dapqam

Since your Corolla has an automatic transmission, for short stops like to open a garage door I would just put the car in P (park). If the car is on a significant incline, stop the car with the foot brake, set the hand brake, then shift into park. When you get back in the car, put your foot on the brake, shift the car to D or R depending on whether you are wanting to go forward or backward, then release the hand brake, and finally release the foot brake and push on the accelerator to go. Remember if you are not on a significant slope you do not have to use the hand brake at all.

Hey there AudioBuff, Did you sell your car? If not what are you asking for it?

Welcome to the Toyota Owners Club. We are all here to help each other and encourage each other in our experiences with the Toyota brand. Since you bought a new car I would go to the dealer and hound them until this situation is fixed. Then I would insist that Toyota consider whether a technical service bulletin or even a recall is warranted. If this problem is systemic then many more people are going to have the same problem. We should do our part to help Toyota find permanent solution to problems that come up. Good Luck.

The chains are notirious for finding things to replace that do not need replacing. Was this a dealer you went to? How many miles on the car? I would stay away from some of the chains. I have been burned by them many years ago. I would at least get a second opinion perhaps by the dealer. Or a trusted friend who knows cars and their maintenance. There are tests that can be done to test shock performance. Bounce test. Another person can observe the wheel action while going through a dip in the road. That will tell. The quoted price seems excessive.

Sorry you got treated so badly. I guess even great cars like Toyota sometimes have dealers that do not live up to the standards of the manufacturer. I would, with a humble spirit, contact a zone representative and attempt to report your bad experience with the objective to give Toyota informatin so they can effect im[provement at the dealership. Make sure you admit any attitude or behavior problems you might have exhibited but tell them that you want to report this incident so that others are not hurt in a similar way. Maybe if you approach this in the right way you can actually cause a turnaround of behavior at the dealership and help them resolve their problems. I wish you the best. If you can not get satisfaction then I guess you need to find a new dealership.

A timing belt change is a big job. I would pay someone to do it. I'm not convinced that is your problem however, although you are DUE for a change by the mileage you report.

In all likehood there is a gap or leak that is bigger when the cold weather shrinks 2 mating surfaces. Maybe a seal. Sorry but that is all the help I can offer. Do you see any leaks on the ground? The fluid has to be going somewhere! If you can find the leak that would make diagnosis easier. Maybe check all the connections to make sure they are tight.

I have a 2000 Camry with 95K miles. It is a 4 cylinder. When trying to get the heat to circulate I notice that the fan does not seem to run unless I turn the switch to the 3rd and 4th positions. In other words, on the 1st 2 positions it seems that the fan is not working at all but at the 3rd and 4th positions it works normally. Is this a problem with the switch? or is there something else in the electrical circuit that could be causing this? If it is the switch, does anyone know the process to replace the switch? Thanks and Merry Christmas.

Fram has a long history of reliable filters. I would trust them with your engine. I have not had any problems with using their products for 30 years. If you are unsure or concerned just go to the dealer and buy the OEM filter. It is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

You say that the problem is intermittent. This soulds like an electrical switching problem. Something loose or not contacting right. Ignition switch is a good possibility. A good electrical diagnosis is required. I doubt that it is flooding (this car is fuel injected). Usually when a starter goes bad it gets noisey first. Did that happen? Anyway you have already replaced it. Hope this helps.

Thank you for the reply. I doubt that the oil change caused the problem. I have heard that overfilling the gas tank can cause the charcoal vapor canister to get plugged up. It is a $300 part! There is a technical service bulletin on the problem. The number is EG051-06. It is an attachment .pdf file. I would like to know if anyone has Toyota fix this for free after 36000 mile warranty is expired? I think this is a systemic problem that they should fix for us. I think this is a design defect. Technical_Service_Bulletin_T_EG051_06.pdf

Yes. You need the springs so the pads don't inadvertently rub on the rotor when the brakes are released. Be sure to clean any rust from all the sliding surfaces and put a thin coating of grease on all metal surfaces (except the rotor) to keep rust from coming back.

