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Path: utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!ucdavis!lll-crg!seismo!hao!kitten
From: kitten@hao.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.auto
Subject: Re: tale of woe - headlight retractor motor for 83 Celica
Message-ID: <1766@hao.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 19-Sep-85 19:41:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: hao.1766
Posted: Thu Sep 19 19:41:17 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 21-Sep-85 22:37:16 EDT
References: <705@whuxl.UUCP> <338@cbuxc.UUCP>
Sender: kitten@hao.UUCP
Distribution: na
Organization: High Altitude Obs./NCAR, Boulder CO
Lines: 49

> > About 2 months ago the drivers side headlight retractor motor on my 1983
> > Toyota Celica gt liftback decided to crap out.  I removed it and followed
> > the test procedures in the shop manual, sure enough, a main diode was burned
> > out.  I called my local parts store and heard "that's a dealer only item".
> > Now comes the shock: the dealer wants $218.00 ransom for this item.  At that
> > point I decided it was better to have a winking car then to shell out that
> > kind of bucks for an electric motor.
> > {ihnp4}!whuxl!qroy
> 
> The 82 Stanza I owned (note the past tense) "let me down" in the middle
> of a 4 lane highway. When I say let me down, I mean I was flying along 
> at or above the speed limit of 55 and the engine cut out completely.
> 
> Investigation (using the well written manual) proved it to be caused by
> a failed distributor module ( a gizzmo that replaces points - it causes
> the coils to spark at the right time). Several calls later lead me to the
> dealer who informed that they had one in stock (the good news) and that the
> price was 175$ (the bad news).
> 
> I replaced the part and the car ran as if nothing had ever been wrong.
> 
> 	3) it happened to my stanza @ 50000 miles, a friend also had a stanza
> 	   - it happenned to his at about the same mileage. (suppose they
> 	   have a countdown suicide timer in that module?)
> 
> 	4) I traded that car at about 80K miles, mainly because I was scared
> 	   to death of anything *major* breaking on it! Minor items and costs:
> 	   carb - 800$, complete distributor - 600$, can you imagine he price
> 	   of a major item?
        (*These* are *minor*??!!)
>
> A lot of yuppies (pardon the term) are buying these cars because Consumer
> Reports writes nice things about them, because the are truely nice to drive
> and look expensive and whatever reason - I am sure the market people know
> best. Considering the cost to fix them if you are one of the unlucky ones
> I can't help wondering if the Japenese are still fighting the war.

**
Although I have lusted over Japanese sheetmetal and innovations, that is
the very reason why I'm going to buy an American car.  Japanese (or
European) car labor and parts are just too dang expensive.  I can't
see having a car for beyond 3 or 4 years and being so naive to believe
that nothing major could crop up.  I've had my best experience with
Chrysler, and I like their 5/50 plan.  But it BETTER BE GOOD to keep me!

{ucbvax!hplabs | allegra!nbires | decvax!noao | harpo!seismo | ihnp4!noao}
       		        !hao!kitten

CSNET: kitten@NCAR  ARPA: kitten%ncar@CSNET-RELAY


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