x_rayted711

I'm not saying it's ok, I was just saying that in the real world, they are trained on SELLING CARS. I totally agree with you that they should know the product inside and out, but in reality, they don't. Most good salesmen know their product, do research on it and if they can't find an answer, they know who to ask.

jeffrgunn23

As far as the salesman knowing if its a chain or a belt doesn't matter in his or ability to sell scions. I have sold Scions since the first one arrived in our dealership and since then I have NEVER had anyone ask belt or chain. For the record I knew the answer its just never come up. Now if the service tech. didn't know that would be a problem.

I think there are some misconceptions about the break in period. It used to be that when you bought a car you had to drive it under 50 miles per hour for the first 5000 miles. This is absolutley no longer true. Before a Toyota engine is dropped into a car they run the engine for I believe 3 days to break it in. It is best to be careful the first few hundred miles though. Don't street race or redline.

Just because your sales person doesn't know the answer to one of your questions doesn't make him a bad salesperson. If he doesn't do any thing to find the answer or tries to lie about it, thats a bad salesperson.

hotbox05

TRUE that

x_rayted711

True Jeffrgunn23...But I can just see a salesman and sales manager arguing in front of a customer and giving different answers. BTW, I DID ask about the timing chain....and the salesman didn't know. He didn't know ANYTHING. He did get the answers though.

jeffrgunn23

If you were asking about the timing chain you were probobly asking a lot of other technical questions that are out of the normal, is this a V-4? How many colors does it come in? and so on. I am basically saying there are a lot of questions I immagine that you asked that he is not used to answering. There are a lot of sales people that would just lie to you and say what they thought you wanted to hear.

p2filz

so anyway i understand we would all expect the salesppl to know evrything but come on thats alot of info to remmeber i mean at a certain point it is too much the little bit they kno but i mean timing chain versus timing belt... some one tell me what the first pontiac gto had belt or chain u canttell by looking at the engine either u would have to seriously uncover the housing plate to kno

x_rayted711

^^^I guess the biggest thing here is that anyone can spend a total of 10 seconds to find out about the timing chain on a 1NZ-FE.
Sometimes it's not what you know...As long as you know how to find the answer, you don't neccesarily need to now the answer itself.
There is SOO much to know, but reading the owners manual is a great sourse of the info needed and also...the web.

vintage42

My xB has not come in yet, but I think I remember reading it had a timing chain. I don't remember seeing any belt replacement interval in the manual, and belts require replacement at 60K miles.

You can reach and feel a belt, on the passenger side of the engine, if there is a belt. A chain is enclosed. I bought my 1991 Mazda truck because it's 2.6L engine had a chain, which lasts forever (150K miles so far). My VW Rabbit broke its belt at 60K miles which was very expensive to repair.

hotbox05

actually most timing belts are fully enclosed . pretty much as standard since like late 90's.

ITSAXA

So whats the deal ? ....is this a lifetime belt ? or is there a replacement time for this chain ?
Does anyone know this answer for sure ? (not a guess)

xActly

No misconceptions here. Read the manual. Here, allow me to make it easy for you:

Now, when anyone asks what the break-in period is for a Scion, you'll know what to say.

Oh, and as for your claim that Toyota runs these engines for 3 days to break them in, prove it. That's utter nonsense. A car company doesn't make money by running every single engine they produce for 3 days to break them in.

RudyT

Although I must say I have heard (from someone who went to the factory and witnessed it first hand) that they do "red-line" the cars during the production run...but I doubt that they run the engine for three days, that seems excessive.

xActly

I find that very hard to believe as well. Maybe they did that with one test vehicle, but it's just not good for the motor to do that before it has some miles on it. Toyota makes vehicles that last a very, very long time; their motors wouldn't last as long as they do if they were being redlined before they were properly broken in.

xActly

The answer to your question is Timing Chain...and in the case of the old V8's, you CAN tell by looking at the engine, because a belt is about 3 times wider (sometimes more) than a chain, so a belt cover will stick out a lot more than a chain cover.

...and I'm not getting on his ___ for not knowing the car had a chain...it's the notion that our cars (and by his own assertion, ALL modern cars) need no break-in period whatsoever. The Owner's Manual dictates otherwise...so, who to believe...Toyota, or some 22 year old salesman.

Hmmm....tough choice.

hotbox05

actually toyota reccomends stuff as a precaution.

tow ratings from toyota are ALL underated.

not reccomended as a tow behind vehicle . no need for it. just for extra safety.

80064

Toyota dealer told me that all 2006 products are timing chain.

jct

wasn't some body trying to convert there timing chain too a timing belt a year or two ago???

Idrow

I test drove a Scion XA last weekend. I didn't ask too many technical questions (jeffrgunn23) because when you're in the market for a new car, most people do research on it before they decide to buy. I did ask the salesman if it had a timing belt or chain and all he replied was "Good question". Even if I had other technical questions, I would expect the salesman to either know his product or make it a priority to find the answer. I am so tired of the lacksidaisical attitude of people in this business and their lack of accountablity. Just the fact that the salespeople who post here are DEFENDING their lack of knowledge rather than saying "You know, you're right - I should know this. " Salesmen - take responsibility for your inablility to answer a customer's question, don't defend it by saying that "Well, gee, you're just asking too many questions...". Whatever the customer asks, know it or find out - period.

DouBLeJ16

It's a chain in the tC also.

jay_man2

"Is this a V-4?"