> wrote in message
m...
>
> "Ray O" > wrote in message
> ervers.com...
>>
>> > wrote in message
>> m...
>> >
>> > "Ray O" > wrote in message
>> > ervers.com...
>> >>
>> >> "Steve B." > wrote in message
>> >> ...
>> >> > On Sat, 25 Jun 2005 04:12:28 GMT, Ajanta > wrote:
>> >> >
>> >> >>
>> >> >>How should I approach the maintenance of this car? What should be
>> >> >>done and when?
>> >> >
>> >> > Look in your owners manual and follow the severe service maintenance
>> >> > schedule. If there are things you are behind on or don't know to
> have
>> >> > been completed then go ahead and catch them up.
>> >>
>> >> Great advice!
>> >>
>> >> >>
>> >> >>Secondly, where should such work be done? I am so happy to be able
>> >> >>tp
>> >> >>plan that, instead of being limited by who is near and who is open
>> >> >>during a holiday weekend!
>> >> >>
>> >> >>Are big national chains like Sears, Pep Boys, WalMart etc any good?
>> >> >>CarX, Midas, Firestone? (Recommendations for places local to Chicago
>> >> >>are also welcome.)
>> >> >
>> >> > I avoid the above mentioned places at all costs. Some of them can
>> >> > be
>> >> > good but most are not and you never know which kind you are getting.
>> >> > Ask friends and co-workers for reccomendations on an independant
>> >> > shop
>> >> > that is reliable and in your area.
>> >> >>
>> >>
>> >> Also great advice!
>> >>
>> >> >>I stopped at a local garage in an area where I had to kill time
> today.
>> >> >>He suggested (1) changing belts (incl timing) and (2) getting a
>> >> >>tune-up, even if nothing seems wrong. Is that good advice?
>> >> >>
>> >> >>He was unsure about water pump: it would be $80 if done with timing
>> >> >>belt but a lot more if it had to be done on its own, but nothing is
>> >> >>wrong and it could possibly last.
>> >> >
>> >> > The fact that he was unsure about the water pump is a little
> troubling
>> >> > to me. Replacing the water pump with the timing belt on these cars
> is
>> >> > a very good idea as you have to remove it to get to the belt anyway
>> >> > and when it fails in the future (not if) it can take out the brand
> new
>> >> > belt. Gates web site shows your belt needing to be changed at 90k
>> >> > miles.
>> >> >
>> >> > When a timing belt breaks on your engine the valves can hit the
>> >> > pistons. When this happens either the valves or the piston
> breaks....
>> >> > either way it will cost you a small fortune so don't mess around
>> >> > with
>> >> > it. Check out
>> >> > http://www.gates.com/brochure.cfm?br...cation_id=3487
>> >> > for a pretty good explanation and a couple of illustrations that
>> >> > show
>> >> > what happens.
>> >> >
>> >>
>> >> On a Camry, the valves will not hit the pistons if the timing belt
> breaks
>> >> but the car will leave you stranded.
>> >>
>> >> I recommend changing the timing belt at 90,000 miles and if you can
>> >> afford
>> > a
>> >> little extra to change thw wter pump as a prevantative measure, then
> I'd
>> > do
>> >> it when the timing belt is changed because much of the work to change
>> >> a
>> >> water pump is removing the timing belt.
>> >>
>> >> Although changing a timing belt is not that difficult, Toyota dealers
>> >> have
>> >> it down to a science and often have sales on timing belt replacements.
> I
>> >> recommend that you have the timing belt changed by a dealer.
>> >
>> > The Gates book shows the V6 to be interference, I believe, while the L4
> is
>> > not, if I read it correctly.
>>
>> I stand corrected! By the way, a timing belt that is getting ready to
> fail
>> will start to make a slapping noise so they generally give warning before
>> they fail. If you change it every 90,000 miles, then no worries.
>> >
>> > I would pick my mechanical service carefully.
>>
>> I agree - see my earlier responses.
>>
>> Some dealerships are crappy,
>> > others may be pretty good. A blanket recommendation to take your car
>> > to
> a
>> > dealership garage is not the best advice,
>> > in my opinion.
>> >
>>
>> Dealerships must meet special service tool, training, equipment, and
>> facility requirements. They also receive a full set of factory service
>> manuals and new special service tools every year as well as receive every
>> technical service bulletin as soon as they are issued. Dealership
>> service
>> departments are rated by consumers and regularly receive customer
>> satisfaction scores.
>
> Some dealers are good, some are crap, as I said before.

This is true, however, of the 100 or so dealerships I've personally dealt
with, I'd say 70% were technically good, another 25% were excellent, and the
remaining 5% were poor. The proportions of good, excellent, and poor
technicians who worked at the dealerships is probably about the same. Your
chances of getting good service on your Toyota at a Toyota dealer are at
least as good and probably better than your chances of getting that same
level of technical competence at an independent shop.

>
>> I have no problem with most independents for simple work like oil
>> changes,
>> brakes, suspension, etc. but beyond that, their knowledge and experience
>> tends to be generic where Toyota technicians have more specific knowledge
>> and experience. My recommendation was not a blanket one to take the car
> to
>> a dealership; it was for a timing belt replacement.
>> --
>
> " I recommend that you have the timing belt changed by a dealer."
>
> You dont have to take it to a dealer. You want to take your car to a good
> and competent
> mechanic, wherever he may be. Dealers dont always provide this quality.
> They SHOULD,
> at the prices they charge, provide experts but unfortunately this just
> isnt
> always the case.
>
I agree that dealers don't always provide the quality of the service that
they should, especially for the prices they charge BUT, like I said, given
an unfamiliar dealer and an unfamiliar independent shop, IMO, the dealer is
a much better bet. If you know a competent independent who charges less
than a dealership, uses quality parts, and stands behind his work, then he
may be worth going to. Our local Toyota dealer charges less than $200 for
a timing belt replacement where the independent wants closer to $300 because
it takes him longer.

Like I said, it is worth pricing the work before getting it done.
--
Ray O
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