Sorry to hear you sad story. What I take from this is - Keep cars as simple as possible. I also heard that changing the spark plugs on a 6 cylinder motor is a very difficult and expensive operation. (One quote was $300 from a dealer). Whereas on th 4 cylinder I can do it myself in 1/2 hour for the cost of the spark plugs. I think people with hybrids will be sorry when the cars get to the age where they need replacement batteries too. Very expensive. I wish our auto companies would go the diesel route like Europe has done. Better fuel economy and wonderful reliability (from years of development and refining) and better safety (diesel is much less flammable). Since you are doing a lot of driving maybe you will be able to truly benefit from the hybrid gas mileage. Unless you are doing highway driving where the hybrid advantage is not so great. If you are doing lots of city driving it will really pay off. I wish you the best. Again, complicated systems are problems just waiting to happen, unfortunately.

I have done this several times. It is not difficult. When you are replacing the pads you have to use a c-clamp to completely compress the piston in the caliper (open the bleeder valve to relieve the pressure in the caliper as you compress the piston). Then you can hold the pads tight to the rotor, insert the springs, (hold the pads together with your fingers), and slide the caliper down over the pads. There is a good instructional description on this web site.

Your owners manual should tell you. Have you checked that?

I heard a discussion of this type of problem on the NPR "Click and Clack" car question show this weekend. They said that it was due to a malfunction in the evaporative emission control system. They recommended taking the car where a scan tool can determine the source of the problem. Is your "check engine" light on? Mine is not but still it is difficult to fill the gas tank. There is some indication that Toyota extended the warranty on some cars due to similar problems. Check: http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=evapo...=&form=QBRE Let me know what you come up with. I'm thinking of replacing the canister. Not sure how much it costs though. I just know that it costs about $75 just for the dealer to look at it.

WOW. I have 73K on my 2000 Solara and only have had on majoe expense, an electric window motor failed. Will be very interested to see how your complaints are handled. I have thought ever since I bought a Camry and Solara of the same year (2000) that Toyota put a lot more thought into the Camry. Nice touches like outside temperature indicator on the Camry but not on the Solara.

You can determine if the concentration of coolant is correct by checking the specific gravity (density) of the coolant. Get a coolant tester ($3 at AutoZone, for example) and you open the radiator cap (when the car is cold, NOT HOT), pull some coolant into the tester and read the density. It will tell you if you have a proper mix. If it is diluted to much you will not have adequate freeze protection or adequate boilover protection. If you need to increase the concentration you can just drain the radiator and fill it with 100% coolant and that wil probably fix the problem. (Half the volume of the cooling system is usually in the radiator). So if the coolant concentration is 25% and you drain the radiator and refill with 100%, the concentration will go up to about 60%. Close enough.

I have had several sets of Kumho on my 2000 Solara and other Toyotas in our family. I am satisfied with them. Good mileage, great ride, great value. They do not last like some of the high mileage Michelins but they are about half the price.

I have last fall done this job to my daughter's 04 Corolla S using virtually the same technique. Question - Is the use of locktite really necessary if I tightented the bolts adequately?

I know that there is dampening in the gas gauge which means that it responds somewhat slowly but not 20 minutes! On all my toyotas it might take 5 minutes after filling from empty to indicate completely full. This is normal. Sounds like there may be a problem. It seems like it is a defect to me. Although 20 minutes for ~13 gallons. That's about 1.5 minutes per gallon. This seems too slow but I doubt that it would cause you a problem. If you got 30mpg and drove 60 mph it would take 6.5 hours of driving to empty the tank. The gauge would easily keep up with that rate of emptying of the tank.

I have another nagging problem with my daughter's 2004 Corolla S. The mag wheels have a very slow leak around the stems. Has anyone else had this problem? What is the cure? Is there a glue or other sealer that can be used when the stems are replaced? We will be replacing the tires in a few months and I want to make sure to resolve this problem then. Do the stem seats have to be cleaned out in some special way? We live in an area that uses salt during the winter. I suspect this is part of the problem.

Does anyone have any experience with a problem I am having with my daughter's 04 Corolla. When we go to fill the tank with gas the valve on the filler handle keeps shutting off. We have tried holding the filler pipe out a little further to let the air escape to no avail. Could it be that the vapor canister is plugged up causing poor venting of the vapors? Has anyone had the same problem. Where is the vapor canister and how easy or difficult and expensive is it to replace? Is it the black box located directly behind the gas tank? Help. and Thanks.

Sam's club has good prices to - you have to be a member. Selection may be more limited than at an online place like Tirerack.com. Lots of interesting reviews on tires there too.

I vote for the LE. Not as nice looking but a lot better ride.