dodgers1970
New member
OK, this is my first post here, but it's important to give everyone some background. I have a 2004 4Runner SR5 V6 4x4. 137,000 miles.
I live just a few blocks from a local Toyota Dealership. I have a mechanic, but when my CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on, I didn't want to drive it 12 miles away as it may have been wiser to drive just a few blocks up.
Background of shady incidents with this dealer. They replaced rotors under warranty because they failed after just 10 months from my brake job (that included new rotors.) When they repaired under warranty, they put new rotors on with OLD, worn brake pads!!!!!! WTH?
Next incident: Went in for Minor Service. They told me that I need a new Water Pump. I said "I haven't seen any water leaks?" He took me out to my car, which was lifted at the time. He showed me the water pump with a flashlight "See that pink stuff around the water pump? It means it's leaking". I took it to my mechanic for a 2nd opinion and he did a pressure test. He said "That pink is simply gasket sealent and it's 100% fine. He lied to you because the dealerships are really struggling as a result of the economy."
So when I started my car, it idled rough, then ran fine. My check engine light and the VSC Trac/VSC OFF lights came on and stayed on.
Only because it was close, I went to the dealer. They ran a test and found code P0306. They said they switched my coil to the # 3 spot and my spark plug to the # 2 spot and still found that the 6 cylinder was misfiring. He kept it overnight, re-ran the test, and said "Still showing the P0306 code. It's the head gasket. It will run you about $4,500.00." I told him "Your first tech said the plugs looked dry, clean, and new. He said too that my oil looked fine and not cloudy." So the service adviser says "Oh, on these 4Runners, you usually can't see it in the oil, you need a high-end Borescope to see the leak. We used a borescope and saw coolant"
I took my car, took it to my mechanic and he said he'll need it for a couple of days and showed me this software that shows error codes and what they mean for each make and model. We whittled it down to my exact model of 4Runner (Listed above) and it showed tons of causes, but none being the head gasket. He told me he'd likely replace the PCV Valve, the MAF Sensor, the airfilter first. (the 3 most common causes of a 6 cylinder misfire according to this software, apart from the spark plug itself and the coil). He said he saw no signs of a leaky head gasket whatsoever. I'm awaiting the final word as they're closed on Sundays, but does anyone have thoughts so far?? My concern is, drivng a car with a bad head gasket would ruin the engine... But paying $4,500 for something that isn't actually wrong is idiocy.
I live just a few blocks from a local Toyota Dealership. I have a mechanic, but when my CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on, I didn't want to drive it 12 miles away as it may have been wiser to drive just a few blocks up.
Background of shady incidents with this dealer. They replaced rotors under warranty because they failed after just 10 months from my brake job (that included new rotors.) When they repaired under warranty, they put new rotors on with OLD, worn brake pads!!!!!! WTH?
Next incident: Went in for Minor Service. They told me that I need a new Water Pump. I said "I haven't seen any water leaks?" He took me out to my car, which was lifted at the time. He showed me the water pump with a flashlight "See that pink stuff around the water pump? It means it's leaking". I took it to my mechanic for a 2nd opinion and he did a pressure test. He said "That pink is simply gasket sealent and it's 100% fine. He lied to you because the dealerships are really struggling as a result of the economy."
So when I started my car, it idled rough, then ran fine. My check engine light and the VSC Trac/VSC OFF lights came on and stayed on.
Only because it was close, I went to the dealer. They ran a test and found code P0306. They said they switched my coil to the # 3 spot and my spark plug to the # 2 spot and still found that the 6 cylinder was misfiring. He kept it overnight, re-ran the test, and said "Still showing the P0306 code. It's the head gasket. It will run you about $4,500.00." I told him "Your first tech said the plugs looked dry, clean, and new. He said too that my oil looked fine and not cloudy." So the service adviser says "Oh, on these 4Runners, you usually can't see it in the oil, you need a high-end Borescope to see the leak. We used a borescope and saw coolant"
I took my car, took it to my mechanic and he said he'll need it for a couple of days and showed me this software that shows error codes and what they mean for each make and model. We whittled it down to my exact model of 4Runner (Listed above) and it showed tons of causes, but none being the head gasket. He told me he'd likely replace the PCV Valve, the MAF Sensor, the airfilter first. (the 3 most common causes of a 6 cylinder misfire according to this software, apart from the spark plug itself and the coil). He said he saw no signs of a leaky head gasket whatsoever. I'm awaiting the final word as they're closed on Sundays, but does anyone have thoughts so far?? My concern is, drivng a car with a bad head gasket would ruin the engine... But paying $4,500 for something that isn't actually wrong is idiocy.
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