2013 Scion FRS Denied J02 Recall

[James H]

Originally Posted by evomike

no dealership or shop is going to touch your car with it being a salvage and from what the shop is saying a poorly repaired salvage car. You need to properly fix your car or pay someone to fix it before anyone will touch it for the recall, this isn't them denying it to deny it this is a shop covering themselves. It sucks but its the nature of a salvage car.

edit: also I am not even sure if you would be eligible for any recall work with a salvage title.

Appears the OP has conveniently overlooked the fact that he paid a much lower price for a salvage title car over a road worthy used car. That is the exact reason why there is a price difference. When one buys a salvage title car, it comes with the understanding that you take the risk of whether you can make it run with less cost thrown in than what you normally paid for a used one. Can't have it both ways.

[aemravan]

Originally Posted by James H

Appears the OP has conveniently overlooked the fact that he paid a much lower price for a salvage title car over a road worthy used car. That is the exact reason why there is a price difference. When one buys a salvage title car, it comes with the understanding that you take the risk of whether you can make it run with less cost thrown in than what you normally paid for a used one. Can't have it both ways.

1) the "exact" reason a salvage title car is "much cheaper" is because it has an outstanding valve spring recall/issue completely unrelated to the cosmetic damage to the car???

2) I'm not overlooking anything at all, if anything, the dealer is "conveniently" using the accident/salvage title as a reason to not take on the risk.

3) I more than fully understand the risks involved with buying/working on a salvage title car. And for the record, the car ran/drove perfectly fine upon receipt. I am also very confident in my mechanical abilities to do the work, not to mention I enjoy it.

4) I can certainly have it both ways, have it running/driving and for less cost. And even with the unexpected mechanical repairs I will still walk away well under market value of a non-salvage car. (not that I am looking to sell/make any money on this, its a long-term vehicle we want for my fiance)





and just to clarify, the reason salvage title cars are "cheaper" to buy is:
1) they still require a lot of time and money to get them on the road, and if you can't do most of the work yourself you'll actually end up spending more than just buying a running car
2) their resale value obviously reflects the fact that they have been involved in an accident.



with that said, i have seen plenty of "clean title" cars that were far from it, having unreported damage/repairs done significantly worse than that of something like what I am restoring.

[Turbo]

Only thing I would add is that -if you decide to tackle the spring repair yourself or have another mechanic do it- then I would strongly recommend using upgraded aftermarket valve springs and Ti retainers instead of the OEM recall-fix units.

The labour cost will be the same, but it will yield some benefits on track.

It could also be cheaper, as OE parts aren't that cheap.

[aemravan]

Originally Posted by Turbo

Only thing I would add is that -if you decide to tackle the spring repair yourself or have another mechanic do it- then I would strongly recommend using upgraded aftermarket valve springs and Ti retainers instead of the OEM recall-fix units.

The labour cost will be the same, but it will yield some benefits on track.

It could also be cheaper, as OE parts aren't that cheap.

The first thing I did was look up the cost difference between the OEM replacement springs (per the j02 recall documentation of replaced parts) and some upgraded springs..

needless to say I was pretty surprised... the factory springs will only run me 100 bucks... so I don't think I'll be upgrading unless I can find a decent set of aftermarket ones that aren't too pricey.. with a quick search I found some that look decent but if I remember correctly they were around $250 bucks for the set.


TI retainers sounds amazing too.. I love upgrades.. but that would be a complete cost add-on as the factory retainers are....well...retained... lol.
But i'll give it a thought and see... would be nice to do..but at the same time currently I don't see a point.. I don't think we'll be tracking the car as it will be a daily, and hopefully a long-term vehicle... but who knows...maybe sometime down the road it could be beneficial..

[Turbo]

Originally Posted by aemravan

The first thing I did was look up the cost difference between the OEM replacement springs (per the j02 recall documentation of replaced parts) and some upgraded springs..

needless to say I was pretty surprised... the factory springs will only run me 100 bucks... so I don't think I'll be upgrading unless I can find a decent set of aftermarket ones that aren't too pricey.. with a quick search I found some that look decent but if I remember correctly they were around $250 bucks for the set.


TI retainers sounds amazing too.. I love upgrades.. but that would be a complete cost add-on as the factory retainers are....well...retained... lol.
But i'll give it a thought and see... would be nice to do..but at the same time currently I don't see a point.. I don't think we'll be tracking the car as it will be a daily, and hopefully a long-term vehicle... but who knows...maybe sometime down the road it could be beneficial..

You can get a set of upgraded aftermarket springs complete with titanium retainers for a few hundred bucks.


Honestly - between your talk of tracking the car AND the reported failures of OEM valve springs manufactured outside the recall period I think you'd be foolish to NOT upgrade them at the same time. Is it going to cost you another $200-250 for these valve springs? Yup. But the labour bill will be $2,000 for the recall so it's a drop in the bucket.


While the engine is out, I would also advise you update to the newest clutch release bearing (the older ones are prone to failure) and change your spark plugs ($500+ at the dealer afterwards as it takes hours to reach/replace them with engine in car) as they are both zero labour items once the engine is out for service.


If you're gonna track the car, it would be smart to install an upgraded clutch & lightweight flywheel (longevity & performance upgrade) as well as a Verus forged clutch fork (the stock ones bend, then break) at the same time.

Upgraded engine mounts would be more of a bonus, but again - they are a zero labour install once the engine is out saving you hundreds more in future labour so I'd do them too.


