Nomosapien

As mentioned, I知 going to look at an es base from 07. Owned by grandparents and sold by grandchildren. Only 57k miles and well kept both exterior and interior. I need to know what problem spots I need to be aware of and what thing tell me to deny the deal. A friend with the same car told me you guys were the answer.

spaceballs

Some of the common ones you should be on the watch out for, these are probably dealbreakers for me as they're prohibitively expensive to repair.

- Rust, obviously, sometimes older folks cars can be neglected in this area, it will have surface rust for sure, but make sure there are no critical areas compromised.
- External coolant leak in head basket, look for coolant streaks on the outside of both heads, if there is a lot, it'll need a head gasket replacement, can be pricey as the rear bank is an engine out job.
- U660E (transmission) centre case bearing issue - this was a recall, the very early U660Es had a problem out of factory where the centre case bearing would start walking out over time, leading to catastrophic destruction of the transmission. Main sign to watch out for is a hard shift in the lower gears even when the car is warm. If the car is built mid 2006 (check door label for exact manufacture date), you may be unlucky enough to catch this (from what I gather, this was caught fairly quickly and rectified by Toyota with their supplier but some cars were still affected)
- VVTI gear rattle on cold startup - google some videos to get a sense of the sound you're listening for, not to be confused with the piston slap sound (which is perfectly normal) because it's rather loud and lasts only a second or so on startup.
- As always, check when all the fluids were last changed (coolant, transmission, brake, power steering), transmission fluid and coolant become slightly acidic over time and can eat into seals.

Here's a good video walkthrough of the 2GR-FE:


Also, some nice to checks:

- Check to see if it has the recall for the original VVTI hose and also the Takata air bag done. If both done, consider pricing in a replacement steel VVTI replacement line for piece of mind.
- Timing cover leak, generally this is not an issue and doesn't get serious enough to warrant addressing.

Be prepared to price in:

- Engine and cabin filters - because it's nice to have fresh filters for both.
- Front bank ignition coils - for some reason these seem to go first, and it's more age than anything.
- Water pump - again due to age instead of mileage, coolant becomes slightly acidic over time and can eat through the seals.
- PCV Valve - this is super cheap ($10 part) and completely DIY-able, I would change it just for the sake of it.
- Break fluid exchange - brake fluid absorbs moisture over time and becomes green, making it less effective, price in a brake fluid flush if the owner hasn't done it according to schedule (every 40k kms or 3-4 years)

Nomosapien

I知 looking at the car now, is there anyway to tell if it has the bad bearing? Shifts felt fine but it does have that code for the transmission on the door. Did all of those transmissions have that problem or just some of them? It was manufactured 07/06.

codejd

Sticky melting dash.

ESh

1. Sticky melting dash
2. 3-4 and 4-5 shift flare
3. VVTi hose
4. Leaks (Water pump and timing cover leak)

Please provide the VIN so I can check the maintenance history.