14th Jun 2021, 21:16
Nice to see that you are now coming around and admitting that you replaced more than just an alternator. That was the whole point; some people on here will try to make it look like they have the greatest vehicle in the world and not confess to everything that had to be repaired or replaced. Maintenance items or not.
14th Jun 2021, 23:42
Water pumps, alternators, exhaust manifolds, brake calipers, and ball joints are not maintenance items. Those are repair items if and when they wear out. Some lasting the life of the vehicle in my case on a few that I've owned with over 200k.
15th Jun 2021, 02:17
Nobody said his Tacoma is a poorly engineered vehicle, but is tough to fathom the claim that all it ever needed was an alternator which is clearly not true.
Also, the truck in question is not a 2003 model, but is a 1996; back when Toyota built em good.
15th Jun 2021, 17:06
"Water pumps, alternators, exhaust manifolds, brake calipers, and ball joints are not maintenance items."
Depends. Metal water pumps will last longer than plastic (usually). Alternators I've never known to last much longer than 100,000 miles. I agree exhaust manifolds should last the length of the car, never replaced one in all my 40 years of cars/driving.
You gotta be kidding about ball joints and calipers though, they usually last around 80,000 miles, depending on how the car is driven/maintained. Definitely would class those as maintenance items. Every car I had the one or more caliper seized at under 100,000 miles, and I drive carefully and service my cars on time.
15th Jun 2021, 17:10
Amazing how much energy you guys are spending trying to prove me wrong, of which so far you have failed to do. Sorry, but ball joints are in fact... normal wear items. And like I said - you guys put 25 years and 300k on a car, get back to me. Because I can guarantee none of you will have nearly the same results I had, which has been minimal repairs.
15th Jun 2021, 17:24
A sentimental do it yourself person cannot compare to an average person that is not willing to spend half their day under a vehicle. And most drop vehicles off and it costs far more to repair paying others. I don’t feel like working in cramped, hot confined quarters anymore.
15th Jun 2021, 20:39
The truth is the vehicle in this review never had a sludge problem and was expected to go to 250k.
15th Jun 2021, 21:54
The Vibe = Toyota Matrix = Toyota Voltz in Japan. If the engine it uses (1.8L from Toyota) is prone to sludge, then the Vibe would be prone to it too.
16th Jun 2021, 13:20
The faults vs maintenance items argument tends to go on forever here! Look around on other reviews you can see this a lot here. I see this thread getting locked.
16th Jun 2021, 21:54
You went from saying ball joints are maintenance items, to saying they are wear and tear items. Big difference. True they are wear and tear.
And just because you own a Tacoma, don't make it sound as if anyone with another truck in the same class won't have the same results that you have had. I've seen many Ford Rangers from the same era with "minimal repairs".
If anyone else involved in this discussion wants to believe that calipers, water pumps, manifolds, alternators and ball joints are maintenance items - go ahead, feel free. But I would suggest the next time you look at your owner's manual, check out your maintenance schedule section. Don't think you're going to see any of those items recommended to be changed at any interval. Maybe a water pump will be recommended with a timing belt if your engine is driven by one.
17th Jun 2021, 11:59
A car to car comparison is fine. But on a car review, keep it cars vs any kind of pick up. Odds are the owner won’t buy a truck.
17th Jun 2021, 21:57
Just because it isn't formally scheduled, doesn't mean it's not maintenance. It's "wear and tear."
18th Jun 2021, 13:53
You were proven wrong days ago claiming the only repair your Tacoma needed was an alternator. After someone called you out on it, you admitted to everything else that you had to fix.
18th Jun 2021, 18:27
OK let’s see how many are in line rushing out to buy a Tacoma. I will be in the not interested line.
23rd Jul 2021, 08:35
The Corolla engine has a problem with oil consumption. You need to use a fully synthetic oil and keep a tab on the engine oil level after driving it on a long trip or after many short trips. Once every month will be OK if you don't do long trips. If the oil level is low then you should keep a spare oil can nearby to top it off. I learned it the hard way after my engine blew off loudly while on the highway. Always use fully synthetic engine oil.
30th Jul 2021, 02:34
And when the engine blows it will be considered “wear and tear” because it’s not an item that is “formally scheduled“ on your owners manual maintenance schedule.
30th Jul 2021, 22:58
Shocks, ball joints, water pumps, alternators, belts, clutches, spark plugs, and belts and so on are ALL normal regular maintenance items. Look it up. OTOH if for example, the engine threw a rod, blew a head gasket, stripped a gear in the transmission, had faulty piston rings and so on, those are NOT regular maintenance items. None of the internals of my engine or transmissions has ever been worked on in 25 years and 300,000 miles.
As far as the comments about the Corolla and the supposed "sludging" issue, you guys do realize that this not only rarely happened, but if so, occurred when people chose to change their oil over extended periods of time. But you know what? Even when people came with their engines like that Toyota generally replaced or repaired them. Why? Because they uphold their reputation. And just to show that yeah, even Toyota screws up, my dad had a 2002 Tundra. At 110,000 miles the transmissions grenaded itself. Sure - it was over 100,000 miles and out of warranty. Toyota replaced it free of charge, no questions asked, and he went on to drive it well past 300,000 miles.
31st Jul 2021, 16:49
No. It's Toyota's fault that they don't know how to design a PCV system. One of the main causes of the oil consumption and sludge problem.
31st Jul 2021, 19:57
Cold spots in engine passages in the Toyota block. Causes sludging even with frequent oil changes.
1st Aug 2021, 15:37
Right, which doesn’t blow the engine regardless unless someone doesn’t change the oil for 50k miles & redlines it all around town.
2nd Aug 2021, 00:03
It is amazing that despite “supposed” Toyota design faults this company remains the world largest and continues to prosper while US auto companies are in terminal decline. Wonder why?
2nd Aug 2021, 00:03
Supposed sludging? Not even close. Even a simple Google search of "Toyota engine sludge" will give you pages of the years and engines 4 and 6 cylinder that had the problem. "Look it up". If you have the hours to spare. While you're at it, look up the current oil consumption problem that owners are filing a class action law suit over.
14th Jun 2021, 21:12
Can you enlighten me on what brand of modern cars uses a plastic exhaust manifold?