Do we have any Toyota Technicians, here?

[PiLFy 0]

I've got a "Parachute question" regarding my new Toyota... PM me if it's not appropriate for this forum, please_N_Thank You.

[AggieDave 6]

Being DZ.com you'll find some "experts" who give you blatantly wrong information based on nothing but having seen a Toyota drive by once.

Being posted in Bonfire, you'll probably get some boobies posts and a flame war about the best Honda R sticker and huge spoiler to put on a Toyota to get the most horsepower out of it.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[skyrider 0]

Year, Model , Problem?

[skyrider 0]

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Year, Model , Problem?

Or what Dave said!

[PiLFy 0]

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Year, Model , Problem?

2010 Camry: Apparently uneven front strut mounting points. The vehicle was pulling to one side. Squirrely through suspension range, & assorted steering-related voodoo. After a few trips to the dealership. I got a wheel alignment out of it. It's been better, but still isn't right. The camber was out on one side. The suspension seems to be binding. There isn't neutral steering. It's harder to turn to the right. The latest is heavy brake pulsing. My guess is they forced it to go down the road straight (by readjusting subframes "Out" of alignment to compensate). Something something has now come loose, causing the brakes to pulsate. I don't know enough about this to cut through the BS. Would most autobody shops have a machine to check for a bent frame? Not just a wheel alignment, but wheel & frame alignment. I've seen them for crashed racing motorcycles. Maybe that's the way to prove it. They're afraid I'll lemon law it. I don't want to. I want what I paid for...

[skyrider 0]

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Year, Model , Problem?

2010 Camry: Apparently uneven front strut mounting points. The vehicle was pulling to one side. Squirrely through suspension range, & assorted steering-related voodoo. After a few trips to the dealership. I got a wheel alignment out of it. It's been better, but still isn't right. The camber was out on one side. The suspension seems to be binding. There isn't neutral steering. It's harder to turn to the right. The latest is heavy brake pulsing. My guess is they forced it to go down the road straight (by readjusting subframes "Out" of alignment to compensate). Something something has now come loose, causing the brakes to pulsate. I don't know enough about this to cut through the BS. Would most autobody shops have a machine to check for a bent frame? Not just a wheel alignment, but wheel & frame alignment. I've seen them for crashed racing motorcycles. Maybe that's the way to prove it. They're afraid I'll lemon law it. I don't want to. I want what I paid for...

Take it back to the dealer, and refuse to take it back,.,,,your frame is fucked, IMO!

[Ashtanga 0]

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Do we have any Toyota Technicians, here?

No, but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night.

[turtlespeed 212]

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I've got a "Parachute question" regarding my new Toyota... PM me if it's not appropriate for this forum, please_N_Thank You.

We need more information:
Where did you pack
Who packed for you
What is the wheel loading
How many drives do you have
Who was your instructor
Do you have an RSL(Random Slut Lure)
Do you have an AAD (Auto Abbreviation Device)
What are the wind conditions
Do you remember the N number?
Were there witnesses?
How manytimes have you completed a drive sucessfully with a full stand up?

I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama
BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun

[wolfriverjoe 1,339]

Since you seem to distrust the dealer, go to an independent collision rebuilder (what used to be called a "Body Shop"). You need a fairly extensive one with an alignment rack. That's the (very complex) machine used to straighten out a bent unibody. It doesn't take much of an impact to bend them, and properly straightening them is a very precise job. They will be able to determine if the strut mounts, suspension mounts, and all the other points on the car are in the right place.

It won't be free, but I would guess that you could walk in, explain what you think is wrong and find out how much it would cost for them to put your car on the rack and see how far the unibody is tweaked.

Then go to the dealer and tell them you want it fixed right or a new car (lemon law).

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[skyrider 0]

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Since you seem to distrust the dealer, go to an independent collision rebuilder (what used to be called a "Body Shop"). You need a fairly extensive one with an alignment rack. That's the (very complex) machine used to straighten out a bent unibody. It doesn't take much of an impact to bend them, and properly straightening them is a very precise job. They will be able to determine if the strut mounts, suspension mounts, and all the other points on the car are in the right place.

It won't be free, but I would guess that you could walk in, explain what you think is wrong and find out how much it would cost for them to put your car on the rack and see how far the unibody is tweaked.

Then go to the dealer and tell them you want it fixed right or a new car (lemon law).

Fuck all that, it is a 2010 Toyota will make it right if he sticks to his guns...there is NO excuse for a new car to do that!

[davelepka 4]

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After a few trips to the dealership. I got a wheel alignment out of it. It's been better, but still isn't right. The camber was out on one side. The suspension seems to be binding. There isn't neutral steering. It's harder to turn to the right. The latest is heavy brake pulsing.

It's under warranty through Toyota, so you can take it to any Toyota dealership to be repaired. The one you have been to several times is obviously not getting the job done, and are probably now operating on their own dime.

