1996 Toyota Camry

TOOK MY CAR IN TO HAVE THE TIMING BELT REPLACED AND TO FIND OUT WHAT THE CAUSE OF THESE PROBLEMS WERE; CAR WORKED FINE OTHERWISE: RATTLE LING NOISES COMING FROM VALVE COVER, ENGINE CONSUMING COOLANT, FRONT ENGINE SEALS LEAKING. TOTAL COST FOR THESE REPAIRS WAS $1992.42 GOT MY CAR BACK FROM THE DEALER, FOUR DAYS LATER THE CAR DIES ON THE ROAD. CAR WAS TOWED BACK TO DEALER AT THEIR EXPENSE. DEALER FOUND THAT THE TIMING BELT HAD SKIPPED. THEY REPLACED THE TIMING BELT, DECLARED CAR FIXED AND GAVE ME THE KEYS. I DROVE OFF AND GOT AS FAR AS TWO BLOCKS AWAY FROM DEALER BEFORE THE CAR DIED AGAIN. THIS TIME THE DEALER SAID THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO ENGINE GEL. THE DEALER SAID THE REPAIRS WOULD BE COVERED BY TOYOTA BUT ONLY IF I COULD SHOW PROOF OF OIL CHANGES RECEIPTS, WHICH I PROVIDED. I'M NOW TRYING TO RECOVER A REFUND FOR THE REPAIRS THAT I PREVIOUSLY PAID FOR THAT WERE DUE TO THE ENGINE GEL PROBLEMS.

ENGINE WAS RUNNING FINE BUT WAS TAKING IT IN FOR 60K MILE SERVICE. TOYOTA DEALERSHIP INFORMED ME OF A BAD OIL SLUDGE PROBLEM AND ESTIMATED THE REPAIRS TO BE $4500. I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC AND HE SAID THAT THERE WAS A CHANCE THE ENGINE HAS NOT BEEN DAMAGED, BUT ONLY A CHANCE. I LET HIM PERFORM THE WORK OF CLEANING THE OIL PAN AND RUNNING A COUPLE OF OIL CHANGES TO CLEAN THE SLUDGE. THE ENGINE SEEMED TO BE RUNNING FINE, BUT NOW (JANUARY 2003) I AM GETTING A LOT OF SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST AND THEY TELL ME THAT SOMETHING MUST HAVE BEEN DAMAGED BUT THEY CAN'T TELL WITHOUT TAKING THE ENGINE APART.

MY CAR HAS 135,000 MILES ON IT AND I WAS RECENTLY NOTICING THAT IT WOULD RUN HARD AND NOT SWITCH GEARS AS SMOOTHLY AS IT ONCE HAD. I TOOK IT IN TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP TO BE EVALUATED AND WAS TOLD IT HAD SLUDGE IN MY ENGINE PROBABLY DUE TO INFREQUENT OIL CHANGES I WAS THEN INFORMED BY THE SERVICE ADVISOR THAT IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE AND THAT IT WOULD COST APPROXIMATELY $5000-$6000. I INFORMED THE ADVISOR THAT I ALWAYS HAD MY OIL CHANGED AS PER THE OWNER?S MANUAL, AND I REQUESTED A WRITTEN ESTIMATE AS TO THE EXACT DETAILS THAT FORMED THE BASIS FOR THIS PRICE QUOTE. I WAS ULTIMATELY DENIED THAT INFORMATION. THE GENTLEMAN TOLD ME HE WOULD CALL ME BACK AND/OR FAX IT TO ME, AFTER WHICH I RECEIVED NOTHING. I CALLED AGAIN, GOT HIS SUPERVISOR INSTEAD OF THE SERVICE ADVISOR, AND HE EXPLAINED THAT ENGINE SLUDGE WAS THE DIAGNOSIS AND THAT I COULD NOT GET A WRITTEN ESTIMATE BECAUSE THE EXACT PARTS NEEDED COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. HE STATED HE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE SOMEONE LOOK FURTHER INTO THE ENGINE'S PROBLEM TO GIVE ME THE ESTIMATE IN WRITING. I ASKED WHY THIS HADN'T BEEN DONE PRIOR TO THE COMPLETION OF THE DIAGNOSIS THAT I ORDERED, AND HE THEN BEGAN STAMMERING AND INFORMED ME THAT HE DIDN'T HAVE MY FILE IN FRONT OF HIM AND HE COULD CALL ME BACK AFTER LOOKING INTO IT FURTHER. HE THEN PROCEEDED TO ASK ME IF I WAS REALLY WILLING TO PAY THAT MUCH FOR AN ENGINE?. WHEN I ASKED WHAT MY OTHER ALTERNATIVES WERE, HE OFFERED TO TRANSFER ME TO A SALESMAN! I NEVER RECEIVED ANY FURTHER PHONE CALLS. IT HAS BEEN MY EXPERIENCE THAT IF I AM NOT WILLING TO BUY A NEW VEHICLE, THE LEVEL OF SERVICE I RECEIVE DECREASES DRAMATICALLY. I HAVE SINCE TAKEN MY CAR TO ANOTHER INDEPENDENT SHOP TO HAVE IT REPAIRED, WHERE I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET AN EXPLANATION BOTH IN WRITING AND BY THE ADVISOR IN CONVERSATION AS TO WHAT EXACTLY IS WRONG AND WHAT EXACTLY NEEDS TO BE FIXED.

PROBLEMS WITH 1996 TOYOTA CAMRY.*MR A FEW YEARS AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE CONSUMER RECEIVED A LETTER FROM TOYOTA WHICH STATED IT WAS NECESSARY TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TIMING BELT REPLACED BEFORE 60,000 MILES. THE LETTER INDICATED THAT IF THE BELT SHOULD MALFUNCTION, THE VEHICLE COULD STOP RUNNING. SINCE RECEIVING THE LETTER THE CONSUMER HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS ADVERTISEMENTS REGARDING TIMING BELT REPLACEMENTS FROM SEVERAL LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED SINCE TOYOTA SEEMED TO KNOW THERE WAS A PROBLEM. *JB *NM