Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with TOyota

1999 Toyota Camry Check Engine Light Problems

Lacking Subtlety — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:29:30 -0800

Calling those w/ more knowledge of cars than I... 1999 Toyota Camry with a well-documented Check Engine light problem. How can I convince people/mechanics that the problem is a low-percentage systemic design flaw and not something that needs replacing if there's never been a recall issued? Okay. Qualifiers:

-I have a moderate knowledge of cars, but nothing special. I have enough of a working knowledge to know when a mechanic is telling me I need something I don't really need, but I wouldn't be confident doing labor myself.
-I certainly know the behavior/history of my own cars.
-I don't have a lot of money.
-I'm a point A point B kind of guy.
-My family has bought nothing but Camrys for over 20 years. They have been wonderful.

The only minor problem came when my mother bought new 1999 toyota camry and in the first year the check engine light came on. Naturally, she took it for service and it was an "EGR Flow Insufficiency" "EVAP vent control malfunction" and EVAP Ctrl Incorrect purge flow." Basically these are all things that indicate problems with a variety of parts that deal with emission control. She got many of the parts replaced and soon after the check engine light came on for the SAME exact problems. So my ma and her mechanic finally realized after much research, that the car has a significant history of being overly-sensitive to these specific emissions problems. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the parts of the system it is actually the system and design of the car itself. So he refunded her a lot of money and any time her check engine light came on he would check it out to be sure it was just those problems and turn it off, and pass her for any inspections, etc. Yeah, this mechanic was a genuine class act.

So two years ago I bought this car from her and now operate it in California. It's in great condition for a ten year old car, I do all regular maintenance. And it passed it's first smog test 2 years ago and all that (the check engine light was off at the time, like I said, it's temperamental).

So a few months into owning, I was getting maintenance done at a pep boys (they charge the lowest prices) and was convinced that this problem didn't exist and I was crazy and I need 900 dollars worth of repairs done to this system. I finally caved and low and behold the NEXT DAY the check engine light came on for the same set of problems. Needless to say I started a big thing with Pepboys to try and get some for of restitution which is neither here nor there (it didn't work. mechanic companies can't be held responsible for convincing you to get service you don't need).

So basically i went on with my life and got maintenance on my car and thankfully ignored nonsense EGR/EVAP issues and life has been fine.

Until I needed a recent smog test pass for my California registration renewal. I can't get passed because of my check engine light is on and registering the same nonsense 3 codes. The car checks out great in all other areas.

I told my story to the Smog check guy, and he believed me and recommended me to a refugee station, where I could plead my case. I prepped for a week (printed out 100s of people with similar complaints) and had the entire history of my car documented and at hand. I went in this morning to talk to the guy about my problem, and he listened, realized I knew what I was talking about, and felt very sorry for me. Because it turns out, he can't do ANYTHING unless there's been a recall. He wasn't even sure why I got recommended to him. I responded that I thought it was a place for exactly this kind of gray area, but he said "yeah, but you need a recall."

Now I have friends who have worked for car companies. I know what it takes to get a car recalled. (And for those who've seen fight club, it's not far off). Basically there is no way that a car gets recalled for a maintenance problem that doesn't effect vehicle performance and accidents/people's health. No way a car gets a recall for my problem. No way.

So basically I was telling him this and that there is literally nothing I can for for my car, which again, has nothing actually wrong with it, but spend 900 dollars for repairs, and hope I can get a smog test before the light comes back on (which could happen instantly). And more over this is something I will have to deal with again at the very next smog inspection down the road.

But of course all the guy said was "my hands are tied."

And that's all that's happened. I've called every dealership (they all won't commit to any answers), toyota corporate office (they stonewall me), and mechanic I can think of and asked for solutions but all I get is "My hands are tied", illegal suggestions, or offers of things to do that charge me exorbitant amounts of money.

Side note: Tampering with a check engine light can get you jail time in California. But still... it's a last resort option and one I don't want to get to.

So tomorrow morning I'm going to walk into a Toyota dealership and try and I have to convince them I don't need any work done. And to just pass me for a smog test. But this likely will not happen. I can't just drop 450-900 dollars on nonsense, but I just know that's what I'm going to end up doing. I can apply for a test program in California that will pay up to 500 dollars of it, but that will take months. Months I don't have.

