Toyota CH-R hybrid diagnostics (headlight system fault)

[notrub]

My car is about 18 months old with 30k km on it.  Nice car etc..  The warning light came on with the message 'headlight system failure' and 'blind spot monitor failure' see the dealer.  The headlights seem to work OK and I can see that in fact the little light that comes on in the side mirror does not come on.  Otherwise everything is fine.  I don't use it much so waited until I went for a service to see what the problem was/is.

 

Here is the rub.  They said it would take 4 hours to check all the wiring to see what the problem was.  (Not under guarantee.)  Aside from not planning an extra 4 hours in the city (90 km from where I live) I thought 'check the wires?'.  The car is as new and has not had any hard use.  This problem is just some electronic gizmo that has failed, not me DIY ripping some wires apart somehow.  
 

I would have thought the problem is a relay that controls various functions as the 2 faults are not really related.  The car has automatic functions for windscreen wipers, temperature, high/low beam etc. etc. as well as their much touted T-Connect telematics system.

 

Here is my question:  Is it not that the dealer would have a device to plug into the car that will report every little thing about that car?  Including which sensors were functioning correctly, which do not and where there might be a bad connection?  The idea that some person must crawl around my almost new car with a multimeter for 4 hours to find what is likely a common fault beggars belief.  What do you think?

 

There was nobody at the dealership with whom I could communicate so I just came home without letting them 'discover' what has caused this fault (the car works fine).  My first step is to write to this forum (easy option).  Next I will ask Toyota help line some questions if my fellow Thai Visa contributors are unable to help.   Thanks very much in advance for any comments and/or advice.  (photo on hols, not at home)

 

 

 

 

 

[canthai55]

The Dealership should have diagnostic tools. But can they use them ?

Many solutions require thinking outside the box i.e. not a simple "this part is faulty' diagnosis.

I would look for a can bus fault as the likely source, not something mechanical like a broken wire, or swap a sensor.

https://www.csselectronics.com/screen/page/simple-intro-to-can-bus/language/en

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by canthai55

[pedro01]

Nice looking car. Didn't fancy parking under that rickety set of parking bays behind you?

 

Did they tell you this in English? If so - maybe it was their best translation - BUT - 4 hours is a long time if they are using diagnostics tools. 

 

But then - maybe it is a faulty wire. Seems unlikely.

 

There's more questions than answers in Thailand!

[DavisH]

34 minutes ago, pedro01 said:

Nice looking car. Didn't fancy parking under that rickety set of parking bays behind you?

 

Did they tell you this in English? If so - maybe it was their best translation - BUT - 4 hours is a long time if they are using diagnostics tools. 

 

But then - maybe it is a faulty wire. Seems unlikely.

 

There's more questions than answers in Thailand!

Next post will be how to get dents out of my roof caused by coconuts...can I claim? lol

 

They should be able to use a diagnostic tool to find the fault. I would expect the car to still be under warranty at 18 months old. A failed part like a sensor should be covered. And sensors can be expensive. 

[JoeW]

Check this page -> https://www.tochr.net/1331/initialization.html

 

Seems to explain the issue that you're having. Could be anything from a bad connection, to a faulty ECU.

 

As for your BSM system, this is probably a short in either your side mirrors or a faulty BSM sensor which are located under your rear bumper. In any case, for both cases, the dealer will probably have to remove certain parts of your car in order to investigate the issue. If you haven't done any modifications, then it should be covered by warranty. If dealer doesn't want to cover under warranty, contact Toyota HQ and inform them of the issue.

Edited May 13, 2021 by JoeW

[notrub]

Canthai55, thanks for the link to CAN which points out that this particular diagnostic system was developed and introduced about 20 years ago.  The CH-R Hybrid was a completely new model and was touted to have all the latest cutting edge technology at the time.  Toyota is no slouch when it comes to research and development and would hazard to guess that it has the CAN system integrated or one similar of their own design.  

 

It would not surprise me if, in the future, they incorporated a diagnostic system that would report on the health of entire fleets of delivery vehicles via their T-Connect system to be monitored by some central management centre.  

