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Re: inexperienced car owner needs help
First off...Welcome to AF!
Congrats on getting your "new" car. A good first way of finding out what maintenance is needed is to check your car's owner's manual. Because your car's odometer is probably over what is listed in the manual, I would concentrate more on the km intervals between services for each area...changing oil, transmission fluid, coolant, spark plugs, etc.
A simple repair manual is also good to have so you can read about what is involved in a certain repair before you try to do it yourself.
Check the stickies at the top of the Toyota forum for extra info on generic maintenance and common problems.
For instance, your low idle could be due to a stuck idle air control (IAC) or clogged ehxaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve.
The coolant leak from the side of the engine probably means your engine's water pump has developed a leak. This repair is more involved since you have to remove the timing belt and keep everything aligned. If you are a novice, I'd suggest having this done by a machanic. Another example of a repair manual being helpful.
Sorry this was a bit late, but I hope it helps and bienvenido!
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Current Garage:
2009 Honda CR-V EX
2006 Mazda 3i
2004 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD
2003 GMC Envoy XL
2000 Honda ST1100
2000 Pontiac Sunfire
Vehicle History:
2003 Pontiac Vibe AWD - 1999 Acura Integra GS - 2004 4.7L Dakota Quad Cab 4x4 - 1996 GMC Jimmy 4wd - 1995 Chevrolet C2500 - 1992 Toyota Camry LE 2.2L - 1992 Chevrolet S10 Ext. Cab 4.3L - 1995 Honda ST1100 - 1980 Yamaha XS400 - 1980 Mercury Bobcat.
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