A torn boot means your joint is contaminated. I never replace boots. A torn boot on cars I service is an automatic CV axle replacement. They’re inexpensive to purchase and easy to install. The best time for a complete swap was 45 minutes, 07 Yaris, either side. The worst was 3 hours, passenger side of a V6 RAV4.

You’ll have to provide better details if you’re looking for a sensible response. Is there oil showing on the dipstick? Does the engine turn over but fail to start? Fill in the blanks for us.

2 or 3 people advised you it’s OK to drive a while longer. Why will you believe an opinion from an internet stranger?

If the heater core is your problem, it’s not that it’s plugged. My 99 Sierra, every now and then, won’t heat the cabin. It’s due to a buildup of mineral that insulates the core enough to impede heat transfer. I flush the core with a few gallons of vinegar, which dissolves the mineral. I rigged a 1/6th hp utility pump connected to one heater hose with the other hose dumped into a bucket. 2 gallons of vinegar (a mild acid) gets pumped through until whatever returns to the bucket stops fizzing. Then, I dump that neutralized vinegar and refill the pail with another 2 gallons. Rinse and repeat. I do it once every 3 years or so.

The first thing I’d check if the arse end is swaying is tire pressure. I have stiff sidewall tires on my half ton that start to squat at 12-15 psi. None of the recommended service items will address your issue.

This makes no sense. No, they didn’t.

The 2.4 has its exhaust manifold at the front of the engine, and the exhaust pipe passes under the pan to the flex joint. It’s 3 bolts to lower the pipe, and I have yet to find exhaust nuts on a Toyota that are too rusted to spin off, even on a car over 15 years old. If it was mine, I’d buy a $7 exhaust gasket, lower the exhaust pipe a little, then remove the pan. If sealant is good enough for Toyota, it’s good enough for me…

What are the symptoms? Hard starting? Rough idle? Engines don’t give much warning before seizing. I’d be considering that my AC compressor is about to shit the bed. Remove the belt and start the engine for a brief period. If it starts without straining, investigate the AC more thoroughly. Been there, done that.

It does seem high. There should be 3 mounts, and they are easily accessible. One from the top, 2 from the bottom. Get another quote.

Everything is fine. It takes some time and mileage to darken the oil.

A great deal more information is needed. Did he swap out the TBI for a carb, or worse, TPI? Is he using a mechanical fuel pump instead of the factory electric? Holley, Quadrajet, or other carb? There are 150 more questions to be answered before you can be steered in any sensible direction.

When he does get it sorted, he’s going to love it.

The most likely problem is a broken CV joint. I suspect you have been hearing a clicking noise when turning left or right for the last week or maybe a month.

My Toyota loving family has one Honda Civic. As much as I love Toyota, I can tell when I have my daughter’s Civic on the hoist that everything at the bottom is going to be extremely friendly to work on. I did change one rear wheel bearing/hub. From putting it on the hoist to removing the wheel to swapping in a new hub to reinstalling the wheel and torquing the wheel on the ground took about 45 minutes.

By far, my biggest pain in the ass has always been the hardware fastening the downpipe to the manifold(s). I can pull a small block Chevy in less than 3 hours without breaking a sweat unless I’m messing with rusted manifold studs and flanges. If the replacement engine is getting headers, I’ll Sawzall the pipes and toss the stubs in the bin with the manifolds. But if I need to reuse the manifolds, I might add a couple of hours, either protecting the existing studs and flanges, or drilling and retapping the threads after the rusty bastards snap off.

Damn, I sometimes hate American iron. For some reason, the exhaust manifold studs/nuts on my daughter’s '05 Camry haven’t rusted in 18 years and came apart with no drama when I replaced her entire exhaust system a month ago.

I very recently encountered my first intermittent internal battery short after almost 40 years of wrenching. 2010 RAV4 would occasionally stall out or fail to start. Each time I performed a load test, the battery checked out ok, except for one time. Tested almost dead, then tested good again. I took my chances, popped in a new battery, and the problem went away. You need further investigation before springing for a new battery. Hopefully, this steers you in a useful direction.

I love Toyota. There have been over a dozen in my family since 2000. But the engineers screwed up bigly when they designed and implemented these plastic oil canister caps that need to be removed with a special tool. I have both tools, one for the 1.8 and the bigger one for just about every other Toyota engine. I’ve broken two caps and replaced them with the aluminum ones. I buy them off Amazon for about $50 CAD each. Sadly for you, whoever broke this on yours is not to blame and is not responsible for replacing it. It is an uncharacteristic brain fart on the part of Toyota. The plastic caps tighten themselves with the hot/cold cycling and will break. If you can find a metal replacement, buy it. Or buy plastic and prepare to replace it again in the future.

That’s your ‘f off and don’t bother me’ price. They don’t want this job. Another shop will be very happy to accommodate you.

Don’t stiff your mechanic. Your duty next time is to get an estimate in writing and advise your mechanic what your spending cap is, and any repairs beyond that are with your approval only.

Your mechanic has to eat, too. It’s not in his job description to alleviate your financial woes.

I’m a coaster, always have been. I get well over 100,000 km on a set of front brakes, and on my Toyota Matrix, ran the original rear drums to over 450,000 km.

You will make your parts supplier very happy. They make money selling parts to guys like you who love to talk to your buddies at the bar about your ‘upgrades’. You’ll notice no difference. And I guarantee the condition of your factory intake is entirely intact and in original shape unless you’re intentionally beating on it with a hammer and chainsaw. They don’t wear out.

You asked for a recommendation. Slam the hood shut and stop fantasizing about horsepower the engineers at GM forgot.