Toyota Camry - Head Gasket or worse?

[@andrewgurney6019]

" we have a long term strategy" A Hubnut first!

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

😆

[@MrButtonpresser]

Add it to the Camrys clipboard!

[@portnaluinge]

Well, at least now you know what needs to be done. Definitely a car that’s worth saving, so I hope you can get it sorted without incurring too great a cost.

[@portnaluinge]

@@Codzilla71 Thanks!

[@madhardcorenick]

I still believe you should receive some form of compensation for the Camry from the dealer who sold it to you, even though you are more than happy to fix this one, as you stated last year, which I completely respect. I hope you don't let the dealer get away with their action. I know someone you need to pick your battles with and don't want to keep pushing you to go in that direction if you choose not to (after all, it is entirely your choice). However, for me, the way they deceive you was appalling and should be held accountable for their actions. It sickens me how people can take advantage of others in these situations and get away with it. Rgardless of what happens, I'm still interested in the upcoming progress of the Camry and very interested in the upcoming video for this Camry.

[@TheMentalblockrock]

A """name and shame""" would be a good start!

[@HubNut]

Not sure releasing mob justice is a good idea, that's why I've not named and shamed.

[@donnysweekendvanlifetravel7854]

@@HubNut best way your happy with the car it's going to get fixed and great content too all the best Ian donny

[@video99couk]

@@HubNut Have you informed them of the problem and had a response?

[@Witheredgoogie]

He was probably someone who was a 'dealer' (deals in flipping, crap quickly) but not registered as a dealer (warranty,inspections and replacements before sale etc) ..if you see what I mean.

[@anthonystevens8683]

At least you know it's a cylinder head issue Ian. Now to get it all sorted. Not the best diagnosis but the car still runs and it's winter so let's hope all can be sorted before the warmer months as we take a casual amble away from the start of 2022. Definitely a wise decision not to try and tighten the head bolts if they are the stretchy ones, they would just go ping and the car would not be usable after that. Not that I have any experience at all and definitely not on an Escort 1.6 CVH engine you understand.

[@martinneumann7783]

Another actor on the HubNut stage! Hello Charles! I'm happy that there is someone who takes proper care of the Camry. A big «thank you» to you! ✨👍✨👍✨👍✨

[@Pfirtzer]

Chas is a man of his word, nice to see people who are not just blabber with their mouth empty promises. Kudos to you Chas, cheers from the Netherlands!

[@ThePstorm]

Expert - “Do it properly if you are going to do it” Hubnut - “Naaaaah”

[@HermanHitstheRoad]

Hey, it's That Chas 🥰🤣👍. He gets around doesn't he? Good luck with the Camry, Hubnut. I'm sure Chas will sort it out 👍👍

[@Mrflash222006]

I wouldn’t rule out the EGR manifold/cooler and/or intake - a bit more diagnostics required - a cylinder leak down test will pin point the offender if it is a head

[@siraff4461]

I said this in the last one. I can't see how you can condemn a head based on revving it when there are so many other things it could be - if the head has been off you would think it even more unlikely since if its off you're likely to at least give it a quick once over to make sure its ok. A compression and leakdown test could be worth its weight in gold here - especially since its running well and not giving masses of smoke from the exhaust.

[@meirionevans5137]

At least you know where you stand with the Camry now. Spend, don't spend, up to you. But it is at the hefty end of bangernomics. Good on Chas too.

[@owensteele1645]

Another nice video from my favourite channel. I'm so glad the issue has been found. I hope it's not too expensive. It's a shame really, it's a lovely Camry. In really good, original condition.

[@Kai-Peter.Schellhase]

Great to see Chas in action, he really is a man of his word. At least now you know for certain what the problem is. Looking forward to further updates. Good luck on getting the Camry sorted soon!👍👍

[@HermanHitstheRoad]

How do you know Chas, Kai Peter?

