Is it worth replacing the gearbox in a 14 year old car?

The_Good_Doctor

I have 2010 Toyota iQ in which the gearbox is no longer working. The MOT is due in about 3 weeks and I don’t have the option to put it off road. I’m told this is a very expensive repair and that the scrap value is pitiful. I would have to borrow to get the gearbox fixed and I need help working out if it’s worth it. I could get by without a car, but I do have mobility problems, so it’s easier for me to have my own than to use a car club - there’s none nearby. 

marlot

A little more information might help.  Is it an automatic (CVT), six speed manual, or 5 speed manual.

fatbelly

My gut feeling is that it would be worth repairing provided that the bodywork is ok.

You will need to shop around to find out who can do what and for how much

If sorted it could be worth £4-5k, depending on mileage, with autos fetching more than manuals

Edit: are you getting or could you get PIP for your mobility problems?

Goudy

Difficult one without knowing what the actual gearbox problem is.

Manual gearboxes between 2008 and 2010 had some problems.
The clutch tended to wear quickly and the factory fit clutch friction plate centres where known to break free of the rest of the plate.
The later caused total drive failures, just no power through the clutch to the gearbox.
A new clutch usually sorts the problem.

The dealers always put this down as abuse, but the clutches tended to be light and they all had awful hydraulics, so there was little clutch travel or feel.

Also the syncros where known to fail, owners first start to note crunches when selecting first or reverse, then they have trouble getting it into any gear as the problem worn on.
A new or rebuilt gearbox is the answer to this one, though due to the expense it's probably not worth it.

These problems also effected the Aygo, C1 and 107 of similar years as they shared the same gearbox.

The CVT's tend to whine a bit over the years, then don't shift properly particularly when hot.
That's usually due to odd fluid in there.
Toyota recommend their own CVT fluid and it needs to be totally flat to fill to the correct level.
A fairly cheap fix.

Herzlos

Do you like the car? What condition is the rest of it in? It's almost certainly cheaper to replace the gearbox than it is to sell the car for scrap and buy another one that may still have problems.

The only time I think it'd make sense to scrap it is if it's facing a host of other problems too. Did it have many advisories at the last MOT?

Bigwheels1111

If your near Croydon I know a great Toyota mechanic.

With great prices.