 

No, the information about how they would find the fault was not communicated to me by a technical person.  I was told over the phone by the service receptionist who speaks English but is not fluent enough to discuss electronic diagnostic methods of the 21st century.  She was at lunch when I went back to get my car and I did not disturb her.

 

What I am looking for, really, is a comment that will tell me about standard Toyota diagnostic procedures in use today.  I would have thought that every electronic sensor and/or switch would be connected to a socket that would relay information to a plugged in diagnostic device for an instant 'health' readout.  This is a large Toyota dealership in Buriram with all the same stuff that every one I have seen seems to have.  That is why I don't understand about the 4 hours to find the fault.

 

Any further comments will be welcome, thank you.  I am off on the research trail.  First stop, YT, then onto Toyota information centre here in Thailand and maybe other countries too.

 

Thanks for other comments too.  No, I don't normally park my car under trees etc..  It lives in a garage beside my house.

[notrub]

Thanks JoeW.  I took a look briefly at the link you sent but have not tried any of the tests suggested in it but take your point about perhaps having to dismantle body elements to find the source of the problem.

 

Why is it that you think it should be covered by warrantee?  The car is well over a year old, getting on to 2 years since I bought it.  Even though it is low kms it is not new.  The car has not been modified in any way except to screw on a skid plate just behind the front bumper on top of the plastic one that kept getting ripped off with all the road construction we are being blessed with these days.

 

Look forward to your reply.  thanks again.

[canthai55]

CAN bus still being used today - it is how all the ECU's in the car communicate with one another.

Try what JoeW mentioned - he is in the biz so will have first hand knowledge. He has helped many people on this forum, and we are lucky to have him.

 

And Toyota will plug in their computer and read the cars computers. This should pinpoint the problem, but as said it is not a direct finger-point in all cases. A good Diagnostic tech is still required to understand what may cause the problem.

 

This from Toyota last year -

 

Enjoy the standard warranty of 5 years or 150,000 kilometers, and free labor cost for standard maintenance of up to 100,000 kilometers. All these are valued at 30,000 THB in total. In addition, Toyota customers can enjoy the special privilege presented by Toyota Privilege More.Jul 15, 2563 BE

https://www.toyota.co.th/en/news/Z4XZlodX

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[JoeW]

6 hours ago, notrub said:

Thanks JoeW.  I took a look briefly at the link you sent but have not tried any of the tests suggested in it but take your point about perhaps having to dismantle body elements to find the source of the problem.

 

Why is it that you think it should be covered by warrantee?  The car is well over a year old, getting on to 2 years since I bought it.  Even though it is low kms it is not new.  The car has not been modified in any way except to screw on a skid plate just behind the front bumper on top of the plastic one that kept getting ripped off with all the road construction we are being blessed with these days.

 

Look forward to your reply.  thanks again.

 

If you didn't make any modifications, then Toyota will have to cover all repairs under your warranty. Did you go to Toyota for your periodical maintenance? If you skipped, they might say that your car is out of warranty, but they only have the right to do say so if you missed 3 times.

[notrub]

Thanks JoeW, I just sent a PM as I don't understand how to get this reply box to open w/o including earlier replies.  This one (reply box) just appeared so here is another question.  Thanks Canthai for your comments and links to interesting Toyota information.  I was thinking of trading in my car maybe for the same, CH-R or the new Cross model (hybrid).  At the dealer they said that the trade in price was about 60,000 THB.  I paid about 1.1+M a couple of years ago so paying 50,000 THB (in depreciation) for the use of a car for 30,000 km seems a bit much, frankly.  I like the car, drives well and it is big enough for most things as I also have a pickup for my DIY construction projects (I hire local help but fetch materials: note to immigration).  Any ideas about how to get Toyota to make a better offer on a trade in?

 

Thanks for your interest and taking time to reply.  This forum has been very helpful in the past for a wide variety of issues.  It is great to be able to draw upon the vast storehouse of experience and information that is out there.  Thanks again.