I own a 2009 Toyota Camry. I bought it new. Now it is 12 years old and has about 45,000 miles on it. Over the past year (since March 2020) I had the following done per dealership mechanic’s suggestions (Some are from one dealership and some from another dealership)
-Resurfaced rear brake rotors
-Replaced rear brake pads
-Replaced front machine rotors
-Replaced front brake pads
-Tire rotation
-Replaced power steering return tube due to a power steering fluid leak
—— Also, but this is 2 years ago - Mount and balanced 4 new tires, and wheel alignment
Recently, the dealership mechanic told me that my car has a wet right boot of the steering rack and recommends that the right boot be replaced (this is a different dealership than the one that replaced the steering return tube). They also said that radiator is leaking from the bottom and should be replaced. They also mentioned a few smaller items that should be replaced.
The previous repairs I had done which I noted, along with a few small extra items such as oil changes, and with the new tires, cost around $2500 in total.
The estimate for to replace the steering rack right boot and the radiator, along with a coolant flush and power steering flush is about $2400.
I am concerned that in the future more expensive repairs or replacements may be recommended by a mechanic, and I don’t want to spend $2500 every year on this car going forward.
Should I spend the money to get the radiator replaced and the steering rack right boot replaced? Or should I not, in which case I would put that money towards buying another car to replace my current one.
Thanks for your advice.
Definitely find an independent mechanic for a second opinion on the repairs. I think you are getting up sold bigly. With your low mileage I would be willing to put in some money to keep it.
I'm not a mechanic, but I'd say stop using dealers for your car work. They cost more than good mechanics, often recommend work that is unnecessary. You really need to find a good mechanic. Once you do, have them check the car out and make NECESSARY repairs only.
I'm going to echo many folks on here. I'm not necessarily against taking your car to the dealer for an oil change, because many times they use it as a loss leader to sell you more expensive repairs. And then take it to a independent mechanic you trust, who can get it done at a fraction of the cost.
With the leak, you gotta see if it is a major leak, or if it is something simple. Often times dealers will make big deals out of nothing.
The brakes, rotors, tires, are all part of normal wear and tear. And if you have only done those once in 10+ years at your mileage, you should be fine. I also recommend taking it to an independent mechanic, UNLESS you can bargain the dealer down to a reasonable amount. I found a deal on a dealer website for front brakes. And I got them to give me the deal for the rear brakes too. All prices are negotiable, more so at the dealer.
I'm not so sure how to manage the steering rack and boot. That one seems like an expensive job regardless of dealer or independent mechanic. I am open to other thoughts on here for the best course of action.
With that said, I think you might have plenty of life left in your car with low maintenance, assuming you don't go to the dealership aka stealership to get the work done. I get it though, sometimes it feels safe to go to the dealer. Because they are experts at your make and model.
Sounds fishy. I'd get a second opinion from an honest independent mechanic in your area.
"Recently, the dealership mechanic told me that my car has a wet right boot of the steering rack and recommends that the right boot be replaced (this is a different dealership than the one that replaced the steering return tube). They also said that radiator is leaking from the bottom and should be replaced. They also mentioned a few smaller items that should be replaced."
Regarding the wet steering boot, stop leak product may take care of that.
Lucas worked well on mine after a few application.
Regarding the radiator leak, monitor the coolant reservoir to determine how bad leak is.
Keep in mind that the mechanic will advise on any leaks large or small.
Personally i would hold off spending any more on repairs than you all ready have.
Especially if you can monitor whats be noted and react if things worsen.
There are several variables to your question. I'll address them, here, echoing some of what has been said, but bringing up some new points:
1. I have a 2008 Camry LE 2.4 L, so I speak from similar experience. (I bought mine in December 2007). Having said that, there are some differences, though, such as mileage (I have 150K on my vehicle, for example).
1.a. The first thing I noticed, and it hasn't been mentioned yet, is that you don't drive very much.
45K in 12 years works out to less than 4K a year, or roughly 350 miles, per month. Unless your driving patterns change, and assuming you're thinking about buying a new car, you need to think about this in a cost/benefit equation.
1.b. In order to think specifically about a cost/benefit equation, IMHO, your car should be taken to one (or even two) honest, independent shops. You'd benefit from a thorough general inspection of the vehicle (and a honest shop will charge you for these inspections, because they're not trying to sell you on high cost or unnecessary repairs).
Good general inspections will prioritize potential repairs (what's immediate, what's coming up, what is a year or more down the road). The key is to find shops with a diagnostic culture rather than a merchant culture. (The former focuses on diagnosing and repairing only what is necessary. The latter is in the business of selling parts and services, regardless of actual necessity). Dealerships are usually a mix of these two cultures, but generally lean more heavily toward the merchant culture, given the enormous overhead these operations have.
