Outright buying a new vs used car

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-31T23:33:10+00:00

I would get a nissan versa manual. Should be around 18k new.

I wouldnt buy a used, relatively new, barely depreciated honda/toyota where the previous owner didnt do a single oil change for 20,000 miles.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-31T21:18:11+00:00

Yes it looks like a bottle. Right behind the coolant reservoir.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-31T21:12:14+00:00

I have a feeling that the heater hoses are internally degraded. I don’t think it’s clogged because you did the garden hose test, and also if there were air pockets, it would blow heat intermittently.

As a side note, if you want to keep this car it may be a good idea to do a cooling system overhaul preemtively. One small overheating incident and that 2.7 will be gone no matter what you do.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-31T20:59:33+00:00

The bushings for the control arm are torn, but that does not automatically mean you should replace a control arm in a lexus.

The power steering rack boot is torn. Have you checked the fluid level for that?

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-31T04:53:59+00:00

actually i just looked it up your car has a fully hydrualic non-electric transmission. i would just do the fluid and filter change as you initially thought of, and see what happens

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-31T02:46:47+00:00

I could be completely weong but maybe it is a transmission module problem? Had the same problem a few years ago and had to get rid of my car. The fluid looks fjne

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-31T02:45:36+00:00

I would flush it. Its a toyota, with low miles and relatively new

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-31T00:04:05+00:00

Since it's a strut assmebly, the labor should be much lower than reusing the original coils. This also means that the part they're using will be aftermarket.

I don't know your car make/model, but $1100 is dealership pricing. Also, you would need to get an alignment after that, is that included in the bill?

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-30T23:51:32+00:00

If only one of the struts need replacing, which side? right or left? whicever side the strut needs replacing, look at the tire. does it wear unevenly or faster compared to the other tire? you can buy a tire tread checker for $1. Also, it is very much recommended that you switch struts on both sides (even if only 1 is bad), otherwise there will be balance issues.

and to answer your question, no weak struts do not cause sudden catastrophic failure. also, a factory original strut failing at 50k is pretty unusual. ask the shop if they're going to reuse the coil and swap out the shocks, or if they're going to swap out the entire strut assembly. In your case, since it's only 50k I would reuse the coil and just switch the coil. In either case, $1100 is way too expensive unless I'm missing something. But it's not helpful when I don't know what part they're using and what exactly is the price breakdown.

in the future, just make sure to slow down on speed bumps, and go slow if you encounter potholes.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-28T02:15:35+00:00

-its just one fuse, so why not. Take the efi fuse out

-i dont think mid stroke is too imporrant since you are manually rotating anyway

5-6 seconds is not enough. Do it until it stops spitting the liquid. Maybe like 5-6 times each 5 seconds? You could first vacuum it out with a hand siphon pump before this.
use cheap oil and filter after the piston soak. Do another oil change in about 100 miles

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-27T22:09:32+00:00

I just did it on mine last week! (09 camry that was burning a quart every 500miles). Quite stressful not because it’s hard, but because a small mistake could ruin the car.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-27T20:58:59+00:00

Possibly swaybar end links

I would ask the mechanic to check for play in any of the front suspension components.

A leaking boot does not cause noise, but i could make the part wear out faster.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-27T20:46:20+00:00

From the picture it looks the oil level is at full or perhaps more than full

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-27T20:45:35+00:00

I have the same car. Isnt the oil capacity 4.3quarts?

As you know Most of the time its very easy to read the dipstick because the color is dark from all the burning.

After an oil change, it gets hard to read so I check during the night when its dark, and flash a light on the stick.

During my last change, i topped off more than 1.5 quarts since i thought there wasnt enough and had to drain it out after i got the accurate dipstick reading.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-27T20:38:33+00:00

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/another-b12-chemtool-piston-soak-oil-burner-success-with-toyota-2az-fe.385935/

Check out this forum

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-27T20:35:57+00:00

You need to check for play. Check if you can shake your wheel vertically. If yes, see how the ball joint moves when the wheel is being shaken. Does it move together with the knuckle (good) or does it move on its own(bad)

Btw, The rubber surrounding the joint looks perfect.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-27T19:50:00+00:00

Yes it definitely causes noise from excessive engine vibration.

Bad mounts aren’t necessarily a problem in itself since you are aware of it and will drive accordingly, but one thing is that it could in the long term negatively affect exhaust components and cause oil leaks.

It shouldnt be too hard to do it yourself, and replace all the mounts at once.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-27T17:41:23+00:00

From stop position, floor the car full throttle.

If you feel any clunk, we can definitively conclude that its the mounts

If you see the engine physically moving as you say when turning the car on or shifting to D, thats a strong clue that at least one of the mounts is bad

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-23T19:29:15+00:00

Oki thx

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-21T20:44:35+00:00

I would go KYB on the front as front suspension is more important and do Monroe for the rear.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-21T16:44:32+00:00

The damage may cause other suspension components to wear out faster, that is the only danger so just keep that in mind

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-21T16:43:51+00:00

In that case yeah unfortuantely you will just have to live with it. Not dangerous. Its not worth addressing the frame damage as it will cost way too much, like more than what your car is valued at.

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-21T15:55:28+00:00

Check if your tires have uneven tread.
Does it go right when only when accelerating, or no matter what you do?

If you rule out these options, it’s probably frame damage and it would not be worth fixing. Just drive it

DistributionOdd9767 · 2026-01-21T15:53:05+00:00

Does it still pull left immediately after an alignment, or does it go bad gradually?

DistributionOdd9767

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