11.11.2009

The Silver Bomber Is On Life Support ...

... we're not sure if she'll make it. She's undergoing a fuel injector pump transplant... and they have to bring in a specialist from Bangalore.

The issues began early Monday morning when the car wouldn't start. Velan couldn't figure out what was wrong, so he called our trusty mechanic friend who hurried right over. After an hour of tinkering, the mechanic realized he couldn't fix it, and the next call was to bring in the big guns; the Toyota mechanics. It took the three guys who came (1 to translate to my driver, 2 to work on the car) about an hour and $20 to diagnose and fix the clogged fuel pump / injector. The car began working again. And off they went.

Until Tuesday morning, when Velan attempted to start the car. Nothing. He tried again. Nada. He tried a third time. Boom ... Boom ... Boom. We realized the end was near when thick acrid black smoke blew out her exhaust pipe. Velan valiantly performed mouth-to-hose resuscitation as he sucked fuel from the fuel pump into the injectors... in attempt to start her. True story.

The Toyota mechanics rushed right over. Five men showed up to see why the car wouldn't work. They were there for almost two hours. Tinkering. Conferencing. Tinkering. Conferencing. Tinkering.

Eventually they were able to get her started just long enough to get her to "limp" into the Toyota repair shop. They told me they'd have an answer by the end of the day... Wednesday morning at the latest.

Around 4pm today I got the news. After "diagnosing" the problem (and I use that term VERY loosely), they think they've narrowed it down to the fuel injector pump and nozzle. Of course, they don't have the technology here to fix it, so they're going to ship the part to Bangalore to be rebuilt, since a new one could not be located anywhere in India due to the age of the vehicle... though I have to wonder if they really tried.

The mechanic is estimating that it will cost upwards of $500, and it will take a week to fix. So in layman's terms, that means it will be at least $1000, and a month before I have my car back.

We hope that at the end of this drama, she'll be as good as ... well... old.

7 comments:

Mom24 said...

OUCH!!! So sorry. That sounds absolutely awful. I don't even know what to say...just not a good situation. Hoping for good results and fast!

Tenakim said...

Cars are a pain. Shouldn't we have jet packs or something by now?

Unknown said...

Ha, I was about to say Sounds like fuel pump- from your description- mine went in costa rica- mechanic showed me the sea shells that were in there! I wonder if you could buy the part and pouch it to post?

Darlene said...

Oh no...that just stinks.

Hopefully it will get fixed fast. If you need a lift just holler.

Ramit Grover said...

May I have the honor of knowing exactly which Toyota car is it? $500 for a fuel pump? In India? Maybe you should buy a Mercedes. Their fuel pump might be cheaper.

Anonymous said...

um ... that stinks.

I have a brilliant idea. Escape the madness and fly to Bangkok in a couple of weeks!

Maybe you'll magically come home and have a car ... back to normal??

Christy said...

A month?! Couldn't they build you a whole new car (or three) in a month?

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