GT86 Valve Spring Recall
Discussion
Morning all.
Hopefully a really easy question for someone who's had this done on their GT86 - do they need to drain & refill the aircon refrigerant in order to complete the recall?
My aircon is ridiculously weedy at the moment (perils of buying a car in February - it felt nice and cold then!
) and the recall is still outstanding. I see no point in paying to top it up if it'll just be emptied again when I have the recall work completed.
Hopefully a really easy question for someone who's had this done on their GT86 - do they need to drain & refill the aircon refrigerant in order to complete the recall?
My aircon is ridiculously weedy at the moment (perils of buying a car in February - it felt nice and cold then!
) and the recall is still outstanding. I see no point in paying to top it up if it'll just be emptied again when I have the recall work completed.Rotary Potato said:
Morning all.
Hopefully a really easy question for someone who's had this done on their GT86 - do they need to drain & refill the aircon refrigerant in order to complete the recall?
My aircon is ridiculously weedy at the moment (perils of buying a car in February - it felt nice and cold then! ) and the recall is still outstanding. I see no point in paying to top it up if it'll just be emptied again when I have the recall work completed.
Just spoke to one of our techs (Toyota dealer)Hopefully a really easy question for someone who's had this done on their GT86 - do they need to drain & refill the aircon refrigerant in order to complete the recall?
My aircon is ridiculously weedy at the moment (perils of buying a car in February - it felt nice and cold then!
) and the recall is still outstanding. I see no point in paying to top it up if it'll just be emptied again when I have the recall work completed.In short, Yes they do drain and refill the A/C system
Following up on this - I've booked the car in the for the work, and enquired about them doing maintenance with zero labour costs while the engine is out.
The service department has told me that I can have the spark plugs and clutch changes for zero labour costs and have quoted me £28.51 to change the spark plugs or £152.41 to change both the clutch and the spark plugs.
Even with zero labour, that seems astonishingly cheap. Even if the quote were to be ex VAT (I haven't followed up to confirm either way yet - getting hold of them on the telephone is a nightmare, so it's been much simpler just to bounce e-mails back and forth) that still seems crazy cheap.
Can anyone confirm if those prices are correct, as if they are I think I'll snap their arm off for both of those! The car's on 52k and 11 years old, so close to due spark plugs (first or 2nd time round depending on if you look at age or mileage). The clutch feels perfect ... but for only an extra £125 or so it seems mad not to take advantage of having a new clutch too.
The service department has told me that I can have the spark plugs and clutch changes for zero labour costs and have quoted me £28.51 to change the spark plugs or £152.41 to change both the clutch and the spark plugs.
Even with zero labour, that seems astonishingly cheap. Even if the quote were to be ex VAT (I haven't followed up to confirm either way yet - getting hold of them on the telephone is a nightmare, so it's been much simpler just to bounce e-mails back and forth) that still seems crazy cheap.
Can anyone confirm if those prices are correct, as if they are I think I'll snap their arm off for both of those!
The car's on 52k and 11 years old, so close to due spark plugs (first or 2nd time round depending on if you look at age or mileage). The clutch feels perfect ... but for only an extra £125 or so it seems mad not to take advantage of having a new clutch too.Rotary Potato said:
... Even if the quote were to be ex VAT (I haven't followed up to confirm either way yet - getting hold of them on the telephone is a nightmare, so it's been much simpler just to bounce e-mails back and forth) that still seems crazy cheap. ...
Toyota dealer have confirmed those prices include VAT.Just to wrap this up ...
Recall carried out over the last week, and I got my car back this morning.
The tech showed me plenty of photos of the work, my old clutch was nearly down to the rivets (despite me saying earlier that it felt perfect) and so it was a good move to get it changed for so little cost. The bite point feels quiet low now (bottom 1/4 of pedal compared to top 1/4 before), and it's a little grabbier than before ... but I'm sure I'll adjust to that over the next few drives.
I can't fault them so far. The tech was very clued up, and said that the specification of the sealant and the procedure for removing the old and applying the new had changed since the early days of the recall - and he wasn't aware of a single engine failure since the changes. So hopefully that's the end of the story. Maybe some useful info for anyone out there that has chosen not to have the recall done because of the horror stories of engines failing afterwards.
