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Old 10-20-2015, 04:55 PM
 
1 posts, read 1,313 times
Reputation: 17

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I'm either cursed with bad cars or dishonest mechanics.

Long story short: 2003 toyota sienna, 171,000 miles by now. A few years ago, check engine light came on. Mechanic ran diagnostic, said "Bank 1 converter" and told me I had to take it to a dealership for that. But he said that what was happening is that one of the something or another was going bad, and when it did, our van was going to act tired and take a lot of gas to get anywhere.
Dealership charged $1,200 for who knows what. I drove it away thinking it felt exactly the same (I'm pretty sensitive to the way my cars drive, since I've had unbelievable experiences with my cars in the past, so I'm super paranoid). Sure enough, check engine light came back on within two weeks.
Took it back to the dealer. This time paid $1400 for who knows what. Felt the same. Check engine light back on within two weeks. Took it back one more time. "Oh, gee, you just need a new gas cap." Riiiiiiight. It still felt the same. And what do you know. Light back on within two weeks. I only drove it once or twice a week.

Ended up moving out to the country no where near a dealership, and I just didn't know what to do at that point. So I drove it with the check engine light on for about a year and a half.

Then in the middle of a trip 3 hours away from home, I go to reverse and it didn't want to do it. I had to REALLY step on the gas to get it to move!
Made it home safely, and noticed it only was stubborn about reversing SOMETIMES. It also has a little trouble going forward sometimes, but not as often or as noticeable as reversing.

So I juggled lots of balls, took it to a local mechanic, paid just over $1000 for work to be done, and, well, the light isn't back on yet but it's only a matter of time, I'm sure, because it STILL doesn't want to reverse half of the time. Called the mechanic, and he said if what he did didn't fix the problem, then his only guess is that the transmission is slipping. Called a transmission shop and he said that's most likely what it is, but it'll run 2,000 - 4,000 to fix it.

The bluebook value of the van is only something like $2800 AT BEST. It also has electrical issues as most of the interior lights stopped working. I'm so done! But my husband is still in law school and we're living off of student loans for the most part as it is.
We have too many kids (5 under 6) to NOT have a van. If something were to happen, I need a way to get them to emergency care, not to mention church and anything else we want to do as a family.
It's bad enough that we lost all that money we dumped into it for nothing as it is. But at the same time, 2-4k is better than having to buy a new vehicle, IF it actually works. He's only got a year left in law school, and with any luck will have a job after that. But might not, given the economy.

What to do, what to do! My husband is too busy with school and leaves all of this garbage to me, but the problem seems to be that I'm this clueless gullible female and they know it! I'm just so sick of it all!

Do we borrow even more money and get a new van? Cough up the cash to fix the transmission? Pay for a AAA membership and then Just drive it 'til it dies? I don't want to get stuck somewhere, but gees.
If we do get a new van, what do I do with this one? That last trip to the mechanic also passed VA inspection, but I wouldn't want to rip anyone else off. I WANT MY MOMMYYYYYYY!!!! haha
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Old 10-20-2015, 06:17 PM
 
Location: Wartrace,TN
7,880 posts, read 12,591,349 times
Reputation: 16082
I wouldn't dump 2K- 4k into a 2800 dollar vehicle. I would likely buy the AAA membership and be planning on a replacement soon.

Last edited by Wartrace; 10-20-2015 at 06:38 PM..
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Old 10-20-2015, 06:30 PM
 
Location: Concord, CA
7,122 posts, read 9,189,329 times
Reputation: 25335
Whatever you paid so far doesn't matter.

If I were you, I'd dump it and buy either a new car or a certified used car.
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Old 10-20-2015, 06:39 PM
 
33,387 posts, read 34,622,442 times
Reputation: 20027
are these "mechanics" actually running the tests indicated by the computer codes? or are they just shoving your money at the problem in hopes of it actually fixing something? more often than not these days, the "mechanics" pull the codes from the computer, look them up and say its this part or that part that is the problem. trouble is though that the code only tells the mechanic what system is being affected, not what the actual problem is. and the shop manual has a list of tests that need to be run to find out where the problem really is.

so your transmission problem might be just a sensor that is bad, or it might be truly bad. but until the proper tests are run, you will never know. back in the old days, mechanics knew what they were doing, but because of sales volume going up in the 70s, the pressure was put on them to throw parts at the problem instead of doing real trouble shooting, which customers didnt want to pay for. it has gotten even worse with the advent of computers. now they can pull a code, and get things going again, for a while.
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Old 10-20-2015, 06:44 PM
 
Location: Prosper
6,255 posts, read 16,975,181 times
Reputation: 9501
Get rid of it. Someone out there will know what the issues are and will either have it fixed properly or will just drive it until it dies in the condition it's in. But since you have 5 kids, there really isn't a question, you NEED a reliable vehicle.

