2nd battery for Toyota-san

[frigilux]

Hi, Ben!

Lord K-- One advantage of living on the vast, flat prairie is that it's easy on clutches. It's so flat out here you could launch a bowling ball down the highway and it would hit pins in the next town, LOL. Had I lived in, say, Seattle, (where the Mighty Geo had been at least a dozen times over the years) the clutch would have had a much shorter life. Problems with the transaxle at highway speeds is what made me take the plunge for a new car. Thought about keeping it to use as an around-town car--using the Fusion for road trips---but it would have had to sit in the driveway and I didn't want to deal with shoveling it out.

 

[dermacie]

Toyota Cavalier

It was a joint venture and Toyota rebadge GM made Chevy Cavaliers as Toyota Cavaliers in Japan.

 

[circlew]

Speaking of Toyotas

My friend Jay works as a custodian in the service dept. at a Toyota dealer, and he told me they are still replacing rusted out truck frames. They started with this over 2 years ago, and hardly a week has gone by without at least one truck there for this to be done; sometimes several. I was surprised this was done in the service dept. rather than the body shop.

He has a Yaris, that is 2 years old this month, and he has had no trouble out of it. He wishes it was a little bigger, and had a better ride, but overall likes it.

 

[vacerator]

Derek,

not many Toyota Cavaliers were sold either. I think they were exported CKD (complete knockdown) and assembled by Toyota in Japan.

 

[philr]

Replacing truck frames under warranty has kept dealers busy for many years now. What I don't understand is that they keep replacing them on newer models that were sold new at about the same time the first ones were recalled for buy back or replacement.

I think Toyota sued the company that supplied these frames (Dana?). My 1993 pickup doesn't have this problem, it's two years too old for that!

 

[washman]

Dana supplied the frames

for the trucks.  Not sure what the issue was, not enough rust proofing or shoddy steel?

 

[vacerator]

"replacing an entire truck frame"

Think about that a minute. Not only does the pick up box have to be removed (not a big deal), but also the cab, the front dog house of fenders, radiator supports, front suspension, drive axles on 4WD ones, then the engine and transmission must also be raised of it's mounts. The rear end lowered, the exhaust system, wiring harnesses for lights, and all fluids drained except engine oil. Automatic trans. fluid is cooled in the lower radiator.
This is very time consuming and labor intensive. I hope there were not too many warranty claims because it is very costly. I commend Toyota for standing behind their products, but on the grand scale of sensible customer satisfaction, it just isn't. It seems it would be less expensive for them to buy back the trucks and offer a generous credit based on age and mileage towards a brand new truck.
The frame is by far the sturdiest, thickest metal in a truck.

 

[circlew]

I'll have to ask Jay again, but I'm thinking he told me it took an average of 3 days for the work to be completed. I've been over there several time when trucks were up on the lift being worked on, and they were intact except for the bed having been removed and set aside.

Speaking of frames being replaced, my Aunt Julie had a new '72 Chevelle Malibu wagon. After having it only about 6 weeks, she got rear-ended at a stop light. The frame was bent, along with the tailgate, rear quarter panels, roof buckled, bumper pushed in, and rear load floor buckled. She was able to drive it home (only a few blocks), and then took it to the body shop. After a couple weeks, she went to see about it. They had to disassemble it entirely, and she saw what hadn't been scrapped sitting in pieces - doors, front fenders, interior, etc. It was at the shop about 6 weeks, but when it came back it was just like nothing ever happened. She said the repairs cost within a few hundred dollars of what it cost new. That wouldn't likely be done today, but labor wasn't nearly so expensive then.

 

[washman]

I have a co-worker

with a Sequoia, not sure which year, that needs frame replaced.   no word yet on what is going to be done by toyota.

 

[cfz2882]

battery life

I have had 3 automotive batts last me 13 years: AC Delco bought in 1987,original Motorcraft in 1993 F150,original motorcraft in 1996 F150 shop trucks.A batt I was using in my '82 z28 was replaced last year after a 10 yr run-I did a couple bad things to that one too-complete discharges,freeze-ups,etc.