archer@hsi.UUCP (Garry Archer) (02/25/86)
I have two Toyotas... an '82 Corolla Liftback and an '84 Tercel Deluxe. The reasons I bought them was mainly for pricing and reliability. Eventually the styling grows on you as well! Anyway, reliability has ALWAYS been a big factor when shopping for a new car, and Toyotas have always been touted as being the best at the bottom end of the market (ie, the only ones I can afford...). I have never had any problems with mine (43000 miles on Corolla, 23000 on Tercel). Well that is, up until Saturday Feb 22nd. Scenario: The Tercel had had its 24month service at the local Toyota dealership at the end of January. I filled up the Tercel at a local Texaco station on Saturday afternoon. I drove my wife and one week old son (his FIRST outing!) to a nearby town for shopping. We had stopped at several places. Finally after one stop, I couldn't get the car to start again! The starter would turn over fine, but the engine wouldn't have it. After trying everything I knew, two hours later I finally get towed to a local gas station who carry out repairs. I figured it was bad gas, or water in the fuel line from when I filled up earlier. Maybe the diaphragm in the fuel pump ruptured. Etc. Cause: The mechanic, on the following Monday, replaced an "igniter", which is part of the electronic ignition - "a glorified set of points", he called it. Cost of part, $185.00 !!! According to the mechanic, this is a common problem on 1983 - 1985 Toyotas (hasn't happened to my '82... yet!). With labour and tax, a whopping $229.54 was my total bill. The mechanic said that the engine started fine on Monday morning, but stalled a little later when warmed up. Hence why I could drive around a while before I couldn't restart later on. Well, I'm upset. I still think Toyotas are reliable cars... so why did this part fail at such an early stage on a relatively new auto? Alas, I rarely trust mechanics... you never know if they are giving you bull or not. Other Toyota owners reading this... has the igniter failed on YOUR 1983 - present car? Is it REALLY an increasingly common problem on these cars? The part fits easily into the palm of ones hand - and is SO expensive! Other questions: 1) Why do cars ALWAYS break down late on Saturdays... no mechanic to look at the problem until Monday and the auto-parts stores have just closed? 2) Why do cars break down when you're freezing your buns off? (I laugh because older cars I had ALWAYS broke down on late Saturday afternoons in mid-winter, as well!) -- Garry Archer ihnp4!hsi!archer Health Systems International New Haven, CT 06511 USA
ams@philabs.UUCP (Ali Shaik) (03/01/86)
> Other questions: > 1) Why do cars ALWAYS break down late on Saturdays... no mechanic to > look at the problem until Monday and the auto-parts stores have > just closed? > 2) Why do cars break down when you're freezing your buns off? > Garry Archer ihnp4!hsi!archer No ANSWERS to the above, but my alternator stopped working on the *afternoon of last Christmas Eve*, in a tough Washington DC neighborhood, and I had a ticket on an el-cheapo Christmas day flight out of La Guardia, NY. Miracle of miracles, I just about made it! Ali Shaik ..ihnp4!philabs!ams