I would love to know the details of how they performed this measurement. They would have to measure every cylinder and compare them to the one in question. With a stick and Sharpie pen? With a small tape measure or mechanic’s pocket ruler?
By their own admission it’s not a super scientific way of measuring it. Any measurements should be done with a dial indicator and notated.
I also wonder what the line of thinking was that originally led them to even consider a bent rod? They mention engine disassembly. What they apparently did not mention is what is going to happen if they tear it down and discover the bent rod theory is incorrect?
THEN who foots the bill for this wild guessing…
No way I would agree to this and considering the compression is identical on all cylinders I have to wonder if this whole diagnosis is half-baked at best.
I’m sure other long time mechanics on this forum have seen all types of botched diagnoses over the years where something claimed to be serious was a 50 cent fix.
As I mentioned, it was the insurance adjuster who discussed how he measured and admitted it could very well be inaccurate. He went on to say that to really verify a bent rod, he would have to remove the oil pan, a 10 hour job that would be performed and paid for by the insurer.
I honestly don’t see the insurer doing that for two reasons: 1) the estimator found equal and consistent compression on all cylinders, and 2) he found no evidence of water intrusion in the air filter box.
One detail I’ve left out is the estimator asked the tech what made him think there was water intrusion to begin with, and the tech said it was because he saw “fluid staining” on the inside of the throttle body.
I guess then it’s a good thing my cars are all old and out of warranty, because DIY cleaning of the throttle body and idle air control can cause “staining” and I have done this procedure on all my vehicles. Going from some alleged “staining” inside the throttle body to making the claim that the SUV was driven through water high enough to get into the engine is quite a stretch if you ask me!
I can’t exactly remember where and when but I know there have been a few times in my life where I wish I never would have brought anything up. A couple of guys start talking together and before you know it they want to take the whole car apart or go to a specialist 50 miles away. Comes a point when you gracefully exit stage left, thank them for their time, and get the heck out of there. Usually solved the problems myself for nothing.
So your insurance estimator straight out said it hasn’t been conclusively proven the rod(s) are bent
Yet they don’t want to find out one way or the other
What if they’re not bent . . . ?!
Seems to me they should prove it one way or the other
I speculated that the bent rod theory could be incorrect. Maybe somebody got it in their head and only looked for “evidence” to support it. If you’re ignoring other possibilities, then your diagnostic skills aren’t as good as you think . . .
Sadly, I’ve worked next to several guys over the years that fit that description
It’s becoming increasingly clear the insurance estimator’s findings don’t match the dealership mechanic’s findings
And you’re stuck in the middle . . .
That is extremely weak evidence, if you even want to call it that . . .
Whether the diagnoses is correct or not, why take any chances?
I would ask the sales department to unwind the deal. After only two weeks of ownership with a problem like this it is common at the dealers I have worked for to unwind the deal.
Where I live it has not rained since March so I wouldn’t suspect that any new owner of a used vehicle were responsible for the damage but that is not something for the service department to judge, they only repair the vehicles.
Staining on the throttle body is a pretty lame reason to suspect water intrusion. Very, very lame.
Do they know yet that you are an attorney? If not, I would make that abundantly clear right now by sending them a registered letter (with your letterhead of course) and politely but firmly telling them that they need to buy this car back from you now with no stonewalling.
If push comes to shove I see no way in the world that a judge would rule against you in a case like this; and that’s assuming they’re stupid enough to let it go that far. Something to keep; in mind is that IF you decide to bring a suit you will likely need to name Toyota Motor Company as a defendant also since the car is said to be a CPO vehicle and not just the dealer. TMC is not likely going to want to be named so they may apply the thumbscrews to the dealer and force them to take the car back.
I sued someone a long time ago in small claims and the guy showed up with a lawyer. It took 5 minutes for the judge to dismiss my case because I failed to name someone else as a co-defendant. Outside the courtroom I told the guy no big deal; I would simply refile it again immediately without leaving the courthouse and with the someone listed. At that point the guy and his attorney decided it would be better to pay me and be done with it.
And this weasel was a Captain in the U.S. Army so not all of the officer corps is blessed with ethics. About 90% of the people he screwed over never got their money. Most people who write hot checks get prosecuted but apparently the DA decided that 25 grand worth did not meet the criteria for charges…
I guess you didn’t like the answers you got in the Highlander Forum.
But pretty much the same answers.
As I stated in the Highlander forum…Something isn’t right. Take it to another mechanic (dealer or independent)…get the codes read and post them here or do a google search or both.
Also as I stated in the Highlander Forum…If the vehicle is running good (as you claimed) then I don’t see how there’s a bent rod or the engine hydro-locked. Something isn’t right.
Yep, you need to find out what the codes are and let us know.
Also, right now you don’t know if the basic data supporting the claim of hydrolocking (low compression on 2 cylinders) is correct. Your guy says they’re all at 190 psi. You need to confirm this, if it’s true (they’re all at 190 psi) the dealer’s claims are false.
After another inspection this morning, the insurance estimator still sees no evidence of water ingestion. No shavings in the oil indicating bearing damage from water being in the oil, oil looks as it should, air intake and filter look practically new, and sufficient and even compression on every cylinder. The dealer tech told the estimator that the CEL was due to an air-fuel mixture ratio in the cylinder they said was short. The estimator said it could be an air flow sensor or stuck injector causing that.
Good luck. I understand that this interaction with the selling dealer is unavoidable, but I’d think twice about returning to them in the future. I encourage you to return the Highlander and get your money back if that is possible. You mentioned evidence above that it doesn’t meet the CPO requirements from Toyota. Given your profession, I’m sure your interactions have been professional. Take it to the sales manager and get out of the deal. It’s not like it’s a new car.
I personally know people that have criminal records for writing far less than 25 grand in bad checks . . .
None of that adds up to bent rod(s)
I continue to believe the dealership mechanic is one of those recent UTI grads that doesn’t know which end is up . . .
And how’s he going to do that without losing money . . . ?!
I can’t imagine the sales manager going for that arrangement, unless he gets tremendous pressure from above
Call me cynical, but I’ve rarely seen those guys do the right thing, until/unless their back is against the wall. And that’s polite, the way I worded it
I agree that it’s going to take some pressure from above to resolve this. For some reason I keep getting the feeling that both dealer tech (if they could be called that) and insurance estimator may be off the mark on the entire diagnosis. In other words; a mountain from a molehill.
One thing still missing (unless I overlooked it in all of this) is what DTCs were set.
Finally, some information and a single picture of the fluid stains on the throttle body was provided. It’s attached. I think I have to upload in separate replies. I’ve redacted the techs’ names. The Toyota filed rep used this info to deny warranty coverage.
