That's not unreasonable (assuming they mean parts + labor). I don't know what it would be time wise for a mechanic, but for a shade tree mechanic, it's probably a 4-5 hour job. Probably advisable to replace your water pump at the same time.
I have had it for 3 or 4 years. The guy that it owned it before never drove it much. It just sat parked. He said he took care of it though. We have out roughly 30,000 miles on it I think. We have done oil changes but that is about it?
No maintenance records? It should be on it's 2nd or 3rd timing belt by 160K. Great thing about Youtube, I'm sure you could find plenty of videos on timing belt issues or similar no-start/stalling issues.
I don't know if the car was running rougher. It sound every once in a while like it was having a harder time and the car would slow down and not be able to accelerate and then be fine again. Then it died finally.
@julius We had it checked last August at Valvoline. The "serpentine" belt was checked ok Oh wait thats not the timing belt duh
Most shops will put a sticker on the timing case with the mileage at the last belt replacement. Assuming it was done at a shop and not at home.
You could also just take a look at that part of the engine. If the timing belt cover looks like it's been untouched for years, it's probably not been changed. One of the rules I go by, when buying a new car, is finding out the last time the timing belt and water pump were replaced, and if there's no evidence of it, replace em. But I'm lucky in that I have a second car, have the knowledge and experience on replacing parts on a car, and the patience to do so. I also don't trust the vast majority of mechanic shops out there.
I appreciate the info. Still don't know what I will do. Tow company wants $350 + daily fee + they are threatning a lien whatever the fuck that is. Then I gotta pay $80 bucks at least to have it towed. Then parts + work ($700?) Not sure it's worth it. I know 150,000 miles on a 1992 Toyota is pretty good for it being 28 years old. But, is it worth $1200 or more to get it fixed? IDK Fucking priceless
These kinds of tow companies are a scam, imho. They basically steal your car and then charge you a fine + daily costs to retrieve it. Can you afford to pay the costs? If so, it might be best to pay it and fix the car yourself. Because otherwise you'd be paying far more in the long run to replace the car. But like I said, tow companies who do this are fucking scum
Yeah, even dealership services departments will gouge you if they can...in fact, the overwhelming percentage of profit at new car dealerships doesn't come from selling new cars as many might think, but instead comes from the parts and service departments.
I could. But, I am weighing just putting some money down on a newer car at a lot vs fixing the camry. Like I said 150,000 miles on 1992 isn't terrible but is it worth $1200 or so to fix...probably more with the air hose
Yep. That's why I never buy from a dealer (well, that and the cars I want tend to not be on a car lot). I get that they have to make money, but when you are knowingly and purposely scamming people...I don't know how those people sleep at night. I had a car that wouldn't start in May of 18, and I was having it towed home...but the driver suggested a AAA endorsed shop to have them look at it. It would only be a 100 dollar diagnostic. So I figured I was A: tired and B: it was AAA and I trust them. So I left it there, and then 3 days later they got back to me and told me it was a 300 dollar bill and they replaced the (seriously) 10 dollar wire that was bad (it was buried and I couldn't see it)...and then gave me a litany of items that were needing to be replaced. Of the like 5-6 things they suggested were bad, 3 of them were parts I *just* replaced and the other ones weren't anything major. They wanted me to pay 2500 to fix it, so I told them to pound sand and took me car. Called up AAA and complained and they contacted the place, and the owner called me and apologized and said that i wasn't the first one to complain about upselling by the mechanic, and he fired him and refunded me. He could've lied to me about the firing, but I didn't expect a refund. AAA has that kind of clout. Ironically enough, my car pretty much was on it's last legs at that point. Not because of the issue, but because I think the car just decided it was done and I was done chasing the problems. I will never go to that place ever again, and it just proved my theory that most shops are shit cans.
If in fact the problem is a broken timing belt I guarantee you can find someone to replace it for a lot less than "$700"...I've done them myself and though it's a bit time consuming, it's really not that hard, especially on 4 cylinders.
@Chris Craig , was the costs you listed the cost of the towing storage + already incurred costs from the mechanic?
No. That is not including costs incurred by the mechanic or the two tows I had to pay for to get it to the shop and back to my house. $75 for the diagnostic + 2 $80 tows
I see. Couple more questions (thanks for being open to talking about this). Do you have AAA? If not you should get it. 99 bucks gets you 4 free towings a year. And the car you are towing doesn't even have to be yours (I used 2 of my tows to tow a friends car to his house). Do you have a second car that you can use in the mean time? Do you have any friends who are mechanically inclined? Replacing the TB on that shouldn't be too hard. If it were me (obviously your mileage may vary), I'd get the car out of the tow yard and tow it to your apartment making sure it's parked the right way...(while swearing endlessly at the stupidity of that parking rule), and fix it myself. Granted, I might have much more know-how when it comes to that, but to me, eating potentially 1200 dollars is better than eating several thousand in car payments (even if it's a nicer, newer car). I like owning my cars outright, so no one can repo them.
I don't. But I will look into that. Thanks for your input. Again its appreciated. One way or the other there will be lots of swearing.
