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Comments
That usually throws water on the fire for me.
Of course, it looks like Toyota actually took the Yaris redesign seriously, so that may offer an alternative to the Mini beginning late this year. I would prefer a Toyota just for the familiarity, the likely reliability, and the nearness of the dealership. But if it still handles like a soggy sponge and makes features unavailable that are standard on the most basic models from other automakers (like the Echo and also the current-model Yaris), it won't even be in the running. Let's hope Toyota has started taking the car-making business seriously again after an 8-year lapse.....
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Of course if it's a worn-out clutch, you would typically be having similar trouble shifting into other gears as well.
You can easily get up to 40 mph or more in second in this car, so you could potentially just start skipping third altogether once the problem with the synchros becomes bad enough that you can't engage third any more. Rev-matching when upshifting will also make it easier to shift into third.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35187
http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=35187
Do you know if the 3rd gear can be fixed without replacing the transmission?
The mechanic said it could go 100,00 miles without being fixed.
Thanks!!!!!!
I would bet yes.
But if i had the money i would have it fixed.
And newecho2001: opening up a manual transmission is just like pulling the head off the engine - in for a penny, in for a pound. Once you get in there, you don't just replace the third gear synchro. Which is why most places will recommend replacign he trans instead of repairing the spcific problem it has.
I would just do what mcdawgg mentioned: drive it as is, either skipping third or else rev-matching to engage it.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I second it!
Easily the best small ever made hands down. It has
Outstanding reliability
Outstanding fuel economy
Small on the outside but you would never know it sitting inside.
Car sits up high so its easy to get into.
Very responsive and peppy engine. The engine might be the best small car engine ever made.
Outstanding stero (3 in 1)
The nose of the car drops away providing outstanding visibility.
Theres more but I cant rmemeber!
It was gone in 45 minutes.
Also...can we take up a collection to buy Backy some coal for his stocking? .
I LOVE my Echo. I have had it almost nine years now and have driven it everywhere BUT, I've had so much trouble with it. I am jealous when I see those for sale in perfect mechanical condition with over 200,000 miles on them. So often you read owners who say they've only need to do routine maintenance.
So what is up with mine? Did I get the only lemon?
Here is the list of repairs I've had to date:
- TWO Alternators
- Water Pump replacement (obviously something very wrong with the belt tension ruining the alternator and water pump repeatedly)
- 2 Wheel bearings
- Fuel injector
- Starter
- Have had clutch issues/clutch out of alignment
- Exhaust leak (this is the newest problem!)
This is on top of all of the regular maintenance I have had done including brakes, spark plugs, tires, battery, oil changes, etc.
I try to stay positive and rationalize that all of the money I've spent on repairs probably equals the money I've saved on gas....but this is a long list that began at 75,000 miles. I'm now at 133,000. Is there anyone else out there who can empathize? Have you had similar trouble with your Echo? I want the thing to last me another 100,000 miles and I don't want another car. Am I crazy? Does my Echo have a chance?...or deserve the chance with these costly repairs (Echo parts are VERY expensive, including $500 each time for the alternator)?
I'm really bummed. This exhaust problem now could be costly. It seems I have two major repairs a year now.
Thanks in advance for your response!
Does the dealer do your work? If so the solution might be finding a good non dealer mechanic. Dealers often lie unmercifully to the uneducated public.
Your car is ten years old and will need work Im afraid. It comes with the teritory.
Your car went 75k miles before needing work. thats better than average.
I would try to DIY and look in junkyards for parts.
Ask me and I will help/advise you.
Exhaust system is ten years old. Not suprised it needs attention. Yeah its stainless steel and expensive. One from a low mile junker would be less.
I love my car, but when twice a year I'm having to put down several hundred dollars on it, it's a bit frustrating...
