I didnt think it was possible

[Marshmallowman]

brake light on at all times
tail lights dont work when you brake

You should really have a shot a getting those fixed, brake lights not coming on when you brake could set you up for a nasty rear ender, luckily the car looks like it won't be going fast enough to be in a serious accdent

[Helevitia]

I agree, Liz, you are really risking your life in this car. Do you have any mechanical friends that would help you out?

[Sasq]

see, see, I am not the only one to have nasty words about break lights.

[RC Agent]

Your car sounds like a candidate for that MTV show "Pimp My Ride".

[az]

I never understood the concept of that show - take a wreck and make it look good.

BTW, Toyota are regular winners in the german automobile club quality & reliability surveys, leaps and bounds ahead of Mercedes, BMW, VW etc. It's their obsession with not wanting to have any "waste", and bad quality is waste in their eyes. There are books written about the Toyota Production System (TPS), and managers from outside of Japan are beginning to employ it, oftentimes failing because they don't have the right attitude and they don't really understand it (The TPS is a philosophy applied rather than a fixed set of rules; beginning with Toyota's 26 directors making 7.55 million EUR a year together, to being thankful for input from even the lowest workers, to very streamlined, coordinated, choreographed production, almost no stockkeeping etc.).

AZ

[KvHagedorn]

Originally posted by Lizzard[MPE]
brakes think they are always on, so i have to unplug them everytime i get out of my car.

Just out of curiosity.. what on Earth are you talking about?

[Sasq]

her break light switch, or something in the wiring is shorting to earth and causing the break lights to be on 24/7.

[DirtFarmer]

Liz, you REBEL. That must have been an adventure. BTW, you should have that passenger side rear tire exchanged for a worser one, it looks far to good and doesn't match the rest of the car

[schmosef]

I'm surprised Liz hasn't been ticketed for her car's poor condition. I've heard the cops up here are more diligent about taking beaters off the road.

My brake light switch has gone out twice in my POS Jeep. Both times were just out of warranty. I'll never buy Chrysler again. I've had too many problems and too little service from the now five dealers I've taken it to for various repairs.

I'm planning on getting a new SUV later this year. Is there a good site that reviews SUVs and long term costs and customer satisfaction?

[KRSESQ]

If the brake lights are on all the time, look under the dash at the brake pedel. On the bracket supporting the brake pedal there should be a switch that makes contact with the pedal arm when the pedal is in neutral position. If that switch isn't making contact, then the brake lights will be on continuously.

Often the nut supporting this switch will work loose and fall off, allowing the brake light switch to shift out of position. This happened in my old Pontiac and on my sister-in-law's Horizon.

Kevin

[Helevitia]

Originally posted by schmosef
I'm surprised Liz hasn't been ticketed for her car's poor condition. I've heard the cops up here are more diligent about taking beaters off the road.

In hawaii you need to get your car inspected before they allow you to register it. Her car would never pass.

I'm planning on getting a new SUV later this year. Is there a good site that reviews SUVs and long term costs and customer satisfaction?

Edmunds

[DirtFarmer]

Up here in Central Canada you just keep renewing the vehicle registration/insurance and keep driving the beater till it falls of the road. Can't reregister it after a sale until it passes inspection. So it's just best to drive it till it blows up.

[VJ]

Here is the movie of that Toyota Hilux they tried to 'kill' on Top Gear:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/prog28/toyota.shtml

A mechanic was allowed to fiddle with it, but he could not replace parts.

Great movie!

Jörg

[az]

Schmosef, I don't know your budget and I don't know what the car will cost, but take a look at the Lexus RX400h (to be released sometime this year), a hybrid powered SUV (If I understand it right, each wheel has its own electro motor); better MPG, less emissions, and cool technology all in one (The Toyota Alessandro Volta is built around the same hybrid drive)

AZ

[schmosef]

Lexus?!

It's out of my price range for now.

I'm thinking about a Pathfinder or Explorer.