Concerned with reliability... should I be?

[mush]

Originally Posted by fledonfoot

My previous car was a 2011 Camry SE 4 cylinder. About as bulletproof as they get, and the last of that generation.

I owned it for 29,000 miles in the span of 19 months.

It had THREE transmissions, a right front axle, a JBL Nav unit fail, a blown left front speaker and the body control module all replaced in that period.

I've had no issues with my FR-S. It goes both ways, and sometimes you just get a bad car.

thats funny cause i have a 2007 camry SE i4, first year of that generation
never had a problem except for the water pump that i replaced 2 weeks ago... water pumps are known to go bad on these cars
has almost 53,000 miles, and my foot is made out of lead

[Sambo FRS]

Originally Posted by PSJohnDoe

By the way, don't let the dealer charge you more than an hour for install (if you aren't doing it yourself). My dealer tried to charge me 2.5 hours because they hadn't done one before and thought the bumper had to come off. Toyota warranty estimates one hour (probably more than they need, but more reasonable).

The prices for both were all inclusive, and are worked into my monthly financing rate, but thanks though. But its pretty sad when the car takes six weeks to arrive, and were at about 11 weeks now and counting and still waiting for the add-ons.

[hmong337]

Originally Posted by Fish Eagle

NO!

But if you really want to modify your car, then use a pro.
Keep your hands in your pockets and don't fiddle with it.
Resist the urge to DIY and you'll be OK.

Most of the bad stuff that you see on this forum comes from "fiddlers", and very few will admit that.

I won't be touching the powertrain/drivetrain. I've been a long time tweaker and pretty much consider myself an intermrdiate with regards to auto mechanics and modifying. But with the warranty provisions, the engine will stay stock 100%. However, I do plan on wheel and tire upgrades and possibly lowerng springs with a very mild drop on stock shocks. That's as far as I plan to modify until the car is paid off. After that, sky's the limit!

I just saw a whiteout FRS at the grocery parking lot but didn't catch the driver. It would've been nice to chat with him about any issues regarding the car that others are having. ...see if he was having any sort of issues too.

[Mikem53]

Originally Posted by hmong337

I won't be touching the powertrain/drivetrain. I've been a long time tweaker and pretty much consider myself an intermrdiate with regards to auto mechanics and modifying. But with the warranty provisions, the engine will stay stock 100%. However, I do plan on wheel and tire upgrades and possibly lowerng springs with a very mild drop on stock shocks. That's as far as I plan to modify until the car is paid off. After that, sky's the limit!

I just saw a whiteout FRS at the grocery parking lot but didn't catch the driver. It would've been nice to chat with him about any issues regarding the car that others are having. ...see if he was having any sort of issues too.

As another FRS driver, perhaps in a different parking lot... I have 2k miles on the odo.. No issues.. I did hear some chirping once or twice.. Nothing I consider an issue or anything to worry about.. Hear similar noises in others too with DI.
I have had my car at the track with no issues other than I need better pad and fluid.. All stock down to the tires.. Mine is a 2013 feb build.. You will enjoy it immensely.. This is scion number 3 in my family.. All have been trouble free and enjoyable to drive and own.. I assume this one will be no different. The xB and xd were made by dhaihatsu.. Toyota has high standards for quality..

[Carwhisperer]

Originally Posted by _hollywood

20k miles, hundreds of smokey burnouts, 500+ mile trips, no issues besides leaky taillights....you will be fine, drive her hard and do scheduled maintenance on time.

Saying you will be fine to anyone who is concerned on a brand new platform when one is asking about reliability is baffling. Especially when the car has been out for a year and there has been way more issues with just my local 86 crew than any of us has ever had with a brand new vehicle. Apparently I drove mine " too hard" because I've blown through 4 Direct Injectors ( 2 months in the shop ) within the first year.

But my experience is a little more extreme. DI failures are rare so far.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by E46toFT86

There are thousands if not millions of these cars on the road now. Your on a forum for this specific model meaning you'll read about this and that and assume its happening to SOOOO many cars when in reality it's probably maybe 3% give or take (real actual major problems). If the fuel pump chirp and rattles are what your worried about idk what to tell you that shouldn't really sway your decision. You buy a new car you have warranty which means everything will get fixed for free and if its really bad you'll receive a replacement vehicle given you don't void warranty. Stop hanging around the issues/recalls threads

nope, thousands. i dont think there will ever be millions. there arent even a million miatas and that car has had both more success and more time to get there.

i think the only thing to worry about is the dealer being a douche with warranty stuff like the people over on the di seal thread. getting jerked around like that cant be fun.

[#288]

I have >43M miles, it's a first month model and it had it's minor issues that were resolved at the dealer. Nothing in life is perfect, I enjoy the ride and experience more than I have any other car. That's what counts. Warts and all it's a great car.

[hmong337]

This is my first brand new car I have ever purchased so of course, I want it to be perfect. I know, unreasonable, but I hope I played my cards right and hit a royal flush. I know EVERYBODY says this but I plan to keep this car forever. My first brand new car, I am going to drive it till the wheels fall off. BUT, I'm just concerned about when those wheels will fall off LOL.

Yes, I understand that it's WAY too early to tell how the reliability of this car will pan out. I'm just throwing this thread out there to get a feel of what I'm getting into and what others have already experienced. I'm really hoping this is a "one-million-mile" car in its design. I love everything about it which is why I bought it (except for no armrest!).

With all cars in general, it's usually about the 80k-100k mile mark when the gremlins start to show their faces. Hopefully this is another solid Toyota that has kept me as a follower all these years.

Sure, Toyota these days ain't what is was back in the 90's. But they still make damn good cars, if not the BEST cars. It's just this Toyota/Subaru, Toyobaru, thingy that leaves me feeling slightly not confident. I'm headed into uncharted waters with no compass. Today, Toyota simply builds towards cost... not like how they used to be back in the 90's when they built towards 1000% quality! Not to say that the new cars of today are not quality, but Toyota in recent years has lost some of it's shine that is had back in the 90's.

Anyways, enough with my pessimism. My FRS is coming this week and we'll see how she goes.

[OICU812]

You worry too much seriously. Lol.

[Clembo]

Like with just about anything you buy today you pay your money and take your chances. Odds are you'll be fine. I've had mine for 4 months with zero issues, I'm sure there are thousands more like me. So quit worrying and enjoy the car when you get it - life is too short to do otherwise.