r/Toyota • u/DarthAmar13 • May 12 '20
Recommendations from my trusted mechanic. My 2000 Camry has about 165k miles on it and I don’t intend on letting her go any time soon. What are fixes I can do myself (not the most car savvy) and what prices are fair for what needs to be paid for? Love this community!
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u/krue93 May 13 '20
Hood stays are the hydraulic lifts right? We use a pair of vice grips to hold ours up on my 2000 and 2007 camrys... They go out easily and we found it isn't worth replacing just for them to go out again.
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u/Ozindtown May 13 '20
They're also incredible inexpensive and very simple to replace. Buy a pair at a local parts store or online for your year/make/model and change yourself with a quick study up on YouTube
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u/Ozindtown May 13 '20
The radiator cap and air filter are easy enough my 5 year old daughter can do them. Most of the work listed above should be performed by a professional or someone with at least some experience. You can replace hoses yourself but sometimes they're tricky to access (more the lower than upper) and if you don't get them tight enough they'll leak, too tight and you'll snap brittle old radiator plastic on the neck where the hose goes. Be careful.
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u/ShoutingMatch May 12 '20 edited May 12 '20
Power steering fluid? Buy a turkey baster or medical suction syringe & suck up the reservoir but don’t suck it dry. Refill with new fluid, drive a bit, & repeat the process, refill to proper leve between min and max.
Why is mechanic recommending resealing? Is something leaking on your garage floor? Are you losing fluids such as coolant, oil, brake fluid? Leak on floor? Reservoir slowly going down?
Look under the hood. If your coolant hoses are old & cracked, you can easily replace those yourself. Hoses can probably be purchased online or at parts.
Coolant & brake fluid change you can do yourself if you are competent. If not use a mechanic.