Long story, and I won't bore you all with it, but it's salutary note.
Our car needed a bit of a tow off a grassy bank up a steep hill back onto the road.
Tow thingy never been used. Car is a 2014 Yaris. Still under Toyota manufacture's warranty until it's ten years old.
Cover off the front came off easily enough, but the tow thingy wouldn't screw in because the screw-threads were rusty. Tow thingy was fine, but it was the front hole that was rusty.
The car has been serviced annually by Toyota since brand new, but the tow thingy has never been screwed in until I managed - with a long crowbar and coated the hole liberally with grease. The handbook says that you use the wheel-nut brace, but it wasn't nearly long enough to produce enough torque. Good job we weren't far from home and I could walk back to get the where-with-all.
When the car goes into Snow's Toyota in July for it's annual service (next month) I'm going to tear them off a strip about this subject.
If you have a car with a front and rear emergency tow hitch hole, make sure you grease it up periodically and try out the tow thingy and screw it in and out.
Preventative Maintenance
Preventative Maintenance
Mick F. Cornwall
Re: Preventative Maintenance
OTOH, after nine years, you might thank them and Toyota generally, that this is the first time you've needed a tow and even now it hasn't been down to their reliability.
Re: Preventative Maintenance
+1 and I'd bet 100k to 1 that the tow hitch threads aren't on the service check list.
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
Re: Preventative Maintenance
Yep.
I agree with both of you, but you never know if you need to tow someone or if you might need a tow.
Nowt to do with reliability of the vehicle(s).
The moral of the tale, is to check out the emergency stuff.
Yes, the handbooks - don't mention regularly greasing the threads.
Screenshot of the handbook.
I agree with both of you, but you never know if you need to tow someone or if you might need a tow.
Nowt to do with reliability of the vehicle(s).
The moral of the tale, is to check out the emergency stuff.
Yes, the handbooks - don't mention regularly greasing the threads.
Screenshot of the handbook.
Mick F. Cornwall
Re: Preventative Maintenance
Mick
Like yourself it's one of those things you never expect to use unless you own a Lada
Like yourself it's one of those things you never expect to use unless you own a Lada
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
Re: Preventative Maintenance
Preventative maintenance, the best sort..
Al
Al
Reuse, recycle, thus do your bit to save the planet.... Get stuff at auctions, Dump, Charity Shops, Facebook Marketplace, Ebay, Car Boots. Choose an Old House, and a Banger ..... And cycle as often as you can......
Re: Preventative Maintenance
I prefer percussive maintainance. It gives you loads of satisfaction.
BTW Mick now you've got us all hooked, what was the long boring story.
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway X2, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840
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simonineaston
- Posts: 8063
- Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
- Location: ...at a cricket ground
Re: Preventative Maintenance
Goes back to what I've beeen thinking for a while now. That deals done between friends or acquaintences, face to face and in person, have a better chance of being honoured. Thus we see that there are way too many people on the planet and that we should all really live in quite small villages. However soon there will be a solution to the problem... thank goodness.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Re: Preventative Maintenance
Ok .......... story.
Bike related actually ........... in a way.
We have two cars now. An elderly Fiat Panda and the 2014 Yaris Hybrid.
I drove over to Daughter2's place in Panda with bike tools and the stand, to fix the gears on one bike, and tighten the chain on the other of the two children's bikes. All done!
Just as I finished, my phone rang.
It was Mrs Mick F telling me that she was stuck on a steep lane heading up, and how she had reversed to allow another car to come down. Very steep and narrow lane.
As she'd reversed, the front left wheel was on grass. She couldn't get any traction to pull away up the hill, so reversed a bit more but was stuck on the bank and couldn't go back or forward.
I got there after about 20mins, but I couldn't do it either. We both got into Panda and I drove to Gunnislake Garage ............
https://www.gunnislakegarage.co.uk ............... to see if they could help. We know them all extremely well. They were very busy, so lent us a tow-rope. We drove back to the stricken Yaris and fished out the Panda's towing eye and I fitted it to the rear of Panda. Also took out the towing eye from Yaris and had a terrible time trying to screw it in. I connected up the two cars and tried and failed to pull hard enough. Smoking Panda clutch!
Meanwhile, a knight in shining amour turned up riding his tractor. We know him well, and he connected the tow rope to his tractor and pulled ..........................
The towing eye popped right off Yaris.
It wasn't screwed in nearly far enough. He got out a big can of oil, smeared it into the hole and onto the screw-threads of the eye.
The two of us screwed it far enough in using a big lever and Yaris's wheel wrench. It took TWO of us to turn it, and it was very difficult indeed.
Needless to say, tractor pulled Yaris off the bank and grass. We were in the Rising Sun yesterday evening, and put two pints on our bill for Mr Farmer. He'll be in during the week no doubt!
Strange how a 2004 Panda's tow eye screws into the rear, but a 2014 Yaris is rusted on the front.
When I have time, I'll check out Panda's front socket. Yaris doesn't have a towing eye socket at the rear.
Moral of the story, is to maintain stuff. You never know when you want something to work properly.
Bike related actually ........... in a way.
We have two cars now. An elderly Fiat Panda and the 2014 Yaris Hybrid.
I drove over to Daughter2's place in Panda with bike tools and the stand, to fix the gears on one bike, and tighten the chain on the other of the two children's bikes. All done!
Just as I finished, my phone rang.
It was Mrs Mick F telling me that she was stuck on a steep lane heading up, and how she had reversed to allow another car to come down. Very steep and narrow lane.