[@Kai-Peter.Schellhase]

@@HermanHitstheRoad I don't know him personally. Seems like a great guy, though. He left a comment in a previous video saying he'd help Ian fix the Camry - which I and many others thought was an excellent gesture.👍

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

I love how almost everyone in the comments has forgotten that this Camry is 25 years old. No wonder it's problematic. It still has fewer problems than some in the HubNut fleet though.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

In a good car, the head(gaskets) are the last thing to fail. It is not a wear and tear part, remember.

[@edsilvester]

I feel for you. My 1996 hilux is currently getting an engine swap. Second hilux Ive had with a cracked head. Only done 500,000 miles. Painful. It was £££ cheaper to swap engine than head alone.

[@zenography7923]

I really wouldn't use it - possibility of oil/water contamination, possibility of cooking the block and remaining good head - I'm really not sure that's wise. Lovely car that's well worth saving, but fix before driving would be best!

[@stephenroberts9121]

I feel your pain. My wifes little Chevy Spark has just been diagnosed as head gasket failure.. Hopefully not head damaged, but knowing my luck it will be! On the plus side just picked up a lovely little Mk4 Golf as a stop gap!.

[@niallsommerville9941]

"Toyotas of this era are notorious for cracking heads" but I still went ahead and bought one! If we're brutally honest, I suspect there will be many watching this will have done the same, including me. Fair comment about Rover reputations, I've seen the same in the motorcycle world, just mention Triumph and sprag clutches, when the truth is that several Japanese machines used exactly the same component (made in Japan) with similar results. Nice to have another look at the rear wipers, what do you mean too much, it was a different camera angle. Thank you.

[@scottlawson1800]

🙏 that Diahatsu called back over the seal, so hopefully 2022 can be a good year for Toyota & Co. on the HubNut fleet

[@waynetetley584]

Great assessment. Wishing you well on the final fix for the Camry 👍

[@Fubar_The_WEF]

It's not just Toyota that crack cylinder heads, 80's Nissan Cherry's did the same. I had a 1.3 with a cracked head. When I took the head off the crack was quite shallow and I was able to have the head skimmed, taking a millimetre or two off the face. That fixed it. I then traded it for a FIAT Regata, which proved to be one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned.

[@bondbug73]

Great to see the Toyota expert Chas helping you out Ian with the Camry. Plus the Reliant Owners club with Foxanne. Top HubNutters. 👍

[@Jayoldstuff1]

If water isn't getting into the oil I wouldn't worry too much, we had an old R reg Honda Civic at work that was used as a pool car, so basically abused by everyone. it had the same head gasket issue, the mechanic basically said the work to fix it was more than the car was worth took the thermostat out and just told us to run it till it died. two years later it was still going. we only scrapped it when even my tame MOT man refused to pass it as it was so rotten underneath.

[@davidflamee]

Looking forward to further updates, not just on the Toyota, your plans for Foxanne sound very exciting too. Happy days.

[@micheltebraake7915]

Glad you have help from a Toyota mechanic. Fortunately, the car is good enough to justify the repair to the engine.

[@Hebbers]

I like this kind of video - bringing in someone who knows their stuff and can give hints and tips on how to diagnose or fix problems properly. Maybe mic them up and let them talk more.

[@HubNut]

Will do in future. My dual-mic kit is away for repair.

[@madhardcorenick]

A lot of 90s cars are notorious for head gasket failure. I know here in Australia, Falcon of the 90s had a bad rap for their head gasket failure, when in reality, most 90s cars with an alloy head are prone to head gasket failure.

[@albinklein7680]

Depends. VW or Mercedes definitely not. Head gasket failures are extremely rare on 90s benzes and VWs. In my experience at least. I work as a mechanic for 30 years now. Never had head gasket failures without some other issues triggering them; like bad themostats, water pumps or leaky radiators/hoses. There are engines of the 90s which are notorious head gasket eaters; don't get me wrong; I just don't think 'most of the 90s cars' suffer constant problems with their heads.

[@paultaylor9652]

Good luck finding and fixing the Toyota Mr HubNut, looks quite an intricate job being the rear bank.

