Buckle up, friends! I've got a wild car story that'll make you think twice before buying a used vehicle. Here's what happened:
A few months back, I bought what I thought was a reliable Toyota Corolla 141 (2008). I did some checks before buying, and everything seemed fine. Boy, was I wrong!
Day one disaster: I'm driving from Negombo to Wijerama, feeling good about my new ride. Suddenly, near Kelani bridge, the car starts overheating. Not a great start!
First round of repairs: At the garage, they find a leaky radiator and two bad ignition coils. I replace those, plus the tappet cover for good measure. I thought my troubles were over. Soon, I notice the coolant level keeps dropping. I took it to Toy#ta L#nka , and they told me not to worry. But my gut says something's off. I took it to another garage, and that mechanic suggests replacing the radiator cap. The old one was 108 kPa, but TL said I need an 88 kPa one. I made the switch, but surprise! The problem sticks around like a bad smell.
Things get weird when the previous owner calls, insisting the car is "100% good, bro." Now, I don't know about you, but in my book, if someone has to tell you something's 100% multiple times, it's probably about 0%. This got my detective senses tingling. I check the engine number and – bam! – turns out someone swapped the original 1.6L engine for a 1.8L (1ZZ).
Last month, on Poson Poya day, I take the family to Dambulla. The car overheats again.
I brought in my uncle for a consultation. His diagnosis? A blown head gasket, complete with the telltale white, creamy goop oozing from the radiator neck. As if that wasn't enough, we discovered some past bass had decided the thermostat valve was more of a suggestion than a necessity and removed it entirely.
Now the car's in the garage, needing a new head gasket and valve. But here's the kicker – TL won't sell me the parts because of the engine swap. They only work with the original chassis numbers. I'm stuck!
The car's collecting dust in the garage. I don't want to sell it – I had big plans for this vehicle. But I'm in a fix. I need to find trustworthy Toyota parts that'll fit this swapped engine, and I have no clue where to start. I've learned more about cars in the last few months than I ever wanted to know. If anyone's got advice on finding reliable parts or dealing with swapped engines, I'm all ears. Help a confused car owner out!
Remember, folks: when buying a used car, check, double-check, and maybe get a mechanic to triple-check. You might just save yourself from starring in your own car repair soap opera!
Does anyone know how exactly this is supposed to work? They haven’t really started brand new imports again right?
Pricing seems relatively fine in the grand scheme of things, given how 10/15 year old cars are still pretty expensive in our market
A guy advertises a mileage blocker on the quick site saying that his device blocks the vehicle mileage from changing on the odometer. Is it legal to advertise stuff like this?
Bought a 2007 (Reg 2011) Vitz SCP90 (Mileage 180K+) for the family (will be used by my father). Seems to be in good condition but had some new owner repairs/replaces done to have a free mind.
Sinopec 95 oct performs much better than ceypetco. Also burns tad faster ( maybe because the car is driven harder because of said performance jump)
Auto Diesel no difference.
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nobody
Buckle up, friends! I've got a wild car story that'll make you think twice before buying a used vehicle. Here's what happened:
A few months back, I bought what I thought was a reliable Toyota Corolla 141 (2008). I did some checks before buying, and everything seemed fine. Boy, was I wrong!
Day one disaster: I'm driving from Negombo to Wijerama, feeling good about my new ride. Suddenly, near Kelani bridge, the car starts overheating. Not a great start!
First round of repairs: At the garage, they find a leaky radiator and two bad ignition coils. I replace those, plus the tappet cover for good measure. I thought my troubles were over. Soon, I notice the coolant level keeps dropping. I took it to Toy#ta L#nka , and they told me not to worry. But my gut says something's off. I took it to another garage, and that mechanic suggests replacing the radiator cap. The old one was 108 kPa, but TL said I need an 88 kPa one. I made the switch, but surprise! The problem sticks around like a bad smell.
Things get weird when the previous owner calls, insisting the car is "100% good, bro." Now, I don't know about you, but in my book, if someone has to tell you something's 100% multiple times, it's probably about 0%. This got my detective senses tingling. I check the engine number and – bam! – turns out someone swapped the original 1.6L engine for a 1.8L (1ZZ).
Last month, on Poson Poya day, I take the family to Dambulla. The car overheats again.
I brought in my uncle for a consultation. His diagnosis? A blown head gasket, complete with the telltale white, creamy goop oozing from the radiator neck. As if that wasn't enough, we discovered some past bass had decided the thermostat valve was more of a suggestion than a necessity and removed it entirely.
Now the car's in the garage, needing a new head gasket and valve. But here's the kicker – TL won't sell me the parts because of the engine swap. They only work with the original chassis numbers. I'm stuck!
The car's collecting dust in the garage. I don't want to sell it – I had big plans for this vehicle. But I'm in a fix. I need to find trustworthy Toyota parts that'll fit this swapped engine, and I have no clue where to start. I've learned more about cars in the last few months than I ever wanted to know. If anyone's got advice on finding reliable parts or dealing with swapped engines, I'm all ears. Help a confused car owner out!
Remember, folks: when buying a used car, check, double-check, and maybe get a mechanic to triple-check. You might just save yourself from starring in your own car repair soap opera!
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