Re: Tightening suspension bolts on Avalon

"Martin Yanagisawa" <nospam@nospam.edu> wrote in message
news:JfCdnfCaTbHCqYffRVn-tA@rcn.net...
> Art wrote:
>
>> Like many of you I always get garbage from my dealer about 15k service,
>> 30k service, etc mostly of which consists of oil changes for $300. I am
>> exaggerating a bit but not too much. Anyway as regulars around here know
>> I consider my 2001 Avalon a rattle trap. I used to have 2 1983 Tercel
>> wagons and I remember that they called for regular re-torqueing of
>> suspension and chasis bolts which my good for nothing dealer never did
>> and when I asked him to do it he gave me a deer in headlights look and I
>> ended up doing it myself. Now frankly I am 20 years older and don't
>> bother getting under the car much..... I rather pay for someone to get
>> oily, and my Avalon only has 22k miles on it but I decided to look
>> carefully thru the owners maintenence manual. Sure enuf there it is.....
>> tighten the damn suspension bolts. This item is never mentioned in any of
>> the service ads by the dealer. Guess I will go there and get ready for
>> another deer in headlights expression from my service writer. LOL.
>
>
> I learned the hard way that "my good for nothing dealers" will never be
> given the opportunity to screw up my cars ever again.
>
> Art, find a competent mechanic that you can trust. They are worth every
> penny they charge.
>

I've never had luck in the Raleigh, NC finding a competent Toyota mechanic.
I tried an independent once and he was worse than the dealer.

Art wrote:

> Like many of you I always get garbage from my dealer about 15k service, 30k
> service, etc mostly of which consists of oil changes for $300. I am
> exaggerating a bit but not too much. Anyway as regulars around here know I
> consider my 2001 Avalon a rattle trap. I used to have 2 1983 Tercel wagons
> and I remember that they called for regular re-torqueing of suspension and
> chasis bolts which my good for nothing dealer never did and when I asked him
> to do it he gave me a deer in headlights look and I ended up doing it
> myself. Now frankly I am 20 years older and don't bother getting under the
> car much..... I rather pay for someone to get oily, and my Avalon only has
> 22k miles on it but I decided to look carefully thru the owners maintenence
> manual. Sure enuf there it is..... tighten the damn suspension bolts.
> This item is never mentioned in any of the service ads by the dealer. Guess
> I will go there and get ready for another deer in headlights expression from
> my service writer. LOL.
>
>


I learned the hard way that "my good for nothing dealers" will never be given the opportunity to screw up my cars ever again.

Art, find a competent mechanic that you can trust. They are worth every penny they charge.

"Martin Yanagisawa" <nospam@nospam.edu> wrote in message
news:JfCdnfCaTbHCqYffRVn-tA@rcn.net...
> Art wrote:
>
>> Like many of you I always get garbage from my dealer about 15k service,
>> 30k service, etc mostly of which consists of oil changes for $300. I am
>> exaggerating a bit but not too much. Anyway as regulars around here know
>> I consider my 2001 Avalon a rattle trap. I used to have 2 1983 Tercel
>> wagons and I remember that they called for regular re-torqueing of
>> suspension and chasis bolts which my good for nothing dealer never did
>> and when I asked him to do it he gave me a deer in headlights look and I
>> ended up doing it myself. Now frankly I am 20 years older and don't
>> bother getting under the car much..... I rather pay for someone to get
>> oily, and my Avalon only has 22k miles on it but I decided to look
>> carefully thru the owners maintenence manual. Sure enuf there it is.....
>> tighten the damn suspension bolts. This item is never mentioned in any of
>> the service ads by the dealer. Guess I will go there and get ready for
>> another deer in headlights expression from my service writer. LOL.
>
>
> I learned the hard way that "my good for nothing dealers" will never be
> given the opportunity to screw up my cars ever again.
>
> Art, find a competent mechanic that you can trust. They are worth every
> penny they charge.
>

I've never had luck in the Raleigh, NC finding a competent Toyota mechanic.
I tried an independent once and he was worse than the dealer.

Art wrote:

> "Martin Yanagisawa" <nospam@nospam.edu> wrote in message
> news:JfCdnfCaTbHCqYffRVn-tA@rcn.net...
>
>>I learned the hard way that "my good for nothing dealers" will never be
>>given the opportunity to screw up my cars ever again.
>>
>>Art, find a competent mechanic that you can trust. They are worth every
>>penny they charge.
>>
> I've never had luck in the Raleigh, NC finding a competent Toyota mechanic.
> I tried an independent once and he was worse than the dealer.

A competent mechanic can fix anything, but there aren't very many around. IMO you don't need a "Toyota specialist". I was fortunate to find such a mechanic when I owned the constantly failing '88 Grand Voyager. After a while, he had that thing holding up better than when Mopar made it. Ask around for recommendations, thats the best way IMO. Ask people who are very picky or better yet, who are engineers.