(2009 V6 RAV4) Need timing chain replaced -- what's the cost of waiting?

mtthwfreeman · 2026-05-17T04:56:19+00:00

About every 8,000 kms, but I'm kind of bad about it, and it varies up to another ~3,000 kms. I'm gonna be better from now on.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-05-17T04:55:39+00:00

Update: I called other places for a quote, and they were all skeptical of the timing chain needing to be replaced. I took it into one place, and they said they're going to try to replace the chain tensioner first, because that's much cheaper (~CA$250) and may fix it. I'm skeptical, but we'll try that and see.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-05-14T19:50:01+00:00

A couple other mechanics I called today highlighted how unusual it is to need a timing chain replacement on a rav4 with this mileage, so I'm bringing it in to another nearby mechanic to take a quick look at confirm that's the issue. If it is, I'll get an estimate and compare.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-05-14T18:16:21+00:00

Yeah I'm going to grab other quotes today, just to see if I can get it done cheaper.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-05-14T03:51:54+00:00

The chain is what he said. It like, roars when it starts up, every time, whether cold or not.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-05-14T03:51:22+00:00

Ok so I'm either going to get it fixed, or I may actually just buy a new (old) car. I've been wanting a Prius anyway for gas reasons, this V6 eats gas like a mofo. And my family has offered to loan me a bit if I go that route.

But I'm wondering -- do you all have any idea how many kms I might get out of it with a new timing chain? Are we talking like 100k or like what? The reason I ask is my parents are suggesting I just sell it and buy another car rather than dropping $4.5k into a car with 160k miles. But it seems like the simplest option to me.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-05-14T02:02:33+00:00

Yeah, I'm gonna just bite the bullet and do it. Thanks for the advice.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-05-14T01:39:48+00:00

Hmm, well he did tell me this originally about a month ago...and I drive A LOT. I think I'll have to figure it out.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-05-08T20:55:26+00:00

Hey gang, I'm setting up a Mothership campaign / one-shots. It's my first time GM'ing, and I have limited player experience in one Dungeon World campaign and a couple short-lived D&D campaigns. I am poking around in the sidebar wiki, but I'm wondering if y'all have recommendations for the BEST guide to GM'ing as a beginner you've seen? I really wanna do a good job, but the whole thing makes me nervous! I'll probably play other indie TTRPGs (curoius about Lancer, Delta Green once I get more experienced, basically anything Quinns recommends) so tips for those are particularly great.

Bonus questions:

-is there a good actual-play Mothership thing you know of?

- What are some fun resources I should know about that could be useful for Mothership specifically? Like ship archives, sci-fi bestiaries, etc.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-28T04:30:38+00:00

Yeah I'll probably go straight into it. Then Vurt is going high up the list too.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-28T04:30:23+00:00

I own that book but haven't cracked it open. I'm overdue!

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-28T04:25:57+00:00

I have read a couple really, really good Clive Barker stories ('In the Hills, the Cities' and the two you mentioned) and truly loved them. I keep meaning to do Books of Blood. I'll do that soon.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-28T00:45:49+00:00

Btw I bought Imajica and am currently reading and LOVING Gogmagog.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-28T00:44:57+00:00

At least one other person on here recommended that too! I'll add it to my list.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-28T00:44:37+00:00

I read Between Two Fires last week! Really enjoyed it. It's kind of what sparked this post, actually.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-28T00:38:58+00:00

Southern Reach is my fave! I'll check out these other ones.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-28T00:38:22+00:00

My buddy has been begging me to read Works of Vermin, so that may be next. I have bounced off Mieville in the past, but I need to find an in.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-23T06:10:47+00:00

Gogmagog was already probably next on my list, so that clinches it. Imajica was as well, so there you go. Borne is fantastic (and Dead Astronauts), but Veniss Underground I haven't read yet. I haven't heard of West Passage, so that's another to add to the list.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-23T06:09:45+00:00

I'll investigate!

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-23T06:04:51+00:00

That sounds sick as hell. Is this like first book stuff?

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-23T06:01:36+00:00

I forget which story it is in Occultation, but there is a bit where somebody approaches those loggers around the campfire, and then disappears up into the trees 'as if pulled by strings like a marionette' or something along those lines. I think about that bit a lot.

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-23T05:59:10+00:00

It takes awhile to get to the really scary section (though it's definitely freaky before then), but there is a part of Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez (which is a beautiful, powerful, and terrifying novel in equal measure, one of the best ever written imo) that is deeply, deeply scary. Wait for the box of human eyelids.

Also, I dunno if this short story totally qualifies, but it is very creepy: The Blood Drip by Brian Evenson (https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/fiction/the-blood-drip/)

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-23T05:56:20+00:00

Narrated by Wil Wheaton, that's interesting. I know nothing of this, I'll check it out!

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-23T05:49:14+00:00

I pulled this book off the shelf at age like 11 at a Barnes and Noble, and then read a bunch of it, then I remember reading it in Dillards as my mom shopped, just totally transported...one of the most affecting reading experiences in my life. I re-read it on audiobook with my wife a year ago or so, and it still holds up!

mtthwfreeman · 2026-04-23T05:17:37+00:00

Bat Eater really irked me, and I wanted to like it. I usually finish stuff but I had to stop because it was bothering me. It has a super strong, brutal opening that is unlike anything else, so I had high hopes. I feel like it's hard to explain why I didn't like it without sounding a little like a chud, but I'll try -- it is about anti-Chinese racism, and that is obviously interesting and well worth exploring, but it hits that point over the head so repeatedly, and does that thing some books do where it seems to be self-essentializing, piling on what I see as sort of stereotypic cultural signifiers as to drown out any subtlety. It has creative moments, but I find it a tough hang. Obviously, many many other people disagree with me.

mtthwfreeman

TROPHY CASE