So has anyone else had repeat problems? That's what I'm more interested in hearing other than perhaps I overpaid for labor once. All of these parts that needed replacement were singular incidents where they absolutely needed to be replaced. I searched for the cheapest parts and labor after that first alternator....I'm also accepting of the fact that this car is ten years old, but what is the difference between mine and these countless others without a single repair?
Have never even replaced the brake pads or the clutch. Still getting 40 mpg as a running average in my suburban driving, still uses no oil between changes.
And......as of last week it is now in the hands of a friend who fell on hard times and needed a car to get to work. So my drive to the 200K mark has been cut short. :-(
But I expect he will get at least two more years of trouble-free driving out of it, and that it will reach 200K quite easily in his hands.
In the meantime, I have replaced it with......the new 2012 Yaris! I got an SE 5-speed, and this thing is so much fun I am making up excuses to take trips in it. And so far mileage is 44 mpg, so it is better in that respect than the Echo was due to some improvements they made for this new model, but it is still early days yet so we will see what a longer rolling average turns out to be.
Good luck all you Echo owners! It really is a fabulous car you have there, just the right size and so reliable and cheap to operate, and e50e, to answer your question, yes I do genuinely believe that you got the only lemon, which is such a great shame as these things have proven to be such reliable cars in the hands of everyone else who has shared their experience here and in other on-line spots. I hope you do not continue to have these expensive problems with it, but if you do I hope you are shopping where you get a 12-month parts and labor warranty so that sometimes repeat repairs will be free to you. I do understand your hesitancy to plow so much repair money into such an old car, believe me, and had the Echo ever started to act up on me in the last couple of years (after it passed 125K miles), I probably would have paid for the repair and sold it. Perhaps if you are lucky this will be a "repair hump" you will get over and then you will have several years of smooth sailing with it. I will cross my fingers. :-)
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Since you know the owner you can still follow the car on its trip to 200,000 miles (and beyond!)
Have you been to Yaris owners.com?
They have a $10 way to add cruise control to your Yaris which I did and its worked perfect for 2 years on mine!
As for cruise, the 2012 SE comes standard with cruise, so no need to add it. As good as the Rostra was on the last car, I wanted a car with factory cruise this time. The only thing it didn't have that I intend to add was satellite radio. For now I will continue to use my plug-n-play Sirius radio, but I want to get rid of the wires and make it tuneable through the car's stereo, so I will shop around and see what I can find.
And yes, I will still be able to keep tabs on my Echo, but this guy is hard on cars, so honestly my worry is not that the Echo would get to 200K miles trouble-free but that its new owner will manage to kill it before its time. :-(
Oil changes are a VERY foreign concept for this guy, let alone any other type of maintenance........
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I am bronsin
So I guess I got the only bad one! Thanks for the confirmation...
But don't want to hafta do it again in 2-3 years; heck, the ones I have now might well last that much longer anyway... Anyone have any suggestions?
3 year old wreck = 7 more years of happiness.
As far as replacing yours I wouldnt do it.
Oh wait I know.
Go ahead and replace them but keep them so when the replacements blow out on you, you can put the origionals back in.
Seriously ECHOS last FOREVER so dont mess with your good one.
EXCEPT for that troll guy with the cursed ECHO. :sick:
Dont go anywhere near his car or your might catch the badness. :P
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Always wait until the original starter and alternator go before replacing them, they are much better than anything you can buy to replace them.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
When I looked down the speedo said 106.
Hondas are even worse - they got sued on that some years back and lost.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
However...
On the Yaris the water pumps are experiencing early failures. Which is strange because I never heard of an ECHO experiencing a wp failure and they have the exact same engine.
Mine failed at 27k miles and was replaced under warranty.
I suspect the percentage of cars affected is quite small but nevertheless this is unheard of in my experience with Toyotas.
See Yarisworld.com for posts concerning this.
I will check my ECHO service manual when I get home and see whats involved.
If you could give me your address i could make a copy of the diagrams and send it to you.
But personally you know it might be the better part of discression to leave well enough alone.