weyes Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 my '91 camry has a host of issues ; i took it into sears today 'cause the battery finally went dead and something therefore had to be done. i don't know squat about cars, so please excuse my ignorance in this wannabe-explanation; i'm hoping some of you experts can help out poor me ... here's what i told them i knew was wrong, right off:1. battery/alternator issue of some sort2. brakes squeak when coming out of having been parked for a long time, like overnight or after a day's work (but not when driving)3. a wire (that connects a spark plug to a cylinder ?) keeps popping out of my engine; this makes my car shake when it's still4. and i need a general oil change/tuneup/blahblahblahthe guy said that they could help with 1, 2, and 4, but that sears doesn't do engine work. sucky, i thought, because some shady mechanic just told me that i need to rethread a cylinder - 'cause there was all sorts of silicone on it and it was all jacked up - which would run me $2,000, and i'm not too keen on that. i wanted a second opinion. (any thoughts on that?)anycrap, turns out my battery/alternator was fine, just needed new leads/terminals. but i was then told that my brakes are fucked up and will need $660 worth of repairs (though $200 of that is labor) . they told me what needed to be done but i don't know what any of it meant. here's what's written on the estimate:QTY:2 drm rtr turn.on car eachQTY:2 brake hub./rotor loc purQTY:2 rem sg clprs.local purchsQTY:1 rear brakes,ult disc servis this really $660 worth of repairs, or am i getting more screwed than most people do in mechanic type situations ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeg Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 yeah, thats about right... you basically replaced all of your brake components...the clprs i'm guessing are "calipers" and the hub/rotor is the rotors (or discs 'as in, disc brakes')...you apparently have rear disk brakes, and drums up front i'm guessing... drm rtr i THINK is 2 new drums... but i'm not sure what "turn on car each" means... and i think the last one is the service itself... (ie the labor)i don't know anything about that car specifically... but in general calipers & rotors are expensive... so it doesn't sound like you're being screwed at face value...as far as the shaky idle, it sounds like you're correct when you say the spark plug is popping out of the cylinder... thus you're only running on 3, and the air/fuel ratio is off, and plus no car runs well on 3 cylinders... hense your eratic idling... as far as 2g to tap a new hole... i don't know about that...bring it to a real mechanic (preferably one recommended to you buy someone whos into cars) and see what they say... maybe they can get some kind of quick fix going until you're ready to buy a new car... hope that helped... if you have any questions on what i said, let me know, i'll clarify it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintron Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 Originally posted by weyes 1. battery/alternator issue of some sort2. brakes squeak when coming out of having been parked for a long time, like overnight or after a day's work (but not when driving)3. a wire (that connects a spark plug to a cylinder ?) keeps popping out of my engine; this makes my car shake when it's still4. and i need a general oil change/tuneup/blahblahblahthe guy said that they could help with 1, 2, and 4, but that sears doesn't do engine work. sucky, i thought, because some shady mechanic just told me that i need to rethread a cylinder - 'cause there was all sorts of silicone on it and it was all jacked up - which would run me $2,000, and i'm not too keen on that. i wanted a second opinion. (any thoughts on that?)anycrap, turns out my battery/alternator was fine, just needed new leads/terminals. but i was then told that my brakes are fucked up and will need $660 worth of repairs (though $200 of that is labor) . they told me what needed to be done but i don't know what any of it meant. here's what's written on the estimate:QTY:2 drm rtr turn.on car eachQTY:2 brake hub./rotor loc purQTY:2 rem sg clprs.local purchsQTY:1 rear brakes,ult disc servis this really $660 worth of repairs, or am i getting more screwed than most people do in mechanic type situations ? I just re-did my own brakes entirely. It's expensive but you want it done right.It looks like on your list that you've got 2 drums (probably out back - nobody has drum brakes upfront), and they're being turned on a lathe to even out their surfaces.Next up, 2 brake "hub/rotor"... um i'd HOPE they just mean the rotors are being replaced. The hub is what the brake caliper, rotor and your wheel all bolt onto - and unless that is wel and truly fucked, there is no reason to replace it.next, 2 remanufactured calipers. They're replacing your brake calipers - they're the pieces that clamp down on your rotors to provide braking force.Now if you said your brakes were squealing, this may be the correct action. I had a similar problem. Over time brake fluid absorbs water if it's not changed and that water can rust the internal pieces of your calipers, causing them to "stick" and not slide smoothly. This can cause your caliper to begin to freeze and then you end up with your brakes on almost all the time. Technically they could simply rebuild your caliper by removing the pistons from it (there are 2), replacing the rubber seals and O-rings, cleaning it out of all debris and rust and reassembling it...but they sound like they'd rather charge you bank for a new one.I just rebuilt all of my brakes and it isn't the easiest thing Next up, One rear disc brake - um do these guys know what they're talking about? front drums and rear discs? that doesn't happen in today's world. I dont know what the heck they mean.Honestly, I would take your car to Toyota for brake work. It may be a little more expensive but you'll get the job done right and they understand how to work on your car. Sears tends to be shady.As for the rest: you say a sparkplug wire keeps popping off?Does your car feel like it's "missing" at