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[UPDATE] Lets see who's car gives more trouble than mine..

The Stigenator

The Stigenator

Lifer
I have a 1994 Toyota Tercel with 130,000 miles.
2 weeks back I got it back with almost 700 dollars in bills for the car. I had the spark plugs replaced, cables, distributor etc etc. THe most expense was the valve gasket that was leaking. My valve clearances were screwed up too..that had to be fixed. My timing chain was also cracking (and thankfully i asked abotu the valve noise or they would have never checked the timing chain).. it looked like it was about to break.
Fast forward to today.. give the car in for service, actually it was more like an retest of emmisions. I was complaining that it nearly didnt pass emmsion tests last time it had gone for a major service (2001), so they retested it when they did the previous service and wanted me to come back after i had done 500 miles. I brought it in with about 900 miles on teh clock since the last service. It passes emmisions but the damn stall problem was there.
They hooked it to a computer and found my EGR (part of the emmission control for CA cars) was going bad and was giving erratice readings.. The cat converter was also part of it and needs replacing. On top my clutch is fried.
So this bill is 1700 dollars.
I just hope after all this the car runs fine.
In the last 3 years or so.. the bills have been over a grand for fixing the car.
Now economics comes to play.. the car is worth about 2500 - 3000 (private seller) for the maximum and i definatley have paid quite a bit to keep it maintained each time. (but i will get lesser than that cause there are two major dents on the left side - thanks to some idiot who cant do a u-turn)
In Jan 2000 I lost my head gasket, water pump, timing chain a few more things were done by a private mechanic.. cost 1500 usd + cost of new brakes (all 4 wheesl) + new tyres + front suspension (800 usd)
in 2001 I lost the water pump again! the gaskets were replaced (upper head gaskets) and a few more things.. cost 1200 usd
2002 so far I have spent 900 (650 for service + 250 for tires) + 1700 est for the rest of the stuff.
I need a new job though.. my brother is paying the big bill this time (as he did the earlier times) but its now just economics..He wotn get rid of the car cause it was his first car, and I wont drive anyother car cause i dont have anyother car. Which means I keep putting on the miles on this car and he ends up footing the major bills. I offset some of teh driving with teh motorcycle, but still its no comparision to the car.
TGG
 


<< Your car is troublesome, but after all this, what the heck is there left to go wrong? >>



I am thinking next to go is the MAS (Mass Airflow Sensor - its expensive - 600 bucks) and possibly my CV boots. My brakes are fine so far and i got new tyres. I am thinking suspension (rear) will need work and possibly will do teh front once again while I am at it.

In 2 years the airbag will require service (10th year of the car airbag needs checking then every 2 years)...

so there is plenty more to go around changing.
 
"He wotn get rid of the car cause it was his first car..."

You've got to find a way to aquire another car... SOON! Leave that running car with your brother before it messes up again. Use it as a backup vehicle later.
 


<<

<< Your car is troublesome, but after all this, what the heck is there left to go wrong? >>



I am thinking next to go is the MAS (Mass Airflow Sensor - its expensive - 600 bucks) and possibly my CV boots. My brakes are fine so far and i got new tyres. I am thinking suspension (rear) will need work and possibly will do teh front once again while I am at it.

In 2 years the airbag will require service (10th year of the car airbag needs checking then every 2 years)...

so there is plenty more to go around changing. >>

Airbag, schmairbag, wear your seatbelt. I hope the MAS doesn't go though (if it does, it could possibly need some dismantling and cleaning to be good again, though a Toyota dealreship would never try that first). CV's happen 🙁. Jeez, suspension work in the front again? You've only got so many wear items up there, 2 struts, 4 tie-rod ends, 2 ball joints, and possibly bushings. Those things last a long time on a Honda Civic, maybe the Tercel uses cheaper parts. Maybe it's time for a Civic. They're great eco-cars.

Now I'm about to go off on a tangent: I think I want to be an automotive engineer. I know how all the stuff works, except for automatic transmissions, but then I was never all that interested in automatic transmissions 😛.
 