Toyota will only pay the dealer so much for a certain repair, and getting it done for that price is the responsibility of the dealer. If they botch the job, it comes out of the dealers pocket to re-do it and make it right. Every time you take the car back there, it just costs them more and more, and thus they are likey to try and cut corners, or just hope you'll 'go away'.

Make them happy and 'go away', away to another dealer who can just do the job correctly the first time. Then, make the original dealer unhappy by coming back, with a complaint to the Toyota regoinal service rep. about their inability to fix whatever the problem turns out to be.

[jrcolo 0]

Im a bodyman, take it to a shop that uses either a Genisis Measuring system, or a Car-o-liner Measuring system. They should charge you no more than 2.0 hours which is typically called "set-up and measure" The cost depending on where you live is probably between $45-$50 per hour give or take some. With that said if you take it somewhere with one of those machines, they should be able to tell you if you have any problems with your front end or strut towers. PM me if you have any other questions about it.

[PiLFy 0]

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I've got a "Parachute question" regarding my new Toyota... PM me if it's not appropriate for this forum, please_N_Thank You.

We need more information:
Where did you pack
Who packed for you
What is the wheel loading
How many drives do you have
Who was your instructor
Do you have an RSL(Random Slut Lure)
Do you have an AAD (Auto Abbreviation Device)
What are the wind conditions
Do you remember the N number?
Were there witnesses?
How manytimes have you completed a drive sucessfully with a full stand up?

& Aggiedave was afraid I wouldn't get serious replies...

[PiLFy 0]

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Did anyone drive the car into a curb or over a hard speed bump too fast?

I had to ask, since the symptoms sound familiar to a car which has taken a good hit to the front suspension.

In any case, the car is under warranty and there are recourses. Your dealer has a Warranty Supervisor who usually goes from dealer-to-dealer in your area. Get his/her name from the dealership and set up an appointment. He/she can authorize full repairs, no matter the cost, if necessary.

Basically, the Warranty Supervisor checks your car and your claim and makes the call one way or another. Being nice and stating you are a regular Toyota customer through the years gets good results.
I've had a lot of dealings with Toyota over the years, and made many repairs. Currently though, I'm a Subaru guy.

Nope. No crash damage. The car was perfect when i picked it up. After about a thousand miles, the suspension settled. Then, it started to pull, plus other weirdness. I met w/the TFS (Toyota regional...whatever that stands for), & he dismissed it. I went w/Toyota because they HAD a reputation for making it right. My take is they screwed up so many cars lately. They can't do that anymore. I actually got away from Subies w/this Camry. My last Subaru was made in the new Indiana plant. The quality went down a few notches, IMO. The made in Japan Subies were great. I'm sorry I got rid of the last one I had. Thanks for the reply.

[PiLFy 0]

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Im a bodyman, take it to a shop that uses either a Genisis Measuring system, or a Car-o-liner Measuring system. They should charge you no more than 2.0 hours which is typically called "set-up and measure" The cost depending on where you live is probably between $45-$50 per hour give or take some. With that said if you take it somewhere with one of those machines, they should be able to tell you if you have any problems with your front end or strut towers. PM me if you have any other questions about it.

Yeah, Thank You for this. This is where my mind is headed. I think I already know what's wrong. I just don't know how to document it. A patient told me there are at least two Toyota service advisories out on this problem. He's a Tech for them.

[PiLFy 0]

Hi,
To be fair, I haven't been there several times. I work six days a week. Plus, this kind of thing is a hassle. I went once, & was blown-off. They drove it down a side street @30MPH, & said it felt fine. I didn't have time to get into it, then. I took it back the second time, & made myself clear. They put it on the rack to check the alignment. The camber was out on one side. Three hours later, the alignment was done. It was much-improved, but still not quite right. It held the alignment for about a month. It's now about five months later. They panicked, thinking Lemon Law. They brought in the TFS guy for the area. We all went for a test drive last week. He said he didn't feel anything wrong. He said this while simultaneously agreeing that something wasn't right.... The car has developed a braking shudder within the last month. I suspect they adjusted sub-frames out of spec. In order to bring the overall package within spec(ish). Something finally loosened, & brought on the shudder under braking.

I don't like getting yanked around. Almost thirty years of motorcycling, racing, plus OTR driving before college... I know when something's wrong. I've never had this type of problem, & certainly not w/a brand new car. I chose this dealership for service because they are the only one in my area w/zero claims against them through the BBB. I think Toyota built so many sub-par cars the past few years. That they can't stand behind each product, as they usually do. We'll see how this plays out. Thanks.

[skyrider 0]

Fuck yer toyota, By Merican ya trader!

[skyrider 0]

Or is that traitor??

I hate it when I fuck up a rant...

[AggieDave 6]

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Fuck yer toyota, By Merican ya trader!

The Camry is built in the US.

One of the few things that are, unlike 90% of the internal parts on a Harley, which are built in Mexico and China!

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[PiLFy 0]

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Fuck yer toyota, By Merican ya trader!

The Camry is built in the US.

One of the few things that are, unlike 90% of the internal parts on a Harley, which are built in Mexico and China!

Ya beat me to it, Dave. True_Dat.