Is there anyone here who can help? I am completely at a loss of where to go from here. There has to be someone somewhere out there who can just look at this situation and say "your car is okay to drive and in fact safer to drive in California than every SUV in the road."

There's obviously some precedence for legal action, but honestly that is expensive and drawn out, and I NEED TO GET MY CAR ON THE ROAD. Any ideas?

Where have all the control arms gone...?

FatherDagon — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:42:23 -0800

Where did all the xB control arms go? I've been looking online trying to find a replacement lower control arm for my 06 Scion xB, and apparently there was a design change between the arms used in the 05, and the ones in the 06. I'm able to find control arms all over for 05 and earlier xBs, but after that I'm getting nothing.

Is there a reason the 06 arms are so scarce to find? The 05 arms usually sell for around 70-90 bucks, but the 06 version appears to only be available through the dealership and costs somewhere in the 400-500 dollar range.

Crime victim (auto break-in) seeks advice (lost SSN, where to repair in SV)

Rash — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:03:37 -0800

Victim of auto break-in in Silicon Valley seeks advice about a) compromise of my SSN (Social Security Number) and b) reputable, affordable and speedy window-glass replacement for an old Toyota. A thief just stole my briefcase, getting no laptop (hah!) but only a bunch of paperwork for my classes (I'm a teacher).

a) Among that paperwork are timesheets with my SSN plainly labeled at the top. Should I be worried? What can/should I do about this besides checking my credit report ASAP (ie every four months?

b) 1991 Tercel; I have a trusted local mechanic but they don't do windows. Do I just bend over and submit to the dealer for a vehicle of this vintage, as any local shop will just be ordering the glass from them anyway? Or maybe you know a good place -- I'm in Sunnyvale. Thanks!

PS: Maybe I should just get the window myself, via car-part.com. I do have experience, but not on a Toyota - that was putting one-piece windows into an old VW beetle and I don't have any special Toyota tools.

How much work is a used Toyota truck?

Chrishartley — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:56:00 -0800

Never owned an old car, thinking of buying a 1988 Toyota 4x4 truck. Stupid? Some background:
My partner wants us to buy a pickup and spend a few months/years driving around the country visiting friends and camping. This question is about the pickup part, there may be another question about the larger proposal.

I consider myself mechanically included. I'm a very adept bicycle mechanic and I can get an old lawn mower running without a whole lot of fuss -- BUT with the exception of a one year period I've lived without a car for most of the last decade.

When I had a car it was a newish used Toyota Echo. I changed the oil and fan belts myself but I don't know a whole lot about car mechanics. I've never owned a car more than a few years old. Am I setting myself up for failure if I buy a 20+ year old Toyota 4x4 pickup for $2,000, put a camper shell on top and spend a few months driving around the country?

What is owning an old vehicle like? By most accounts old Toyota trucks are quite reliable and the 22re engine seems to last forever. Does that mean that they don't break as often as say, a 1980s Ford but still break/need tweaking a lot more frequently than a 4 year old car? Is every mile the answer to a small prayer?

Assuming I find a truck that is in average or above average condition (little rust), what can I expect? Will something need tweaking every few hundred miles and something else need replacing every few thousand? Will I spend a lot of time worrying about what will go wrong next and a lot of money fixing it when it does? Am I more likely than not going to end up stranded on the side of the road, hitchhiking several hundred miles in search of some obscure part only available at a premium price from Japan?

What about safety features? Obviously there won't be airbags or ESC, but what about crumple zones and the more basic things that save lives?

How do emissions compare to a more modern vehicle? Obviously much worse, but are there hard numbers to compare?

It just doesn't seem like these trucks would cost as little as they do if the reliability with regular maintenance was as good as a three year old car or truck -- things just don't work that way. Right?

I know having a lot of questions doesn't make for a good AskMefi post so I'll summarize my two key questions:

If I buy a 20 year old Toyota 4x4 in average or above average condition (150-200k miles), how much extra worry, cost and pain will there be in driving it a substantial distance versus a 2-4 year old truck?

