New owner of a Tacoma with more shop time than driving time..

sorry about your luck, used vehicles are always hit or miss

 

It's prior owner just didn't take care of it. Sorry about your troubles.

 

Agree. The condition of any vehicle depends on how well it's maintained. I bought my 2004 xtra cab 4x4 and haven't had a single issue. At 127,000 miles I thought there would be a few problems but my rig has been bulletproof. Hang in there and get the necessary maintenance (that the previous owner should have handled) behind you and I bet you'll find yourself driving thousands of worry-free, grin-on-your-face miles.

 

sounds like it might have been thrashed or poorly maintained. get a flashlight, open up your oil cap and if you look down there and see lots of dark brown/black sludge buildup instead of a somewhat shiny gold color, cut your losses and run like hell.

 

No you guys are right on the money. The previous owner more than likely did little to no maintenance on it and it wasn't in pristine condition to begin with. There were several exterior scratches, carpet stains all over, and lots of other misc. items that cosmetically were not in good shape.

I purchased the truck knowing this and used it as a bargaining tool so in a way I kind of new what I might be getting into but I didn't think it would be this bad.

Specs again were 2003 Tacoma Prerunner SR5, Lunar Mist?, Crew cab, 3.4L V6, with 67K miles. I ended up bargaining down to $10,600 for the truck knowing I might have to put about a $1,000 into it. I really LOVE the looks of the truck and it's potential to be a great and reliable truck but I think my patience is running out on this money pit.


The new CEL is the charcoal canister, replacement costs with labor will be $432.87!

 

Sorry to hear about all of the problems you're having. If you are not capable of giving the truck a thorough look over to check the mechanical condition it is in, it might be a good idea to take it to a reputable mechanic and have him give you his honest opinion on the current state of the truck. If it isn't in too bad of shape, I would probably keep the truck instead of taking a big loss on the mechanical work you've put in.

 

x2....Welcome to TW, keep us posted!!

 

Problems like this, is why I don't let my wife drive my truck.

sorry about all that money being flushed.

 

I have to chime in here.

You have THREE issues with a SEVEN year old truck and you are in a bad mood?

Did you purchase a used vehicle without a prepurchase inspection by a shop?

I say three issues because you have a Check Engine light on and ALL THREE TIMES it has been for a fault in the EVAP system. The other two issues are a window motor and a condenser in the front of the engine.

1. Window motors go bad from time to time. Not an issue. Is it the drivers window? Usually the first to go. Not a huge issue in a seven year old vehicle.

2. The condenser is in the front of the vehicle and can take stone strikes and develop a leak. Did you test the air conditioning before you made the deal? Poor cooling would have been an indicator of a problem. Many people forget to check this on a test drive, especially in cooler weather. Bummer but it happens.

3. The Check Engine light is where you have the trouble from what information you have provided. The technician checking it out MAY be guessing. Get a code and toss a part will many times result in a MISS. I would be raising heck about them trying THREE times to get a diagnosis and repair correct on the SAME system. That is the issue. It has little to do with the truck and a lot to do with the tech and shop working on it. Here is a suggested step in the process. "Replace with known good technician."

I am not being mean. But when I read about multiple trips for codes and Check Engine lights on the same system it really raises a flag. You MAY be paying for someone to use your truck as training. I do not know about you, but I almost always have to pay for my own classes. Sounds like the next conversation you need to have with with a service manager or operations manager.

If you can get that worked out you may be a little happier with the vehicle. Let us know how it works out.

 

^ Actually there are 5 issues not sure where you got three from and they are all due to either a mechanical breakdown/wear or possibly poor maintenance, but neither of us can make that assumption. I do agree about the whole shop thing but I am picking up the truck today to get a second opinion. I don't have the time nor the money to keep dumping into a truck that is always having issues like this one. I can honestly say that I absolutely HATE this truck.

 

I have to agree with what Jim is saying. Not to sound harsh but cruise the 2nd gen section and you'll be glad that these are your only problems. I've had three vehicles with powered windows that went out in way less than 7 years. The AC thing I can't comment, I rarely use mine. As for the CEL, it does seem that the whole emmisions control system is contaminated/dirty. I'd have another dealer AND an independent shop check it out.

 

agreed

 

This was the list from your first post

This looks like updated information on item five.

Let me be clear as why I take your five issues and reduce them to three.