idle? LIke stuttering and such? How many miles on it?chances are you could be due for an ignition service. That's probably what they mean by "tuneup".IT's really not difficult at all. I'd recommend replacing your distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs and plug wires.all that together should be no more than 100 bucks in parts MAX.That usually freshens up the car's response and idle and makes fuel mileage go up.As for your battery - i know you said it just needed new terminals, but i'd have someone check the voltage anyway, and also check the output of your alternator, just in case. A place like Advance Auto Parts or maybe Autozone would do that for you, usually for free. It's a good thing b/c if your alternator is going bad, then that makes your battery do the work of running the car... and that means you can easily get stranded in the middle of nowhere with a car that won't start and won't run when it's jumped.as for the rest, oil change = cheap.honestly i'd recommend going to Toyota, having them look at the car and give you an estimate. I know places that can get Toyota parts for 10% over their cost... and that goes a long way when you buy their stuff. I dont know if you want to do so, but you COULD order the parts you need online after Toyota gives you their appraisal and the sheet of parts. I'd bet you'll save a good 100-200 bucks.New Rotors, remanufactured calipers, rear brake servicing, etc etc.That's a lot of cash. good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petp Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 unless youre emotionally attached to the car, paying 2000 bucks for an engine repair isnt really worth it....the car is probably worth that much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cintron Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 if the guy said "rethreading the cylinder" that's complete bullshit and he's taking you for a ride.2k could buy you an engine and then some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weyes Posted February 13 Author Report Share Posted February 13 wow - thanks so much, guys - lots to which i wanna respond (but in a hurry)...joeg - forgot to mention my car is a v6, dunno if that makes much of a difference or not. the last mechanic i went to that worked on my car was recommended to me by a friend and i got jacked; he's the one that messed up the whole spark plug-popping out thing (i went back to have him "fix" it 3 times and gave up after that when it still didn't work ). no one i know has a good mechanic. my manager at work recommended me to the peeps at sears, though; that's where she has her stuff done.and all this brake work will have a 36-month/36,000 mile warranty.cintron - my car has over 160,000 miles on it. but it's a good car, really; these problems are all pretty new (last half-year). and the "rethread the cylinder" guy was sketchy; i said he was shady in my first post. i think he just said that 'cause he also said he'd be "willing to trade my car in for something on his lot ."thanks for the advice; i'll keep you posted and may need some more ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somebitch Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 Originally posted by petp unless youre emotionally attached to the car, paying 2000 bucks for an engine repair isnt really worth it....the car is probably worth that much. yeah i agree with that. i once had some serious engine work done on my old car and it never ran the same.. what a waste of $ that was. i wish i had put the money towards a new car instead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weyes Posted February 14 Author Report Share Posted February 14 got the brake work done today. i didn't realize how jacked up my brakes were till i got them fixed ! o - the glorious silence! the lack of grinding! the secure feeling when i put on my emergency! man, one can really get used to shitty stuff after a while; i had no idea... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeg Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 yeah, brakes are tricky, because they wear down slowly over time, so you don't notice it till its awful.. oh, my mistake on the cylinders thing... but the logic still stands.. running on 5 instead of 6 = crappy idle.. hmm.. no one you know has a good mechanic.. thats tricky... i guess checkout a few places and notice the cars they have on the lot... some places have mostly sportscars or expensive cars... you'll probably pay a little more, but if those ppl bring their cars there, you can probably assume they don't fuck around...theres a place out here in jersey i used to pass on my way to work that has old muscle cars, vettes, rx-7's, supras, dsms, etc... outside all the time.. if i had to get another mechanic, that'd be the first place i go...theres also another place that does a lot of ferarris... but i think their labor would be out of my budget... plus they know i'm not dropping cash like those guys, so i probably wouldn't get great service...worst comes to worst, bring it to the dealer... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atomicapples Posted February 15 Report Share Posted February 15 clue sport and zubner tuning all the way...reasonable prices... professional... and i get to help...alot of show cars came out of those places...also... muffler spots umm.. RJ in college point... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weyes Posted February 18 Author Report Share Posted February 18 Originally posted by atomicapples clue sport and zubner tuning all the way...uh - that looks like jibberish to me; i'm assuming they're names of places near you.i did get a recommendation of a place, though, from a co-worker; it happened to be the same place that sears recommended, so i think that may be a good choice. it's a joint that only does engine work on japanese cars, and it seems to me that the more specialized a place is, the better it knows its specialty, no?p.s. apples, you did know i live in california, didn't you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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