I've got an '07 Toyota Avalon Ltd, auto, with the famous 3.5L V6. It was used for a "power" commute of 155 miles r/t a day for 5 years, so it has 313K miles. I am the 2nd owner and bought it as a dealer demo with 33K miles in '09. The last 5 years it's been housed outside.
Last week the car developed a judder and my 79 yr old father (who I gave the car to) took it for a diagnostic at one of the franchise shops (Pep Boys). Of course they ran up an estimate of $6,800 including replacing the entire steering column which is apparently disintegrating.
At no point would I have $7000 of work done on this car (or let this franchise shop do ANY work). How much is TOO much to invest in this car? The car owes me NOTHING and I have no problem investing something (under $2K), but is this a sell it for parts/donate to charity situation?
Appreciate what you do.
CK
I'm going to second the idea of having a trusted independent mechanic checking it out. Once you have their diagnosis and get a quote for the repair then you can make a decision of keeping or selling it. I wouldn't be surprised to find the issue was nothing near what these people at Pep Boys told you.
1) Take it in to an independent mechanic to verify the problem. It could very well be other suspension components and not as crazy as the steering column or rack.
2) If it is indeed the steering column or rack, I don’t think it should cost nearly $7000. You could get a used Avalon with half the miles for that price. I would probably share the same opinion as you, fix anything if it were less than $2000.
3) If it were any other make car, I’d say junk it. But since it is a Toyota, those things can go longer than most, especially since yours had mostly highway miles. My only concern is that consumables like the suspension and some gaskets may be due for a change eventually. Of course, I would have to do the math, and see if it made sense within the next few years, or just cheaper to buy another car.
Can you find an honest mechanic in your area?
Sorry for the downvote. Revoted, but of course it just cancels the down. Good idea.
@justin-shepherd it's OK.
I would not trust the knuckleheads at Pep Boys to install a battery or a tire let alone diagnose anything or do any serious work. They're about the worst possible place to bring your car. Take to a real mechanic. It could well just be worn ball joints or other front-end problem that is fixable at reasonable cost.
Manny, Moe, and Jack? More like Moe, Larry, and Curly.
I don't think I've ever heard of a steering column disintegrating, let alone on a 15 year old Toyota.
I noticed when I was changing my power steering fluid the other day, that the boot on my '99 Ranger's steering column is ripped practically in half. It's probably been that way for years. I never noticed it before, and was going to ask the forum how big of an issue this is, then I realized that's a pretty heavy duty steel assembly, and it's not under nearly as much stress as a CV joint, nor is it constantly rotating at high speed. It'll still wear out eventually. When it is becoming a problem, it'll start making a racket like a bad U-joint on a driveshaft, or develop play in the steering. My truck has none of that.
I'd take it somewhere else. Or, get underneath if you can, and look at the boots on suspension components. They're probably shot after so many miles. Scotty has videos on how to check your suspension visually, and how to track down noises if you're a wrencher.
Sounds like Pep Boys saw your elder father coming and planned to soak him of his pension. The judder could be a failing tire. Even tires with tread left on them can come start coming apart internaly with age & weather and cause steering shake or make a smooth road ride rough.
