$2,000 for Valve Cover on Corolla

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Just throwing this in...I love my gf's 2010 corolla 1.8. It has been an amazing car. 124k on it so far, with 0 issues...Hope you get your issue resolved! I agree with trying some HM oil in there and slow that leak down. I honestly wouldn't fix it tho...
 
Also, you have the 2zr-fe correct? The 1zz-fe was the previous gen. That one had some issues...however, the 2zr should be pretty stout...
 
Originally Posted By: TheKracken
I have both of my valve covers off my truck, about a 4+ hour job...glad I am doing it myself, that is an expensive job.

If you are mechanically inclined at all (I am not at all but I still manage to do all my own work) you should try to do this your self. Save the money, my gaskets and such cost me 30$


For this, (actually the timing cover), the engine has to be taken out to be fixed. I've never done more than headlights, wipers, etc... on a car, so I don't think this is the right job for me to get started with.
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Originally Posted By: 2012AccentSE
Just throwing this in...I love my gf's 2010 corolla 1.8. It has been an amazing car. 124k on it so far, with 0 issues...Hope you get your issue resolved! I agree with trying some HM oil in there and slow that leak down. I honestly wouldn't fix it tho...


Yea... I just got two more opinions, both say the timing cover is leaking and by a significant amount (still nothing on the ground). My thought is to put HM oil, drive it till it dies or trade it. Hard to swallow $1,500 on a car I don't like. I also need tires this year. My commute is so hard on a car, so I just have a hard time justifying purchasing any new (used, new to me) car and subjecting it to the same.

Originally Posted By: 2012AccentSE
Also, you have the 2zr-fe correct? The 1zz-fe was the previous gen. That one had some issues...however, the 2zr should be pretty stout...


Correct, this is the 2zr-fe. In 93k it's needed a new water pump and now this.
 
Unless an oil leak is dripping on exhaust components or making stains on the ground, it is just a seep. Throw in some high mileage 5w20, and I bet your seep will stay unchanged for years.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Unless an oil leak is dripping on exhaust components or making stains on the ground, it is just a seep. Throw in some high mileage 5w20, and I bet your seep will stay unchanged for years.


I was told (and unfortunately I don't have enough knowledge to verify myself) that the seepage has made its way onto exhaust components. I have not seen smoking from it yet, though.
 
you will know for sure when/if it ever makes it to the exhaust--you will smell/see the vapors.
I've read every response in this post----leave this car as is, and watch the oil level. I do not consider this a leak
Steve
 
Curse of the "bullet-proof" mystique...

I think a lot of Toyo owners have this thing about "Toyota perfection" and that their car ought never need parts replaced to remain showroom perfect...

At the 1st sign of wear or needed maintenance and their 8-year old car with 100k miles is deemed to be junk....replace a part and they're ready to call it and all Toyotas junk.
 
Originally Posted By: steve20
you will know for sure when/if it ever makes it to the exhaust--you will smell/see the vapors.
I've read every response in this post----leave this car as is, and watch the oil level. I do not consider this a leak
Steve


I am going to clean the engine up and keep an eye on the leak. It just had an oil change, but when I switch to 100k, I will start running Mobil 1 HM oil.

This car is subjected to 90 minuts of hard bumper-to-bumper traffic each way 5 days a week. I don't want to get a new car only to subject it to the same conditions.

If it gets worse, I have a place that will do it for $1,280 (in writing)
 
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Curse of the "bullet-proof" mystique...

I think a lot of Toyo owners have this thing about "Toyota perfection" and that their car ought never need parts replaced to remain showroom perfect...

At the 1st sign of wear or needed maintenance and their 8-year old car with 100k miles is deemed to be junk....replace a part and they're ready to call it and all Toyotas junk.


This attitude goes to a whole 'nother level in Japan. Most car buyers buy new, but there are some that buy 3 year old cars (when the tax on them goes up) to own until they get to 5 years old (when the tax goes up again, becomes prohibitive and the car gets parted out to poorer parts of Asia).

If the car looks like it has been repaired at all, the buyers won't touch it. Everything has to have the same even layer of dirt and dust on it under the hood and on the chassis.
 
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Curse of the "bullet-proof" mystique...

I think a lot of Toyo owners have this thing about "Toyota perfection" and that their car ought never need parts replaced to remain showroom perfect...

At the 1st sign of wear or needed maintenance and their 8-year old car with 100k miles is deemed to be junk....replace a part and they're ready to call it and all Toyotas junk.


There are people who won't eat spaghetti because they were fed it 3x a week as kids or in a first marriage where they were poor.

If they had a clunker that burned oil and needed repairs this could have been a traumatic/ broke life stage they are now looking to avoid by buying what's known as the most reliable/ boring car around.

These people were utterly beside themselves during the "sudden acceleration" incidents a few years back and couldn't fathom why they couldn't get the recall done that day at their dealer.

Some people cope, by not coping. Not saying this about the OP but about the mystique of pursuing that showroom perfection.
 
