Back in shop...
 

So I'm driving home the other night from work. I accelerate on the on-ramp to the freeway when I notice I've lost a lot of power so I floor it. The engine then gets very loud so I pull off the road and before I can even come to a complete stop, it dies. Initial suspicion from the dealer was bearing noise. But after flying in a Toyota guru, I'm told that there are parts on order via a voicemail on my phone. He didn't specify what parts were on order so I called to ask. Turns out it needs a new lower block, cam shafts, and a bunch of other odds and ends. This car only has 3790 miles on it. I was also an unfortunate victim of the CEL issue right after I bought it. Should I be asking for a new car here? California Lemon Law requires the same problem 3 times but if I ever tried to sell this down the road in a few years, anyone who looks at a carfax is gonna see some major engine work was done. I've also lost faith in this NEW car's reliability and when I commute 80 miles each way to work, reliability is something I require.

Couple of questions:

How long was it in the shop for the CEL repair?
What was replaced/repaired/touched?

You may want to look into the lemon laws for CA. I would think the CEL repair plus the engine repair time will exceed the usual 30 day mark for a lemon.

In addition, I would be willing to bet there is a strong correlation between the CEL/idle issue and the engine failure. It sounds like a similar failure others have experienced here.

I'd bet they're replacing the entire long block (block and heads minus accessories). That's not always a bad thing though.

Sorry to hear that your problems are continuing.

I'd be asking for a new motor at this point myself.

:happy0180:

Ouch, well you are not the first person to have an engine failure after CEL fix :(
Afaik the other cars which failed was due to techs not doing their job right.

Mechanical repairs will not show up on a car fax only your service history and it doesn't change the value

curious were you on the factory fill of motor oil at that mileage?

The initial CEL repair was a total of 28 days. They replaced an oil control valve, and ECU. The car has now been there for this repair for 11 days so far.

Yup. Got a call saying Toyota doesn't want to take a chance with repairs. They are replacing it completely.

Good to know. :thanks:

Yes I was. But was told it was a full synthetic oil and shouldn't have had to change it until 5000 miles.

Rest easy then, replacing the whole thing its a ton more reliable than rebuilding one that blows up. Todays engines are so very tight on tolerances and oil passages the slightest debris can block one and lock an engine up in a matter of miles.

Reading through the California Lemon Law, it appears that if a new vehicle has been disabled for more than 30 days and it's been reported to the manufacturer (I've reported both incidents to Scion Corporate) that I am legally allowed to file for this law. Do you guys recommend filing or just let them replace the engine??

I would demand a new car, but that is my opinion and others may be content with an engine rebuild. There are far too many variables when replacing an engine in non factory conditions which could introduce new issues. The stuff people don't think of is the damage to the body, paint, dirt and FOD introduced in the engine and transmission, improper bolt torquing, misaligned splines, improperly adjusted belts, chains, damaged wiring, contamination in various fluids, less than careful mechanics, etc., etc.

Regarding your vehicle history, it may not necessarilly show up in Carfax, but if other buyers are as particular as I am, I always make it a point to get the service history for any used car I plan on purchasing. That would definitely show the details as to what was done to the car and I would walk if any major engine work was performed early in its life.

Honestly, if I was buying a used FR-S or BRZ in a few years, I would probably refrain from the 2013 model year. That is assuming of course this whole CEL thing is a non-issue for 2014 model year and forward.

Rob

Has anyone here ever claimed the lemon law? Am I required to hire a lawyer to serve them with papers or do I just speak to the dealership management about it? Or maybe go through my insurance??

I almost did once. There are attorneys that deal specifically in lemon law cases. Ask the lawyer directly, but it's my understanding that they attempt to recover legal fees from the auto manufacturer and thus it should cost you nothing. Don't go at it alone if you don't have to.