[@Mrcento]

Brings back memories of my old mechanics lecturer.... he went down to England to buy a 2.4td surf... it broke on the drive home. By the time he had it recovered, repaired, head gasket and a new head and various other parts, the thing virtually bankrupted him. It'll be a good car once it's done.

[@michaeljohnson1006]

You never know what you might find, they might have not done them up tight enough! My brother bought a Renault safrane for £450 in about 2003. It was low miles, when he changed the cam belt he didn't check the cam shaft bolt was tight! Even thought he had not undone it. Anyway he was down in Cornwall, it would not start, when the breakdown came out they said its your cam belt! He said i only just fitted a new one! It turned out, it had had a new head fitted, who ever did the job had not tightened the cam pulley bolt properly. So it slipped and sheered the alluminum lobe off the pulley. Then span it round, luckily for him it only bent 1 valve! It might be worth seeing how tight they feel with a breaker bar. If it leaking too much water it will get into the oil so keep checking the oil for water! I'm not sure what cats think of water either.

[@MeMe-sy7fn]

Just as a point of interest, there are specialists who can repair cracked cylinder heads, some better than others. There used to be a place that advertised itself as 'the head shop' that did that kind of work mail order. This was about 30 years ago but they may still be around. They were located in the Black Isle north of Inverness. They did amazing work. Maybe a classic car specialist could direct you to someone.

[@michaeltutty1540]

Well done, Ian. As long as the coolant stays away from the oil you are okay. If the coolant does get into the oil, you can ruin the block. Those alloy blocks don't like water on the bearing races.

[@HubNut]

Iron block on these. That's one of the issues.

[@JT-tk4me]

Well worth doing. It would be good to have a go to vehicle without any problems for you.

[@twocvbloke]

Well, that confirms it, the stealership ripped you off, given the guy turned up the heating to hide the failure during the test was a sure-fire hint they knew all too well they had a lemon on their books... :\

[@jimmyp7928]

I completely agree. Given the maintenance demands of the rest of the fleet you can't help but feel the best option would be to get a refund on this Camry and spend the money on something a little less needy. Ian already has too many 'projects'. Kudos to Chas for coming to help you though, very kind.

[@bigyin.7710]

@@jimmyp7928 but it has twin wipers at the back!

[@laurieharper1526]

@@bigyin.7710 Exactly. It's also rare as rocking horse poo in this country. More exclusive than any piece of Italian exotica without the silly price tag. Gotta be saved.

[@stepheng8779]

@@laurieharper1526 not really, hardly sets the pulse racing, watch that price tag soar just to keep it running, silly.

[@laurieharper1526]

@@stepheng8779 Won't "set the pulse racing"? Good. I like boring cars. You know, the ones that just get you there every time.

[@pauldoherty7608]

The reason the rear bank is so clean , it gets a steam clean every drive ... Hope you percevere with fixing it though Ian

[@7taggart]

I've seen Chaz in a fair few videos repairing a campervan on Herman hits the road's channel, he does things correctly seems like a good chap, if he's helping you do the repair, don't think you'll go wrong.

[@lettucefire]

if i remember correctly from that channel he’s also a robot 😂

[@darrenmeears3912]

I thought I new him from somewhere 👍

[@HermanHitstheRoad]

Haha, yes this is Chas from our channel 🤣👍. Yes, we made a video of him being a robot 🤖

[@WatfordWobble]

A little disappointing news but at least you know and have a plan. Pleased Chas could help and advise. Very good of him.

[@BibtheBoulder]

If it makes you feel any better, I had the head gasket go on my Bentley Arnage years ago. The cost of repair was just shy of £5,000

[@HubNut]

Yikes!

[@siraff4461]

I said this in the last one. I can't see how you can condemn a head based on revving it when there are so many other things it could be - if the head has been off you would think it even more unlikely since if its off you're likely to at least give it a quick once over to make sure its ok. A compression and leakdown test could be worth its weight in gold here - especially since its running well and not giving masses of smoke from the exhaust.

[@colblimp]

Chaz you absolute legend!