I'll still keep a regular eye on the oil over the next few thousand miles, just in case - but generally I've found this to be a great experience from start to finish. Well done to Toyota Stratford-Upon-Avon ... top marks from me.
And as an added bonus - the aircon now blows cold!
Fingers crossed I don't have a leak, and it stays that way.
Recall carried out over the last week, and I got my car back this morning.
The tech showed me plenty of photos of the work, my old clutch was nearly down to the rivets (despite me saying earlier that it felt perfect) and so it was a good move to get it changed for so little cost. The bite point feels quiet low now (bottom 1/4 of pedal compared to top 1/4 before), and it's a little grabbier than before ... but I'm sure I'll adjust to that over the next few drives.
I can't fault them so far. The tech was very clued up, and said that the specification of the sealant and the procedure for removing the old and applying the new had changed since the early days of the recall - and he wasn't aware of a single engine failure since the changes. So hopefully that's the end of the story. Maybe some useful info for anyone out there that has chosen not to have the recall done because of the horror stories of engines failing afterwards.
I'll still keep a regular eye on the oil over the next few thousand miles, just in case - but generally I've found this to be a great experience from start to finish. Well done to Toyota Stratford-Upon-Avon ... top marks from me.
And as an added bonus - the aircon now blows cold!
Fingers crossed I don't have a leak, and it stays that way.Hi all,
Looking for some proper clarification on the GT86 valve spring issue, as I’m currently dealing with a pretty serious engine failure.
I’ve got a 2016 GT86 (ex-demo car from Toyota), and my engine has recently failed due to a snapped valve spring which has caused internal damage.
My mechanic has inspected it and confirmed the engine has what appear to be the “green” valve springs, which I understand are linked to the earlier faulty batch that Toyota recalled on 2012–2013 cars.
Now here’s where it gets interesting:
I’m sure I previously saw information (possibly Toyota-related, but I can’t find it again) stating that:
• the faulty springs were identifiable (green)
• and that they were later replaced/upgraded to a revised version (blue)
However, I can’t find an official Toyota source confirming the colour difference — only forum discussions and rebuild videos mentioning it.
So I’ve got a few questions:
1. Has anyone seen official Toyota documentation (TSB, recall doc, dealer bulletin, etc.) referencing green vs blue valve springs?
2. Is the colour difference actually a reliable way to identify pre/post recall parts?
3. Has anyone had a later car (2014–2016) with the earlier springs fitted from factory?
4. Could this be a case of early-built engines being used in later registered/demo cars?
For context:
• My car has never shown an outstanding recall
• It was originally owned by Toyota as a demo before I bought it
• The failure I’ve had is exactly what the recall describes (valve spring fracture → engine damage)
I’m currently in discussions with Toyota, so any evidence, documents, or firsthand experiences would really help.
Cheers 👍
Looking for some proper clarification on the GT86 valve spring issue, as I’m currently dealing with a pretty serious engine failure.
I’ve got a 2016 GT86 (ex-demo car from Toyota), and my engine has recently failed due to a snapped valve spring which has caused internal damage.
My mechanic has inspected it and confirmed the engine has what appear to be the “green” valve springs, which I understand are linked to the earlier faulty batch that Toyota recalled on 2012–2013 cars.
Now here’s where it gets interesting:
I’m sure I previously saw information (possibly Toyota-related, but I can’t find it again) stating that:
• the faulty springs were identifiable (green)
• and that they were later replaced/upgraded to a revised version (blue)
However, I can’t find an official Toyota source confirming the colour difference — only forum discussions and rebuild videos mentioning it.
So I’ve got a few questions:
1. Has anyone seen official Toyota documentation (TSB, recall doc, dealer bulletin, etc.) referencing green vs blue valve springs?
2. Is the colour difference actually a reliable way to identify pre/post recall parts?
3. Has anyone had a later car (2014–2016) with the earlier springs fitted from factory?
4. Could this be a case of early-built engines being used in later registered/demo cars?
For context:
• My car has never shown an outstanding recall
• It was originally owned by Toyota as a demo before I bought it
• The failure I’ve had is exactly what the recall describes (valve spring fracture → engine damage)
I’m currently in discussions with Toyota, so any evidence, documents, or firsthand experiences would really help.
Cheers 👍
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