Am I going to be able to do a lot/all of the maintenance and repair myself, as a mechanically inclined car/truck newbie?

To tell the truth the most interesting part of this proposal is getting to learn car mechanics but I don't want to set myself up for failure and/or getting eaten by rabid vultures somewhere in the Canadian wilderness.

Instant clown car.

wg — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 09:03:33 -0800

Please help me fit three little ones into my car. I need recommendations for some skinny car seats. We are working on a foster placement of three siblings: ages 2 1/2y, 1 1/2y, and 4mo. Since it has just been the two of us, we still tool around in our hatchbacks, a '99 Subaru Outback Impreza and a '06 Toyota Matrix.

Seeing as people have been having kids far longer than the popularity of minivans, I imagine we will be able to make do with our current cars for at least a little while longer. If the placement moves towards adoption, or if we get sick of the cramped quarters, we can move on to a larger vehicle later.

We already have an infant car seat, so we will need seats for the two oldest. I know that the Toyota, which will be the primary kid car, has the Latch system, but I do not know if there are two or three. That car is with my wife, and I cannot seem to find the info on the net.

We both have spinning heads and will need to track down bedroom furniture and prepare our jobs for some time off, so an afternoon on google or all night at Babies 'r Us is not in the cards at the moment. I'd like to save some time shopping with recommendations. Naturally, I will make certain that everything fits and is safe. Thanks!

Shall we grab our ankles now?

6:1 — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 21:25:45 -0800

New car buying hell. Are we the only ones being told that the Toyota Prius price is MSRP PLUS expensive add-on premiums to cover their gouging? We have been told that not only do we have to pay MSRP (at one dealership, for example), as well as (they) demanding, no, FORCING us to buy Lo-Jack and Finishing Touch (a paint and fabric/leather conditioning/protectant) for an extra $1800+ bing. Is this happening everywhere? And is it Toyota or the dealers/ dealer co-ops that are controlling the supply, to keep prices artificially inflated? Pardon me, but is this another government boondoggle? Every place we go they seem to say they are out, but then suddenly they have 1 or two that appear a hour or two later or next day. Are there more of us out there, or are we just the mark?

FWIW-looking at a 2010 Prius IV in So. CAL. and do not have a "clunker".

What's the shift pattern on a 1980 Toyota pickup?

attercoppe — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 17:14:11 -0800

What's the shift pattern on a 1980 Toyota pickup? The 4-speed shifter, not the 4WD.

Buying Used Without No Clues

Shepherd — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 13:44:42 -0800

I'm generally freaking out about buying a car (used, my first) and have a short laundry list of very general questions. My wife and I need a car. Before winter definitely, but within 2-3 weeks for some convenience reasons would be good. She's coming back visiting her folks this weekend, and the hunt begins in earnest, after a few forays to a few places, next week.

Here's what we've settled on so far:

99% sure we're getting a used Toyota, Hyunda or Honda. Reliable, get good reviews in the slightly-old copy of Phil Edmonstun's Lemon-Aid guide my dad lent me, more expensive than American brands but we're not so keen on buying American these days.

My wife wants a 2005 or newer. I'm not sure why but I think she's afraid that I, being a skinflint, will insist on a rustbucket if she doesn't set out some parameters. From what I can see, the biggest price drop is from zero to two years old, so that actually plays well into my penny-pinching ways... if a 2-year-old car costs 75% of original retail and a 5-year-old costs 60%, the most "value" is in the 2-year-old.

Here's the thing: I know bupkis about cars; under pressure I think I'm pretty sure the red ones go faster. I'm exaggerating -- I spent one summer in high school working at a gas station, so I've checked oil before and stuff -- but I'm in no way qualified to gauge the worth of a used car. I've never owned one, and I'm downhill of mid-30s; hers have always been hand-me-downs so she's never been car shopping.

We'll also be doing all of this in my second language, French, which my wife doesn't speak at all. While I speak pretty good business French and decent conversational French, "car French" is not in my comfort zone.

We have a fair-sized down payment, as we've agreed that it makes more sense to dump our savings on the car than to pay interest on the thing, as interest earned on this money would not outpace interest charged on a car loan. Our budget is $8-10K. We can stretch that up a bit if necessary. Assume we can pay 50% or so of a car in the $8-10K price range.

