meZoom!

well, at least it runs...for now. They replaced my two headlights with (i'm guessing) used 92-94 headlights, you know, with the chrome inside. makes little sense cuz the 92-94 headlights cost more than my 95s. When i went to go pick it up, the right one had condensation in it so I'm thinking, "oh boy, i gotta bake my headlights in the near future." It seems the only thing they did was fix the body, repaint the whole lower 2-tone part (it was faded and couldnt be colormatched), and replace that one wheel and tire. Everything else, they kept, even my old radiator!!!!!! for $5000 bucks, I wouldve expected more. Theres so many little things I can't stand about my car right now . The hood, they didnt put on evenly so when it is up, one of the hood shocks is longer than the other...and the ANNOYING ROAD NOISE!!! at about 35-45mph, theres a very noticeable tire noise that comes from the left side. NOT GOOD. at freeway speeds of 75mph, the car is unstable. I can't drive it "straight" in a curve and i know i used to be able to follow perfectly along the lines in the road without going over or stepping on them. and lotsa car vibration. they didnt even touch my suspension.

another thing, I immediately took it in to get the oil changed, and when they checked my tranny fluid, it was completely BLACK. I just changed the darn stuff w/ toyota fluid 6 weeks ago, as well as put in a new transmission screeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!!! which means that my tranny is close to blowing. This sucks. time to sell my car. she's not what she used to be

Richie

Sorry to hear of all the misfortune Mezoom!!!

njes300

i would get in touch with your insurance company to get all these issues fixed to your satisfaction . My insurance company backed the repairs 100% for the lifetime of my car .

From my experience body will charge full price and do a half *** job and replace on part of the parts that need to be replaced .

njes300

o yeah

i beat on your repair order the charge you for an alignment but the didnt do it . It happened to me once . I had them refund me the 69$

Nabeel

I agree with njes300. Your alignment is probably totally out of whack. You might want to look around and see if you can find any used or rebuilt trannies. First, try to get another opinion as to whether you actually need a new tranny, maybe the current one can be saved. Since you are only now noticing the black tranny fluid, it sounds kinda fishy, especially since it was fine just six weeks ago, before the accident and bodywork. You should probably take it to a Lexus dealer or Toyota specialist and have them look over the car and compile a list of everything that needs fixing and repairing. After seeing the list and the amount of money it would take to bring the car back to normal, you can then make a decision about whether it would be worthwhile to sell the car or keep it and fix it as necessary.


All this is really sad to hear. I hope it won't put too much of a damper on your trip to Japan. Dealing with a bodyshop almost always sucks. The hood on my other car is still out of alignment, along with a headlight, and the front fender is a different shade of beige than the rest of the car. This is all from a bodyshop that improperly (and incompetantly) repaired my car after an accident about a year ago. Anyway, good luck, and keep us updated about your car's situation.

meZoom!

that's the thing, it WASNT fine 6 weeks ago...maybe i posted it, maybe i didnt (selective memory ). The reason i changed everything 6 weeks ago was because of the dirty tranny fluid...before that, i had it changed 3 months ago. and before that, in april i think. These are really bad intervals for an ATF change. My main concern was how the gears would slip. I *think* i posted this part: when I try to change lanes really quick on the freeway, I take off overdrive and step on the gas, but my speed doesnt increase at all, even though my rpm shoots up immediately to 6000rpm.

wow, so many of you guys have gone through the headaches...i am just now joining the club.

steviej

iTrader: (1)

meZoom, I'm wicked sorry to hear of the crap the bodyshop tried to put back at you. The tranny sounds like this was an evident problem before the accident, so I won't talk of that.

What you must do before you leave for Japan is notify the bodyshop that there are major issues with the car that are unsatisfactory. You must demand that they be rectified or you will seek legal counsil. Make a list of all points that need be addressed, that they should have done. For example, the hood strut, the headlights (year, chrome and condensation), the alignment, the unstability. Have a bodyshop technician drive the car on the highway at the speeds indicated. Bring a witness if you have too.

Most of all, notify them in writing and send it by certified mail so you have a delivery signature. Don't wait on this issue, the bodyshop will try to say you waited to long.

If it is not right, withhold payment until they fix all items on your list if you haven't already paid them. Notify the Better Busniess Bureau and the insurance commission if you have too.

Good Luck.
steveij

Nabeel

Ok, now that you mention it, I recall your posts about the tranny from a few months back. steviej's advice sounds really good. If you have time, that is probably the route to go. Best of Luck....

meZoom!

I *will* take the car back in because stuff is just NOT RIGHT. my car rattles here and there. When the body shop owner handed me my keys he even said "yah, the tires make some noise..." so he knows it. ARGGGH car is not the same anymore. It's like someone liked very much going away for a few weeks to a foreign country and coming back with a totally different personality or something. ITS NOT THE SAME!!!!

unfortunately I leave in the morning so I have NO TIME to do this before that, unless my dad chooses to take over. and I already paid the body shop when I got my keys.

carfanatic

hmm...wow...i had an accident too...but not as bad as yours but still...had only replace headlight bumper and hood..but still...it idles more loudly and roughly than it used to... i guess somethings arent fixable...scarred for life i guess?

goodluck w/ the body shop ppl mezoom!...give em H.

meZoom!

your damage sounds like mine. we replaced the same parts.
oh yeah, more *****ing by me: there is overspray on the hood, yet the edges are chipped. And there's this funky creaking noise coming from the right front passenger area...somewhere near the glovebox or pillar...around that area. I hear it when I accelerate and when I turn. It's pretty loud but I cant figure out what the heck it is. Sounds almost like gangplanks on a wooden pier creaking, but a mini version. I have NOOOOOOO idea what it is.

frustrated, sad, and now thinking i should have ACCELERATED when i first lost control....

Invisibleman

My mom was in an accident with her LS400. We had it fixed at the body shop. When we brought it home, the bumper was loose so I took off the bumper to see what the problem was. The guys at the body shop didnt even screw the bumper on. they only put a few nuts to hold it in place and threw the other nuts away. I had to go search the hardware store for metric nuts that fit and retightened the bumper. sheesh, these guys seem to do a half-a$$ job just so they can get paid.

j2tha0e

i thought es trannies were pretty durable? i've got the same year car as mezoom and now i'm thinking if my tranny is ok.
besides the rev-no go and the black fluid symtom, is there anything else i should look for?

meZoom!

i thought so too, but i do hear about people replacing their ES trannies, but usually not before 100K miles. If your car shifts hard, or if you can kind of feel your car "buckle" into the next gear, that is a warning sign...at least for me it was.

j2tha0e

my car shifts hard when i do something...i can't tell you what is is...i can make it shift hard if i want to, but normally...it shifts smoothly.
is our cars soppose to be smoothe all the time or is it normal for it to shift like a civic under circumstances.