1997 Toyota Camry

TOOK 1997 CAMRY TO DEALER SEPTEMBER 2002 FOR SLIGHT HESITATION PROBLEM AND ADVISED THEM THAT I NOTICED A SMALL OIL LEAK WHILE PARKED AT HOME. DEALER ADVISED IT WAS ENGINE SLUDGE. CAR REMAINED IN DEALER'S POSSESSION FOR 1 1/2 MONTHS BECAUSE OF NO RESPONSE FROM SERVICE TECH. THEY CLAIMED THAT SLUDGE PROBLEM WAS FIXED, HOWEVER. JULY 8, 2004 THE CAR STOPPED. HAD IT TOWED TO DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT THE ENGINE DIED FROM SLUDGING...AGAIN. DEALER SAY THEY WILL NOT FIX IT AND THAT I MUST PURCHASE ANOTHER ENGINE FOR $5200.00 (USED 2000 TOYOTA ENGINE). I ADVISED THEM OF THE LETTER FOUND ON THE I-NET FROM TOYOTO RE. "COVERAGE FOR OIL GELLING RELATED ENGINE DAMAGE FOR 8 YEARS UNLIMITED MILEAGE FROM DATE OF FIRST SALE" BUT SERVICE TECH SAID "WE FIXED IT ONCE AND WE WILL NOT DO IT AGAIN". I AM WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION, AND NO SATISFACTION FROM TOYOTA DEALER. HELP!*AK

1997 TOYOTA CAMARY HEAVY BLUE SMOKE ON COLD STARTS, ORIGINALY TAKEN IN FOR OIL GEL PROBLEM WAS TOLD NO GELLING FOUND BUT VALVE OIL SEAL WORN AND NEED REPLACE $1000.00. CAR HAS 85,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN SERVIED BY TOYOTA PER THIER SERVICE MANUAL. HAVE TALKED WITH NUMERIOUS OTHER TOYOTA OWNERS WITH SAME COMPLAINT. FEEL THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE VALVE SEALS BEING SUB STANDARD. PLEASE ADVISE IF OTHER COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN POSTED. *AK

LOUD KNOCKING HEARD FROM FRONT RIGHT OF VEHICLE. TOYOTA SERVICE DEPARTMENT DETERMINED CAUSE TO BE A BAD CV JOINT. ADDITIONALLY, DURING A ROUTINE ENGINE OIL CHANGE, I DISCOVERED AN UNUSUALLY LARGE AMOUNT OF BEADING SLUDGE THAT HAD TO BE REMOVED BY HAND TO DRAIL AND FILL THE OIL. I HAVE READ REPORTS OF THE TOYOTA ENGINES PRODUCING SLUDGE AND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW I GO ABOUT GETTING THIS FIXED ON THEIR RECALL IF ONE OCCURS.

THE PISTON SNAPPED SUDDENLY TOTALLY DESTROYING THE ENGINE. THIS CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED. THE OIL WAS CHANGED EVERY 3,000 - 5,000 BY A REPUTABLE LOCAL INDEPENDENT SERVICE STATION. THE DEALER AT FIRST ATTEMPTED TO BLAME THE OWNER, SAYING THE OIL WAS NOT CHANGED BY THE DEALER AND THE SERVICE STATION HAD PROBABLY USED THE WRONG GRADE AND USED THE WRONG TYPE OF AIR FILTERS. HOWEVER, THEY LATER BACKED OFF THIS CLAIM AND SAID IT NOW APPEARS THE OIL PUMP FAILED. THEY CALLED THIS AN 'ACT OF GOD'. THEY ALSO SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE OIL FILTER POSSIBLY BEING CLOGGED. THEY REFUSED TO CONSIDER SLUDGE AS A POSSIBLE PROBLEM.

I RECEIVED A LETTER LAST YEAR FROM TOYOTA EXPLAINING A GELLING PROBLEM AND TO WATCH OUT FOR BLUE SMOKE COMING FROM THE TAIL PIPE WHEN STARTING THE CAR. I WENT INTO SEARS FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND THEY INDICATED THAT IT LOOKED LIKE MOISTURE WAS GETTING IN THE OIL AND IT LOOKED SLUDGY. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP FOR THEM TO CHECK OUT THIS GELLING. THE LETTER INDICATED THAT TOYOTA WOULD PAY FOR THE PART/INSTALLATION. I GOT THE ESTIMATED BACK FROM TOYOTA AND THEY SAID I DID NOT HAVE ANY GELLING OR SLUDGE IN THE OIL/ENGINE, BUT THAT I DID HAVE ROTTED VALVE STEM SEALS AND HEAD GASKET LEAKS, AND OIL PAN LEAKS AND THATS WHY THERE WAS BLUE SMOKE. THE CAR IS BARELY 7 YEARS OLD AND I HAVE CHANGED THE OIL FAITHFULLY AT 3000 MILES. I DID NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM FIXED, BECAUSE I WANTED A SECOND OPINION FROM A MECHANIC THAT WAS REFERRED TO ME THAT IS TRUSTWORTHY. I PLAN ON TAKING THE CAR IN(AN APPT. WAS MADE FOR 2 DAYS AFTER I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP) AND I HAVE QUESTIONS IN HAND ABOUT HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHEN I HAVE NOT HAD 1 INDICATION THAT THE ENGINE IS GOING BAD/VALVES ARE LEAKING(I.E. THERE HAVE BEEN NO NOISES, LEAKING OF ANTIFREEZE OR OTHER FLUID WHEN I PARK MY CAR O/N OR FOR A FEW HOURS).

I WAS INVOLVED IN A 5 CAR PILE UP ON INTERSTATE 94, HIT VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME GOING AT 45-50 MPH, AND AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ACCORDING TO TOYOTA, THIS IS ACCEPTABLE DUE TO THE PARTICULAR TYPE OF FRONTAL ACCIDENT I HAD. IF HITTING A CAR AT 45-50 MPH DEAD ON IS NOT A GOOD ENOUGH REASON FOR THE AIRBAG DEPLOYING THEN WHAT IS? DUE TO THE AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING, I SUFFERED A SEVERE BRAIN CONTUSION WITH BLEEDING IN THE BRAIN AND LOSS TIME OFF OF WORK. EARLIER ENGINE PROBLEM: OIL SLUDGE IN ENGINE, ONCE REPAIRS WERE DONE 6 MONTHS LATER ENGINE MOUNTS HAD TO BE REPLACE FRONT MOTOR MOUNT AND DOG BONE, INJECTORS AND GASKETS, WHY?, THIS WAS ALL REPLACED ON THE FIRST ENGINEERING DEFECT TOYOTA CREATED AND WHY SHOULD I PAY A PORTION OF THEIR OIL SLUDGE ENGINEERING DEFECTS.