Preventative Maintenance

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Mick F
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Mick F »

Oh yes, I know. There are no issues about fitting a towbar and electrics ........................ except it is illegal to tow anything.
Towbars can be used for a variety of things ......... such a bike racks and luggage carriers .............. but whatever is on the back, it MUST NOT be towed.

Gross Train Weight and Gross Vehicle Weight are the same figures.
Jennifer VIN Plate.jpeg
Mick F. Cornwall
briansnail
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by briansnail »

Car service approx £300 non dealer.Bicycle service £150. Very close costs.
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Mick F
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Mick F »

We were in Callington town centre today, and I was parked to the rear of a Nissan Leaf.
I got out and had a good look at the rear end.
There is nowhere to connect a towing eye ........... just like our Yaris Hybrid ............ so I can assume that Leafs cannot tow.
Mick F. Cornwall
rjb
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by rjb »

Our 2009 Hyundai i10 has an insertable eye at the front after removing a cover and a hook at the back welded to the chassis. The rear one isn't visible unless you squat down and peer beneath the rear bumper, not a bumper as I know it but the plastic bit at the bottom. :lol: Both for emergency towing of your vehicle according to the handbook.
We can also have a tow bar fitted unlike later models. :wink:
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840 :D
tim-b
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by tim-b »

Thanks Mick
3 x front tow eyes (3yrs, 5 and 7) no problems by hand only; eyes set inboard of the front wheel
2 x rears needed some additional leverage and grease. Different makes, both exposed to the rear wheel
Car 3 has a chassis-mounted tow point

I already grease the under-slung spare wheel carrier on one annually

You'll save a fortune by using a local garage for servicing. It's already in law that main dealers still have to honour the warranty, however some indies won't want to touch EVs and hybrids
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francovendee
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by francovendee »

Mick F wrote: 4 Jun 2023, 10:31am Oh yes, I know. There are no issues about fitting a towbar and electrics ........................ except it is illegal to tow anything.
Towbars can be used for a variety of things ......... such a bike racks and luggage carriers .............. but whatever is on the back, it MUST NOT be towed.

Gross Train Weight and Gross Vehicle Weight are the same figures.
Jennifer VIN Plate.jpeg
I confess that I hadn't considered this. I wonder if the towbar makers/suppliers point this out to customers.
francovendee
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by francovendee »

Mick had me worried about our older Yaris as I tow a loaded trailer quite frequently. Luckily on our 2008 diesel Yaris it seems I'm OK.

Is the problem confined to modern Yaris cars or is it a general thing? If so caravan owners may struggle to buy a new tow car
Pebble
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Pebble »

Mick F wrote: 4 Jun 2023, 10:31am Oh yes, I know. There are no issues about fitting a towbar and electrics ........................ except it is illegal to tow anything.
Towbars can be used for a variety of things ......... such a bike racks and luggage carriers .............. but whatever is on the back, it MUST NOT be towed.

Gross Train Weight and Gross Vehicle Weight are the same figures.
Jennifer VIN Plate.jpeg
Is there something specific to say it must not tow?

The way I read that plate is that the max train weight or the GVW must not exceed 1565kg. So for instance if the kerb weight is 1065kg, then you would be allowed 500kg of occupants, luggage and trailer with its payload. So a thin driver towing a small trailer loaded with some light insulation and it should be OK.
Biospace
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Biospace »

Mick F wrote: 4 Jun 2023, 10:15am I don't know, but I suspect that EVs cannot tow either. Perhaps someone who owns one can answer.
They didn't, and I don't, but they now do - https://www.motoringelectric.com/news/e ... 22-awards/

francovendee wrote: 5 Jun 2023, 8:49am Mick had me worried about our older Yaris as I tow a loaded trailer quite frequently. Luckily on our 2008 diesel Yaris it seems I'm OK.

Is the problem confined to modern Yaris cars or is it a general thing? If so caravan owners may struggle to buy a new tow car
I think it's the hybrid versions which Toyota don't allow to tow, for risk of damaging the CV transmission. Not sure I'd want to ask a Yaris to do this, though -

Towing-Yaris-1.jpg
Jdsk
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Jdsk »

Pebble wrote: 5 Jun 2023, 12:46pm
Mick F wrote: 4 Jun 2023, 10:31am Oh yes, I know. There are no issues about fitting a towbar and electrics ........................ except it is illegal to tow anything.
Towbars can be used for a variety of things ......... such a bike racks and luggage carriers .............. but whatever is on the back, it MUST NOT be towed.

Gross Train Weight and Gross Vehicle Weight are the same figures.
Jennifer VIN Plate.jpeg
Is there something specific to say it must not tow?

The way I read that plate is that the max train weight or the GVW must not exceed 1565kg. So for instance if the kerb weight is 1065kg, then you would be allowed 500kg of occupants, luggage and trailer with its payload. So a thin driver towing a small trailer loaded with some light insulation and it should be OK.
Same thought. And I couldn't find a definitive answer.

Jonathan
Jdsk
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Jdsk »

francovendee wrote: 5 Jun 2023, 8:38am
Mick F wrote: 4 Jun 2023, 10:31am Oh yes, I know. There are no issues about fitting a towbar and electrics ........................ except it is illegal to tow anything.
Towbars can be used for a variety of things ......... such a bike racks and luggage carriers .............. but whatever is on the back, it MUST NOT be towed.

Gross Train Weight and Gross Vehicle Weight are the same figures.
Jennifer VIN Plate.jpeg
I confess that I hadn't considered this. I wonder if the towbar makers/suppliers point this out to customers.
I checked a few third-party suppliers and fitters of towbars. Yes, they generally point to the rules based on VIN plate data.

Jonathan
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Mick F
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Mick F »

Hi guys.
Answers ........

Our Yaris is a Hybrid with a a constant velocity transmission system. As a driver, you have no control over the engine. You have Go pedal and a Stop pedal. Engine kicks in as required by the computer system.

Towing with it, cannot and must not be done.
You can carry four heavy-weight rugby players, and the driver could be 20stone fat bloke, and you can carry as much luggage as you want and load lots of it on a roof-rack .................. so long as the gross vehicle weight isn't exceeded.

Towing, even is you are a single occupant 5stone weakling with zero luggage ............ is verboten, as it is NOT homologated to tow ANYTHING.

There is a couple of eyes under the rear of the chassis to be used in an emergency for the car to be pulled backwards.
You can put the drive system into neutral, so it can be towed from the front or from the back ........... but the back end isn't available for towing with the transmission running.
Screenshot 2023-06-05 at 19.47.18.png
Mick F. Cornwall
Jdsk
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Jdsk »

Mick F wrote: 5 Jun 2023, 7:47pm ...
Our Yaris is a Hybrid with a a constant velocity transmission system. As a driver, you have no control over the engine. You have Go pedal and a Stop pedal. Engine kicks in as required by the computer system.
...
Is that continuously variable transmission?

Thanks

Jonathan
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Mick F
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Mick F »

Another answer.

If you were to fit a tow hitch to use it for a bike rack .............. and many donkey's years down the line someone bought the car and saw the tow hitch, they may not know that it wasn't allowed to tow. They could connect up their caravan and off they would go. I have no idea if Toyota have considered this scenario.
Mick F. Cornwall
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Mick F
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Re: Preventative Maintenance

Post by Mick F »

Our Yaris, is the same as a Prius. Smaller battery, smaller car of course.
http://eahart.com/prius/psd/?utm_source ... ForumLinks

https://priuschat.com/threads/the-five- ... ForumLinks
Mick F. Cornwall
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