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Has anyone else had this experience? I'm going to ask my mechanic about it next time I have the oil changed, but I'd like to have some idea what is going on before I talk to him. Thanks.
http://www.devalcourt.com/2010/03/fixing-2004-toyota-highlander-ac-and-heat-issu- e/
If that fixes the problem, I would redo the nut you tightened and use some lock tight so it doesn't loosen again.
MY 04 HL has the same issue and that's what I've been doing.
I don't have the smarts when it comes to these things any advise. great big thanks to all
My advice: Replace your battery now and forego the headache that a dead battery in mid winter will bring. It's hard to do since your current battery "seems to be fine but it will be a wise move.
BTW, for future reference (which I hopefully won't need) I printed a copy of the article with pictures on how to solder the wires back. That's an amazing piece of work!
Then you're one in ~ten million.....
You may have just happened to shift into neutral at the very same time the A/C compressor clutch was energized. The engine/transaxle control ECU has learned, over time, just how much to additionally crack open the throttle to accomodate, compensate for, the additional load of the A/C compressor. You threw a monkey wrench into that calculation by "unloading" the engine from the driveline at the same time the compressor kicked in.
Any recommendations, pro or con, and what would be a rough estimate for that work to be done...something in the $ 400 - $ 600 range ?????
Last big trip we took, the front brakes went and I had to spend $ 600 at a shop out of town to have all new front brakes....on vacation, I don't want that headache again.
Thanks for any ideas anyone has....I am a car illiterate and will freely admit it.
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Hope this helps
I'd say call all the Toyota shops in your area and ask if they have a "Timing belt special" that includes the items I mentioned. The price for the water pump seems high, ask him if that includes labor and how much he's charging for that. It should be zero as they have to take the water pump off to do the timing belt anyway.
15,000 miles ago, I will spend the $$$ and hope to get another 3 - 4 years out of my Highlander...by then, it will have around 135,000 miles on it, but some parts of the engine will have 83,000 miles. Does this sound like a reasonable game plan ????
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Mechanical tolerances are tighter, more FRICTION, the colder it gets. So battery state and charge level becomes more and more critical the colder it gets. Electronic systems, engine/transaxle ECU controls, do not work well, sometimes not at all, at the low battery starting voltages, maybe less than 8-9 volts, you often get in cold weather during cranking.
Oh, HOW cold, Cut Bank MT. COLD..?
Appreciation for all replies.
The squeal does go away, after the first few stops (braking). It is also more evident if I had rained while the car had been parked.
Any advice on how to approach my dealer again.
The original pads were changed at 60k miles and the old brakes never squealed. ">link title
12K mi./yr divided by 40 MPG X 3.59/gal. = $1077 = $89.75/mo..
You'll save $110/mo. on gas at current prices....
Probably $15K to trade up? Can't pay for that on $1320 a year...
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If you are ready for a new car, then gas mileage might be high on your list..
It's almost always cheaper to keep what you have.... I don't know your situation, but some people like Highlanders for their utility and AWD.. You have to decide what's important to you...
Good luck!
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Plus I only have 70k original miles in 6 yrs
Since the Prius isn't offered with a gasoline engine, you've got to compare similar vehicles that are offered in both versions.... which the HL is. Using BASE prices, consider the following:
2011 Highlander Gas Base model MSRP = $27,540
2011 Highlander Hybrid model MSRP = $37,490
A $9950 price difference. We'll get back to this in a minute.
You also need to run your math on the HL's EPA ratings for fuel economy:
2011 Highlander Gas Base Model = 20/25
2011 Highlander Hybrid Model = 28/28
Which becomes:
12K per year divided by 20 MPG x $3.59/gal = $179.50/mo
12K per year divided by 28 MPG x $3.59/gal = $128.21/mo
A "savings" of only $51.29 per month, so you would need to keep the vehicle for 194 months (about 16 years) just to BREAK EVEN, let alone SAVE any money.
Tree-huggers who will claim that you can't put a "price" on the greener footprint you'll leave on the environment need not reply.
I burn gas and I'm damn proud of it.
LMAO, good one. This topic was beat to death the last time gas prices hit $4 a gallon, and it was proven many times over that it does not make financial sense to trade out a gas guzzling SUV for something like a Prius.
Now if you really WANT a new car, then it makes all the sense in the world and can easily be justified, .
Meanwhile, the price of oil has topped $105 a barrel. (CNN)
I've already spent close to a $1k on new tires since the tires went bad at 33k miles. The rear brakes squeak in the rain. At this point I have to get the car running. But the cost of this repair is unrealistic and how much more??
Unfortunately, the cost for replacing the tensioner, water pump (might just as well while doing the tensioner) and belt was over $900. Looking at the bill, I guess they charged me for replacing the belt three times using the flat-rate book -- tensioner includes belt replacement, water pump replacement includes belt replacement and then, of course actually replacing the belt.
I find my local dealer totally untrustworthy. The salesmen who claim to be maintenance advisers have been telling me for over 25,000 miles that my brakes are totally worn out (I looked at them myself and they are not). I tightened the nut on the temperature control myself rather than waiting for the wires to break so the dealer could charge over $700 for a whole new unit. I would think that after years of that nut coming loose on thousands of Highlanders, the so-called maintenance advisors would have made checking it part of the service.
So I would have to score Toyota about average for reliability and blame the dealer for making it seem worse than it actually is. If I had relied on the dealer for all of my maintenance I would be out over $1000 more. He got me on the tensioner because the car wouldn't move and I needed it right away, but I have learned something from his actions when I needed him. I feel sorry for Toyota buyers who don't know much about cars and rely on the dealers. I remember seeing some women (I am not being sexist, I just didn't see any men) crying on the way to the cashier -- they came in for an oil change and went away over $1,000 poorer. They believed the service advisor.
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Toyota service advisors in general from my experience are some of the worst rip-offs I've seen. True story here, my wife's best friend took her 4-Runner in for an oil & filter change and rotate tires, vehicle was about 3 yrs old and about 38K miles, so it was just off warranty. The service advisor advises to have the tranny fluid changed, says it looks brown.
Well I just happened to have my wife's Highlander in for an oil change as well, so she asked me about it. I told the advisor to bring the vehicle out with the techie who he said recommended it and I want to check the tranny fluid myself. Umm, he's working on another vehicle at the moment. OK I'll wait. Umm, he went to lunch. OK I'll wait. Umm, he left for the day with a personal issue.
We told him to just do the oil & filter and tire rotation. We got home and I checked the tranny fluid and showed her it was still bright pink. My friend was literally stunned that these people do that. I told her this is a very common trick, especially with a female and it can get as bad as when you challenge them and they bring the vehicle out to check the tranny fluid, I've heard of them even pulling the engine oil dipstick out to show that it is brown.
This is why I do not let any dealer touch my vehicles except for a warranty claim. Any maintenance I can't or don't want to do, I have a local independent shop that I trust do the work.
He does a good job, keeps all the records for me (I'm terrible at keeping records) and can tell at a glance the last time my cabin air filter was changed, the engine air filter was changed, IF I need to have my coolant replaced, in addition to the tranny fluid issue.