It seems you are intent on spending big bucks on a non leak.
Has any of this registered with you that you don't really have a leak?
A little seepage is not a problem if you never have to add oil for 10k miles.
But if it let's you sleep at night,spend the money.
Again, you do not have a leak.
 
Originally Posted By: Dallas69
It seems you are intent on spending big bucks on a non leak.
Has any of this registered with you that you don't really have a leak?
A little seepage is not a problem if you never have to add oil for 10k miles.
But if it let's you sleep at night,spend the money.
Again, you do not have a leak.


Nope, I've got it crystal clear. Not spending the money if it can be avoided. I'm at 93k with a fresh oil change. Will wash off the gunk tomorrow and monitor the seep and oil level until 100k, when I'll put in a high-mileage oil. As long as oil doesn't get low in my OCI, I'm not going to put that money into a commuter car.

I've been told that this could get no worse as time goes on and be fine to 150k, so I'll monitor and only take action if it becomes an actual leak. Now I just need to find an independent place that is open on Saturdays.
 
Originally Posted By: smc733
Originally Posted By: E150GT
This happened to my wifes sister recently, except that wanted $3,200.00 to fix it. Luckily, before she ever even made the decision to fix it, the car got totalled and she has a new Rav 4


Next vehicle won't be a problematic Toyota for me.


I've never had these kinds of problems from my domestics... just saying.
 
Originally Posted By: Silverado12
I've never had these kinds of problems from my domestics... just saying.


Yes, we know you keep repeating that over and over like a record player or a parrot. You're usually good for a comment or two when someone has an issue with their non-big 3 domestic. It's like you enjoy rubbing it in their face.

Originally Posted By: Silverado12
I agree that certain years of domestics and certain models weren't so good, but if you get a Chevy, for example, at the middle of a production run the odds are greater you'll get a good car. My Chevy Cruze is likely to be a decent car since they had 5 model years before to work the bugs out. My 2012 Silverado has been flawless in the 4 years I have owned it. Can't do better than that. Japan in general has good quality control, but materials have been questionable. Don't see it much now, but Toyota, Honda, Datsun, etc. would rot away worse in the North.


Originally Posted By: Silverado12
That's entirely subjective, but I'll put my domestics against anything by a foreign manufacturer. Too many buy into the foreign is better myth because of CR. They are obviously biased. No question in my mind. The Dodge in my sig has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. Five year old car with zero issues.


And here's 20 more examples:

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php
 
Originally Posted By: smc733

Not spending the money if it can be avoided. I'm at 93k.
Next vehicle won't be a problematic Toyota for me.


It can't....Accept it.
...and once you get over 100k, more parts will need to be replaced...and the higher the miles go the higher the cost of those parts (e.g.: a starter perhaps, or an alternator, an A.C. compressor, or shocks).

...you have 3 choices (like the rest of us):
1. Accept the reality that cars cost money to maintain....and over 100k miles, the higher the cost...but accept that cost or the cost of replacing the car, #2/#3

2. Buy a car new with a 100k warranty and sell it when the warranty expires...you'll have reduced the cost of higher maintenance....but at the cost a new(er) car's purchase price.

3. Buy a car with over 100k miles whose depreciation has pretty much bottomed out. You will have saved the cost of the new-car-purchase-price, knowing and accepting that you're going to spend more money maintaining it than a new(er) car.
...if you can't accept that ongoing and increasing cost you'll have to consider the cost you've expressed here...the cost of inconvenience and the ongoing disappointment of being let down by an older problematic car.

It all comes down to what you can and cannot live with. Pick your poison.

Originally Posted By: smc733

Next vehicle won't be a problematic Toyota for me.


So your next problematic car-maker will be ......?
 
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Originally Posted By: smc733

Not spending the money if it can be avoided. I'm at 93k.
Next vehicle won't be a problematic Toyota for me.


It can't....Accept it.
...and once you get over 100k, more parts will need to be replaced...and the higher the miles go the higher the cost of those parts (e.g.: a starter perhaps, or an alternator, an A.C. compressor, or shocks).

...you have 3 choices (like the rest of us):
1. Accept the reality that cars cost money to maintain....and over 100k miles, the higher the cost...but accept that cost or the cost of replacing the car, #2/#3

2. Buy a car new with a 100k warranty and sell it when the warranty expires...you'll have reduced the cost of higher maintenance....but at the cost a new(er) car's purchase price.

3. Buy a car with over 100k miles whose depreciation has pretty much bottomed out. You will have saved the cost of the new-car-purchase-price, knowing and accepting that you're going to spend more money maintaining it than a new(er) car.
...if you can't accept that ongoing and increasing cost you'll have to consider the cost you've expressed here...the cost of inconvenience and the ongoing disappointment of being let down by an older problematic car.

It all comes down to what you can and cannot live with. Pick your poison.


I think you're misinterpreting what I am saying. I am not spending the money on this particular repair for this particular vehicle, if it can be avoided. I have plenty of money for repairs as needed on the car when and if the time comes and they are necessary. But the advice here is that until the signs show that this repair is needed (oil getting to the ground, smoke, etc), I am not going to put that money into repairing this issue at this time.