[@HermanHitstheRoad]

He always is, colblimp

[@Zeem4]

A few years ago I was on the lookout for a cheap 7 seater, so I searched eBay and sorted by lowest price first. The first few pages of the results were full of Vauxhall Zafiras with 1.6 litre petrol engines, all with blown head gaskets. I ended up with a 1st-gen Kia Carens instead.

[@robinjones6999]

Thats a lovely motor Ian and deserves some love

[@Perkelenaattori]

I had a buddy with a 1998 Avensis 2.0 TD as a taxi and we had a really cold winter in 98-99 and we're talking almost -40 celsius for a month in a row. He actually had 6 head gasket failures in one winter.

[@captaccordion]

Ah, the expert has spoken. So the head has been off in recent times because of either gasket failure or head crack, and it's unknown whether it was skimmed when off or checked for cracks, or given some retorqueing after some running once put back on. So off with it's head it is, though I wonder whether a head doctor should check it over once removed before spending money on a replacement? By the way Ian, I've just watched the Harlech videos and I do like your Harlech hat!

[@HubNut]

Cheers Peter. I think your advice was sound, but as it seems someone has been in before, perhaps not the best tactic in this case. We think we can source heads fairly cheaply, but we'll see. Whatever happens, we'll certainly do a firm diagnosis once we're in, but that may be quite a few weeks away.

[@aleshudek5323]

Yes you right "expert" has spoken. If someone get head off doesn't mean it been repaired well... Not sure but I believe 3 cylinder heads are less stressful then 4 or 6 cylinders straight engine.

[@daniellee9015]

Brilliant video Ian 👍 at least you know what is up with it

[@HowardLeVert]

Yep - my BMW E34 had a cracked head... good luck sorting it out, it's worth it.

[@matthewgodwin3050]

Well, I suppose the disappointments under the bonnet are more than compensated for by the majesty of those twin rear wipers. Always a silver lining.

[@timcarpenter2441]

Am surprised at the failure, but definitely a vehicle worth saving, as generally they are desirable. And at least the oil system does not seem to have been involved. This, a Crown wagon or a W124 280TE pre-facelift. I currently have the latter in almost the same colour as your Camry.

[@salipander6570]

Congrats, you found the Toyota that does have problems!

[@stephenwestley1017]

Its a big undertaking, I can't wait to see the progress & the result

[@Badgertronix]

I fixed a 1991 Suzuki Swift with a cracked head using a sealer block thingy. Ran fine for another 30,000kms before I sold it. Even made it from Christchurch to Auckland in one go. It can be an effective bodge if fixing it properly is too hard

[@HubNut]

We have a long term plan to replace the heads, but I'm very keen to try the sealer just because it seems an idea opportunity.

[@gg_vard]

By the way, so happy to see Foxanne is getting driven and also some "fettling" !

[@johnhunt2388]

I bought a 1982 Ford Laser back at the late 90s and that would push all the water out of the over flow when I came to a stop so one day I didn't fill it up again and drove it without the water and it didn't heat up so I drove it for 9yrs like that but found if I wanted any heat from the heater I had to put water in so that's what I did in winter , it was still like that when I sold it and I told the new owner but I never heard from him again. I don't know if you would like to try your luck by doing that it is just an idea seeing as it doesn't really heat up

[@stephenshippam9374]

Good luck I hope you get it sorted

[@Isayso1]

Hi Ian. As you already expected having to do these head gaskets, it should be encouraging to remember that the work remains the same if you successfully passed the bottleneck of parts availability.😉

[@hymek7017]

Although I pressed the like button, I really don't like the fact your Camry may have cracked heads. I do however, like the fact the Chaz was there to fully diagnose the issue and tut at the very idea of snugging the head bolts up a bit more. Good luck with getting it all sorted.

