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I just fillup and drive ! Not a single problem you have mentioned (touch wood !!)
John
Has anyone ever experienced this or tried taking the plastic cover off the door handle mechanism? Better yet, has anyone had this problem and fixed it themselves?
Sounds to me like something is loose and kind-of floating around in there. I've tried adjusting the door jambs a bit but that hasn't helped.
Any feedback welcome.
next time you're in a parking lot and see a sienna van, ask the driver what his/her opinion is on the van. do this for about 20 vans plus the info you get on the internet and you'll be able to get a good idea and hopefully decide whether to buy a new sienna or not.
just remember that each car manufacturer have their own problems. no such thing as the perfect car/vehicle.
goodluck
Unfortunatlly the Sienna has proved to be a disappointment. A new trans was put in under warranty and the dealer would not comment on the problems Sienna owners experienced with the transmissions. By the way, there was another 2000 Sienna with 34K miles at the same dealarship with a trans failure.
Does anyone know what Toyota is saying about trans failures? What is wrong with these beasts?
it's good that the dealer replaced your tranny and it's still under warranty. you may be able to find out more about it on www.yotarepair.com
so my question to people who have brake squeal is: do you have steel rims on the van or OEM mags? just wondering if the squeal have anything to do with the weight of the rims. i doubt it but i thought i'd ask anyways as to how many people have steel rims and how many with mags.
As I do my own oil changes on the other family cars, I changed the oil again at about 1000 miles(not the filter). It stayed clean. When I asked the dealer the next time, he said that it could be residual discoloring from the old oil left in the car.
My take: dark oil color is 'bad' and it's possible the oil wasn't changed (I was cheated).
If the oil goes prematurely dark, get it changed immediately by a place you trust. If it's clean when you drive out, and darkens quickly (<1000 mi)get a dealer to check the engine for other problems.
I watch my dealer very carefully now and other oil change places too; I scratch the filter to be sure it is changed and check the oil before I leave to be sure it's clean and at the correct level.
The dealer(100 miles from home) who put in the new trans said he only seen trans failures when these vans are fully loaded. My local dealer(one we bought car from) says there is a bearing that does not get enough lubrication and cause the whole thing to fail - he claims my trans has been redesigned to correct this problem.
This van is my wife's and I sold her on how reliable Toyota's are - needless to say when all five of us were sitting on the side of the hwy in the dessert she reminded me of why she should dive a toyota. She has lost all faith in this vehicle. I must admit, I'm starting to have doubts about Toyota products - oil sludge, trans failures ...
That's just what I heard, I could be off on this one.
In general, it's unrealistic to expect the same fit/finish and quality for any Japanese product exclusively manufactured for the US market, when comparing with a Japanese vehicle assembled in Japan.
Greg
earlier tonight, i installed my k&n filter in the van and went for a drive. didnt really notice anything different or heard anything different. some people claimed that the engine growls a bit more with the k&n. i didnt hear anything different. after driving for about 5 mins., i dont know if i'm just imagining things or its really happening but the van did feel like it accelerates faster. maybe its just my imagination! i would imagine though that i would get an increase of about 2-3 horses, maximum. i'll try to monitor my fuel consumption and see if anything changes.
i paid C$84.00 for the filter (taxes included). ouch!
but it's supposed to last a million miles or more so it's worth it.
I have a 2002 LE (mfg 04/2002) which I picked up last week. I really like it so far but my wife is afraid to drive it (she likes it too, but it's the first new vehicle either of us ever owned and she can't stand the thought of getting that first scratch).
Anyway, I have two problems which I have brought up to the dealer and they are going to take care of them. They are:
Power Sliding Door -
When activated (opened) by pulling the door handle, the cable "pops" out the door track for for a split second, hitting the body (paint). the door works otherwise. The cable seems to bow down below the track about 1 to 1 1/2 inches. Always happens when opening via the door handle, only once or twice when activating electronically.
Dealer said the motor timing needs to be adjusted and was caused by pulling the door open (manually) faster than the motor (automatically).
Does this make sense? Has anyone had the same problem and does the timing adjustment cure it?
Body Side Molding -
The driver door panel is not flush with the body like the rest of the panels. There is a 1/8 inch gap along the door edge and it is noticeable when the door is closed because it comes out farther than the panel on the slider. The dealer said they will order a new panel and call me when it comes in (and fix the power slider then, as well).
My concern is that excess water, dirt, salt, etc. will get behind the panel and cause problems.
