Pray, what ails my faithful Toyota Mark II?

Baraza,

Thank you for the good work, it is quite informative and insightful. I have a 2003 Toyota Mark II GX110 BEAMS 1G-FE. I went in for my regular service at 5km and changed oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter and oil.

The car has been running well with routine service at 5k km. My problems started during the last service where I changed the fuel filter after 25 kilometers, now when I start the car in the morning it hesitates, and even though I press on the gas, it barely moves, while on a small incline it stalls and you have to reverse try again and even then it will move slowly, with the gas pedal pressed down.

It will drag on for about 60 metres, then all over sudden it will pick up speed and shift through gears like a dream and I will not have any problems until the next morning. If it stays stationary for more than four hours, the problem begins again. 

Something interesting is that if I crank it up in the morning and leave it idling for about five minutes, there is no hesitation and it works fine. My mechanic advised replacing the fuel pump, then the fuel pump assembly, (I have three pumps now with two complete assemblies), replaced all six ignition coils, changed all six spark plugs, cleaned the throttle body, added ATF in the gear box but the story is the same, no change. I now have to warm it in the morning before driving off (no check engine light). 

A friend suggested it could be the torque converter or its pump starting to fail, hence reduced pressure, so I should replace the whole transmission. What could be the problem because it's a car I still want to keep?

Hi,

You seem to be the proud owner of the ship of Theseus. After all those items you changed, how much of the original car is left? Anyway, now is not the time to make fun of you, I know how stressful it is when your car isn't working right and you can't seem to pinpoint the issue.

Now, you say the vehicle shows reticence when prodded, but there is something you are not clear on. Is it the engine that refuses to rev, or does it rev fine but the motion is not reflective of the noise? If the engine revs fine, then your friend could be right: the torque converter is on the fritz.

If the hesitation is from the engine, ignore the friend and start working backwards. Since you mention stalling in hills, am I correct in guessing that it's the engine that won't rev? I'm surprised your mechanic performed Chapter 1 from the Clueless Troubleshooter's Handbook: if you change an item and problems arise, start by reinstalling the old item and see if the problem goes away.

I'm suspecting the fuel filter that was replaced at 25 kilometers may be the culprit here since the car lost the will to live following that replacement. They may have installed a fake or poorly made part, or even the wrong one, or perhaps they didn't replace the part at all.

It seems like your vehicle is struggling with fuel delivery, which is why I am zeroing in on the filter. It is choking the car.

What is your take on the Toyota Crown 2.5L?

Hello Baraza,

Thank you for helping me choose from the Toyota Mark X, Subaru Legacy (wagon), and Mazda Atenza, whereby you advised that I get the Legacy. Also, you recommended the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, W204 for the cars not on the list.

Now I am considering getting a locally used W204 (C180). Would you advise buying a locally used one considering your previous warnings on preowned German cars? What should I look at when buying to ensure that I end up with a healthy car? And what are the current market prices (2007-2010 range) to avoid buying an overpriced one?

While at it, what is your take on the Toyota Crown 2.5L (2008-2012) against the W204, based on reliability, maintenance costs, durability, and comfort? Please also comment on the prices for the Crown along that range.

Hi,
I don't know what your budget is, but from your earlier correspondence, I presume your cabbage is enough to feed the importers of motor vehicles from across the seas, so that's your default fallback plan.

You could also buy a locally used unit at a lower price, but if you go down this path, have someone well-versed in (mostly German) cars tag along with you to do a bit of vetting so that you do not throw your money away.

Some of the car-selling sites I visit have the 2007-2010 W204 Benz trading for about a million shillings (2007) and about half as much again (2010), but these are all C200s, not C180s, which... potatoes, tomatoes. 

When slurping hand-me-downs, yer grabs what yer can and yer runs with it. Look out for shady modifications which indicate previous ownership was enthusiastic (abusive) and uninformed owner, or general lack of TLC (tender loving care) which indicates previous ownership was feckless... but bring the expert friend along with you anyway.

Then there is the Crown. It's more reliable, it's cheaper to maintain - it just is, no matter the cylinder count -, but it may not be more durable. "But it's a Toyota", you say. I know. I've seen a few Crowns around looking the worse for wear, and the used car prices reflect this. A Crown can be had for surprisingly little outlay, given what it is.

What it is, is a car that may just be more comfortable than the C. Sure, it wears the wrong badge, but get one that is well specced and the C won't see it. It is roomier, smoother, more powerful and the shades of Lexus-lite are unmissable.

A fresh import costs just about as much as the W204, straddling the Sh1.5 to Sh2 million bob range, but look around and you can get a few for less than an entire million. Look hard enough and you may spot one going for as low as Sh600,000, but as mentioned earlier, it will not be the tidiest of cars.

Why do people carry things they shouldn’t in cars?

Dear Baraza JM,

Carrying goods in a personal car without relevant commercial insurance will put you on a collision course with the Kenya Police. Worse still, this may send you to your maker in an instant if the load is not well harnessed and an accident occurs.

The Kenya police are more concerned with the class of insurance sticker on the screen and will not bother about the danger a driver exposes himself and other road users to in case of a crash. The nature of cargo on board any uncustomised station wagon is likely to lead to an accident.

Of course the station wagons are designed to carry loads since they have a collapsing backseat to increase the boot area, however, a disclaimer from the manufacturer or government on what category of cargo that shouldn’t be ferried in such cars would be important. I have seen grade cows being guests in these cars. And the dead too and not all in hearses. 

Insurance companies require that you disclose the type of vehicle and its use so that they give you the right cover upon payment of premiums. They being risk managers, it would suit their trade if safeguards for such use of personal cars are embedded in the insurance policy to mitigate risk. 

R. Mwangi

Hello Mwangi,

Week in, week out, I chant the same mantra: use a car for the task it was designed for, but I always get rejoinders in return along the lines of: my money, my car, I will do as I please.

That’s why we have people asking about taking Premios off road and why we have images on social media of people ferrying Napier grass in 200 Series Landcruisers and selling water melons out the backs and trunks of Land Rover Discovery 4s and Mercedes-Benz W211s.

What to do, except allow one’s face to meet one’s palm? Car Clinic continues to thrive on the back of this kind of lack of foresight. This laissez-faire attitude keeps me fed.

I had a wagon, but I never carried anything I shouldn’t have in it. I’m choosy about my cargo, human or otherwise. Car manufacturers are specific about what can and cannot be ferried in their products, but I’m yet to read an owner’s manual referring to funeral services.

If (or when) I build cars, I would keep all references to death at a minimum in my owner’s manual as well. It’s not a good look marketing your vehicle as a hearse.

Then we have government for whom the less said, the better, I’d like to live to see tomorrow, thank you very much.

They may or may not have statutes in place concerning how to shift bodies from the scene, but my active imagination cannot help but create scenarios whereby the feds pull you over in a traffic stop, take a peek in your car and discover the body lying prone in your cargo bay. 

But the buck stops with the insurance company. They really need to be stricter on matters concerning their clients: what they can and cannot transport, and if they can, how to transport it.

I’d love to be a fly on the wall in the room where a client who has been paying religiously all his life tries to explain away the fact that the police report states the vehicle had two occupants, there were no fatalities but one of the passengers is dead anyway - and why or how they were dead before the incident. Should make for stimulating conversation...