Help Camry 1999 transmission; is this guy ripping me off?

[truxor]

Hi guys,

About 6 months ago my 1999 Camry died in the middle of the road. I called up places to find the best deal and I got one that gave me 2 years warranty. I took it there and they fixed it after 5 days.

After a month of using the car the check engine light comes on. I call him up and he tells me to come by so he can check what's wrong with it. I take it to him and says that one of torque converters doesn't lock right and that he will fix it.

About 2 weeks later the light comes on again. I contact him again and he says to bring it down. It takes me a few weeks to get it back to him and says that it's the same thing, but I shouldn't have a problem driving it. It will take him a day or two to fix.

I pick it up and the next morning when I'm driving to work the engine light comes back so I call him up upset and he says to bring it down. That's when my credibility for him went down.

Just today I took it to him and wrote down how many miles it had because he was making a big deal about putting gas in it so he can test drive it. I tell him this time I want a receipt of the fixes he did. He hesitates a bit and says he doesn't do that because he doesn't want to show what he does. I tell him well I need something for my records. He then finally agrees to do it when I come back. This time he says it will only take 3 hours.

I come back to pick it up and I see a guy working on it just with the hood open. After 30 minutes of waiting he tells me it could be an electrical issue that the computer inside the car isn't communicating well that is why the check engine light keeps coming. He said that, that isn't under warranty and if he wanted me to diagnose it with him it would take days and that it wasn't a part covered by the warranty.

I was a bit upset because I felt he was lying to me in order to get out of the warranty and make me pay more. I checked my milage and it was still the same as it was when I left it.

Here's what the receipt reads:

Check engine light is on, diagnose and found code P0770. Road test vehicle and confirm transmission works perfectly including torque converter lock up. Replace lock-up solenoid as a courtesy If problem persists, it could be electrical problem and/or ECU

SOLENOID In-Line4 - Lock-Up
85420-20110

I am not sure what to do. I have googled the code, but need some help on what I should do. Should I go to different repairs shops that do transmissions and try to get a diagnoses?

Btw the light came back on just as I arrived home 2 hours ago.

[qlopp]

truxor said:

Hi guys,

About 6 months ago my 1999 Camry died in the middle of the road. I called up places to find the best deal and I got one that gave me 2 years warranty. I took it there and they fixed it after 5 days.

First off, yes, I am replying to a thread one month late. I didn't see it when it was new. This reply is for the archives so it may be referred to when another similar issue is posted (likely multiple times a day). Now... you were offered a two year warranty over the phone for a guess at what is wrong with your Camry? BTW, what repairs(s) were performed to get the car running?

After a month of using the car the check engine light comes on. I call him up and he tells me to come by so he can check what's wrong with it. I take it to him and says that one of torque converters doesn't lock right and that he will fix it.

IOW, it's probably not directly related to the breakdown if it took a month for the MIL to come on after a repair. How many torque converters does your Camry have?

If you had a timing belt break on the road, certainly you don't expect the repair of said timing belt to have anything to do with a torque converter lockup rationality code, do you? IOW, knowing details of the initial repair is key to the discussion. How could you have left that out?

About 2 weeks later the light comes on again. I contact him again and he says to bring it down. It takes me a few weeks to get it back to him and says that it's the same thing, but I shouldn't have a problem driving it. It will take him a day or two to fix.

DID he ever fix or charge you for anything the second time?

I pick it up and the next morning when I'm driving to work the engine light comes back so I call him up upset and he says to bring it down. That's when my credibility for him went down.

Don't call when you are upset. Try being rational. How can your credibility "be for someone else"?

Just today I took it to him and wrote down how many miles it had because he was making a big deal about putting gas in it so he can test drive it. I tell him this time I want a receipt of the fixes he did. He hesitates a bit and says he doesn't do that because he doesn't want to show what he does. I tell him well I need something for my records. He then finally agrees to do it when I come back. This time he says it will only take 3 hours.

Shops don't supply fuel for free, even for a roadtest. You went to a "shop" that doesn't provide a receipt. That sure sounds like a Craigslist hookup to me. Wait, is this the same "shop" that offered a 2 year warranty over the phone without even looking at the car?

I come back to pick it up and I see a guy working on it just with the hood open. After 30 minutes of waiting he tells me it could be an electrical issue that the computer inside the car isn't communicating well that is why the check engine light keeps coming. He said that, that isn't under warranty and if he wanted me to diagnose it with him it would take days and that it wasn't a part covered by the warranty.

What did you expect, car in the air with the fenders removed? Not that this guy is a real mechanic, but real mechanics can often accurately reason and induce their solutions with the hood closed via scan tool, road test, and solid system knowledge. Opening the hood and lifting the car are often only needed to verify collateral damage and create accurate estimates when it comes to electrical systems diagnosis that can be accessed via scan tool.

I was a bit upset because I felt he was lying to me in order to get out of the warranty and make me pay more. I checked my milage and it was still the same as it was when I left it.

It sounds to me like you are trying to find the cheapest POS Craigslist fool to fix your car. You probably have no idea what a real shop is or what it is worth in terms of competence, accuracy, time, and honesty. Why not just schedule your car in at the local community college auto tech program and wait two months for it to be fixed... or you could buy $5K - $10K in just the tools needed to plod through this one repair and spend a year or more learning the basics to do it yourself.

Here's what the receipt reads:

Check engine light is on, diagnose and found code P0770. Road test vehicle and confirm transmission works perfectly including torque converter lock up. Replace lock-up solenoid as a courtesy If problem persists, it could be electrical problem and/or ECU

SOLENOID In-Line4 - Lock-Up
85420-20110

Nothing was "diagnosed", or you would have your answer. That is to say, assuming you authorized the repairs directed by said diagnosis. If a real diagnosis had been made and you had authorized the repair(s), this problem would be gone now. It's as simple as that. What he did was read a code and perhaps do some testing. It wasn't effective testing according to your account of the story. A diagnosis ends with "part X is at fault (test results here), y needs to be done to correct customer complaint", not "if part x doesn't fix the problem, it may be a, b, or c".

I am not sure what to do. I have googled the code, but need some help on what I should do. Should I go to different repairs shops that do transmissions and try to get a diagnoses?

You probably have a worn out torque converter clutch, a sticking lock up relay valve, a physically sticking lock up solenoid, or something else that is mechanically causing the TC not to reduce engine RPM when commanded. PCMs are all but indestructible on this and most Toyotas. Wiring is very easy to validate, and can even be tapped into for as long as necessary to monitor voltage or current to see what happens when the code sets, though the case of a P0770 by itself would rule out wiring or solenoid electrical issues.

Btw the light came back on just as I arrived home 2 hours ago.

It's not too late to go to a real shop. It's weird how you can spend less and get your car fixed quicker/better/longer at a real shop, even though they produce receipts and pay taxes/insurance/SS/mortgage/tools/income/etc.