Toyota's $390.00 Design Flaw

[GasSavers_GasUser]

Nothing is servicable. It is just replaced. Anything that is rebuilt/remaned is done in a shop and when you replace stuff you always have the choice of new or rebuilt. Not just Toyota but everybody.

But you should have been able to get the part faster. Had to get a alternator (remaned) for a GMC truck and it took an hour to get the part delivered. I live in NY in a rinky-dink village of 1,800 people and no big city so I can't imagine how you (they) can't find any part in California and you had to buy 4 batteries to complete a trip. Wow........

[IndyFetch]

Originally Posted by VetteOwner

its possible on the crown vics with all the police packages they offered. i know theyve always had a higher output alt.

i think most automakers are the same when it comes to little crap like speed nuts, interior clips, screws, etc (least it is the same throughout brands)

When I went in to the NAPA store, I told them it was an '89 Crown Vic with a 302 V8, Single Exhaust, not an Interceptor. Made no difference. 5 different manufacturers, not just output ratings. I was blown away.

The only time I've run into anything like this since is that my 88, 95, and 99 Hondas all had 2 types of distributors they could run. All 4 of mine had the same one, though.

[shatto]

Originally Posted by GasUser

Nothing is servicable. It is just replaced. Anything that is rebuilt/remaned is done in a shop and when you replace stuff you always have the choice of new or rebuilt. Not just Toyota but everybody.

But you should have been able to get the part faster. Had to get a alternator (remaned) for a GMC truck and it took an hour to get the part delivered. I live in NY in a rinky-dink village of 1,800 people and no big city so I can't imagine how you (they) can't find any part in California and you had to buy 4 batteries to complete a trip. Wow........

Medical supplies for dialysis that had to be delivered by five PM. tends to put pressure on the process.

[occupant]

You would think a high volume manufacturer like Toyota would want to cut costs where possible. Have 3 alternators for all applications. One cheap and low output for small and compact cars, one decent output one for midsize/sports cars and the trucks, and one for the Hybrids.

You would think they'd want to keep things simple.

I'll give an example of where the manufacturer could have done things simpler. Honda Throttle Position Sensors. They are attached to the throttle body with headless "tamper proof" screws. This is so when your TPS fails (and it will, especially if you have a manual transmission), they can sell you a $360+ throttle body instead. So those of us who own or work on these cars have a solution. It's called a metal disc spinning at 16K rpm. Dremel a slot in that screw head and remove it with a flat tip screwdriver. Then toss on any $25 or $50 aftermarket TPS. Done.

I will say I'm biased about these, I do work for a guy who sells them. But I got a taste of doing it myself. You see, even the companies that make these aftermarket sensors stopped making them in reverse rotation for the 88-91 Civics with the DPFI engines. So what we did, he sent me to a junkyard and I pulled a DPFI throttle body and blueprinted the dang sensor. We sent the specs to a few companies and we'll see who makes the best one. I'll bench test them on my $40 used TB and do quality checks from time to time and see how consistent the readings are from shipment to shipment.

I also have to complain about Isuzu truck alternators. I drove a billboard truck in the summer of 2009 and the alternator failed while driving from Vegas to Tulsa. In Amarilllo. So I got stuck in a hotel for about 3 days while the local Isuzu/Volvo truck dealer took their time ordering an alternator and lower bracket, then realized it was the UPPER bracket that bent out of shape. Another couple days in a Motel 6 for me, hooray. By the time I got on the road, I had lost a full week of time to get acquainted with my driving area and had to rush to learn the routes. Big hassle, all because the alternator brackets were made by the lowest bidder.

[VetteOwner]

ahhh yes those good ol tamper proof screws haha, GM used em on my chevettes carb, did the same dremel trick. carb rebuild kit came with 3 normal screws haha