Toys4RJill

You are not rude. Don’t worry. You never are

mondo540

I own a 2000 4Runner Limited...3rd owner. Have had 10 yrs. I will say it's not the Toyota quality I expected either. It's just used as a 2nd vehicle to haul tools, supplies, mulch, etc.and gets about 3K miles a year. for the last 6 years. Now has 173K. Always had oil changes and basic maint. done. Parked in garage for 5 yrs, outside the last 5. Some issues over the last 10 yrs.

- broken shock. heard banging around one day and it rode a bit funny...took it right in. replaced both rear shocks.

- started not wanting to turn over completely...would start but left me stranded once...new starter.

- driving home on freeway all fine then boom, ran rough, I could tell it was on 5 cylinders, or less....drove right to a firestone I saw off an exit...opened the hood and I saw right away...blew the spark plug out of cylinder, hanging on by the wire. They would not touch, had to tow it to private mechanic who did a heli coil....that has worked so far but always on my mind.

- ignition locked up, would not turn. did research, key was worn, supposedly car does not recognize it...went to Toyota for a new key, parts guy tells me he sees this a lot and can fix for me, he does this as a side business lol....he did fix it for $100. Tore it apart, redid the tumblers or whatever and made me new keys.

- couple winters ago, went to put it in 4wd, and it felt like neutral. Nothing, took it back out, nothing. Reverse, nothing. started and restarted, tried all again. oh man, hosed transmission I thought...had it towed yet again. Gets to shop, everything works fine. No problem found. I get it try, again with 4wd, making sure I did it nice and proper and get a bad whine after a while, put it back in 2wd and left it there...leaving it as I don't daily drive but 4wd seems hosed,

- brakes have never been great. had new rotors and pads put on, were fine for like 3k, then warping again...put up with it for 15-20k then got all new pads, rotors and calipers and new rubber brake lines recently and dang if it isn't warping again at just 2k miles later...

- no /ac for last few yrs...I tried the bottle of stuff, didn't work, not paying for compressor, etc. on a 20 yr old truck.

So, don't feel too bad. I've had fords/Gm's with better quality.

Toys4RJill

Thanks for the post. Interesting story. Sucks that the 4wd is done. We use our SUVs as winter vehicles and vehicles to haul and carry stuff. Not the best for every day driving. I like having them.

SW17LS

I don’t see how a 20 year old,car can “not be the quality vehicle you expected” it’s extremely old. Reliability of any car that old is a total crapshoot, especially when it sits more than it’s driven.

mmarshall

Yep. And, at that age, if mechanical parts themselves don't wear out or fail, you are likely to see rubber or non-metallic parts like weatherstripping, hoses/belts, tires, wiper blades, seals, gaskets, upholstery, etc..... either seriously deteriorated or completely gone. Tires and wiper-blades, of course, are a regular-maintenance item.

mondo540

Yeh I expected you 2 to immediately show up with the counters/digs and fatherly advice ....you didn't disappoint. A lot of that stuff happened early when I was daily driving it between 110k and 150k miles...all I hear is how Toyotas are bulletproof, can run 300k easy on basic maint.

RX469

iTrader: (1)

Wow. Glad you're okay! That's just scary. Phew!

Toys4RJill

Heard back this morning. So alternator cable broke off, battery is very old (which I always knew) so they are gonna test a new battery and I might be good to go. 50/50 chance it is not the alternator at this point.

SW17LS

Nothing is "bulletproof" and Toyotas CAN run 300k miles on basic maintenance if they're well maintained, doesn't mean they all do or they all will. Even at 110-150k miles, thats still high mileage for a car and depending on its service life and where its been used.

The bottom line is that all the data thats out there would point you to the conclusion that Toyota makes some of the most reliable vehicles overall that you can buy. If I were going to choose one car manufacturer to buy a car from that I think would have the greatest chance of giving me 200-300k in worry free service it would be a Toyota. Nothing lasts forever.

People who believe they can drive 20 year old Toyotas and expect zero problems "because they are Toyotas" are fooling themselves.

Toys4RJill

I do think there needs to be a clarification of the difference between routine maintenance/reliability and just general reliability. Not changing your brake fluid every few years thus failing and leaving one stranded is vastly different than a shock absorber breaking or 4WD not engaging or a cat not working right. I do know for a fact that the generation of 4Runner I have does require a higher than expected maintenance cost. It is what it is, our SUVs are fun hobby vehicles, at this point in the game, reliability should not be expected to be perfect, parts do fail. It is fun keeping it around. This particular vehicle left me stranded just once, I guess the current alternator might not count as it failed in my driveway. I would never take my 4Runner outside of 100km from where I live, it’s just too old.

SW17LS

Sure, but when a car gets to be a certain age, even a shock absorber breaking or 4WD not engaging becomes a matter of "well, its old" more than anything else.

Toys4RJill

Life is good again

Total repair at private garage $676+tax battery and alternator plus labor

For comparison sake, I called Toyota:
$452.60 refurb part, $1022.84 new (not stocked, would be special order from Japan )
$258 V8 battery
2.5 hr labor x $124
battery installation $40

I could buy Denso linked suppliers a refurb for $239.76 Toyota really marks stuff up.

mmarshall

......untll the next breakdown.

Your call, of course, but, IMO, like I said earlier, I think it may be time for you to start shopping.

Toys4RJill

Life was still good even after the breakdown. Like I said, at this point, having a second vehicle is more of hobby and fun thing to do. Definitely not needed, but nice to have.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

i thought the alternator was ok? anyway, glad you got it back.
$258CDN for a battery from toyota is extortion.