recall. I will test it out next time that I get a chance.

Make sure to post whatever answer you get from the dealer.

Also, I have been noticing (not noticing?) that the rev hold while upshifting issue is much less prevelant lately. Not sure if it is just the car getting broken in or adapting to my driving, but it seems to be much less noticable when it is cooler and less humid. Wonder if it is related to atmospheric conditions (as part of the computer mapping), and for some reasons holds the revs slightly under these conditions?

Weazell

Sheesh, my profile shows that anyone can view my email, but apparently that ain't quite working. In any event, feel free to send them pics to petermilliron@hotmail.com

Thanks!

shifter

Well the dealer could not re-create the problem and get the shifter to pop out of 3rd. I found that hard to believe since it happened about 6 times just a few days ago.

When I got home, I could not recreate the problem again. I guess the car just needed to be broken in a little (only 400 miles so far).

If anyone else has a problem with the shift popping out of 3rd or any other gear, please post. Thanks.

markg4

i had a simliar problem when i bought my new 2000 civic si. it would seem to pop out of 5th on random occasions until i realized i was not fully engaging the clutch before shifting. it was a matter of getting used to the different trans on my new vehicle. it never happened again after i became cognaziant of what i was doing. perhaps yours is a similar situation.

shifter

I spoke too soon. After driving the car for about an hour, it starts popping out in 3rd grear again. Apparently the problem does not happen until the transmission or shift linkages are really warmed up. I suspect that the shift linkages are just far enough out of adjustment that it slips only when the car is warm.

Now the problem will be convincing the dealer to fix it, when it takes a while to recreate the problem. Again, any others with this problem please post. Thanks!

mackabee

Max I beg to differ, Toyota's VVT-I is superior. It does both intake and exhaust valves throughout the power range unlike Honda which only kicks in at higher RPM's.
                  : )
                  Vic

dlim

I test drove my daughter's Tc and noticed a popping noise on 1st 2nd and 3rd. noise is noticed after it engages. I tried shifting above 3k rpm and noise was eliminated, same when driving on a downhill. Any input on this issue.
Or any recall you know....

dat2

I have the same sensation on my manual trans tC, with about 4000 miles now. I think it is drivetrain related and is not a problem, though it is annoying. It sounds like slop in the driveline...

stantastic

I have bought my scion last week and I can feel heat coming from the bottom of the dash, leg vent. When I drive I can feel the heat coming from the engine, my assumption, and when I drive the car hard I can really feel the heat and some smell coming inside. Has anyone experience this problem? I also notice that the third gear is shakey, is it because the car is not broken in/ I have about 430 miles on it. And, when I park my car, I can hear a poping noise, what could that be?

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maxhonda99

No, Toyota's VVTi only does intake valves.

maxhonda99

check out this link:

http://www.edmunds.com/news/innovations/articles/43849/article.ht- ml

It explains all about variable valve timing. And it clearly states that Toyota's VVTi system works only on the intake side.

I know this article is old(from 2000) but Toyota's VVTi system has not changed at all since it debuted on the Lexus models in 1998. Meanwhile BMW's VANOS has moved on.

markg4

"The VVL portion of the system is similar to Honda's VTEC system, incorporating two distinct cam profiles. However, the actual mechanism is quite different. Both cam lobes operate a single wide rocker arm that acts on both intake or both exhaust valves."

from an article in the October issues of Sport Compact Car and Car and Driver.

mackabee

Max, this is straight out of Toyota's Technical and source manuals "VVT-i SELECTS THE IDEAL INTAKE AND EXHAUST VALVE OVERLAP UNDER ALL ENGINE OPERATING CONDITIONS." for VVT-Li it reads "Based on the VVT-I system, the VVT-Li system features a cam changeover mechanism that varies the amount of lift of the intake and exhaust valves while the engine is operating at high speeds"...and there's more. I thought we were talking about Honda and Toyota.
                          : )
                          Mackabee

shifter

Well it is official. I recreated the 3rd gear problem for the dealer today. Diagnosis... New Transmission!!! I've had the car for only 2 weeks! I will have to wait a week for the new transmission to come in.

I saw that someone also posted that 3rd gear was shaky. My advice is to get it checked out.