[@jayslittleprojects1431]

Please fix this one and don't give up on it. the only way you will increase your confidence in deeper engine work is to do it. It is not all that hard. I have done a head swap at the side of the road. (needs must) :)

[@samuraifool912]

Good luck with the Head/Gaskets ect. I ran an Unloved Volvo, that I was Given 'Gratis', For 4 yrs with a Constant weep and loss of fluid. It ran fine for all that time, But we Tried not to Expect Miracles from it ( no Trips over 30 kilometers distance at one Go, Maximum.) The reason I was given it was a 'Noisy Big End'. And One Day it Just finally let go..! Body was White with an All over Rust Coloured surface..! But got more From Wrecking it than I ever spent on it in those years..! I hated it. It was like Driving a Block of Flats..! But Great with 2 Dogs..! So well done Volvo..!! Cheers and Stay Safe kim in Oz..! 😎 P.s. 32° C here today..! Phew it's Warm..! 🤗

[@declanmcquay3476]

I am sure there are some Aussie HubNutters who will happily raid the junk yards for heads, plenty of those V6 Camrys were sold here. Saw a mint sedan the other day, however it was a 4 cylinder model.

[@TheKnobCalledTone.]

I'm half expecting Ian to end up with several V6 Camry heads in the post from Australia in the next few weeks lol

[@wanderinggentile]

These are also quite plentiful for the Hubnutters in North America. He could wake up with several engines from Chicago on his doorstep!

[@Pfirtzer]

@@TheKnobCalledTone. Getting heads will have a new meaning thanks to Hubnut...

[@barthomer1000]

Drove my Rover 75 when the temperature wa s high 2.5 V6 cooked no cure pressure tested. Car ruined went on the scrap lorry. Great cars but so many problems had 5 now got a 75 diesel

[@stevek3636]

Replacing the heads is a good plan. That should make interesting viewing.

[@givenuponthisone]

I jus KNEW the double rear wipers would get a mention, chortle.

[@bloodybrit]

Chas has a good air about him. I look forward to the Camry being returned to full health, it is a great car and well worth any investment.

[@stephinepaul7483]

Thanks' for the "Heads Up"(and soon "Off"..)Ian. Oh Dear.......With the number of them left in running condition(especially over here..) getting the replacement 'Heads shouldn't be all that difficult. There might even be NOS items available. Hopefully it'll be reasonable Money-Wise.

[@neptuneblood6916]

I got a head off amc for my surf 3.0td original head cracked in four places most heads were upgraded in 96 I believe, and all the amc heads as well

[@alisonhowes8498]

I live in Telford if it is the dealer I am thinking of then I am not surprised. I would imagine it came via auction. I think he ceased trading a few weeks ago after operating under different guises.

[@HubNut]

Wouldn't be the first time he's changed name or location...

[@workonesabs]

Try Steel Heal. not cheap but does work and head gasket on a vectra seemed to sort it.

[@deanstyles2567]

I guess once the heads are off it'll be worth doing cambelt/water pump/etc as well? Get it properly freshened up for the next hundred thousand miles or so 🙂 It seems a tidy example and worth the expenditure.

[@HubNut]

Cambelt was done last year but certainly worth checking water pump and tensioners as I'm not sure they were touched.

[@wanderinggentile]

1. No one was stupid here. These cars have excellent reputations, and once sorted will provide many years of excellent service. The dealer has karma en route, and will eventually cross paths with someone not as zen as Ian. It will not be a pity. 2. Canada may prove more economical as a source for spares and broken vehicles than Australia, being a Commonwealth nation, much closer and heavily salted. 3. I would hesitate to criticise this choice or the decisions made. Sometimes one faces a list of poor options. The ability to make the least poor choice in such a situation is sometimes greater than picking one of many equally good solutions. Is the current position suboptimal? Yes. Could it be significantly worse? Also yes. Damage control is sometimes an unpleasant necessity, and has been handled with aplomb.

[@danielpothier9990]

Outstanding and eloquently put Wanderinggentile. Ian's a good man and this is a good car that will get sorted out just fine. We get interesting content is a bonus. Hubnut on Intrepid Ian!

[@wanderinggentile]

@@danielpothier9990 One tries, sir.

[@andyarmstrong1493]

Lovely car, worth keeping. Good luck with it.

