Trustworthy Mechanic in Oroville? (Non Yak Related ;-)

Hello my NCKA brothers and sisters!

So my son just called - he is using my old car while going to school up at Butte. It's a Toyota Rav 4, 2003, FWD 2 cyl engine.

Apparently he took it in for an oil change and was told that there is a severe oil leak coming from either the valve cover or intake. The chassey is covered in oil.  He also needs to replace the power steering fluid and have some work done on the breaks.

I need to find a reputable and trustworthy mechanic in the Oroville area that he can go to, who is reasonable cost-wise (college students don't have alot to spend on car repairs). I have no idea of where to start, and I thought I would check with you guys first!

Any recommendations either way (who to go to or NOT got to) would be GREATLY appreciated!

-Cherie

I do most of my own maintenance and can tell you that none of those repairs should be overly expensive or difficult. There shouldn't be high labor costs involved so keep that in mind when you meet mechanics. Sorry I can't recommend anyone in your area.

- Valve cover gaskets on some luxury vehicles can be costly but I suspect it's a simple procedure on a Rav 4.

- PS fluid is cheap and should be changed if it's dark or black. The procedure varies from simple to difficult but you should be able to check the color yourself by removing the cap and drawing a sample. Most people don't bother with a full fluid of old fluid but instead dilute the old with new.

- Brakes are typically the easiest (but intimidating) DIY project on cars. Do you know what work must be done?

I would price the parts you need on RockAuto.com or a similar site. You can go to RockAuto and select parts by your model car (I would confirm part numbers online or just call a Toyota parts dept and verify). With some basic tools (AutoZone lends stuff for free!) you might be able to handle much of it yourself. If not, I would say 2-3 hours of labor at a shop is the MAX you should expect to pay. Good luck!

Based on these links, the procedures you suggest don't seem too advanced:

Valve Cover Gasket
http://www.rav4world.com/forums/85-4-1-faults-fixes/120745-illustrated-valve-cover-gasket-replacement.html
http://www.rav4world.com/forums/94-4-1-d-i-y-modifications/74987-valve-cover-gasket-replacement.html

Power Steering Fluid
http://www.ehow.com/how_5813001_change-power-steering-fluid-rav4.html

Brakes

Thanks!
Don't know if we can handle doing this ourselves (as a gal, I can change the oil and air filters myself but thats about it). I had my son take the car for a second look - he went to Les Schwab and they said that the front brake pads need replacing and the rear drum brakes need resurfacing.

I will watch the video on steering fluid replacement (thank you for finding those!!)...they said the fluid was "dirty" but my son said he wasn't experiencing any steering probs. Maybe I can attempt that one, haha.

The battery and tires are easy enough...but it's the oil leak that has me worried.

-Cherie

I work out of town a lot and sometimes need some sort of BS for my work truck.  I always look for an AMCO if possible not sure if there is one in oroville.  They are a full service shop and is a legit company. 

I am no Pro Mechanic but i have changed my own brakes on my Tacoma,if your son has the time and wants to try  to do the brakes i will supply tools and help  if you will supply the parts,Schwabb told me my Hubs needed replaced , i took them to another Schwab store and they turned them,and my rear were r turned  when the other store wanted to replace them,the only reason i didnt do the work my self  is because i was working 6 days a week.

Thanks for the offer, Wanna! I may take you up on that...let me see if I can get a hold of the parts and talk to my son about it.

If I can find a good and affordable mechanic that might be the best route. In some ways I am surprised this car has lasted as long as it has!

-Cherie

I would help you out, but I am unavailable till after next week. I can do the work in my sleep if I had to.

Paka i sent a note to a mechanic  here in Yuba City  that i used a few times, i will let you know if i get a response, my son is attending Butte 
also.

Rob - Thank you, I might message you if we don't get things all taken care of.

Wanna - very cool that your son goes to Butte as well. It's a nice school, and apparently turns out some good football players!

Let me know what your friend says about any places in Oroville/Chico...it would be good to have a local/reputable shop we can go to if my son can't get the car down here. I'm always worried that we are going to need things we don't really need and be charged WAY too much.

My son hasn't had much experience with car issues and never really had the opportunity to work on cars growing up (I raised him myself and well, I've never had that level of mechanical ability). I'm pretty self sufficient but car engine stuff throws me for a loop. So now that he's two hours away and needs car  repairs, I get into "mom mode" and try to make smart decisions.

-Cherie

How about a Toyota dealer? 

How about a Toyota dealer?

Did you miss the part where she said reasonable  cost wise ???

Thanks for the offer, Wanna! I may take you up on that...let me see if I can get a hold of the parts and talk to my son about it.

If I can find a good and affordable mechanic that might be the best route. In some ways I am surprised this car has lasted as long as it has!

-Cherie

Cherie take him up on it. Shop rates can be over 1000.00 per hour. One other suggestion Colleges may have a shop class they need the money. Find someone in the shop they will be supervised. have all the tools. And I'm sure the person would not charge 100.00 per hour. just a thought. These days labor is a lot more than parts many times. 

I sold parts for years and worked in a dealership. I know how they work.
My truck just ate an injection pump and had a bad injector. (This is diesel) Parts bill with a new additional turbo was 5900.00 shop rate 100.00 and over 20 hours to replace stuff that I could have done but didn't have the test tools. Guess what I just bought the test tools @ 150.00. SO I could have saved 2000.00. Next I'm buying a key coder for ignitions. To code a key it takes less than 5 min but the shop charges 100.00 one hour. They say that they have to pay for the coder. I looked at them ant they range from  300.00 to about 3000.00. Worst case 30 keys coded paid for the tool. If I was a dealer I would do it for free for any car I sold to the original buyer. And 50.00 for those that buy else where. I have 2 keys that need coding right now and I will but a coder. Go to craigslist code a couple more for 1/2 and have my coder paid for.

Good suggestion on the college auto repair program - I am sure Butte has something like that, but unfortunately school is out for the holiday until the end of January. But that is an excellent option for us going forward.

You are right about the dealership prices - always more than a independent shop.

My son got a quote from Big O Tires in Oroville - $180 plus tax for both front and rear. Les Schwab quoted about $45 higher than that.

I believe Butte College has a new Auto Repair program located in Chico at Skyway and Notre Dame.  It would be worth looking into.  The trade programs might be on a different calendar than the rest of the school.

Just a thought.