While I loved the car, a transmission replacement after two weeks does not bode well for this car. I give a report after I get the new transmission.

shifter

I also experience the popping noise with my tC. I had a 1985 Nissan 200SX that made the same noise and thought for sure that I would eventually have a drive train problem. I drove the car for 13 years and 179K miles and never had a problem. I hope the same is true for the tC.

genee

Well, a couple of weeks ago I took the tC in and complained about the radio lid. A new center dash was ordered. Today I took the car back to have it installed. Two hours after the car was promised I called and was told that the replacement was worse than the original and the shop was waiting for a call from Toyota(Scion) to tell them what to do. So, if YOU ARE having problems with the lid NOT opening, take it in so we can get this problem documented and a retro-fit fix created. IT would be kind of stupid to invoke the "lemon law" for such a trival gripe.

mackabee

The 87 MR2 had the gear popping problem too, That was fixed under warranty or special service campaign. The radio lid "problem" is more of an annoyance as far as I can tell rather then an actual "defect" as far as I can tell.
                : )
                Mackabee

genee

Mackabee, you're starting to sound too much like a "company" man. If something doesn't work properly it is DEFECTIVE. With millions of cassette decks using a push-to-open mechanism the solution cannot be THAT difficult. I will continue to pursue what I paid for.

mackabee

I am a company man, even my underwear says Toyota. lol! They will fix it, but probably not this year.
                   : )
                  Mackabee

mackabee

Max go back and read part 1. Enough said. Who are you going to believe? Some third party or the manufacturer?
                  : )
                  Mackabee

mackabee

Drop it ok? What was your original point?
                 Mackabee

tonylexus

Thanks for the 'drop it' mac. I also miss the point of this run-on. Who cares? Go buy the BMW if it is so sophisticated. Have fun with the iDrive while tC owners are having fun driving!

maxhonda99

Point is your original post was incorrect also, as was my point that no Toyota engines have VVTi on the exhaust side.

maxhonda99

Actually, I'm a Toyota junkie anyway, not a big fan of BMW, but it doesn't mean Toyota is better at everything.

genee

I hope the embroidery on the boxers doesn't itch. The parts department has ordered the third attempt at the radio lid. They are back ordered so I must NOT be the only one trying to get a fix.

stantastic

I am feeling heat when I drive and it is not the air vents. I went to two toyota dealers and could not fix the problem. One says that heat rises due to the exhaust system. I think it is poor insulation. IS ANYONE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM....? DON"T KNOW WHAT TO DO...I FELL THAT I HAVE BOUGHT A LEMON....

mackabee

No max, my post was not incorrect. I quoted straight out of the technicians manual and source book issued by Toyota Motor Sales USA.
            : )
            Mackabee

shifter

My manual transmission has to be replaced after only 700 miles because it couldn't stay in 3rd gear. According to my dealer a number of people have had the same problem so Toyota is designing a fix for the transmission. I am now going to have to wait until 10/7 (3 weeks without my car!), so Toyota can address this problem in Japan.

First year cars are risky, but I would have thought Toyota of all companies would be able to pull it off. I know there is a company rep who reads these posts, what is your take on this problem? To all manual tC owners, keep an eye on your 3rd gear!

carguy79

You have me worried about the manual transmission. I have 3300 miles on my tC and have not experienced anything out of the ordinary. Are their any tell-tale signs that will happen before it starts jumping out of gear? (i.e. slipping, hard to shift) I have tried to make mine pop out by accellerating up a hill in third and driving at higher rpms in thrid to notice a problem. Did Toyota say how prevelant of a problem this is?

shifter

Actually, I have very little information from Toyota. Originally, my transmission was going to take a week to come from Japan, then I got a call last week from the dealer stating that they wouldn't have the transmission until 10/7 and that Toyota is working on a fix, since apparently others have had the same problem. Unfortunately, that's all I know.

In my case, I noticed that 3rd gear always had a rattle (vibration). When I would shift into 3rd I would feel a vibration from the shifter knob that was not present in the other gears. When the car was warm (30+ minutes of driving) the shifter in 3rd gear would slide back little by little until eventually it popped out of gear. At first I thought it was a poor linkage adjustment, but the dealer determined it was the transmission.

If you don't have the problems above, I guess I wouldn't worry. I probably got a lemon transmission which I am sure is unusual for Toyota. I'm not trying to scare folks who bought tCs, however, since this is a brand new model, I want everyone to be aware in case they experience a similar problem, and to know that Toyota has a fix (according to the service manager at my dealer). I hope that helps.

stickguy

I'll pay close attention later, but I haven't noticed any vibration or movement in 3rd gear. It shifts just fine too.

I also had the AC (actually the defroster, but that runs the AC also) on this morning. It does idle slightly higher, and I felt a slight sensation of "drag" (similar to an AT car when it is in drive but you have the brakes on), but no vibration at all. The steering wheel was rock solid.