[@jmurray01]

A car like that is definitely worth the work. To scrap it for needing heads would be like knocking down a house because of a leaky gutter. Look forward to seeing it be improved and I dare say in the future it will be worth what you paid for it, including the repairs.

[@MotoringCultureMagazine]

K-Seal is your best bet. Since the leak is coolant to air, rather than coolant to oil, it has a good chance of working. Pour two bottles of the stuff in the expansion tank and you're done. Then you'll be able to focus on all the other problems the car has, which were overshadowed by the head issue and you didn't notice them :)

[@patrickswan4537]

Beware.. I bought a Volvo S80 D5, an official used one from a Volvo dealer, cooling light came on before I got it home.. Long story short.. they diagnosed blown head gasket, on taking off the head realised it had been gone some time resulting in a cracked block. £9k for a new engine to be fitted, thankfully on the Volvo warranty. Be careful about using it too much before you get it fixed!

[@richardhewitt.easyvanlife.6957]

You could always try the many products available. You pour in the water that fix head gasket. In the past I’ve had 3 vehicles I’ve tried them in 2 worked, the Rover it did not.

[@blackterminal]

Hubnut you should have said " A man's got to know his limitations". :)

[@The_Evil_Monkey_93]

I knew that was coming... Good luck getting head gaskets atm... here in Oz we seem to have a supply shortage which means there's only one side. I'm hoping my 280k km motor is good in terms of compression. We'll have a race Ian. Who can get their Camry back on the road in full working order. I wouldn't give up, their a good deceptively quick car. especially the Manual V6's. I shall follow with great interest the prgress that gets made in the future. I know I keep hounding you but I'll have a full auto box and associated stuff if you want it to keep as a spare and get it rebuilt or something. I also have centre consoles with cup holders and central locking haha. Can I tempt you Ian? Listen to the voice in your head that says "Go on, go on, go on, get the cupholders"

[@DehnusNorder]

Buy a Toyota they said, it's reliable they said, it'll save you money they said. - Sighs in Citroën -

[@Mark.D.H.]

I've changed numerous 90s Vauxhall head gaskets over the years. The gasket itself always seems to rot away around cylinder No. 4, despite coolant strength being maintained and OEM gaskets being used. I'm wondering if the lack of asbestos affected their durability? Later all-steel gaskets seemed to have solved that problem, but are more dependent on a perfectly machined and flat head/block.

[@tomcole020]

100% it’s not fair that Rover/MG get such a bad reputation for headgasket failures when a lot of the cars I’ve looked at have much more serious and expensive engine failures from other brands

[@gtametro]

in the mean time chuck some steel seal head gasket fixer upper in it? if the heads are going to need doing anyway theres no harm in trying some one of these head gaskets in a bottle

[@stevemonkey6666]

Thank you to Chaz. 👍

[@laurieharper1526]

Do you have any pals across the pond, who might look out for some heads for you? The Camry's been the best selling car in the US for many years. Scrap yards there have plenty, whereas here, it's a rare beast. Definitely worth saving. I looked for a good one for a long time before finding mine. I'm hoping my engine (2AZ FE) doesn't start to burn oil, as they sometimes do. It's been changed every 5k miles since it was new, so fingers crossed.

[@HubNut]

We do indeed have some US contacts, and may already have sourced a pair of heads.

[@laurieharper1526]

@@HubNut Great stuff. Looking forward to taking a photo of it next to mine at a forthcoming social.

[@friedjohn]

You might be able to keep using the car (with caution) for some time. I had a head gasket failure on ny old Peugeot 406 (probably my own fault for not changing the coolant often enough). Cylinder pressure would pressurize the coolant system and some coolant would be pushed out. Thankfully it was no more than could be replenished every day - got worse over time, though. However I managed to commute 2 x 45 miles every day for about 2 months until I got hold of a used replacement engine (cheaper than changing the head gasket, skimming the head etc.).

[@tristanpage6805]

Looking expensive but we’ll worth the save.