We intend to drive around town for the most part, maybe the 30 km trip to visit friends in neighouring places once every couple of weeks, and a 400 km round trip to Montreal once a month.

So here, at last, are the questions:

Is "dealer used" a better idea than "used-car-dealer used" or "classifieds in the paper" used? I have the vague idea that the Toyota used lot, affiliated with the Toyota new lot, will offer better vehicles that are more expensive than "regular" used-car dealers, which will be slightly cheaper, and the classified-ad cars will be cheapest of all but highly risky. Is that a fair assumption?

Can I trust a used car salesman? I'm aware of the stereotype, but I'm also of the belief that most people are generally good, and it's a reputation-driven industry. Assuming the guy isn't wearing a porkpie hat, chomping a stogie and telling me this was only driven by an old lady on Sundays as he fiddles the odometer with a grimy screwdriver, is flat-out asking a used dealer for advice a good idea, or begging to be taken to the cleaners?

If a car is nearing the end of its warranty (say 90,000 out of 100,000 km), what does that... er... mean? Are warranties super good? Kinda good? Is there a way to gauge how much a remaining warranty adds to the value of the car?

Is it better to buy an old car with low mileage or a new car with high mileage? This thread dances around that same question, but winds up being a series of recommendations to check prior maintenance. Which is excellent, but I still need to know -- maintenance done, is a 2007 car with 120,000 km on it better or worse than a 2005 car with 80,000 km on it, assuming price is similar*?

If buying used, is there a huge advantage in buying local? It would be much, much cheaper to shop around in Montreal than here, but that's a two-hour drive away. How important is it to be able to revisit the dealer you bought the car from, barring some sort of catastrophic failure in the first couple of weeks?

Given that we'll be able to supply a sizable down payment, will that put us in a better position to negotiate the financing rate? Most places around here seem to ballpark at 2.9%, which ain't terrible, but I wouldn't mind knocking that down a bit if I could.

Last and most important: I'm feeling overwhelmed, like I don't have enough knowledge to evaluate or to negotiate. Part of me says "dude, people buy cars all the time but the much larger part of me says "dude, don't be stupid with $10,000." How in God's name do I calm myself down over this?

This, by the way, is the local Toyota dealer.

This is Honda.

And this is Hyundai.

For comparison, this is the used-car section of the most popular (by a wide margin) classifieds site in the province, sorted for my area.

*I pulled those years and mileages out of my butt. I'm looking for more of a general answer.

2001 Corolla, Fog Lights Always On

churl — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:53:36 -0800

My 2001 Toyota Corolla has spontaneously developed a problem: the front and rear fog lights never turn off, even when the key is out of the ignition. A good mechanic was recommended to me, but he won't be able to see me for several weeks. He warned me to expect to spend $200 minimum. Is there anything I can do in the meantime to try to solve this myself? This is, naturally, a totally awful time for this to happen. This all began yesterday, with no precipitating incident.

My car simultaneously began exhibiting the following symptoms, which I'd never seen before:

1) Although my car normally has daytime running lights, my headlights stopped turning on automatically, both day and night. They do turn on normally when I engage them manually. My high beams also engage and disengage normally.
2) While the car is on, while the lights are off, the high beam indicator on my dashboard is blinking constantly, at roughly one second intervals.
3) When the door is open, the car's warning sound / idiot noise is emitted constantly (as if I'd left the lights manually turned on or the key in the ignition, but neither is the case)

Google gave me this, but in my case pulling the high beam switch does not temporarily solve the problem. I don't have a security system or anything unusual installed. I've tried pulling each of the smaller fuses in each of the obvious fuseboxes under the hood, and none extinguished the lights.

When making the appointment with the mechanic, I asked if there were a way to keep this from running down my battery. He said I could disconnect the battery lead while the car was off, but warned this would "wreak havoc" with my car's onboard computer.

The guy at the shop also told me to be prepared to spend at least $200 to resolve this. What little I can glean from Google seems to imply as high as $750 for similar problems.

