So I had a 2006 with 86k mi inspected today as due diligence before potentially purchasing. Unfortunately, the mechanic was not a specialist, but I went with him because he was vouched for by my girlfriend's family and as a bonus he is located conveniently close to the dealer. Anyway, he said almost everything looks great, no issues driving, super clean, the previous owners were good about maintenance. However, he raised two issues: 1. Standard concerns about the longevity of the battery. I've just read up on this here (again), and I'm more or less convinced it's a small risk that I'm willing to take, on par with the risk involved buying any used car. More importatntly... 2. The coolant reservoir appeared to be empty, but there was no leak that he could find. Indeed, at the dealer's, I did not see evidence of a leak underneath the car. I'm puzzled about this one. Could this just be dealer negligence? Or a hidden leak somewhere? Both? If the coolant were low, shouldn't an alert have appeared? Any thoughts on this would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
If you have the vin number you can see all the dealer service records. Service History Online - Toyota Owners
It's an independent dealer. I have the carfax, and it's actually available by googling the VIN. Can't post links yet, but for those who are enterprising: JTDKB20U067538893. It's the fourth entry down. Unfortunately the maintenance details are a bit lacking.
Seems about a year/20,000 mi ago they replaced the following: HOSE, RADIATOR, N TO16571210801 HOSE, RADIATOR, N TO16572210601 HOSE CLAMP TO501064 ANTIFREEZE GALLON TO002721LLAC011 THERMOSTAT TO90916030931 GASKET, WATER INL TO16325620101 Also, about 3 years ago, the check engine light came on. Here's the description: CUSTOMER STATES CHECK ENGINE LIG HT ON WARNING LIGHT ~|~CODE P0A93 TSB ~|~R/R INVERTER WATER PUMP//CLEA R CODE And parts replaced: SUPER LONG LIFE C TO00272-SLLC2 1 PUMP ASSY, WATER TOG9020-47031 1 Apparently 'Super Long Life C' is Toyota's coolant. So looks like coolant issues have appeared previously. This is giving me serious pause...
Was the low coolant engine coolant or inverter coolant? Any codes now? The inverter coolant pump having been replaced is a good thing, not unusual. Any chance of contacting the previous owner to ask about the low coolant and any issues they had with the car?
