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Camry 09, Throttle Body Issue - Second Opinion

3K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  hardtopte72 
#1 ·
So this is a quick summary, to save you all time.

Background info, Camry 09 standard, 60K miles... 3 years old....
Car accident: One front accident, repaired most with OEM parts at certified toyota parts.

Issue:

Recently I went to my local toyota service prior to going above 60k miles in my car and they repaired the water pump under warranty. I was approaching 60k miles I figured I would go to a different toyota (where I serviced my car before also for oil changes etc.) For a double check before I pass 60k mile threshhold in case any warranty repairs were needed (little did I know I have engine/trans warranty until 100k etc., but that doesnt matter here anyway)

Moving forward, upon inspection of my car at the second Toyota Dealership... the mechanic specialist came up to me and told me the throttle body was "no good" and needs replacing... that the car would one day "fail to start" as a result etc.

So first, it is suspicious because the first toyota didn't detect this, and also no check engine light.

Second, it is suspicious because I was curious if the major frontal impact of the car would cause an underlying issue in the throttle body but I do not believe that is the case as that part of the car was nowhere near the impact... and because the detail from the second toyota dealer was minimal.


OK - so the second toyota dealer specialist bro'd up to me and said if you call toyota care they might be able to "cover this out of warranty", I went ahead and did so and they investigated it and called the toyota dealer that recommends me to get the throttle body replaced and toyota care after much arguing has offered a one time reimbursement at THAT dealer only for the repairs of 500 bucks. FYI the total estimate for the repairs is 1300 bucks... so I would still need to pay 800 out of pocket.


So here is where I am, I may and probably will take it back to toyota dealer 1 to re-look at throttle body to see if anything is wrong.

Toyota dealer 2 wants 1300 to repair and toyota care willg ive me 500 bucks if I get repairs there.


Lastly I may take to a third party mechanic to look into the throttle body as well to double check everything regardless.

Toyota dealer 2 seems shady and toyota care reimbursing me seems a bit shady as well. The whole thing is weird and I am going to call toyota 2 for further information and tell them im going to inspect the car etc.

Please let me know your thoughts and advice on situation. I would like to know the following
1) what should i do?
2) previous toyota camry throttle body issues are they common? (looks like the 2000-2004 models may have issues
3) do you think my accident MAY have caused this?
4) what do you think about toyota 1 not detecting this/ no engine check light on and toyota 2 finding this "issue" and car driving fine etc... seems like bs no?

Thanks in advance all.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Does your car even have a problem? Why were they looking at the throttle body? Does it act funny?

These Camrys do not have any throttle body issues.

A simple throttle cleaning is the most repair they need. Worst case scenario you can buy a used throttle body off of eBay for less than 100 bucks and replace it yourself (only 4 bolts hold it on and it can be changed in less than 20 minutes).

It's also possible the dealer damaged the throttle body if they tried inspecting it with the key on (rookie mistake).

If you have no issues follow the procedure here for cleaning the throttle body if it's dirty and forget about it. Click the link and read post #3.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/1...007-2011/415038-what-controls-ac-idle-up.html

Asking dealer 1 may also be a good idea as well as never returning to dealer 2.

1. Have dealer 1 or independent inspect (although we need to know if you even have an issue).
2. Not by a long shot.
3. Doubtful. The throttle body is nestled behind the engine. For the throttle to have hit the firewall or gotten damaged your car would have most likely been totaled.
4. Either they broke it checking it and are trying to have you cover their error or they are simply trying to scam you. If there was a problem you may be in that fractional percent that had a problem but like I said we need to know of you even have an issue.
 
#3 ·
1) I'd take it to an independent specialist and have them look at it. This is weird. Sounds like they're scamming you. Very sketchy harsh statements.
2)I have never heard of a camry issue with throttle body. I'm friends with three diffferent toyota/lexus mechanics and they tell me whenever a camry comes in. never for throttle.
3)It's certainly possible that it might have. Although IDK. you said major frontal impact. it's hard to say without pictures from under hood of when accident and from outside.
4) I Think its a scam. So I think dealer 1 was being honest. "Fail to start" you kidding me?
 
#4 ·
Thanks brotha, taking to independent soon... will post when I do, this is actually making me debate (if this is LEGIT, which it appears to be BS)...
getting rid of the car and getting into something newer.... the reasons I would stay in the car is I purchased it new in 2009... I have put money into it after the accident, aka my deductible...

made VERY strong attempts to keep the car up to par after the accident went back and forth to body shop on any HINT Of issue and basically made the car as perfect as can be...

So it definitely does seem shady if independent mechanic clears my car of this issue and all major issues I definitely will keep the car etc.

Lastly,

If toyota/dealer 2 is scamming me is this worth pursuing litigation on the matter?
 
#5 ·
that sounds like a lie, my 07 has 152.000 miles and i just cleaned the TB

and is the 1st time its been done, i cleaned it because my car was idling a bit

rough ran a lot better after that (only 30 min job) the older camrys had a

completely different TB system so is not the same problem, i agree; i think

they broke it and are trying to get your money or only god knows what the

stealership is up to this time, best of luck
 
#6 ·
My car had the throttle body replaced at 80k. I bought the car while on vacation and picked it up when I got home. Between the time the sale happened and I picked it up they replaced the throttle body. I never knew it had an issue but something went a miss after I test drove it and before I picked up. I only found out because I looked up the cars history on Toyotas site. What exactly was wrong with mine I dont know. All I know is it has been replaced.
 
#8 ·
Toyota.com "for owners" section has complete history for vehicles based on VIN number.

I actually used it when searching for a new car for my wife (to replace POS 05 Mazda6). I was initially looking at Corollas and found a really sweet looking one for cheap. Did a history on Toyota.com and found out the car was in a nasty wreck, had wrong transmission, and wrong ECU. The car wouldn't shift. It's also a good resource to verify if a seller really has done dealer services and for you to update your own work you did yourself.
 
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