Is there anything I can do to mitigate the problem myself? The solution doesn't have to be elegant or flawless, just get the car back to a state where I can drive it at night and it doesn't murder my battery. Any, any insight is appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Does high octane gas matter?

youcancallmeal — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 06:47:06 -0800

I have recently acquired a 1988 Toyota pickup with 126k miles. Is it worth it to use higher octane gas? It's been a while since I've had a car of this vintage. Will it make a noticable difference if I use better gas?

Any recourse against a shady car dealer?

getawaysticks — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 12:33:56 -0800

A franchised, "legitimate" car dealer lied to us in order to get us to purchase a car. I know.. not really news and not really unique. But how can we fix this now? We test-drove a new RAV4 from the local Toyota dealership in 2007. We had driven the model before and really liked it - and this was the only dealer in the Metroplex that had a leather model. During the test drive, we noticed a rotten-egg smell coming out of the vents of the car during times of high acceleration. The salesman was in the car with us at the time and said, "Oh, no worries, that will go away once the engine has been broken in."

We should have stopped at that point and went home and researched the scent but we were exhausted and frustrated after looking for a car for 6 weeks or so. We are primarily a Subaru family but knew Toyota was renowned for its service and the quality of the cars so we bought the car (with extended warranty). I know that I can be very naive and I swear, one of these times I will learn.

The rotten-egg smell has never gone away. Here in Dallas, one has to hit the gas - hard - quite often. The smell is immediate and nauseating.

In the 2 years since we purchased the car, we have taken it in for service 6 times for this problem, and it has yet to be fixed. The problem is documented elsewhere on the internet for similar models or older models and there have been Toyota Service Bulletins for it, but nothing for our year/model combination.

Last summer on one of our service visits I went to pick up the car after work. The service employee said that he would file [another] report with Toyota corporate and that in the mean time, "Buy an air freshener." I am just aghast that someone would suggest that to someone paying those exorbitant car payments. Since that visit, we have both brought the truck in and the service manager acknowledges the problem but doesn't know how to fix it (at least, that is what he says). They have escalated to the regional distributor who indicated we need to try another brand of gas (we have done this). The last contact from the dealer was, "We really don't know what to do next."

At this point I am more than a little emotional about this situation. I am angry every time I make a car payment. I thought the extended warranty and/or Toyota's legendary service would protect us from something like this happening. Granted - the car is still drivable, but it is irritating and nauseating to deal with this scent. I would love at this point to just give them the truck back and walk away entirely (but I understand that that is probably not going to happen).

Here is what we have done so far. Are we missing anything? Thank you in advance for any ideas. I just can't believe it's 2009 and we are still letting major car dealers lie to and abuse customers.

1) Contacted bbb.org and filed a complaint
2) Contacted the North Texas New Car Dealers Association, who have initiated contact with the dealer
3) Contacted Toyota's corporate office who report they are investigating the situation
4) Contacted every Dallas news organization's "Watch dog" or "Consumer investigations" team, with little or no response
5) Called a lawyer who is ready to send a demand letter to the dealer, but is not very optimistic
6) Collected the necessary paperwork to attempt a lemon law claim - but the lawyer indicated that the remedy will probably not be to my satisfaction (they will either pay a sum of money to you, or allow you to trade out, and I don't want to deal with this company any longer at all).

Where is the coolant drain pipe in a Toyota & is rust-colored coolant a bad thing?

Bearded Dave — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 13:49:53 -0800

Where can I find the coolant drain in a Toyota Avalon 1995? We just got a car, a used Toyota Avalon '95. It's previous owner didn't really take car of it at all, so now I am going through it and replaced the fluids, replaced the wipers, etc. I also refilled the coolant last week, but when I checked today the reservoir was empty again and the little that is left is rust-colored (coolant was bright yellow), but, as far as I can tell, not oily. I refilled it again and wait and see what happens. There are no puddles under the car.

However, I was also thinking about flushing the coolant system just to clean it out (I'm pretty sure that this hasn't happened in the last 10 years) - but I can't find the drain for it. Could it be under the car? A car repair book that I have explains the process in a way that makes it seem like you can't miss the drain, but I am lost.

So my questions are:

rust-colored coolant and disappearing coolant = bad?
and
Where is the coolant drain located?

