Hi everybody, i am new to the forum, and i come with quite a problem. I bought a 2007 v6 toyota camry brand new and had the dealer do all the regular work on it. Driving home from work the engine died. Turns out the water pump failed and the engine is now destroyed.

Because i do so much driving i already have 115k miles on the car, but it is in immaculate condition always garaged kept. The trade in value is 12k, the dealer wants 12k to fix the engine problem. What was once a 30k car is now completely worthless only 5 years later. The dealer doesn't want to take any responsibility, am i out a car? I will never buy anything toyota again if they dont fix this.

Is there any cheaper alternative to fixing the car? I can't believe this is happening.

 

Are you sure the water pump failed and if so in what manor did the water pump fail? Manor as in did something break, fall off, etc.

Did the engine freeze up and is still frozen?

A few ideas in order of cost from highest to lowest.

Toyota dealer is top dollar for repairs as most likely a new engine along with high labor rates.

Call independent repair shops inquiring about the cost to install a used engine or if available a engine rebuilt by a third party rebuilder (a company that rebuilds engines and sells them to shops, individuals, etc). If going this route have the shop obtain the engine and ask about warranties on the engine.

Check with friends for individuals who do repair work on the side for cash. Call auto salvage yards to get costs and availability for a used engine fitting your model and year. The engine model is 2GR-FE. You or the mechanic will need to find the engine.

A profession that really knows what they are doing and has all the tools may take as little as 4 hours to swap the engine. A decent mechanic working on the side may take 6 to 12 but but should ask for much less money. Determine the cost and availability of a replacement engine. Factor in paying someone to swap the old one out and add up the costs.

Compare prices shops and DIY and decide what to do.

Would suggest avoiding chain type repair shops unless you know of one that has a good reputation. Of course you can also check prices with these types of outfits.

 

Good advice toyo

 

i might be wrong but wasnt there a recall for the water pumps of that year camry?

 

Thanks for the info. The Toyota people are telling me the water pump failed causing the engine to block to warp. Will Toyota do anything about this? The dealership where this car was purchased Hohen Toyota of Carlsbad offered 5k to trade the car in towards the purchase of a new one from them. Give me a break if Toyota doesn't do something more i am going to boycott their products for the rest of my life. From what i have read these water pumps are defective from the factory.

 

This would come under a goodwill repair. The car is out of warranty, Toyota has no obligation.

If you bought the car there and had all service work done they might share costs but repairs would still be expensive unless they split costs.

Have no idea of what this engine costs used! Say $2K add in 10 hours of labor at $150/hour plus tax = a lot less then $12K. That is why shop around and get prices then if up to it approach Toyota for cost sharing when you know a good deal from a bad one.

 

yep, if its out of warranty you need to replace it, getting new one and a new warranty will surely appear.

 

Update... Okay so now the Toyota Dealership which still has the car wants 1400 for diagnosing the problem. FML

 

Exactly what did they do in diagnosing the problem?

Did you ask them to do anything in terms of requiring them to take the engine apart? As in can you fix the old engine?

Was the engine removed from the car and if so did you ask them to do this?

 

All that almost doesn't matter because at this point thay can make up whatever they want to as far as labor to add up to the $1,400. They will say that they removed the cylinder head and anything else to just add up to that figure. He is dealing with a dealership here....

You best bet is calling American Toyota and asking for some goodwill because it seems to be related to a known problem.