Mechanics HELP!

[layinwood]

Stevie, I would go by Autozone and get their code scanner. You can borrow it for free but have to put down a deposit while you have it. Plug it in and see if it gives you any info.

I've had two transmissions go out. Both times I could put it into 1st and R and it would work but just wouldn't shift at all. Mine didn't make any noises when they went out though.

 

[PAChicky]

I have a recall pending on a car(airbag) and I`m putting it off.....don`t trust these dealerships any farther than I can throw a buick...you know they`ll come back and try to hit you up for some other repair...

Weasie- I would have them do the recall just don't let them upsell anything- tell them thanks for noting it but you decline the repairs.

StevieD- As far as the Toyota Sienna- I wouldn't let Toyota do it. Find a good transmission shop in your area, ask for referrals and references. If the repairs are still going to cost an arm and a leg then maybe "now is the time" to find something different especially with 129K on it. I WOULD NOT buy junk yard parts because you never know what your going to get. When customers ask me to put junk yard parts on their vehicle most of the time my answer is NO. If they insist then I tell them up front that if I install a junk yard part I take no responsibility as to the condition of the part. Prime example-- We had a Chevy Suburban in here and it needed a transfer case. Customer was a friend and good customer. He insisted on a junk yard tranny. We got one and put it in and it was no good. He ended up getting a new tranny and paying me to do the job twice.

As Sheplock said- get your own parts....that's like asking McDonalds to cook your burger and put it on their bun for half the price. Most shops will not install customer supplied parts (there is no markup on the part if we don't sell it to you and that's where we make our money) but if they do again it's a "you get what you pay for repair" - you bring me a junk part and I put it on and it doesn't work- you still pay me for the job and then I get you a good part and you pay me to do the job again.

Good Luck in whatever you do- just advice from what I deal with everyday. I sit my ass in the office chair and listen to the boss drop F-bombs all day when fixing stuff lol

 

[Shleprock]

I could give you many successful parts I put on a 99 dodge caravan. At 20500miles replaced tranny with one from junk yard they gave a 1000 mile warranty that tranny lasted till I got rid of with 59900 on it. Dodge wanted $2500just for tranny local tranny shops 2200 I got it for $695. It outdid original factory tranny.

 

[REFLOG]

another tranny post:mj07:

 

[Shleprock]

12900 miles is not a lot those vans maintain a good value one in good shape you can get $13-$15000

 

[McKenzie]

I have a recall pending on a car(airbag) and I`m putting it off.....don`t trust these dealerships any farther than I can throw a buick...you know they`ll come back and try to hit you up for some other repair...

Yep. That's how the dealership owner gets rich. He makes little or nothing from warranty work. He gets rich by selling you parts at full retail price and of course he over charges you big time for labor.

 

[PAChicky]

Yep. That's how the dealership owner gets rich. He makes little or nothing from warranty work. He gets rich by selling you parts at full retail price and of course he over charges you big time for labor.

Funny part is we own a repair garage (well he does). I took our 2008 Toyota Tundra down for a recall on the door switch about a year ago. While there, they explained to me that the battery was still the factory original and I should have it replaced while I was there because it was heavily corroded and he was "shocked" that it still started. To the tune of $200. He also noted that while there I should have the serpentine belt replaced because it was cracked and could potentially fly off. Another $150. When I declined those repairs and said "we can do those in our own shop but thanks for letting me know" he then said "oh and by the way the water pump is leaking- don't over heat it or bad things will happen." The only reason he pushed for the belt and the battery is they were quick fixes and good money makers. The water pump would have required me to leave the truck- which by the way the water pump to this day is not leaking. I think he saw a bit of coolant that may have gotten spilled when the reservoir got topped off- further more- if the water pump is leaking that would be the time to replace the belt. You have to take it off to do the water pump job anyhow.

I feel so bad for people who go into dealerships because sitting in the waiting room while they were fixing the truck, I heard them tell an old couple a multitude of things their Camry "needed to have right away" and of course they said go ahead and fix it, they didn't want the car to be unsafe. Most of it was bullshit stuff. I can't imagine these people feel good about ripping people off but they see it only as getting as much money out of people as they can. If I see something a car needs when it's in the shop I'll call the customer and say "hey is saw this or that" - if it's something that I know needs attention I won't make them fix it if they don't want to (unless it's an inspection requirement) but to cover my ass I will document it on the repair order that these were things that I saw that need attention or will need attention in the future. I did have a customer once who I noted some things and they left and a week later called me back and said such and such broke and it was my fault and I said "no I told you it needed fixed and you declined the repairs". Before opening our garage he used to work at a dealer in the city and the motto of the dealership owner was " the customer is not going to take money out of their pocket and give it to you, you need to reach into their pocket and take it".

Sheplock I'm glad things worked out well for you on the junk yard parts. Maybe you just have better junk yards in your area, because we don't have very good luck with the yards here which are very scarce to begin with- so I'm guessing maybe they scrounge what they can to make some money.

 

[McKenzie]

Funny part is we own a repair garage (well he does). I took our 2008 Toyota Tundra down for a recall on the door switch about a year ago. While there, they explained to me that the battery was still the factory original and I should have it replaced while I was there because it was heavily corroded and he was "shocked" that it still started. To the tune of $200. He also noted that while there I should have the serpentine belt replaced because it was cracked and could potentially fly off. Another $150. When I declined those repairs and said "we can do those in our own shop but thanks for letting me know" he then said "oh and by the way the water pump is leaking- don't over heat it or bad things will happen." The only reason he pushed for the belt and the battery is they were quick fixes and good money makers. The water pump would have required me to leave the truck- which by the way the water pump to this day is not leaking. I think he saw a bit of coolant that may have gotten spilled when the reservoir got topped off- further more- if the water pump is leaking that would be the time to replace the belt. You have to take it off to do the water pump job anyhow.