Yes, I know I'm spending your money pretty fast here - but the money you will save on doing the plugs during the recall will pay for your release bearing & fork. And the labour you save doing the clutch while the engine is out will pay for your valve springs.

Just do it and don't look back.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Turbo

You can get a set of upgraded aftermarket springs complete with titanium retainers for a few hundred bucks.


Honestly - between your talk of tracking the car AND the reported failures of OEM valve springs manufactured outside the recall period I think you'd be foolish to NOT upgrade them at the same time. Is it going to cost you another $200-250 for these valve springs? Yup. But the labour bill will be $2,000 for the recall so it's a drop in the bucket.


While the engine is out, I would also advise you update to the newest clutch release bearing (the older ones are prone to failure) and change your spark plugs ($500+ at the dealer afterwards as it takes hours to reach/replace them with engine in car) as they are both zero labour items once the engine is out for service.


If you're gonna track the car, it would be smart to install an upgraded clutch & lightweight flywheel (longevity & performance upgrade) as well as a Verus forged clutch fork (the stock ones bend, then break) at the same time.

Upgraded engine mounts would be more of a bonus, but again - they are a zero labour install once the engine is out saving you hundreds more in future labour so I'd do them too.


Yes, I know I'm spending your money pretty fast here - but the money you will save on doing the plugs during the recall will pay for your release bearing & fork. And the labour you save doing the clutch while the engine is out will pay for your valve springs.

Just do it and don't look back.

I thought the OP was fixing up that car for a DD for his SO, not to track it. Also, I thought he said it was an auto -


humfrz

[Turbo]

Originally Posted by humfrz

I thought the OP was fixing up that car for a DD for his SO, not to track it. Also, I thought he said it was an auto -


humfrz

I dunno if I read a different thread that I thought I was replying to or what?


You are definitely right on all counts

[Turfstuff]

I am fighting with Toyota corporate to have my engine replaced after the JO2 recall killed it. The Toyota Corporate Rep told me, "If you put a salvage engine in the car, it will probably be subject to the recall and it will cause the same problem you are having." i.e. it will brick the engine. A used motor from LKQ was one of the options offered by the dealer that Toyota would accept. But as for your case if they will perform the recall on an engine out of a salvage car going into a decent body, it would seem they should do it on yours. Also Toyota sucks last one I will ever own.

[aemravan]

Well, after sitting on the decision for a couple of days I think I may actually end up doing a not-so-expensive titanium valve and retainer upgrade.. give it a little extra insurance for the upper range of revs, thinking of maybe something like this:
http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/gsc-...l#.XOgjmohKiUk

Also probably going to go ahead and get a nice intake for it as well as either an axle-back exhaust or a cat-back exhaust.. not sure how long we want to make it for a daily, but my fiance did, herself, mention she wants a little "umphh" when shes wants to get on it so that opens up my wallet a little

[RZNT4R]

You're probably not going to get much value out of these. They'll have high spring rates for boost/high RPM, but since it's a stock engine for a daily, all you'll get is extra wear and fewer horses, as those stiffer springs will be harder to compress.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by aemravan

Well, after sitting on the decision for a couple of days I think I may actually end up doing a not-so-expensive titanium valve and retainer upgrade.. give it a little extra insurance for the upper range of revs, thinking of maybe something like this:
http://www.ft86speedfactory.com/gsc-...l#.XOgjmohKiUk

Also probably going to go ahead and get a nice intake for it as well as either an axle-back exhaust or a cat-back exhaust.. not sure how long we want to make it for a daily, but my fiance did, herself, mention she wants a little "umphh" when shes wants to get on it so that opens up my wallet a little

I would suggest a drop in free-er flowing air filter and a medium sound axle back muffler. That will give her the illusion of more "umphh" and not too hard on your wallet -


humfrz

[aemravan]

Thanks for the input fellas.
After giving it some thought you are right on the springs and titanium retainers. The car definitely won't be turbo in the foreseeable future so no need to waste money on something like that.

What I did decide that I am going to do is:
- decide on air filter system (still doing some research to see what the best bang for the buck is)
- greddy axle back titanium tip muffler delete
- OFT stage 1 tune (looking to see if i can find a used tablet for around 350ish)
- and POSSIBLY some UEL headers with a cat. < this is going to be the pricey portion but I think it will do it wonders for the future in case we decide to play with some E85


now to return from the fantasy land and actually pick up the dang car so I can start making the repairs it ACTUALLY needs...

[LotsaMiles]

Originally Posted by evomike

and this folks is why you do not buy a car with a salvage title for anything but a track car.

I'll throw this out:
I moved from Seattle, where my credit union would not even loan money on a salvage, to rural KY where everybody - even my banker - has a salvage in their driveway.


I wondered before I moved here, what people in a lower income and cost of living area do regarding items that cost the same no matter where you live. Answer: They buy a LOT of salvage cars. One of my friends owns a shop where he only does (rebuilds and sells) late model GM truck salvages. He drives one himself and they are all great cars. But he's careful about how he gets them. In one case, he got 20 or 30 brand new trucks due to "flood damage". He got them dirt cheap because all of them except one only saw about six inches or less. i.e. there was not a darned thing wrong with them. The one that did get a few feet of water he put in his "parts" yard. BTW, his business has exploded.


When people only make $40k a year and they need A reliable 4x4 truck, a salvage is about the only option they have.

[ermax]

Or get a Tactrix cable for $170 and flash a tune with that. Also E85 will do wonders even if all else is stock.