NHTSA Complaint #10070425 — 1999 TOYOTA CAMRY

BLUE EXHAUST SMOKE AND ODD ENGINE NOICE DURING IGNITION. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO COBB COUNTY TOYOTA IN KENNESAW, GA. I TOOK ALL OF MY MAINTENANCE RECORDS AND SOME ARTICLES I'D PRINTED OUT REGARDING OIL GELLING, IN CASE THEY GAVE ME ANY HASSLE. I TOLD THEM I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO DO A FLUSH - HE SAID THAT TOYOTA WOULDN'T ALLOW THEM TO DO THAT ANYHOW, AND THAT THEY WOULD BE TAKING IT APART. HE WOULDN'T EVEN SPECULATE WHETHER OR NOT IT WAS GELLING UNTIL THEY TOOK IT APART. AS SUCH, THEY WOULDN'T AGREE TO PAY FOR A RENTAL CAR UNTIL THEY THEY CONFIRMED IT WAS GELLING. THEY DID TAKE IT APART AND FOUND THAT THE GELLING WAS LIMITED TO THE HEAD. WITHOUT ASKING FOR MAINTENANCE RECORDS (EVEN THOUGH I'D HAD MOST OF MY OIL CHANGES DONE BY 3RD PARTIES), AND COMPLETELY FREE OF COST TO ME, THEY CLEANED THE HEAD, AND REPLACED THE VALVE STEM SEALS, OIL PUMP, PICK-UP SCREEN, PVC VALVE, AND VALVE COVER. RUNS SMOOTH AS THE DAY I BOUGHT IT NOW (THOUGH I DID REPLACE THE TIMING BELT AS WELL, WHICH I'M SURE CONTRIBUTED SLIGHTLY TO THE IMPROVEMENT). NO RENTAL CAR WAS NECESSARY AS THEY HAD IT BACK TO ME BY THE END OF THE DAY (I'D TAKEN IT IN THE PREVIOUS EVENING). INCIDENTALLY, I TOOK IT IN 4 YEARS TO THE DAY SINCE I TOOK DELIVERY OF IT.