My next car will likely be a low-mileage CPO Hyundai (from a lease or owner, not rental) with a 100k warranty. I'd still plan on driving it into the ground, but at least the powertrain warranty would cover things like this and the faulty water pump in <100k.
 
Originally Posted By: smc733
KitaCam said:
smc733 said:
My next car will likely be a low-mileage CPO Hyundai (from a lease or owner, not rental) with a 100k warranty. I'd still plan on driving it into the ground, but at least the powertrain warranty would cover things like this and the faulty water pump in div>


You need to do more research. Hyundai does NOT offer 10yr/100k miles on their CPO warranty.
Here's what they offer:
"Include the remainder of the 10-Year / 100,000-Mile CPO Powertrain Limited Warranty1/2." [from the new in-service date]

I do wonder whether Hyundai is a better made vehicle than Toyota, but in either case, look carefully at the maintenance/service records for any car you're considering.
 
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Wow. OP gets beaten up for being a perfectionist snowflake. Then he gets beaten up for not spending ridiculous money for a needless repair, or considering trade-in instead of putting up with an older vehicle.

And of course, someone has to weigh in on imports vs. domestics. Well, every one of my domestics left oil on the garage floor after 100K. My 160K Toyota and my 170K Honda have yet to do that. One sub-$100 repair on the Honda, the rest for both, just maintenance.

But none of that helps the OP.

This thread has run its course.
 
Originally Posted By: KitaCam
Originally Posted By: smc733
KitaCam said:
smc733 said:
My next car will likely be a low-mileage CPO Hyundai (from a lease or owner, not rental) with a 100k warranty. I'd still plan on driving it into the ground, but at least the powertrain warranty would cover things like this and the faulty water pump in div>


You need to do more research. Hyundai does NOT offer 10yr/100k miles on their CPO warranty.
Here's what they offer:
"Include the remainder of the 10-Year / 100,000-Mile CPO Powertrain Limited Warranty1/2." [from the new in-service date]

I do wonder whether Hyundai is a better made vehicle than Toyota, but in either case, look carefully at the maintenance/service records for any car you're considering.

Originally Posted By: KitaCam
smc733 said:
KitaCam said:
smc733 said:
My next car will likely be a low-mileage CPO Hyundai (from a lease or owner, not rental) with a 100k warranty. I'd still plan on driving it into the ground, but at least the powertrain warranty would cover things like this and the faulty water pump in div>


Yes, this is what I meant. The coverage is until the ODO hits 100k (which WILL happen within 10 years of mfg date for my use case on any CPO). All of this issue would have been covered if I had that warranty. Unfortunately many CPOs are former rentals, so I will have to hunt for a lease or owned one when the time comes.

Originally Posted By: HangFire
Wow. OP gets beaten up for being a perfectionist snowflake. Then he gets beaten up for not spending ridiculous money for a needless repair, or considering trade-in instead of putting up with an older vehicle.

And of course, someone has to weigh in on imports vs. domestics. Well, every one of my domestics left oil on the garage floor after 100K. My 160K Toyota and my 170K Honda have yet to do that. One sub-$100 repair on the Honda, the rest for both, just maintenance.

But none of that helps the OP.

This thread has run its course.


Agreed, this is typical of this forum sadly. So much great advice but VERY strong opinions in all different directions:
1. Fix it yourself. How can anyone not do a 12-hour engine repair in their garage?
2. Trade it in, life's too short.
3. Monitor and determine action based on severity (selected approach).
4. Something about domestics.

Frankly, number 1 is just not worth it to me. I work in the city which is a 52 mile round trip in HARD stop and go traffic daily and need a car to be reliable and can't take the chance of screwing it up - the impact of that is worse than the money I'd save. I have the money to fix this car, or buy a new luxury car cash if I wanted to. The point is I've built my financial security and own a home because I made the right sensible decisions so far in this life. The goal here was to consult experts (thank you to many who've helped) on an issue I don't have knowledge and skills in, to get a better opinion from the stealership to make the right decision.

As for being called a snowflake (or several implied), yes I realize no car is perfect at this mileage, but I've seen claims and reports of people having a lot less issues at this mileage on other cars (and other Corollas) than I have. [censored], my wife's Elantra from the same year has had nothing but oil changes and one set of brake pads, with almost the same mileage.
 
I think the OP's biggest issue with the car is that while being boring, it still needs repairs.

Today's Toyotas and Hondas don't hold a candle to the older ones as far as reliability. They are still fairly reliable, but ANY car will need repairs with regular use. Cost cutting along with increases in complexity will make this happen no matter what. You might as well drive something you enjoy. Life is too short to drive boring cars, especially if you spend a significant amount of time in your car.

Spray off the oil leak at a car wash, throw in some HM 5w20 oil, and drive it till it stops. Then buy something a bit more fun.
smile.gif
 
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