Good Morning All,

I have an aunt in Florida who brought her 2005 LE in to a mechanic for whom she had received a good recommendation. The first time she brought it in they charged her nothing. This time she was told that it needed about $3k worth of work. The 2 high cost items were struts that needed to be replaced and brakes that are rusted. Here's the catch. The car sits. Its got 10,000 miles on it.

Knowing that time and friction are the 2 causes of wear and tear, is it possible that a car with 10,000 miles on it and is 6 plus years old needs new struts? Second, if a car sits I could see the discs rusting but Boca Raton is a dry climate it think,... and that would only require turning the discs if that's the case.

The other work is minor,... oil change, antifreeze, etc....

Coincidentally everyone, including the mechanic, wants to buy the car from her. Its in great shape.

I've been around cars but am not down there to witness whats going on. I'd appreciate the input on her behalf.

Thanks

 

After reading your post my first thoughts were the mechanic is trying to make a few dollars on repairs and leveraging these repair costs to help persuade your aunt into selling him or her the car (minus the cost of repairs).

Struts are a great money maker for shops.

I have not seen the car thus only my opinion.

Toyota had some issues with leaking struts on some cars but this was happening at 40-60K. And even then the leakage ranged from "normal" to replace based on a visual diagram chart provided by Toyota. And often it was only 1 strut that was leaking beyond Toyota acceptable limits, not all 4. Leaking struts at 40-60K is still unacceptable from a quality of car standpoint.

The struts are not going to wear out or leak by the car sitting.

Ask you aunt how the car drives. Was she concerned about handling before the mechanic brought the issue up?

Ask her to have a someone push down on the front of the car to get it oscillating then release. The car should stop oscillating within 1 1/2 cycles. Do the same for the rear.

If she has someone that can remove the tires, they remove one at a time and reach in and feel the location where the strut rod enters the strut body for fluid. A thin film of oil is OK, dripping fluid is not.

Given your aunt only drives around 2K miles per year, even with "bad leaking" struts (not stating they are bad) she could drive another 5 years or more and not notice any reduction in handling, the car would be safe to drive.

As to the brakes.

The brake rotors are not painted and will rust. The portion of the rotor that rubs against the brake pads should kept free of rust as the brakes are used. If the car sits some surface rust may begin, the preventative fix is to drive the car.

Ask you aunt about the brakes. Any pulling to one side, grabbing, jerking, shaking of the steering wheel, brake pedal pulsing during braking? Especially when braking from higher speeds.

Any grinding or squealing noises every time she brakes (Other then would may be normal squealing until the brakes warmed up)?

Would she have been concerned if the mechanic had not stated the brakes were rusted. If the car still brakes normally would be reluctant about repairs. If braking is not normal as in one of the symptoms then would be more concerned but still not rushed to get repairs until I fully understood what the problem was.

Obviously if braking results in major issue such as she can control it or feels unsafe with the braking action (putting the mechanics rust comments aside) would seek repairs.

If your still concerned ask your aunt to take the car to another mechanic for a second opinion. Ask you aunt NOT to state her concerns about the struts or brakes (the car runs great!) or the shop may confirm her them in order to make more money. She is having the car inspected as she wants to catch any problems early or who knows maybe selling the car (to the other mechanic, ha, ha) and wants to know its real condition. A complete car inspection may cost $100-150, a lot cheaper the new struts and brakes.

The shop may come back with a laundry list of problems since this is how they make their money (yes somewhat down on car repair shops). But you and your aunt can compare this list to the other mechanic.

If this was my car and even without looking at it would take a long pause at these suggested repairs. If the car still handles normally would ignore the struts even if they were leaking beyond acceptable limits as I just do not drive enough to warrant replacing them at this cost at this time.

If the brakes worked the same as before, I would pass on any repairs for now. They cannot be worn out as the car has only 10K miles, if the car brakes normally even with some rust it should be OK.

If your aunt still wants the repairs prioritize them and do the brakes first. Wait on the struts.

I suggest your aunt drive the car at least 1 non-stop hour per week. This will prevent brake rust and exercise the car to keep it in good shape. Have her run the AC system 15 minutes per week rain or shine as this keeps the compressor seals lubricated and will greatly extend the life of the compressor.

 

Toyomoho: Thank you for your in-depth response.

Now I heard the rest of the story. Because of her age she has a woman come in to help her on a regular basis. The woman bosses her around and told her the car needed to go the shop and have everything checked over. My Aunt had no complaints about brakes or handling. My aunt authorized the work yesterday so its a done deal and she now has $3000 worth of parts and labor she did not need. Fortunately she has the money to pay for it.

Pretty disgusting and despicable.

 

Having been in your position I fully understand your frustration. You did your best to keep your aunt from being taken advantage of, alas she is an adult. Fortunately she can afford the repairs and the repairs were to her car (not blatant theft) which she will no doubt have for many more years.

I have dealt with relatives where it has taken decades for them to final take family members advice on car repair issues versus trusting a dealer (not necessarily a Toyota dealer). They learned late but at least they learned and have saved thousand in the process.