Try to convince your brother that the car is a money pit, and he's better off getting a new (used) car. I understand being attached with it being the 1st car, but its not worth it when the repair bills hit the roof.
 
airbag "service" just means that you look and see that the srs light goes off after you start it.. that's about it
 
Your brother would be much better off (in the long run) getting a brand new low end Kia for around $7,000 (maybe $5,800 if you're lucky like apoppin was).
 
<<I know how all the stuff works, except for automatic transmissions, but then I was never all that interested in automatic transmissions>>

Does anyone actually know how an automatic transmission works? I don't know a single car guy who will touch his own automatic tranny, they'll tear down a 1968 'Vette and build it back up right down to the last bolt, but the automatic tranny in their other car is off limits.

As for the Tercel, First Car Syndrome (FCS) is an expensive condition. I would advise that you humour your brother, but find a car of your own, even it's just a beater.

ZV
 


<< <<I know how all the stuff works, except for automatic transmissions, but then I was never all that interested in automatic transmissions>>

Does anyone actually know how an automatic transmission works? I don't know a single car guy who will touch his own automatic tranny, they'll tear down a 1968 'Vette and build it back up right down to the last bolt, but the automatic tranny in their other car is off limits.


ZV >>




i've noticed that a lot, I have been reading as much as possible about the technology that cars use(especially engines, now i'm moving towards suspension) but everyone shys away from automatics. I tried to understand how they worked from a howstuffworks article but it didn't sink in. I wish that Autozine Technical School page i had bookmarked wasn't dead, it might have had some better explanations. the same holds true for synchros, doesn't it? no one seems to know how they work 😉
 
UPDATE:

I just got back from the dealer. Most work is necessary. It seems, even though the computer says the O2 Sensor is fine, the sensor isnt. In the process of pulling off the catalytic converter they took out to O2 sensor and turns out its broken. The sensor module is a cylinder with holes in it. Well the top end is closed and the holes are on its sides. But in this case teh top end is broken and cracked! How the heck did that happen. So that has to be replaced now.
One of teh CV boots is cracking though its not that bad, I still had them replace both boots (lesser headache on the long run).
My Lower control arms on both sides are off center a bit. THey dont have that part on hand and hence cant do anything.. but the tech said it will take it off (since the rest of the drive train is already out) and try and fix it if possible. If he cant fix i will think about fixing it in the near future.

The catalytic converter is anotehr mess.. Toyota doesnt have it in stock so its coming from the original manufacturer place (japan). They cant seem to find a good 3rd party cat, the one they found peter (my service advisor) wasnt willing to put it in, first that one is a weld on type (and mine is bolt on) and second its a lot larger than my original cat - might cause exhaust problems.

Anywho I am hoping to get my car back by wednesday and the bill is at $2000 or so.

This car better give me another 100,000 miles of trouble free service after this cause there is no use selling it now, its repairs are more than the car is worth, unless I can find a sucker who will pay me for teh car's worth + the cost of repairs (which he would have to have done anyway).


TGG



 
Maybe start going to a different repair shop? Seriously.

FWIW, I had a '82 Tercel back in the day. EVERYTHING went wrong with itPut about $2500 into it over the course of 9 months, then sold the car to someone for $200. Loved to see it go.
My roommate has a '90 Tercel with 210k on it, and has had very few problems since the car was new.

As someone once said to me, "Maybe your car was built on a Friday..."
 


<< Maybe start going to a different repair shop? Seriously. >>



Its at the dealer now, while the work is a tad bit more expensive its atleast warrented. Back in 2000 i had a private guy do the job and while his job was well done, his warrenty wouldnt have held cause the next year every thing he did had to be replaced once again.. (see water pump in one of my posts).

I dont think I will see selling this car, I rather just get a new car (2002 Jetta VR6 or 2002 Acura RSX TypeS) and leave this car as a secondary driver. I will do that maybe end of this year. Hopefully it will be a trouble free for the rest of the year.

 
You seem rather knowledgable with cars, why don't you do some of the work yourself? I mean, if you make quite a bit of money and your time isn't worth it then I guess I could see it, but then you'd know that it's quality work.
 
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