Posted on 02/09/2015 6:05:02 AM PST by rickmichaels
Well, there’s THIS:
http://www.forthepeople.com/class-action-lawyers/mini-cooper-timing-chain-lawsuit
My father in law never likes what CR prints because he thinks they are biased against GM. The fact is they printed the results of their surveys and Chevy’s for twenty years were junk. They are now a lot better. CR is the only survey company that does not accept money or advertising. They actually go out and buy the appliances and other items they test. Their yearly used car issue is very accurate when it comes to identifying problems with automobiles.
FYI, I had a Lexus SC400 I bought used. It was the only car I ever owned that I sold it for more than I paid for it. The only thing I ever put into it was gasoline, oil and tires.
Exactly right. You couldn’t even get parts if you wanted to overhaul it. Many other manufacturers have gone to the CVT with exactly the same results, a vehicle with very low miles the owner is still making payments on with a $5k minimum transmission problem. It pretty much totals out the vehicle.
We have either a 07 or 08 Odyssey. Mrs. Woodbutchers’ ride. It mostly sits in the garage because she works out of the house. When does the timing belt need to be changed?
I love that Eco Drive feature on the Odyssey. Three cylinders or six cylinders firing depending whether you push down on the pedal.
Good question. We had a 1993 Camry with the inline four
and it was a great car. We sold it with 135K miles on it
and it was running perfectly. It got fairly good mileage,
but was a bit anemic on power.
I am not sure how Toyota gets the higher compression with
a non-interference engine, but I always felt better knowing
that if the belt did break, the engine would not grenade.
We now have a 2004 Lexus RX330 (bought one year old with
approx. 20K miles on it) and it is coming up on 116K miles
without a single repair knock on wood!). I do my own brakes and maintenance and the car is a dream to work on. I do think it has too many bells and whistles.
Or brush and floss.
I have an 09 Corolla with a timing chain. I thoroughly researched the issue (I’m not a mechanic and I’m not a “car guy”), and timing chains, from what I gathered, are simply not supposed to break for hundreds of thousands of miles. If they do, you can hear it pretty clearly before it happens (youtube has some cool vids of this before it occurs).
The whole point of having a chain instead of a belt is to prevent total engine failure described in this story.
If someone knows differently from what I’ve researched - give me a shout out because I’ll need to have it checked. Thus far, my engine, at 107k miles, is running fine with no signs of the chain breaking.
When I was looking for a used everyday vehicle, I noticed that a 10 year-old Honda Accord or Toyota Camry was about the same price as a 10 year-old mid-level Mercedes or BMW.
The reason is exactly as you stated. Also, a luxury car buyer doesn’t want a 10 year-old car. And the average person doesn’t want the repair bills that come with them.
As long as you make sure you keep the oil at the proper level, you should never have to replce a timing chain; or least not for over 200,000 miles.
Did some googling, and apparently they’ve made the belts better over the years. The distances I’ve seen for the TDI is 100,000K+. The manual should say.
That is true for engines with double row chains, however single row chains last about 100K miles.
Also, the chain usually is not the problem, but rather the tensioner(s)that often has plastic on it.
I don’t mind the timing belt as long the engine is non-
interference.
My 05 was due at 100K miles.
You are 100% correct on the reason for a chain. They should not break, even after 250k mis........
My second car was a 74 Triumph Spitfire that I bought at a used car dealer here in Norfolk. (We finance E-1 and up) It lasted for 12 of the 18 payments and threw a rod. Vowed to never own another British car.
I also had an 88 Dodge Dakota truck. The owners manual stated to use MOPAR Type 7176 or Dextron II transmission fluid. After the SECOND transmission overhaul I found out that Dextron II would cause the transmission to fail. BTW as of two years ago that truck was STILL on the road.
Cripes, given your name I’m guessing you know stuffs about cars and things. You’re making me paranoid.
I don’t know if my ‘09 Corolla has a single or double row. I did a ton of research on Toyota Nation and the consensus there is that ‘09 corolla with my engine has a 400k + life unless you hear “the noise.” Which is loud and distinctive.
Thank you. Someday I ought to root that manual out and look at it. smile
I have been working on cars (boats and anything mechanical)for
over 45 years (yes, I am old).
Your Corolla, with proper maintenance, should go 200k without
any problem. If, however you hear a noise (usually at start up), it should be checked out.
Replacing a timing chain proactively can create more problems
since the engine needs to be opened up.
No doubt, your Corolla will go as long as you want to drive it.
I found that out the hard way. The $2500 oil change is common for BMWs with 50,0000+ miles. A mini S model is a blast to drive; they will do 130 mph off the showroom floor. For $5K you can buy a kit that takes that to over 160 mph.
At the 45K or 60k check ups / oil change you can count on spending $2500 or more on repair work every time it goes to the dealer. That is why mine got traded in...
The dealer wanted $950 for a REBUILT alternator...
#9 My 1992 Honda was that way but the 2003 4cyl has a chain and not a belt and it says the belt is good for the life of the car. The 6cyl has the belt and the transmission problem.... The 1992 Honda you had to change out the belt at 90,000 miles and you also did the water pump ($45) as it was right there as they took apart the timing belt.
Sometimes I hear a crunch at cold start-up, but I’m told it’s the starter bendix which is a common defect on the model. I’ll eventually replace the starter and drive the car until it explodes.
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