Hello,
First time poster. I have a 2004 camry I4. It has a blown head gasket at 70,000 miles. As the head bolts come out they pull the threads out of the block. dealer says it cant be fixed and needs a new engine. Is this a common problem, and is there a fix.
Many Thanks, Mark

 

Welcome. sorry to see you join because of this.

could you please clarify your post?

its not common for a properly run and serviced camry to have a blown headgasket at 70,000 miles, and certainly not normal to need an engine replacement. In fact its not normal for any normal passenger type vehicle to have such problems early on.

 

Ok, this makes no sense. Did the HG blow because head bolts stripped out of the block? Did dealer mean that when they remove head bolts to change HG they will strip head bolts?

 

sounds like they broke something, perhaps bolts broke and instead of trying to remove them or retapping threads, it's easier and more cash for them to replace your engine. It's definitely not a common problem, i haven't even heard of that before. Stripped threads, maybe. I'd look into that, question the manager.

 

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Why did it blow? How did they check it? The last time headbolts pulled out threads was on a tr6 back in the early 80s. I would be very suspicious. I really don't like knocking anyone or there bussiness but dealerships make me feal really nauseous .
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Thanks for the replies,
The tech who worked on the car said, well, he said a lot of things which don't make sense.He said the head did not have any water in it,yet the reservoir and the radiator are both full. The service adviser said they were soaking the head bolts,what a load that is. They never intended to fix my car.The service manual says to disconnect the battery cable,drain coolant,remove fuel system,manifolds etc. prior to loosening head bolts.Then to remove the head bolts one quarter turn at a time in reverse sequence to the tighten procedure. All they did was pull the valve cover off and pull the head bolts out of the block. Sorry,you need a new engine.
The service adviser said if the car had been brought in for a 60,000 mile checkup they would have caught it and fixed it under warranty.So they both agree it was leaking under warranty.The tech agrees with that also. The best part is that they will give me 5000.00 for my 2004 limited Camry and put me in a new one. SWEET. This is the worst we have ever been treated. kills me to see my fiancé cry over this.
Sorry for the ranting but the idea of spending 4000.00 to have our car fixed, when they ruin it,makes me sick. They must make Toyota proud to treat there repeat customers this way.
Mark

 

I'm assuming this happened at a Toyo dealership. I would not give up on this without a further fight. I would call Toyota first as this car is just outside warranty and bitch like hell. Ask to meet with the rep. He doesn't help go higher.Take this car to a different dealership now. If the "tech" stripped the head bolts on a car with 70K then it is his fault, unless he can prove that the leaking coolant somehow rusted the head bolts to the block.Which is pretty lame. Keep all the parts they took off the car. There is also small claims court. You need to find your state rules on small claims. There will be a maximum amount which may only be $5000. Some states have only a $3000 max. Talking to a lawyer would also not hurt and may be free for a first visit. You could also get another mechanic's opinion. It seems that the dealership is not playing straight with you. Have them give you their findings and reasons for this in writing. Keep all your paperwork.A car with 70K should not be leakingcoolant.If there were no external signs then you are right to say that the HG blew because of a manufactured defect. You are also right to say that if the overflow tank and rad were fullhow was anyone going to pickup a coolant leak. Take pictures of theengine just the way they gave it to you and of the individual parts. If you need to rent a car keep all your receipts as that is refundable to you incourt.

 

Sounds like you don't have records of scheduled so you are stuck a little. Try like they said and get the dealer to do the job on warrenty.
If no luck with this go to a well established and trusted private shop and have them do an inspection of your problem. Something sounds fishy with the dealer!
Allso go online to the BBB web site and see if there are any judgments against this dealership for shoddy work.
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After checking around found out some disturbing news, there is a problem with the blocks and it doesn't look good.
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