2. Apart from tires and radiators (sacrificial items, actually, in terms of time and use), does the car do for you what you need it to do? Do you like it? Does it serve your needs?
2.a. And then, look for the shop that will GUARANTEE that such repairs should take of all your outstanding and emergent problems, for the foreseeable future. If they hedge on that (and this should be done in writing, BTW), go somewhere else. Too many shops throw "the parts cannon" full throttle, without any diagnosis. Avoid those places.
3. As for the oil burning: Yes, it's a problem, but one that can be controlled with more frequent oil changes. (And stick with what Toyota specifies, in terms of weight, such as 0w20. It's also best to stick with one brand, to avoid oil consumption issues that come from different additive packages interacting in the engine). As Scotty and others have pointed out, newer engines often burn even more oil, due to (paradoxically) higher CAFE mpg standards. Again, more frequent oil changes mitigate (somewhat) the oil burning problems of the 2AZFE engine.
4. Do some of the maintenance, yourself. If you have the time, it's not difficult, as long as you're attentive, to DIY some of the maintenance items: Oil changes, transmission ATF drain and fill, coolant drain and fill, and refreshing the power steering fluid. It doesn't take much in tools (car ramps help, along with a spill proof funnel for the radiator), with the biggest expense coming from buying OEM oil filters, the OEM coolant and ATF from the dealer. There are multiple good tutorials on how to correctly perform these procedures, correctly).
Likewise, it's no big deal to clean the Mass Air Flow Sensor nor the throttle body on this vehicle, as well. (Special sprays aren't expensive). Even the Valve Cover Gasket (which might well be changed on a 12 year old vehicle, is a relatively easy procedure). Again, there are plenty of good tutorials on YouTube, specific to this generation of Camrys.
Parenthetically, as Scotty mentions, IF you need a new radiator (which is a reasonable assumption, if the OEM is still in use after 12 years), the aftermarket has some good, inexpensive radiators.
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To sum up: Get one or two paid general inspections done on the car, by shops with a diagnostic, rather than a mercantile culture. Have them produce a prioritized list and guarantee, in writing, that these services should address ALL the foreseeable issues with the car.
And, if you're game, learn how to do some of the simpler DIY maintenance items, yourself.
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Do some of the preventive maintenance items (oil, ATF drain and fill, coolant drain and fill, power steering fluid refresh, MAF and Throttle Body clean) yourself. You'll save money on the services, as well, and as prevention, extend the life of your car.
In the end, weigh the cost-benefit equation. And then go from there.
Good luck.
@geriscan Please copy+paste your response to the "Your Answer" box below. Thank you.
I read all of the answers, and I want to thank everyone who answered because your answers have helped me decide upon a course of action that I am happy with.
I have gotten a recommendation for an independent mechanic, and I plan to take the car there for a paid inspection. I will tell the mechanic what issues were found at the dealership service center and will ask if he/she sees any other issues that may arise in the near future due to normal wear and tear. I will also ask what my options are regarding the radiator and right boot. If the mechanic says the radiator and/or right boot repairs/replacements are necessary and doesn't see any other expensive repairs or replacements that would be needed to be done in the near future, I will get the radiator and/or right boot repaired and/or replaced.
I have been monitoring the power steering fluid level and the coolant level over the past week. I checked the levels today (Wednesday) and the previous Wednesday, both times during the afternoon after having not driven the car since the previous evening. Over the course of the week, I did not see a change in the power steering fluid level. It is still filled to the max line. The coolant level, however, seems to have gone down about an eighth of an inch in the reservoir, and the reservoir is still close to being full.
Regarding the resurfacing and replacing of rotors and the replacement of brake pads, when I had all that done last year, that was the first and only time those things had been done on the car. It was also the second time that I got new tires put on the car. So, I am okay with these fixes/replacements since it seems like they were probably necessary due to normal wear and tear.
Regarding the mileage, I don’t really drive the car too much, and thus the 45,000 over 12 years.
I’m anticipating holding on to this car and trying to maintain it.
I don't have an option to edit anymore. I wanted to correct to say that 2 years ago was the second time new tires were put on the car, so tires have been replaced two times in total.
Also keep in mind the engines on those (assuming its a 4 cylinder) start burning oil around 60k miles and the resale value drops dramatically like said above you would want a mechanic to see if its worth keeping it it seems those are things that are common with decade old cars but if you fix it you should be fine.
I say have a talk with your mechanic.
Interested in seeing what your independent mechanic comes back with. Also, what tires are you getting that you've gone thru 2 sets of tires in 45,000 miles ?