1st week) Check Engine light, CVC Control Valve Canister This item is a valve to seal the EVAP (evaporative emission system) during integrity tests. The system is design to capture, control and allow the vehicle to burn the fuel vapors from the tank and prevent them from escaping to the atmosphere. It is a mandated system that is checked by the computer on vehicle since 1999. ISSUE ONE.
2nd week) Check Engine light, build-up around sensor near fuel cap, broken seal unable to hold pressure Here we go again. Another description of a "repair" to the EVAP system due to the fact that the fuel tank is involved and they are talking about pressure and seals. Looks like they MISSED the first time or at least did a partial repair. I can all but assure you that they did not follow repair verification procedure on your "item one".
2nd week) A/C condenser dead, replacement needed Now I will see this as item TWO. Unknown cause but a separate item for sure.
3rd week) Power window motor dead, replacement needed For sure item three. Window motors fail. The truck is seven years old. Again I asked which window. Guessing the driver's window as that one gets the most wear. Age related and not inappropriate. Sucks to have to pay for, but not a reason to hate the truck.
3rd week) In the shop again, another CEL, Toyota is still running diagnostics on it. Look at the notes for the next update you gave......

The new CEL is the charcoal canister, replacement costs with labor will be $432.87! HERE WE GO AGAIN!!!!!!! The charcoal canister is the part of the EVAP system that stores the fuel vapors until the engine has a chance to pull them into the intake manifold and burn them. The CVC valve in item one is what seals the fresh air intake to the canister so the vehicle can test the system. There is a pressure sensor that monitors the vacuum or pressure in the system. How fast the pressure builds, drops, and in what section (tank or cannister) will set a specific code to HELP the technician isolate the ROOT CAUSE of the failure. AGAIN with the EVAP system. SAME AS CONCERN ONE AND TWO. Understand?

This is the reason, as clearly stated as I can, as technically accurate as I can be without the truck in front of me, that I feel you have only three issues with the truck. I think you need to have a serious talk with whoever is practicing repair on your vehicle.

Again, I am not slamming you as the owner. My comments about a pre purchase inspection by a qualified THIRD PARTY I think is good advice for anyone buying a used vehicle. Trained eyes without an interest in the outcome can spot issues. I good tech will even look at the computer system and be able to tell if the system has been "cleared" in the recent past to turn off a check engine light and may even be able to see problems that are "pending" and will likely flag a failure in the near future. Many window motors will be moving unusually slow BEFORE they fail, so an operational check could flag it before purchase. The AC system can be tested for performance.

What I AM fussing about is that you have three of the five issues that appear, from the information you provided, to be in the SAME vehicle system. That would be like taking the truck in because it pulls to the right. First they put on a tie rod. You get it back and it still pulls. Then they find a ball joint is bad. Replace that and align it again. They charge again and give it back to you. It still pulls. Now they tell you it has worn out bushings or something else causing the problem. The reality is all of that stuff is steering and suspension related or the quality of the alignment. It should be identified, estimated and done right the first time. If not, a professional should offer some concession to the customer. Even if not a full refund, at least some amount of credit for the work, the diagnostics charges that did not provide what was paid for or something.

I hope this clears up my post for you. I still think you need to have a SERIOUS conversation with a service advisor or manager more than you need another truck at this point.

Peace.

 

boom!

 

Hey Dave,
Do you have any updates on your truck? I was wondering if you were able to get some consideration from the dealer. I was hoping the detail in that last post would help you with negotiations.

Please let us know.


Jim

 

Dave
Any updates? I was hoping the detail in my last post would help you.

Please let us know.

Jim

 

I appreciate the info and I agree whole heartedly about what you are saying as far as the dealership not being able to diagnose the problem right the first time. It's almost as if I could go on and on replacing the entire fuel system until the CEL dissapears, at least in their mind that's probably what they want me to do. My issue is that I already dumped $300 on the CVC, now they want another $400 to replace the charcoal canister. Well how do I know that the charcoal canister wouldn't have fixed the problem in the first place? Their rebutal is that the issues I am experiencing are replacing the previous CELs if that makes sense. So if I have three CEL issues and fix 1 out of the three, I will still have two more CELs that follow until those issues are fixed. I don't know if they are feeding me lines or not and honestly I'm so sick of the the truck I haven't even bothered to pick it up from the shop yet, although as I mentioned I am taking it out to get a second opinion. Anyways that's where everything is at right now. I'm ending the semester and I have tests and finals lining up the last thing I have time for is dealing with this thing...