2000 TOYOTA Solara

I took my car in on7/19/04 because I had experienced some difficulty starting my car on7/8/04. I did finally get it started on that date but noticed that the engine was “rough”. I went out of town on 7/10/04 and did not return until the 17th. My car sat in my garage during that time. On Monday I took my car to the dealership and was told that since it seemed to run better when it was warm, I would need to leave it overnight so that the mechanics could listen to it start when it was cold. The service department arranged for a rental on Tuesday because they told me they couldn’t figure out what the problem was. I read “Click and Clack” religiously and saved an article from June of 2002 describing an “engine sludge” problem that can cause engines to fail. I believe that that is what has happened here. However the mechanic told me today that my car’s engine has to be rebuilt and he doesn’t know why this engine failed. I have spent the afternoon reading about the “sludge” problem and found in reading that Toyota has agreed to fix any sludged engine free for eight years. Here’s my problem. The service department at my dealership says that once they rebuild my car’s engine that only the original warrantee stands. This means that my 2000’s warrantee will be up in a year or when it reaches 60000. I have had Toyotas with engines that outlasted their shells – two of those cars were almost at 200,000 miles when we got rid of them. I have owned five differrent Toyotas over the years and bought them for their reliability. This is very dissappointing.

Excessive oil usage- 2-3 Qts -/ week I drive approx. 300 miles/ weekcheck engine light stays on continuously- oxygen sensor changed 3 timessteering problems shakes at 65 mph fixed? 3 times

Engine Oil has a tendancy to get milky after 2,000 miles from previous Oil Change. Steps taken to avoid this problem were as follows: 1. Oil changes to Semi synthetic or all synthetic oil. 2. Change Oil & Filter at 2,000 mile intervals at sustained temperatures below freezing. 3. Driving habits to avoid a series of short trips, by schudling 30-45 minute highway run weekly. ( when ever possible) I was alarmed by the re-occuring look of the oil and the dirty condition under the oil filler cap ( Engine not hot enough, long enough?) . I took addition time to clean up the dirty appearence and change the oil earlier than 2,000 until the condition normalized. Extended runs on the highway also helped the condition of the oil over the 2,000 mile interval. Especially with the harsh 2002/2003 winter in the Northeast US.

oil gel