RECALL Scion FR-S 2013 VIN

[staygold]

Hi guys, how you are you? I hope you all are doing ok!

First allowed me to introduce myself, I'm new in the forum. My name is Arturo and Im located in florida.

So I'm going to buy a 2013 FR-S this week from a toyota dealership the car is only 21,000 miles and is it very very good conditions. Manual tranny. I've been checking the VIN no. of the car but it seems like my VIN doesn't have a recall at all and that kinda worries me since the majority of 2013 models had the VALVE SPRINGS RECALL issue. Any of you can guide me tru this? I dont want to buy the car "with no recall" and then suddenly my engine blows, and then I gotta pay for it ,not the dealer.

Thanks to you all!

[Kiske]

First off welcome.

Second, can we ask what deal your getting? Unless this car is a steal most wouldn't recommend buying a 2013 car now that this car has been to market for for 8+ years.

If you love the first gen style, try to shooting for a 2015 or newer model. Following 2015 there have been quite a few small tweaks to the these car to improve reliability and quality. Things including a revised coilpack, valve spring retainer. Depending on the model you also get improvements to the powersteering, exhaust, suspension's ride and a few interior and exterior tweaks. The sharkfin antenna is a dead give-a-way.

If you can afford to jump to jump to 2016 you can also get improved cam sensors. Anything following that model year will be the update FA20 with even more minor tweaks and improvements.

[bcj]

No, the majority of '13 twins did *not* have the recall issue. Only those mfg. to March of that year.
The rest are clear of that issue.

At 21k miles, it's practically new. Would definitely have to have new tires. 8 year old donuts are stale.
Change the oil.

My '13 FR-S is still working fine despite the still pending recall.

knock on wood

[humfrz]

Well now, staygold , welcome to our forum -

We are generally doing OK, thanks for asking.

I wouldn't worry about a low mileage 2013, especially if it wasn't under the valve spring recall. My 2013 is under the recall and I've decided NOT to have the recall work done.

With a MT 2013, the thing you may wish to be aware of is that the TOB (Throw Out Bearing) in the clutch are known to go out, usually after about 50 some thousand miles. A bad one will usually howl at you letting you know it's tired and dry. They can be replaced for about a thousand dollars, or $50 if you do it yourself.

[Spuds]

Dose the car come with an extended warranty? My 2013 has proven to be extremely reliable and durable so far at 50k miles, but if you want the peace of mind an extended warranty helps. For reference, I am not gentle with it...


Like others have said, most 2013s are not included in the valve spring recall, so that part doesn't raise any red flags to me.

Edit, mine is in the recall group, have not had it done.

[NWFRS]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Well now, staygold , welcome to our forum -

My 2013 is under the recall and I've decided NOT to have the recall work done.

Same. Not going to sweat it. They've been vetted plenty as far as I'm concerned. I'll take my chances. Still better than buying a domestic.

[Don Ivey]

Another 2013 owner here (bought 11/12) with no issues. I think I'll ignore the recall, as well, since many who have had it performed have had issues related to the fix. No issues here, as I said, but I only have 35K miles on it. I'll check in again at 60K.

Don Ivey

[DarkPira7e]

Included in recall or not, your car will be fine as long as you don't have the recall done.
With that said, someone else may not feel the same way and resale could be tough.

[NARFALICIOUS]

What is the VIN?

How did you determine it does not have the recall? the Toyota website only tells you if any recalls are currently open, it won't show completed ones.

[Dake]

Originally Posted by NARFALICIOUS

What is the VIN?
How did you determine it does not have the recall? the Toyota website only tells you if any recalls are currently open, it won't show completed ones.

I think the OP is saying his VIN doesn't come up as being part of the recall at all (not whether or not it was performed). The Valve Spring Recall was tied to specific dates of manufacture (only the earliest). If his was manufactured after that date, then it's not part of the recall.

That being said, Toyota should be able to tell whether any given recall on a vehicle was performed if it was done at a Toyota dealer (which the VS one would have been).

To the OP - you can look on the door jam plate to see when the car was actually built (though the VIN look-up should tell you that too). Mine was built in October 2012 and was subject to the recall. But if the website says you're in the clear, I'd call it good enough.

Mine has been very reliable, and while I average less than 10k miles per year, I'm not easy on it. I average a half-dozen AutoXes a year, along with a couple of track days.

I did the recall on mine with some trepidation, but it's been about 6k miles and so far so good. Had them do the clutch and TOB while they were in there, but hadn't heard any noises to suggest there were imminent problems.

The early cars are notorious for wearing out their strut mounts. On one hand, the low miles on yours are probably good - on the other, they may have started to fail just due to age. You'll hear a juddering suspension clunk usually when going over very small things in the road, like lane reflectors, or cobblestones. It doesn't typically happen with large suspension movement because the weight of the car is holding the mount stable.

Another nuisance issue is the vibration washer on the power steering motor that disintegrates. This is a juddering clunking that you hear and feel in the steering column itself (unlike the strut mount that you'd mostly hear coming from somewhere in the front end). It's a $10 part and a relatively easy fix if you can do it yourself, but will cost you almost two thousand American dollerydoos at the dealer, because they'll want to replace the entire steering column. You can search the DIY forums here for both of these issues.

Of course there are the infamous "crickets" that you hear from the fuel manifold - a byproduct of the ethanol blend of fuel we get. If you have access to zero-ethanol fuel, or do an E85 tune they'll go away. I drove with them for years before going E85 and you stop hearing them after a while.

I think this car seems to be great for 99% of people, and then there are the 1% that get such lemons as to seem like it was an intentional prank from the factory. Of course, it seems worse because they are (rightfully) angry and are the most likely to tell everyone within earshot about their issues.

[Yoshoobaroo]

9/2012 build here, recall done ~ a year and 1K miles ago.
Beyond maintenance I've had to replace 1 coil pack, that's it. Most of the 13's are very solid, the minor defects are rare.