Does anyone know what is involved in removing / replacing this panel? Should I not worry about it and stay with the factory installed panel?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Wayne
Greg
Regarding your power sliding door problem - cable popping out and hitting the body - I've never experienced it. My question and observation:
a) Open the door by pulling on the handle (manually) - Do you actually pull the door back hard enough to move it manually, as the dealer seems to have suggested (that the door is being pulled faster than the motor)? To open the power sliding door by the handle, merely pulling the handle out, and maybe just a tiny bit of force toward the back, should be enough to activate the power mechanism to take over and open the sliding door. To close, you want to pull with just enough force to get the power mechanism activated. In either direction, you shouldn't have to pull hard enough to actually move the door manually yourself.
b) Open the door electronically (key fob or switch) - You wrote that it happened once or twice even when you activated the door electrically - the reason that the dealer gave you obviously doesn't apply to this situation. It seems like the cable may be hung up somewhere momentarily or has a slack (a stuck spring-loaded tensioner for the cable?) somehow. I'm just guessing on this part.
San Jose, CA
The dealer will take care of the door and panel. They didn't hesitate for a second saying they will order the panel and they'll address the power door when the part arrives.
One of the reasons I bought the Sienna - it was a close call between this and the Ody - was because I have had great response from my dealership with regards to my '99 Camry. The Camry has been great to us so far (bought used in Nov. 2000) but the few things it has needed addressed - front strut mounts, check engine light (twice) - the service rep at the dealer never hesitates to order what's needed and get me on my way (loaner car while in the shop).
The service rep I got to know moved from one local Toyota dealer to another and I moved with him, buying the van at his current dealer. It really helps to be on friendly terms with the person who can make your life heck by quibbling over or denying warranty coverage for the little things, let alone the major repairs. And he makes sure what he says needs to be done gets done. I've seen him follow up on the mechanic (for other people's vehicles) to make sure all the items on the work order were completed.
Anyway, long winded way of saying that even with the couple of minor things wrong with the new Sienna, I really am happy with the Toyota experience. I know not everyone has had good experiences, but there are good dealerships out there.
TTFN,
Wayne
p.s. I did a spell check of my message and Toyota, Camry and Sienna came up as misspellings (so did 'heck' but I'll stay with it). Maybe the Hosts can get these added to the dictionary?
Steve
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as far as mixing up the gas to get 89 octane, i'm not really sure. sorry.
The fluid level and color are OK, which are as expected.
I then decided to play around with the throttle cable adjustment, and found out at certain spots I could make it shift very smooth under certain driving conditions, but not all.
Can any of you, who happen to have the repair manual, tell me what's the "spec" location for the throttle cable?
Also, by doing this, am I expecting to see any damage to the tranny? OR, there is something else going on with the tranny?
Thanks for your time.
DON
read the following article. hope it helps.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/020424.htm
1. To open - Pulling the handle out alone will activate the power mechanism. No rearward force is needed.
2. To close - It seems that you do need to manually pull the door forward a few inches by the handle to activate the power mechanism. I got this part wrong since I almost never close the power slider this way. I've always used the button or the remote to close the power slider.
San Jose, CA
>my understanding. Example: the Sienna. If the
>Sienna were selling in volume in Japan, it would
>face tough competition on quality from other
>Japanese makes.
The build quality is the same. Transmissions and engines are produced in Japan and West Virginia (and soon in Alabama), and I believe that all of the Sienna transmissions come from Japan. The quality of the parts is high, whether the part comes from Japan or locally, since that same part can go into a unit that is shipped out. For example, engines that are produced in West Virginia are sent to Japan for cars assembled there. Do you think they build special parts to go in those engines, or that they put less quality in engines / transmissions made in Japan than for the U.S. market? That doesn't make sense.
Toyota has the highest quality cars on the road.
If you have a problem with the Toyota product you bought, take it to a dealership, or to a second dealership if you aren't satisfied with the results. Keep all records of maintenance, and maintain your car properly.
There was a post on April 18th #1816 with this same problem, I was wondering what outcome they had. I've seen no reply to their post.
This is too nice of a vehicle to have such a goofy problem.
refer to the above article. it may help you a bit
Anyone experience these kind of problem?
one of the rear belt is slow (sometimes) to retract.
Thanks!
Tom
Anybody else had any problems with the windshield. I just can not believe that the car would come out of the factory like this.
i looked at mine and i do see small gap at each corner. kind of hard to say if we're both looking at the same thing.
you can always check out the VIN # to see if it was registered before.
as far as the white paint goes, i have some parts on my van that have paint markings on them. some parts do come with markings on them from the factory. don't know what the markings mean.
also, it takes a while for the rear a/c to get cool air when you turn it on. lot of people het confused with the front/rear a/c. took me a while to figure it out myself.
Go for the fuel filter (tough to get at); make certain of air filter change; do a coolant drain/fill or flush; and consider a transmission and differential (done together) drain/fill or flush. People will say that the drain/fills aren't as good as a powered flush, but they're better than leaving all old fluid in...
These round-number services can be good if they're more than just "inspections." And don't feel pressured into additional services without first understanding why they're recommended; you can always come back later (tell them you need your van back)!
That said, I do listen to and often take the recommendation of my service writer.
Steve
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