FromTheOld

Hey everyone. I own an xB right now as my DD and it's been fun, but I'm in the market for a new DD since the mileage is getting racked up on this car like crazy. How is the tC2? Any known/apparent problems?
I know the forums represent a small amount of people and therefore the issues presented on forums aren't always really an issue for the majority of owners, but I'd like a heads up on the small quirks or possible TSBs.

Red2014tC

So far my tC2 has not had any issues. Some minor annoyances , such as rattling door panels and sunroof, and lack of sufficient sound deadening so road noise is a bit more than some cars.
As a Daily I find it pretty good. With the exception of parking lots. The back is hard to see out of and the doors are huge, but I like it.

FreedomPenguin

Once you put some time and few bucks into materials you can fix noises and rattles

I park far away in parking lots. I will walk that mile to avoid a ding.

destruk

2nd gear seems a bit tight - don't put it in reverse while the car is moving forward at all. I'm pleased with it.

FromTheOld

I hear the earlier models (2011/2012) had transmissions that were problematic. Are the later ones any better?

Newman

This is what I know about the car (and most will be a repeat of what was said above).
1. Car has glass roof so road noise will be there, be aware of that. You can spend money on sound deadening and better tires to quiet the ride.
2. Sunroof has a faulty frame so you will need to have that fixed for this car. dealer will fix it for free if under warranty.
3. Alternator will whistle faintly while the car is operating. don't get alarmed unless it is very loud (that means your battery is discharged:male sure no lights are on and doors are closed)
4.Automatic tranny cars may have whine noise that will need to be checked out. Manual trans cars should not have comparable issues. 1st and reverse gears have a whine. no concern there. Very few manual trans have had trouble with engaging reverse gear(car shakes). Check that our when you drive.
5. while not a problem, manual cars have some rev hang when changing gears. Drive by wire is lame like that.

Overall i recommend you get a manual tC if you were to get one. It is much more fun to drive around.

FromTheOld

What do you mean by faulty frame? Does this apply to a brand new 2014 tC?

Also, like most Toyota transmissions, does swapping to Redline MTL/MT90 fix most of the transmissions issues (cold shifting, engagement, etc.)?

EDIT: Just did a quick search. Seems there was a TSB in 2012 that only applied to certain VIN #'s. I'm sure the 2014 is way past that by now.

Newman

The faulty frame issue you can solve just by test driving the car you want to buy. What you do is you crack open the sunroof but do not open it all the way. just the first setting where it is sitting slightly ajar. then drive over some mad bumpy roads for a while and listen for rattling or loud noises from the roof. if you do hear noise, the dealer will have to fix it for you. if you don't then you may have a car that doesn't have the issue. i have no idea if 2014 models fixed the issue.

Swapping fluid should help, a few members on here have done it, see what they have to say about improvements. i think it helps with trans noises.

russiankid

Swapping out the fluid does fix the issues.

FromTheOld

Just curious, what is the automatic transmission whine noise you are referring to? I haven't seen any complaints about it anywhere.

Newman

Look for tranny threads in the drivetrain subforum, you will find posts about it there.
Here is a video by one of our members with some auto trans noise:
and here is his thread:
https://www.scionlife.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=225890
listed as engine whine but later was narrowed down to trans noise.
you can also hear the alternator whistle in that video.

FromTheOld

Been driving my new 2014 tC for 2 days now. This manual trans is so much different from old school style. Rev hanging + clutch has no "feel". I'm actually having trouble on hills with this thing, haha.

destruk

Yeah I noticed that too - had to floor it on a hill last week once. Also having to wait for it to warm up so it doesn't grind 2nd gear, as well as needing to come to a complete stop before putting it into 1st or reverse is a change. Usually I allowed the car to roll out of our driveway and put it in gear while rolling - can't do that with this car.

FreedomPenguin

It's bad on a trans anyway to be rolling. It's a good thing

Newman

i was annoyed at the rev hang at first too. the more you drive it the more you'll start to feel it and eventually it will not bother you.
it should actually help for climbing hills since the engine speed stays high instead of dropping immediately so that when you engage you will not bog down. But you do need to rev higher on hills of course. just like in any manual car. needs enough torque to get that weight moving. it's a heavy car.

FromTheOld

I'm basically used to it except on hills cause im not used to driving manual with Drive By Wire. I finally figured a little trick to make it easier though.

Newman

what's your trick haha?

russiankid

I don't have any issues with hills, took me a few weeks to adjust to this setup but fine now. Also, for grinding into 2nd when cold, change the factory fluid to Redline. It worked wonders in my trans.

FromTheOld

I just heel and toe to blip the throttle since the response is so slow. Although it's not like I am launching the car up a hill or anything of that sort.

What's your definition of grinding? For me, in the cold temps (under 30 degs) on startup, it is hard for me to get the car into second, fifth, and sixth gear. No feeling of grinds or noises, just hard to physically get it into gear without feeling like the shifter is fighting me.

shannonh0lm

I've owned my 2013 tC for a bit over a year now and haven't had a single problem. Now at 35k miles - I am the original owner. I grounded the throttle body (if you plan on getting a manual) and allow my car enough time to warm up prior to driving it and rarely have issues with shifting. The road noise is a bit annoying if you have a passenger in the car that you're trying to have a conversation with but you tend to not notice after a while.