As she'd reversed, the front left wheel was on grass. She couldn't get any traction to pull away up the hill, so reversed a bit more but was stuck on the bank and couldn't go back or forward.
I got there after about 20mins, but I couldn't do it either. We both got into Panda and I drove to Gunnislake Garage ............
https://www.gunnislakegarage.co.uk ............... to see if they could help. We know them all extremely well. They were very busy, so lent us a tow-rope. We drove back to the stricken Yaris and fished out the Panda's towing eye and I fitted it to the rear of Panda. Also took out the towing eye from Yaris and had a terrible time trying to screw it in. I connected up the two cars and tried and failed to pull hard enough. Smoking Panda clutch!
Meanwhile, a knight in shining amour turned up riding his tractor. We know him well, and he connected the tow rope to his tractor and pulled ..........................
The towing eye popped right off Yaris.
It wasn't screwed in nearly far enough. He got out a big can of oil, smeared it into the hole and onto the screw-threads of the eye.
The two of us screwed it far enough in using a big lever and Yaris's wheel wrench. It took TWO of us to turn it, and it was very difficult indeed.
Needless to say, tractor pulled Yaris off the bank and grass. We were in the Rising Sun yesterday evening, and put two pints on our bill for Mr Farmer. He'll be in during the week no doubt!
Strange how a 2004 Panda's tow eye screws into the rear, but a 2014 Yaris is rusted on the front.
When I have time, I'll check out Panda's front socket. Yaris doesn't have a towing eye socket at the rear.
Moral of the story, is to maintain stuff. You never know when you want something to work properly.
Mick F. Cornwall
Re: Preventative Maintenance
Our previous car an escort had a permanent eye on the back. When we had the bikes on the hatchback rack we tied the bikes and rack to the eye so we wouldn't lose them if the rack came away. Never happened fortunately.
At the last count:- Peugeot 531 pro, Dawes Discovery Tandem, Dawes Kingpin X3, Raleigh 20 stowaway X2, 1965 Moulton deluxe, Falcon K2 MTB dropped bar tourer, Rudge Bi frame folder, Longstaff trike conversion on a Giant XTC 840
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francovendee
- Posts: 3151
- Joined: 5 May 2009, 6:32am
Re: Preventative Maintenance
I'm not sure they were towing eyes, they were used to strap the car down for transporting the car. How do I know? We tried towing using one and it wasn't strong enough and pulled off.
Re: Preventative Maintenance
In my case consists of not hitting it with a 4-pound hammer.
Have we got time for another cuppa?
Re: Preventative Maintenance
Well .................
Just come in from a rather warm bit of activity in the hot sunshine.
First, I tried the tow eye into the rear of Panda, and it went in as easy as pie. I greased it up first.
Then, I went round to the front and tried it.
Tight as a tight thing!
I shoved grease into the hole, and got out a long crowbar, and screwed with some difficulty back and forth, and it slowly went further and further in. After this exercise, it went in and out fairly well, but not nearly so well as the rear. Therefore, the rear tow eye hole on Panda is in better condition than the front. This perhaps stands to reason.
Then, I went over to the front of Yaris and tried. Still VERY tight to turn, even with the long crowbar. I exercised it with extra grease, and it became a little less difficult. The tow eye doesn't go in very far, just a half dozen full turns, but it won't go further, no matter how hard I leant on the crowbar.
On Yaris, like I said, it doesn't have a rear hole for a tow eye. You cannot tow with these cars. Major disadvantage IMO as we can't own a trailer. The vehicle isn't homologated to tow anything.
I don't know, but I suspect that EVs cannot tow either. Perhaps someone who owns one can answer.
Just come in from a rather warm bit of activity in the hot sunshine.
First, I tried the tow eye into the rear of Panda, and it went in as easy as pie. I greased it up first.
Then, I went round to the front and tried it.
Tight as a tight thing!
I shoved grease into the hole, and got out a long crowbar, and screwed with some difficulty back and forth, and it slowly went further and further in. After this exercise, it went in and out fairly well, but not nearly so well as the rear. Therefore, the rear tow eye hole on Panda is in better condition than the front. This perhaps stands to reason.
Then, I went over to the front of Yaris and tried. Still VERY tight to turn, even with the long crowbar. I exercised it with extra grease, and it became a little less difficult. The tow eye doesn't go in very far, just a half dozen full turns, but it won't go further, no matter how hard I leant on the crowbar.
On Yaris, like I said, it doesn't have a rear hole for a tow eye. You cannot tow with these cars. Major disadvantage IMO as we can't own a trailer. The vehicle isn't homologated to tow anything.
I don't know, but I suspect that EVs cannot tow either. Perhaps someone who owns one can answer.
Mick F. Cornwall
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francovendee
- Posts: 3151
- Joined: 5 May 2009, 6:32am
Re: Preventative Maintenance
https://attelagediscount.fr/en/annee-de ... -7658.html
It looks like they are available for Hybrids.
It looks like they are available for Hybrids.
Re: Preventative Maintenance
Some can, some can't.
There's been a general tightening of allowed towing capacity across all sorts of vehicles.
EVs have specific potential problems including the mass of the batteries and the capacity of the regenerative brakes. And then there's the deleterious effect on range.
It feels as if the fraction of EVs that can tow is increasing. The number certainly is.
RAC: "Can I tow using an electric car?":
https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/electric-ca ... -cars-tow/
Autocar: "Top 10 best electric cars for towing":
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/elec ... ars-towing
Jonathan