The oil light flickered on one night and turned out I'd leaked out three quarts of oil. I'd had it changed one or two thousand miles before, so this came as quite a shock. Well, even Toyotas start to break when they're 20 years old. After carefully weighing my options and being referred by Abdon Auto Repair, I decided to go with Bob Gagnon at Harbor Engine.
While a diagnostic was initially quoted as costing a couple bucks, Bob was able to take a peek at no charge and determine what the source was. Turns out, the geniuses as Toyota put a rubber seal well behind the timing belt cover. Getting to it requires taking apart multitudinous parts. It doesn't help that in 20 years things get rusty, frozen, and otherwise stuck.
Regarding the repair itself... Bob exceeded my expectations in the work he did. Not only did he replace the seals, but any other part he noticed was just starting to go. I also really value that he showed me the parts that were taken out, and showed me why it was replaced. You could definitely tell he's been at this gig a while and knows his stuff!
Otherwise, no-frills, but when you're having rather an expensive engine repair done, "frills" are at the bottom of the list, assuming they even make it.
The work I needed to be done was extensive, and it wasn't cheap. However, knowing what was done, and the care Bob took in making sure I wouldn't have to touch those parts for another 20 years made it well worth it. read more