Hey guys, long story short, one of my best friends went out to Flagstaff to take care of her dad after a stroke and he just passed. He had a 1997 4R that my friend wants to drive cross country back to Ohio. She has been driving it around town the past month and said dash lights are on and there is a smell of oil. Are there any reputable mechanics near Flag that you would recommend? If you take a car to be looked over at my dealership here in Ohio, it goes in with the quick oil change kids, not a mechanic! I want her to best chance of making it here without issue.
Anyone in Flagstaff?
- Thread starter Dianna
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7000ft
SILVER Star
Take it to Hurst Firestone on RT 66 in Flagstaff. Ask for Bob Hurst. Great family owned business . Honest, ethical and do good work. IF they can't get to it, call Findley Toyota. Good dealership with some good mechanics.
Based on personal experience I would caution *against* Findley.
University Auto Repair has an excellent Toyota mechanic.
University Auto Repair has an excellent Toyota mechanic.
- Thread starter
- #6
Thank you Twilly! Do you happen to know his name? My friend is calling places today to see who has availability. I will probably fly out next week to ride back with her and hoping the 4R will make the drive safely. The plan is to take turns driving and go straight through.
I'd caution against University as well. I found them to be fairly high priced and the quality of their work didn't impress me, or to be more specific, their choice of parts was stupid. They replaced my 100's rear brake rotors and must have used cheap parts as the rotors started showing significant signs of rust within a month (in Phoenix where rust almost never happens) and were always prone to squealing. The cost of the parts may as well have been OEM, so I was not happy.
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- #8
We will be pulling a small enclosed trailer back with us and I really need someone who is knowledgeable and thorough so perhaps Toyota is not the best option. I am concerned about the hitch. I know this is NE Ohio, and my 83 year old dad wasn't able to always keep salt off his frame and this is his 2002 when I tried to move it with a tow strap attached to the hitch! The 4R we will hopefully be driving, spent it's life in Flagstaff so hopefully it is in much better shape.
It should be in MUCH better condition than that one. Flagstaff does get occasional snow, but it rarely sticks around on the roads for long and they never salt the roads, so the cars tend to stay pretty dry and entirely salt free. Some amount of rust is possible, but rust to the point of structural issues for a 2002 car native to Flagstaff would be extremely surprising. Good luck.
When I lived near Flagstaff, R&A Import was one of, if not the, best for Toyotas. 4.8 stars FWIW on Google currently, and unless anyone knows differently, I’d give them a call! They are on Rte 66 and @ 928-526-2851.
They did start salting the roads (any interstate or state highway) up here about 12 years ago, but its nothing compared to a midwest winter.
R&A is great, but they usually have a wait list. Lots of people use Randys as well. I would help out, but I am swamped right now and my shop is full.
Back in the early nineties worked for a mechanical contractor in Phoenix. Would travel to WL Gore both Woody Mountain and 4th Street facilities. Remember working 4th in the fall and tattle tail sign of salt on a few cars in the parking lot. I asked some who told me the feds were requiring salt on I-40 between Flagstaff and Winslow because of the winds and black ice. When I bought property in Happy Jack in 1997 the state was already salting SR 87 from Clint's Well to Winslow. That increased south on 87 and 260 a few years later. I call it Arizona's secret that roads are salts if the state maintains it. Did hear Flagstaff want to start using salt and residents were up in arms. Don't live in Flagstaff so I do not know what parts of 89 and 89A the state maintains but would assume anything they do will be salted. 180 not sure who maintains that. Be do agree rust on vehicles will not be anywhere near what it is back east. Think most 3rh gen 4Rs the frames are toast if they spent their life in the rust belt. There is a reason you see a lot of car haulers loaded with Southwest vehicles heading east. All heading away from AZ not in.
I have heard a few similar stories. Seems like they did not "oficially" say anything until the ponderosas along the highway started turning brown and they had to answer to it. I spent the winters of 2007, 2009 and 2011 up here and 07-09 I did not notice any rust driving in the winter. The first storm we got in the winter of 2010-2011, every chip in my sliders and bumpers instantly rusted and looked terrible. I stopped driving my 85 4runner in the winter after that. Now we have one cruiser we will drive in the salt, all of the other ones stay parked until the spring - or get decontaminated immediately after a trip.
7000ft
SILVER Star
Occational snow? More like100" average per year. May start as early as mid-Novemebr and end in late April. This year.....84.5" as of January 27th.
Also, Coconino County and ADOT use a combination of a chemical de-icer agent, cinders and sand on the major roads. Flagstaff CLAIMS to only use cinders and sand, but we woh live here full-time are skeptical of their website's claims.
I'm sorry - I don't recall the guy's name. But if you ask for their Toyota specialist, they'll know who you're talking about.
Good info. Thanks for sharing.
R&A is great, but last time I called they told me that, at least for matters involving engine diagnostics, they no longer work on OBD I and earlier Land Cruisers.
- Thread starter
- #18
Thanks again for the help guys! I arrived in Flagstaff after a 3+ hour delay because the captains chair would not recline! 
What a beautiful place!!! I was also surprised to see a Toyota in every other driveway! I worked my tetris skills and put 25 guitars in the back of that 3rd gen... yes... 25! There wasn't much left to put in a little u-haul trailer, but we still drug one back to Ohio, lol. Bob Hurst looked over the 4R and put on some new belts and I drove non-stop for 30+ hours only stopping for gas, issue free! The only hiccup was at about 3am on a deserted highway in Texas, someone was yelling at me from his open car window and then tried to force me off the road. I exited at the next exit where he informed me that my trailer chain was throwing up some sparks and he notified highway patrol. I know that's a big deal out west with the threat of wildfires, but this chain was off the ground and just touching on bumps. (u-haul installed it, I double-checked the hitch but left the chains as they were). The guy told me he thought we were going to run over some gas in the road and blow up. I guess everything is bigger in Texas, hahaha! Appreciate all the help! I will be coming back out in the next couple of months to help get the house cleaned out and ready to sell, I would love to meet some of you all if you have any get togethers or trail rides.I was disappointed that I didn't see any 40's while I was there!
What a beautiful place!!! I was also surprised to see a Toyota in every other driveway! I worked my tetris skills and put 25 guitars in the back of that 3rd gen... yes... 25! There wasn't much left to put in a little u-haul trailer, but we still drug one back to Ohio, lol. Bob Hurst looked over the 4R and put on some new belts and I drove non-stop for 30+ hours only stopping for gas, issue free! The only hiccup was at about 3am on a deserted highway in Texas, someone was yelling at me from his open car window and then tried to force me off the road. I exited at the next exit where he informed me that my trailer chain was throwing up some sparks and he notified highway patrol. I know that's a big deal out west with the threat of wildfires, but this chain was off the ground and just touching on bumps. (u-haul installed it, I double-checked the hitch but left the chains as they were). The guy told me he thought we were going to run over some gas in the road and blow up. I guess everything is bigger in Texas, hahaha! Appreciate all the help! I will be coming back out in the next couple of months to help get the house cleaned out and ready to sell, I would love to meet some of you all if you have any get togethers or trail rides.I was disappointed that I didn't see any 40's while I was there!