75K Mile Service... 1MZ-FE - $1100

[islandboy57]

Apprently my mom's car has a *very* bad leak in the oil gasket + pan - it lost 2+ quarts in less than a few weeks! By chance I decided to check the oil and there was almost nothing in there. I checked it because I was looking at the engine and there was oil in places where it shouldn't be, and it looked like it had been cooking on the engine cuz it was black. Anyway, this is what was done:

- Oil change
- Change oil gasket + pan
- Timing belt
- Water pump
- Change misc seals and what not
- Change a belt (it was worn out and causing what sounded like pinging)..don't know which one though
- Tune up; air filter, spark plugs, etc..

Total is $1100 including labor. Good deal? The station is awesome - I asked them to check the timing belt because the service station we used to go to said that it was fine about 15k miles ago..and I figured if they were going to have everything apart, it might be a good idea to check it and change it if need be. Turns out it needed to be changed. I forgot to tell them to just go ahead and change the water pump too, but they did it anyway. Very good service..

[thebluecamry]

Hanes repair manual $40
Misc SHiz $400
Beer $20

Total $460

If you like to fix your own stuff that is. Be careful on the maintenence stuff tho... Things suddenly "brake" when they go into get "serviced"

[eyeball96]

If they did what you listed not such a bad deal..."change misc seals and what not"..I don't think I'd pay for that!!

Change the "oil pan"?? why? I don't think the oil pan has a gasket..could be mistaken on a 1MZ??

Well! after all those repairs, how does it run now?

[csaxon]

Good job taking care of your mom islandboy57. That engine could have been destroyed had you not caught it in time. Something may have hit the oil pan.

That's a great price considering it's Hawaii where everything is expensive.

I haven't been there since 1985, but I enjoyed the people and the natural beauty. I'm sure I'll go back again someday.

[BadChicken]

The misc seals were probably the cam and crank seals, it kind of goes along with replacing the timing belt. I believe the timing belt pays something like 3.5 hours and to reseal the oil pan pays like 2 hours and then an hour on the plugs so your looking at around 7 hours of labor and then parts, platinum plugs aren't cheap either.
so i think your bill was probably pretty close to what you would pay at any dealership

[islandboy57]

The seals and stuff, I think they were related to what was changed - not just any kind of stuff that they decided to change. I'll post again tomorrow when we pick up the car and get the complete breakdown of exactly what was done and how much it cost.. I figured it'd be pricey because of how long it takes to get the V6 apart.

BTW, yes, everything in Hawaii is expensive..just think 1.25-1.5x what you would pay on the mainland. Heh. You should definitely come back for a visit . This whole week it's been raining really hard - and flooding on the windward coast.

[HawaiianCamry]

i live on oahu's windward coast and can attest to the rain the past few days. they closed one of the highways to the windward said because a waterfall started pouring water and rocks onto the highway. unreal.

just filled up premium unleaded gas tonight at $2.79 a gallon - and that's a good price. we call this the "price of paradise."

where'd you get the 75K service done?

[islandboy57]

Okay.. Here's the breakdown - it's lengthy.

- Timing belt
- Idler (it's listed twice with different part numbers)
- Water pump
- Seals (x3)
- Valve cover gasket (x2)
- Spark plug tube
- O-Rings (x2)
- Gasket
- EGR gaskets
- Thermostat
- Anti-freeze coolant
- BG cooling system conditioner
- Drive belt (x2)
- Spark plugs
- Air filter
- Oil filter
- 5 quarts 10W40 oil

Parts: $700 / Labor: $400

PS: Got it done at the Union 76 station on King Street - got a discount on labor cuz it's a family friend [and yeah man, the windward coast was drenched..drove around the island today and there was water all over the road still yet]

[Kitto]

are you sure?
that doesn't include oil pan gasket... and oil pan...

[eyeball96]

What's the milage, model year of moms camry?

[Knailgun]

do it yourself would be my answer, though it would be nice to know WHAT misc seals they replaced

[V6LE_CAMRY]

10-40W oil???!

[islandboy57]

I misplaced the invoice..it got lost on my messy computer desk!

To elaborate more on what was done:
- Complete timing belt replacement... Cam and crank seals, and valve cover gaskets.
- R&R with new timing belt, tensioner, idlers, cam and crank seals, cover gaskets and grommets, water pump, thermostat and gasket, coolant and conditioner and all drive belts.
- R&R spark plugs

I'm still amazed at how smooth it is even though the car is now 11 years old. It idles extremely quietly - definitely quieter than my '05, but obviously mine has much more insulation and vibration dampening so mine still feels better. The tranny on hers still shifts easily and smoothly. I think she'll have the car for a LONG time to come. Camrys rule

[islandboy57]

Originally Posted by V6LE_CAMRY

10-40W oil???!

Yeah..is that weird? I'm not quite sure how oil weights work - but it's always ~85 degrees here if that has anything to do with them using 10-W40.

[tarbasd]

Originally Posted by islandboy57

Yeah..is that weird? I'm not quite sure how oil weights work - but it's always ~85 degrees here if that has anything to do with them using 10-W40.

I think it's fine. I use 10W-30 in Atlanta, as suggested by the glovebox manual and Haynes, too. In warm climate, 10W is fine. As for the "-40", your oil will have a bit higher viscosity as a "-30", but I think it's OK.