[@derek-press]

definitely worth investing time and money in her, she's a looker

[@volvo480]

The Queen had only one way of settling all difficulties, great or small. "Off with his head!" she said, without even looking round.

[@richardw64]

Shame about that. It looks like a nice car. I have driven one before and could not say anything bad about it. Anyway good luck with it, Ian.

[@danielpothier9990]

Camry is a great workhorse get her fixed and you will get years of loyal service

[@davidpring9108]

Ian, I can honestly say get rid. Focus on making the old cars better! Give Elly and TWC some love and time, trust me they would be far better off with your time and money - Elly especially.

[@bentullett6068]

#not my proton looks a bit sad hiding behind that Izuzu Trooper. I hope the Camry can be fixed as its a nice looking car.

[@matouslitera8073]

Possibly some ported heads for the Camry?

[@willwelch5700]

Gutted that the Camry has a head gasket issue. Hopefully this is a quick fix and you can get back to normal quickly and not too much damage has been done. Have got you plans to take it up with the dealer at all?

[@darrenwilson8042]

Did Chas drive there in the white 500? If so it speaks volumes about Toyota's as a model of reliability if after a lifetime working on them he now drives a FIAT. And as you say - Rover's ain't that bad in the great big mix of things

[@ferrumignis]

There isn't a lot of choice in small fun hatchbacks at a reasonable price from the Japanese brands to be fair, Suzuki probably the best of the bunch. Parts prices and insurance tend to be higher for the Japanese cars as well.

[@cornishhh]

I knew two German guys who were technicians and worked at the BMW importers in Melbourne. One drove a Ford, the other a Volvo.

[@darrenwilson8042]

@@ferrumignis If I was buying a brand new car here in the UK and needed a smallish hatchback I'd just buy a Dacia Sandero - you will get a modern car which £ for £ will be better equipped than any rival. Most "better " cars aren't worth the extra cost

[@darrenwilson8042]

@@crispindry2815 are you David Mitchell's Grammar Nazi?

[@ferrumignis]

@@darrenwilson8042 Dacias are good value, my wife has a Logan MCV and it's had pretty solid reliability and low running costs. However they are utilitarian vehicles, they have nothing to compete with something like a 500 in the Dacia range.

[@jaggass]

Complicated looking V6 but a nice sounding one.

[@mehrzahl2219]

I wouldn't drive it much further. The increased pressure in the cooling system can cause other parts like the heater core to fail. Not to mention when oil starts mixing with coolant.

[@SierraCoz]

ever thought of the volvo s60 2.4 d5 in the future? notoriously reliable engine. 5 cylinder grunt. well screwed together and can be had cheap. turning circle is rubbish on them though

[@HubNut]

I do like them. Lovely sound.

[@SierraCoz]

Can be had very cheaply ian. Picked up a 55 plate d5 with 180k miles. Auto box. In black with all cream leather and stainless trim. Heated electric seats all other expected extras for £500. a hell of a lot of car for the £££. The engine really is a peach though. 163bhp standard euro 3 engine as well so no dpf filters or swirl flaps to worry about. I'm sorry to hear about the camry. Is replacement heads and gaskets on the cards?

[@nickc4518]

Ian would recommend keeping the journeys short in the Camry if you are going to use it. I’m sure I’m preaching to the converted saying this.

[@otto.a.2465]

The dealer was well aware of the problem with this car. His type give the motor trade a bad name. I would not let him get away without some form of compensation being made.

[@Pfirtzer]

motor traders never had a good name, just like lawyers and politicians.

[@clintmullins4406]

K-seal, seen it used on a crv, cherokee, and a Cadillac to name a few.

[@camperlustig68]

Will Chas be involved in the future repairs of this car

[@HubNut]

Yes, that's the plan.

[@kyrieeleison1905]

quick bit of googling doesn't bring up much about cracked heads on the 3vzfe.. lots of head gasket issues.. wanted to see where they predominantly crack but there's really nothing to find.. heads can be crack repaired and it isnt too hard if u can tig weld.. (of course depends where the crack is - that is why i was trying to find some examples but couldnt)