Thanks!
~d

Cheapest way for me to diagnose car troubles.

scarello — Fri, 29 May 2009 06:43:17 -0800

Engine is turning over slowly and I think it might be the battery. Affordable way to check this myself or just take it into the garage? The other day, I went to start my 2002 Toyota echo, and the engine had a really slow turn over before it finally started. I notice if I give it a bit of gas, it starts right away. No check engine or battery lights come on while driving around town. From the research I have been doing, it seems to suggest either the battery or the alternator. My wife bought the car used 3 years ago, so there is a good chance it is the original battery, so i am leaning toward a dying battery. Is there a cheap way to figure this out? I don't own a battery charger or a voltmeter, and am trying to figure out if it's cheaper to just have the dealer check it out when we bring the car in for an oil change tomorrow or pick up some items at the auto store and test it myself tonight (and get some tools in the process). Suggestions?

How do I tell whether a 2000 Toyota Celica GTS has ABS or not?

ssnickerer — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:05:49 -0800

How do I tell whether a 2000 Toyota Celica GTS has ABS brakes or not? I'm buying used, and the owner isn't sure.

Where can I rent an import truck?

aeighty — Mon, 04 May 2009 10:10:56 -0800

Where in Vancouver, BC can I rent a Toyota and/or a Nissan truck? I'm planning to buy a truck, so I've been surveying the scene. I've already had a chance to drive Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram 1500 and 2500 diesel (nice!). I'd like to try the import trucks now. Unfortunately, the rental places have domestics only. In US, I know that Toyota does rentals through dealerships, but this doesn't apply to Canada. Anyway, do you guys have any ideas? I tried googling, but no go.

Thanks!

Insight, the big brother, or bigger brother?

7life — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 10:17:10 -0800

BuyingCarFilter: Should I get Honda Insight, Prius, or Prius 3.0? So I test drove the Honda Insight a few days ago. Loved it. It's small, handles well, and cheap. Or so I thought. All the dealerships I went to tacked on 1-3 grand of "market adjusted value"

With the tacked on price, I really see no reason for getting the Insight over the Prius. I would go and get it right now, except for one thing: the 2010 Prius is coming out.

Nobody seems to know the exact date though I'm led to believe it's 6 weeks away. It's a brand new model and even if I don't get it, my reasoning would be that if I wait till it comes out, the 2009 model would drop in price.

So...should I wait? I personally have no problem waiting but my better half is itching to get a new car. Maybe by that time the Honda dealership would finally face reality and price the Insight the way Honda wants it in face of economic conditions and dropping hybrid demands (I'm rather fuming about this right now actually)

Thanks in advance for your input

What repair fixes a misfiring 4-Runner?

carsonb — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 08:42:47 -0800

Why does my uncle's 1998 V6 Toyota 4-Runner misfire at highway speeds? Last month we drove from Los Angeles to Tucson and back, and at what seemed to be random points while we were driving the engine would buck repeatedly. Once it started, it would continue at all speeds, with the engine running particularly rough at low/idle RPM. We took it in to 3 different Toyota dealerships along the way, and to it's home dealership once we got back. They were all happy to service the vehicle, but none were able to fix it and two insisted they couldn't find any problems with the vehicle. Before we go on, my uncle has always insisted on dealership service. His 4-Runner is in pristine condition, to the day on all of its tune-ups and servicings, and only has 130,000 or so miles on it.

The problem first started near El Centro. We limped south along hwy 86 to the dealership there, where they diagnosed a misfire on 'cylinder one'. They 'made some adjustments' but didn't replace or repair anything, and as we left the truck ran fine. In fact, it ran great all the way through Yuma and Casa Grande, but by the time we were passing Picacho (just north of Tucson) the problem had started again. Throughout this leg of the trip we didn't see any instrumental indication that the engine had a problem. (No check-engine light.)

Then Christmas came, and all the dealership service bays were closed. Eventually we got it into a dealership in Tucson, where they couldn't find a whit wrong with the vehicle. Since it was due up, my uncle went ahead and sprung for a full tune-up while we were there. He didn't test the truck at highway speeds after getting it back though...

