Hi,
My engine started overheating, so I took it to Jiffy Lube for an oil change, then shortly after, the engine started smoking and transmission fluid was sprayed all over the rear of the vehicle (I was on the freeway when we first noticed the smoke).
Towed the car back to the nearest dealership (in Las Vegas), who said that the transmission fluid was filled up too much or something and charged me $250 to flush it and refill it and clean up the mess. Then they did a road test and said it was still overheating, and started rattling off something about torque and a stater (stator?) and something about not locking and backspinning. I really don't know the first thing about cars - I'm a computer tech, not an auto mechanic, so it's all kind of gibberish to me.
Anyways, they basically said I need a new transmission and they'd charge $4,200 for the part, $98 for another diagnostic, and whatever the cost of service/labor was to put in the new part. I ended up deciding to ship the car to Utah where I have a contact that works for an auto garage and he said he might be able to do it for $2,500.
This was just all out of the blue, though, and now I got a letter in the mail about reprogramming the ECM or something. Can anyone offer me some advice here? Is the ECM issue linked to my problem? Am I getting screwed by Toyota, and if so, is there anything I can do about it? The car is a 2001, 4-cylinder Highlander with just over 51,000 miles on it. Never had any serious trouble before and always did regular service on it, although I don't have an extended warranty for it.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
My engine started overheating, so I took it to Jiffy Lube for an oil change, then shortly after, the engine started smoking and transmission fluid was sprayed all over the rear of the vehicle (I was on the freeway when we first noticed the smoke).
Towed the car back to the nearest dealership (in Las Vegas), who said that the transmission fluid was filled up too much or something and charged me $250 to flush it and refill it and clean up the mess. Then they did a road test and said it was still overheating, and started rattling off something about torque and a stater (stator?) and something about not locking and backspinning. I really don't know the first thing about cars - I'm a computer tech, not an auto mechanic, so it's all kind of gibberish to me.
Anyways, they basically said I need a new transmission and they'd charge $4,200 for the part, $98 for another diagnostic, and whatever the cost of service/labor was to put in the new part. I ended up deciding to ship the car to Utah where I have a contact that works for an auto garage and he said he might be able to do it for $2,500.
This was just all out of the blue, though, and now I got a letter in the mail about reprogramming the ECM or something. Can anyone offer me some advice here? Is the ECM issue linked to my problem? Am I getting screwed by Toyota, and if so, is there anything I can do about it? The car is a 2001, 4-cylinder Highlander with just over 51,000 miles on it. Never had any serious trouble before and always did regular service on it, although I don't have an extended warranty for it.
Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!