I purchased a 2003 Toyota Camry XLE V6 with 34,000 miles in September 2007 from Carter Motorcars in Laurel, MS. The day after I purchased the Toyota Camry I noticed white smoke coming out of the exhaust when the car was started. After finding a possible engine problem only days after purchasing the car, I immediately took the car back to Carter Motorcars in Laurel, MS. Carter Motorcars in Laurel, MS informed me that the car had been checked out by Kim's Toyota in Laurel, MS before I purchased the car and that Kim's Toyota Service Department found nothing wrong with the vehicle. I informed Carter Motorcars that there was definitely something wrong with the engine or it wouldn't be burning oil and that I wanted them to remedy the problem since it had only been days since I purchased the car.
Carter Motorcars had the Camry checked out again and problems were found, and Carter Motorcars wanted me to pay for all parts and they would pay the labor. Since I would not agree to pay Carter Motorcars for parts, I had to resort to the Toyota Warranty on the Camry since the car was under warranty until May 2008.
I had the car checked out by Allen Toyota in Gulfport, MS since I knew someone there that worked in the service department. Allen Toyota found a sludge problem along with low compression on all 6 cylinders. Toyota was notified by Allen Toyota in Gulfport, MS and the Regional Toyota Representative denied my warranty claim even though I had contacted the previous owner and obtained all the service and oil change records that showed the Camry's oil had been changed according to Toyota guidelines. The previous owner had frequently changed the oil BEFORE the recommended mileage the majority of the time, usually from 1,250 to 2,500 miles.
After my warranty claim was denied I opened Case Number 200801240530 on January 28, 2008 and was again denied warranty on the engine. I opened Case Number 200801281610 on February 4, 2008 and was again denied warranty on the engine and sent paperwork in the mail to apply for Remediation. At that point I had enough and gave up fighting Toyota on the issue.
Today the Camry has around 125,000 miles and I have to replace the engine which is going to cost more than $ 3,000. The oil and filters have been changed every 3,000 miles and properly maintained since I purchased the car, including changing the PCV valve, belts, hoses, air filter, etc.
Bottom line, we purchased the Toyota Camry from Carter Motorcars, and Carter Motorcars should have stepped up and taken care of the problem but they did not. read more