And sure enough, a few days later as we were rounding Gila Bend on the way back to LA, cruisin' along at a stately 70mph, the engine started bucking again. The check engine light came on occasionally. This time we limped further, all the way to Yuma, where the young salesschmuck told us after 3 hours of diagnostics that they could start by replacing 'the coil', that the distributor needed replacing as well but since they were in the middle of nowhere they didn't have the part on hand. Fine, said unc, so they replaced 'the coil' and sent us on our way. We weren't 20 miles outside of Yuma before the engine started misfiring again.

We make it home (14 hours, Tucson to LA) and my uncle takes his truck into its home dealership, where it's been serviced since he bought it new. According to him, they can't find a single thing wrong with it, including the distributor. There's nothing they could do, apparently.

So what the hell? What could be causing the misfire? Why won't any mechanics diagnose the problem? What are they, what are WE missing? My poor uncle has poured thousands of dollars into repairing his beloved vehicle, and it's still not fixed. I'd love to be able to help him get it running right again.

Playing tunes.

Science! — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 17:53:48 -0800

Can the standard (type II, I think) stereo/CD system in a 2007 Toyota Corolla play MP3 CDs? Or what are my options? I will be going on a road trip in a 2007 Toyota Corolla with a factory standard stereo system that I believe is the type II stereo option. Can this thing read MP3 CDs? A preliminary test of a quickly burned CD says no, but the disc was old and scratched.

2nd part. Can this stereo read CD-RW discs burned as normal CDs (ie, not MP3 CDs)?

3rd part. If all else fails is there a reasonably priced FM transmitter for MP3 players that works well in this car and is available in chain stores?

4th part. Is there an audio in jack somewhere that I missed in the manual? Again, this is a car with really no extra options.

My 1994 Toyota Camry died while driving, any ideas why?

jackofsaxons — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:43:50 -0800

My 1994 Toyota Camry died while driving, any ideas why? On my way home from work my car died while idling at a light, and wouldn't stay running unless I kept the goosing the gas pedal. It also sounded like it was having trouble turning over when I as trying to start it again. To get it going again, I had to gun the gas and pop it into drive, and give it more gas than usual.

I'm going to have someone look at it but I was wondering if anyone could posit a theory on what the heck happened.

How long can I wait to replace a purge valve in my car?

lblair — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 14:45:56 -0800

How long can I wait to replace a purge valve in my '98 Toyota Corolla? How much is a reasonable price for getting this done? Hey everyone. According to the guy at Autozone, the reason my check engine light is on is due to a bad purge valve. He attempted to explain it to me, and I sort of understood, but I don't really know a lot about cars. What I basically want to know is whether NOT fixing it right away can hurt my car. (He said it wouldn't, but I only trust Autozone employees . . . not that much.) He said the only thing that would happen is I would fail an emission test if I ever had to take one. (I don't think I will have to take one, but I want to try and keep my pollution under control!) He also said it would probably cost 200 bucks.

Basically I am broke right now, the soonest I would reasonably be able to afford to fix this is spring. Is waiting going to have a big impact on my car? Is it going to affect my gas mileage or anything like that? Does $200 sound about right?

Thanks!

Heater core? What?

lunasol — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:53:33 -0800

The mechanic said my heater core needs to be replaced and it will cost $700. What does this mean? Lengthy explanation inside. Background: I bought my 1995 Toyota Corrolla this last summer. Got it checked out by a reputable mechanic (Mechanic A) who found no major problems.

I've only ever had one problem - one day about a month ago, I was driving it on a city street. I was stopped at a red light and when the light turned green and I pressed down on the gas, the car stalled out, luckily right next to a gas station. I was able to to steer the car into the gas station, where, after letting it sit for a minute, it started up again with no problem. I'm not sure if this is relevant to my current issue.

Once winter rolled around, I realized the heat didn't work - it would blow, but blow cold. So last Monday I took it to a mechanic recommended by a friend (Mechanic B) who changed the thermostat and cleaned out the heater core, which he said was clogged but didn't seem to think had been a big problem. After this, the heater worked perfectly.

I barely drove the car for a week after getting the heater fixed because I was home for Thanksgiving. I drove it yesterday with no problem, but today when I was driving it I noticed that a white steam had started to billow up from under the hood.