Also, from what you describe, don't worry about the check engine issue. It sounds to me that it is completely emissions related and won't do anything negative except affect your fuel economy a bit. The transmission however... sounds like it needs to be rebuilt. That is a $2k fix, possibly more.

Get rid of it and buy something that will let you haul the family around until you can afford a better vehicle to replace it with.
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Old 10-21-2015, 12:08 AM
 
384 posts, read 726,997 times
Reputation: 347
Sell it and get a new one
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Old 10-21-2015, 12:09 AM
 
Location: NC
940 posts, read 962,185 times
Reputation: 1241
Reverse is typically the first gear to go out on a tranny.

Sounds to me like you now have at least two completely separate issues to deal with. I'd dump the car unless you can find a donor van with a good transmission and swap it yourself. That is what I ended up doing ~3 years ago, cost me around $200 all said and done for a used transmission in my car. Not too bad for a weekend's worth of work.
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Old 10-21-2015, 12:38 AM
 
Location: Silicon Valley
18,812 posts, read 32,253,997 times
Reputation: 38559
Okay, let me first say that I am a low-income senior who buys old Toyotas (my last purchase is an old Nissan).

Take a deep breath and realize that you've got how much into this vehicle? $5,000?

Take into consideration what the cost for a new vehicle and the registration and insurance will be on a newer vehicle.

Then, realize that it will take some money to get this vehicle in good shape.

Okay, let's say it takes another $2,000 to get this used vehicle in shape. Toyotas are very reliable. Actually, your experience should show you this, in that the check engine lights have gone on but the car has continued to run.

So, look at what a new Toyota minivan would cost you. In the original price, plus the taxes and registration and increased insurance for a new vehicle.

Then, get over the fact that you have to put some money into your current used vehicle to keep it running. Odds are really good, that even if you have to replace an engine or transmission, that you'll still come out ahead by doing so with your used Toyota.

I know, personally, what living with law students entails. I don't blame you at all for being upset that everything falls to you. You might want to get something in writing that says your hubby owes you x amount of dollars for helping to put him through law school should he decide to leave you and divorce you after he accomplishes his goals. Yes, it happens.

In the meantime, I still think it's more cost-effective for you to fix the old Toyota than to buy anything else.
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Old 10-21-2015, 12:52 AM
 
Location: Traveling
7,018 posts, read 6,220,260 times
Reputation: 14643
I hada car that the check engine came on at times. It still ran for another 4 years before I finally had to.let it go. The not going backwards is troubling & could very well indicate trouble.

Is there a way you can possibly finance a different car? You should be able to get $500 for the one you have & apply that to a different vehicle. I can't think of anything else for you to do. I had a car that nickled & dimed me way past the time I should have gotten rid of it. I also had a car that the check engine would come on when I went over bumps & it lasted another 4 years.

It's a crap shoot for you. The reversing problem is a bit scary & I can't advise you on that.
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Old 10-21-2015, 01:05 AM
 
5,075 posts, read 11,004,212 times
Reputation: 4664
If you need a van to haul that many kids around, buy a new van. The other stuff is mostly irrelevant. It's not going to make a whole lot of difference in the grand scheme of things whether you spend $5k to fix a transmission or $30k for a newer van, except the new van will be much more reliable. On a per kid basis the difference is $5k/ child over the life of the new van. Most people have far less kids and spend far more per child on transport. You're getting a volume discount putting all 5 in one vehicle.

What you spend on the van is small potatoes compared to the overall cost of raising 5 kids. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just think if all 5 want to go to a top law school. That's $500k+ right there! A transmission replacement is nothing in that picture.
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