Need Your guys help on a 2003 Corolla LE

[Smittay]

hey guys,

first thanks for all your help in the past... i just have a couple questions before i go in and ream the dealer a new one...

is the 2006 corolla engine the same as the 2003 corolla engine?? just curious, cause the dealer told me it was the same but they feel completely different? it feels like the 06 is more powerful and quiet? any help would be appreciated.

also, any idea of why a 2003 Corolla's engine would be loud when its shifting gears?

mine is horribly loud and i just found out it was driven into the ground by a city driver for 3 1/2 years. sure the guy only put on 21,000 miles (roughly 7,000 per year) but he only got the oil changed every 8 or 9 months... and did no maintenance

what effect could this have on the engine? cause i want the dealer to replace it and i dont know what parts to ask them to fix... and isnt the rule to change your oil every 3,500 -5,000 miles or every six months? does it matter that he only changed it every 8-9 months with 7,000 miles per year?

im just mad cause i had a 2002 Corolla which i took perfect care of and didnt miss a maintenance for 5 years, it was in mint condition and the dealership TOTALED my car when they were driving it back to the lot after a routine service... we had planned at the end of our 5 year lease to buy the car but were instead given this 2003 Corolla i was describing above with all these problems. it was the only choice they would give us.

why should i settle for some guys beat up 2003 corolla, when i honored my 5 year lease and did all the scheduled maintenance and never missed a monthly payment.

wouldnt you guys be pissed? i feel like asking the president of the toyota dealership to give me a 2006 for all the trouble ive been through.

what would you guys do? and thanks for your help... i feel like this board is the only thing i can turn to for unbiased advice on corollas, so thanks a lot

[Smittay]

PS - 1 more thing

the engine, while in DRIVE with your foot on the brake (stopped), vibrates WICKED LOUD, so loud it shakes the whole car!!! I can feel it under my feet, on the driver's side door and the steering wheel...

how come the engine is doing this, any ideas?

thanks again,
smitt

[daniel2002p]

First thing if I were you I would check the air filter, make sure that that is getting plenty and clean air to the engine..... as far as the engine, yes, the 03-07 have the same engines, the fact that yours is less powerful could be many things, try the cheap stuff first, run some of that injector cleaner through your system, and yourself perform a tune up on your car, cause she is begging for it

D

[REN69]

if he did the oil changes every 8-9 months, sounds like he was doing them every 5000mi instead. At 21,000mi the car should still run fine, but it could be many things. I'd say take it to the dealer and ask them to fix it, I agree with you I'd be pissed if they did that to me, take it back and tell them to give it to you when they have fixed everything. If worse comes to worst, contact Toyota and tell them what you're going thru.

[Smittay]

thanks, im glad to feel that other people would be going postal too and im not crazy after dealing with this whole situation

so run injector fluid

and i dont know anything about cars... what should i get done for a tune up?

sparkplugs and stuff?


and ren i did take it to the dealership garage and they said all 03 corollas engines sound like that...

i drove my coworkers 03 corolla and it ran like a dream compared to this

what should i do? who do i contact at toyota?

[daniel2002p]

open a case with toyota first I would say then when you take it in for repairs the delaership knows that you mean business

[caddymac]

The computer over time "learns" the driving habits of its owner. Drive the car like you stole it and it should eventually become a bit ore responsive. Meanwhile, change the plugs, do an oil change, try a tank of premium fuel, and make sure there are no codes stored on the OBDII. Hopefully the car will stop being a wicked pisser soon with a little TLC.

[daniel2002p]

wasnt there a post here a while back how to reset the ecu to start with fresh driving habbits, I cant seem to find it not sure if this is where I found it

D

[Smittay]

so any more advice as to why the gears are so damn loud from 1-3 gear?

could the guy have busted up the transmission while city driving, or would the transmission get messed up because of quick take offs and flooring it and constant stop and go ??

the engine itself vibrates wicked loud, the clicking noise is SO LOUD and audible outside the car... is it possible its mounting came loose?

i just dont know crap about cars, the dealership isnt helping

i just want the car to sound good (instead of a rocket engine) from the gears 1-4

would changing the sparkplugs help?

what do i ask them to fix? would a tune up help? whats included in a tune up?

thanks for all your help again

what could this guy have possibly done to make this car sound like this for city driving for 3 1/2 years?

i just feel like an idiot cause i dont know anything about cars and am getting the runaround at the service dept of the dealership.... i feel i need to bring this to the attention of the president again, but he treated me like shit, because hes in his 50s and im only 31

any help would make me sleep at night...

what do you do to make your car shift gears smoother, esp 1-3... replace the transmission?? is that possible or reccomended? or is it the engine?

my wife is so oblivious cause we share a car, she says it sounds like our old 2002, but i know it sounds different and feels different because i drive all the time

just help me people!!! im trying to touch on every subject to see if anything sparks an idea...

im just upset cause i took perfect care of my 2002, the dealership screwed up the paintjob and when i brought it back for the paintjob they totalled it and only offered me this 2003 as a replacement...

well if i spent hundreds if not thousands for all the scheduled maintenance for 5 years and this guy didnt do anything (the previous-lesee, i called him) dont you think the dealership should restore the car to the condition mine was in??

thanks again, i really appreciate it

erik