I feel so bad for people who go into dealerships because sitting in the waiting room while they were fixing the truck, I heard them tell an old couple a multitude of things their Camry "needed to have right away" and of course they said go ahead and fix it, they didn't want the car to be unsafe. Most of it was bullshit stuff. I can't imagine these people feel good about ripping people off but they see it only as getting as much money out of people as they can. If I see something a car needs when it's in the shop I'll call the customer and say "hey is saw this or that" - if it's something that I know needs attention I won't make them fix it if they don't want to (unless it's an inspection requirement) but to cover my ass I will document it on the repair order that these were things that I saw that need attention or will need attention in the future. I did have a customer once who I noted some things and they left and a week later called me back and said such and such broke and it was my fault and I said "no I told you it needed fixed and you declined the repairs". Before opening our garage he used to work at a dealer in the city and the motto of the dealership owner was " the customer is not going to take money out of their pocket and give it to you, you need to reach into their pocket and take it".

Sheplock I'm glad things worked out well for you on the junk yard parts. Maybe you just have better junk yards in your area, because we don't have very good luck with the yards here which are very scarce to begin with- so I'm guessing maybe they scrounge what they can to make some money.

Great post, thanks for telling us these things. :0008

 

[StevieD]

Just an update. Saturday morning I am having the car towed from the dealer to a local guy. Toyota wants 50 something dollars before they give me the keys back for the inspection or whatever they called the quote.

 

[McKenzie]

Just an update. Saturday morning I am having the car towed from the dealer to a local guy. Toyota wants 50 something dollars before they give me the keys back for the inspection or whatever they called the quote.

:facepalm: Freaking ripoff.

 

[McKenzie]

Just an update. Saturday morning I am having the car towed from the dealer to a local guy. Toyota wants 50 something dollars before they give me the keys back for the inspection or whatever they called the quote.

Let us know what the mechanic charges you, okay?

 

[Woodson]

Great thread, let us know how it ends.

 

[StevieD]

I am going to pick up the Sienna this morning. The total comes to $4900 and something. It is a 4 wheel drive. Rebuilt Trans and a radiator. Plus when it blew up a bunch of lights came on and they cleared all of those. Toyota wanted over $10,000.

Toyota also sent me a survey one of the questions was if I posted online about my experence with their service department.

 

[THE KOD]

lesson learned

 

[McKenzie]

I am going to pick up the Sienna this morning. The total comes to $4900 and something. It is a 4 wheel drive. Rebuilt Trans and a radiator. Plus when it blew up a bunch of lights came on and they cleared all of those. Toyota wanted over $10,000.

Toyota also sent me a survey one of the questions was if I posted online about my experence with their service department.

Dealers suck.

 

[bleedingpurple]

shleprock and I live in Wisconsin and I'm in minnesota all the time. I would think with the snow and ice we have many more
accidents / totaled cars. I have 2 big
junk yards close and have not
had problems getting junk yards parts. their is a national junk yard on Line site that will send you parts and those work good. I'm a finlander so using junk parts is how I was raised

 

[Sportsaholic]

Just like Doctors when there a major issue get a second opinion....8 yrs ago my wife 6 year old Jeep was leaking fluids, took it to a garage near our house.....Owner calls us up, $3,800 to fix and suggest we junk the Jeep....

We take the Jeep in town to another shop, come back an hour later to see what they say...."All fixed, $35 bolt....you're good to go".....Jeeps 14 yrs old now and still runs like a trooper.....:0008

 

[MadJack]

Just like Doctors when there a major issue get a second opinion....8 yrs ago my wife 6 year old Jeep was leaking fluids, took it to a garage near our house.....Owner calls us up, $3,800 to fix and suggest we junk the Jeep....

We take the Jeep in town to another shop, come back an hour later to see what they say...."All fixed, $35 bolt....you're good to go".....Jeeps 14 yrs old now and still runs like a trooper.....:0008

A $35 BOLT? Man, you really got fucked. :142smilie

 

[Sportsaholic]

A $35 BOLT? Man, you really got fucked. :142smilie

You know, never really thought about it...I did.....:142smilie

 

[yyz]

Just like Doctors when there a major issue get a second opinion....8 yrs ago my wife 6 year old Jeep was leaking fluids, took it to a garage near our house.....Owner calls us up, $3,800 to fix and suggest we junk the Jeep....

We take the Jeep in town to another shop, come back an hour later to see what they say...."All fixed, $35 bolt....you're good to go".....Jeeps 14 yrs old now and still runs like a trooper.....:0008

I had a car about 25 years ago where the seat started to "fly back" on me. I took it back to the dealer and had them look at it. "We need to replace the seat......Run about $800-$1,000".

My wife had the family van getting looked at at a local guy's shop a few days later, so I asked him to check out my car. He looked at it and said, "You need a new bolt, it will take about 15 minutes." I just laughed, and told him about the other shop, he wasn't surprised.

He told me there was no charge for the work, and I asked him what he drank, and picked him up a couple cases of beer.