Water Leak - Cowl '04

[sumzxr7]

Hi all..

I wanted to get your opinions on the Water Leak TSB issue that involves approximately the first 6000 or so '04 Solaras (as per the TSB VIN #s).

To make a long story short, I am considering buying an '04 that is part of the first 6000 Solaras made back in '03 and I am kinda "put off" from buying a car that I know MAY leak water into the floor area overtime. I know that the Warranty will cover it, but I figured if I am spending over 20gs on a used car, especially a Toyota it shouldn't have this issue. I can't tell if the car is leaking water now, but the dealer assured me if it does, it will be fixed, but its the whole process of taking apart the car to fix a water leak that bothers me the most, as my old car leaked water and it was one of the reasons why I sold it (plus it was a $1000 project car so it was expected). All of the Soloaras I have seen ALL fall under this TSB issue, and I do know one of them was fixed....as per the service records..the owner brought it in 3 times to get fixed and the car had less the 4,000 miles on it....

The Left Pull issue is also a concern, and I wanted to know if any of you guys have experienced this issue as well? When I test drove one of the cars, it did pull to the left. ..and as per the service records, the previous owner complained about it 2 times with less then 4 miles as well...its not a big issue, per say, but I guess I am really picky..no car is perfect, but if I am paying 20gs for a used car, you shouldn't expect issues like this…rattles yes…but not water leaks...

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated...i love these cars, but im turned off by some of the early production issues..

Signed,
Dazed and Confused

[steve-o]

>>i love these cars, but im turned off by some of the early production issues.. <<

You'll be wondering about these issues all of the time so why not just go for a 2005 or '06? those can be had used 20k or less depending on model, milage etc. Piece of mind is worth a few bucks.. no??

[sumzxr7]

Hey Stevo..

Thanks for the reply...i can't find any 05s yet, and the 06 is too new for my budget. I originally wanted to spend 16gs, then I got to 20gs, and then 29gs for a new one...and i dont want to take a big hit on depreciation with the 06..nor can I justify spending that much...I am going to shop around and see if I can locate '04s made after the Cowl issue...ive looked at 3 so far, and all 3 of them have been impacted...hopefully I can find one thats not part of the TSB...

The 05s, still have the left pull issue as welll...but as per the forums, its doesnt appear to be big issue, as i havent read of too many people discussing it...

Thanks again..
Sam

[Sebas007]

Toyota as an unique procedure for all the Solara (Technical Service Bulletin). If you take your Solara to an other Toyota garage...I'm almost sure they will fix the 3 main problem...the left drift, the tranny lag and this water leak problem (did you check the sunroof ?) All those can be fix like you can read on the forum...you can (must) tell that you take the car only if they do all the TSB on it and get a certification that it's done and if you find something wrong within 30 days you take the car back.

What is the model you want SE, SE V6 or SLE V6 ?

I got an '06 in January...I get a 5000$ rebates on because it has 11000km (6800 miles) on the odometer. It was the car of the finance director of this Toyota dealership. I paied 29200$ CDN with 2.9% finance on 48 months.

[sumzxr7]

Hi,

All of the 04s I have been looking at are 04 SEs V6.

I got a good deal on a new one as well $29,000 with 24Gs down and finance 12gs or so, for 2.8%. this is for an 06 model. I like it, good deal, but its way outta my budget...as i want to buy a house next year, and i cant justify the extra 10gs..

[Sebas007]

Yeah I understand !!

The '04 "problems" can scare youa bit because you're on a Solara forum...you can know every little problems on here...if every car has its own forum, you could see that 04' Lara are not bad at all. What do you think about "forcing" the dealership to do all the TSB on the '04 Solara conditionaly to the sell ?

Hi,

All of the 04s I have been looking at are 04 SEs V6.

I got a good deal on a new one as well $29,000 with 24Gs down and finance 12gs or so, for 2.8%. this is for an 06 model. I like it, good deal, but its way outta my budget...as i want to buy a house next year, and i cant justify the extra 10gs..

[sumzxr7]

Yeah, I hear ya..thats not a bad idea...the sight of seeing them take apart the fender to get at the leak is what scares me the most

The other items i can live with....although it rained really hard last night, and the first thing i checked was the floor of the car, and it was bone dry.....the car is part of the TSB, and I know it was never fixed.

We'll see what I do..i am waiting on the dealership to call me back regarding the car...

Cheers,
Samir

[FLUXEMAG]

I got my 2005 V6 SE sport for 25k including taxes and financing with 0 down brand new. And I had just come from another dealership trying to sell me an 04 that was identical but with 15k miles on it for the same price. It's actually pretty easy to find people selling cars at a dealership for more than they were new. Not to mention that financing a used car is going to cost more with a sh$tty intrest rate. I'm sure you could find a new solara for 20k with a 4 banger.