I took it to a mechanic - the steam had stopped at this point - near my house (Mechanic C) who told me that there was no antifreeze and that the heater core was ruined.

Here's where it gets a little confusing. He was not really able to explain very well what was wrong with the heater core or why it would cost $700 to replace. He says without a working heater core, the engine could overheat. He did say I should be able to drive it for a day or so without incident, so I drove it home and I'm planning to take it back to back to Mechanic A tomorrow for a second opinion.

However, before I take it to a mechanic, I'd like to have an idea of what's going on, since it sort of felt like Mechanic C was trying to scam me. I've been poking around on the internet and read these questions, but I have to say I still don't really understand what's going on here. Why would this repair cost so much? Will a failed heater core really ruin my car? If my heater core is still all clogged, why has the heat been working so well in my car? And am I safe to drive the car to the mechanic (4 miles away) tomorrow? (I drove it home with no trouble)

Thanks in advance for helping out a car-illiterate mefite!

Is it worth it?

bob bisquick — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:22:26 -0800

Is it worth it? Mazda Protege vs. Toyota Camry! I currently have a 2000 Mazda Protege. I drive it mostly in the city, so it is a little beat up. It is a manual. It gets about 22 mpg, and has almost 65,000 miles. I could possibly inherit a 2000 Toyota Camry, and I am wondering if it is worth it to dump the Mazda and take the Toyota. It has 80,000 miles, and is an automatic. The insurance on the Toyota is slightly less. Is this really worth the switch? The Toyota is not my dream car, but Toyotas do last forever.

Recommend a mechanic in Vancouver BC

PercussivePaul — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 16:41:32 -0800

Can anyone recommend a mechanic in Vancouver, BC, preferably in the westside? I have a 1992 Toyota Camry, it's due for an oil change but I also want to get a full inspection done because I have a road trip coming up. There are no problems that I know of, but it's been a while since I took the car in and it's starting to show its age; it wouldn't surprise me if something needs to be fixed. However, I don't want to get stuck for unnecessary repairs so I need someone trustworthy.

The last place I took it to was the Toyota dealership in East Van, but their prices are really high. Plus I moved to 4th and Alma and it's pretty far out of my way now. (I commute to UBC every day). I've asked the few friends I know who have cars but most people have a kind of 'meh' opinion about the mechanics they've been to. Anyone have any recommendations?

It doesn't necessarily have to be close to my house (though that would be nice), but either way I don't want to go back to the dealership if I can help it.

How much does it cost to replace the shocks on a Toyota 4Runner?

thewalrus — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 19:16:10 -0800

How much should it cost to replace four shocks on a 1996 Toyota 4Runner? There's really several parts to my question:

1) Does anyone know the specification for the front and rear shocks on a 1996 Toyota 4Runner (HiLux Surf)? I am not 100% sure how shocks are measured or rated, but it must be some combination of length, diameter, weight ratings etc.

2) How much should it cost to purchase four quality shocks?

3) Is the labor to replace the shocks an extremely involved process? Any estimates for number of hours?

I can has 1st geer? Corolla transmission only downshifting to 2nd gear!

cowbellemoo — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:45:08 -0800

My '93 Corolla (AT) isn't shifting into 1st gear. What's the likelyhood that this is a simple or very expensive repair? It's happened a few times over the last few years, but hasn't persisted as a problem after parking and starting up or shifting into reverse/back to drive. Today, both to and from work the problem persisted. Shifting into reverse results in a thump while the car jerks a bit, but only once did 1st gear come back (it refused to go into 1st shortly after). The O/D light blinks, which I'm sure might tell me more, but I don't have an owner's manual. Shifting into "2" or "L" doesn't seem to help, but I really have no idea if that's likely to force it into 1st. Once the car is going 15-20 mph, everything is fine. So I'm only having to give extra gas when starting up from stop, a pain when turning or going up a hill.

I'm going to take it into the shop on the weekend if the problem persists, but I'd love to know in the meantime if there might be a simple fix (busted sensor, low fluids?) or how much a repair might cost if the transmission needs real work. Can anyone tell what's going on?