My toyota scion xd blew. a week later i had it towed to a repair shop in oregon and they removed the head gasket and a month later called me and said the motor had totally rusted up and they had no idea why. They were trying to keep the cost low for me. I paid them 1800 but now 4 months later they are charging me 2000 more for a complete rebuild. they quoted me 1600.00. Does anyone know why it rusted up?
Have you demanded to see the rusted engine? Do you know exactly what is rusted? Exterior engine rust is usually not important. Interior rust would be the result of coolant leak or shop negligence… like they took the head off and left it exposed to moisture. Ask then what caused the rust.
You should have gotten a complete record of a diagnosis and repair estimate before dropping $1800. Did they ever tell you what was wrong? Did they tell you what blew before you gave them $1800? What were they supposed to do for $1800? Did they do it and did the car run afterwards?
If the head was removed and the interior of the engine rusted, that is on them. They left it out in the rain with the head off. They owe you a refund of your $1800 at the least. Actually a reputable shop would make good on repairing or a replacement used engine in such a case. But I expect they will have to be dragged to small claims court if they were negligent and left the engine open to the elements.
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Remove head, inspect internal parts. 2-3 hours?
Motor is bad? They call you TODAY and inform you.
NOT 1 month later.
NO money is paid during tear down and inspection.
Whole scenario is wrong.
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Sadly, it is hard to imagine a 2009 Scion of any model worth $3800. Hope you have a positive outcome.
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Probably just some surface rust on internal surfaces b/c head was removed. Rebuild process will correct that problem. Mentioned b/c rust removal will add some labor time. In your particular case I think asking your shop if installing a rebuilt engine from a wrecked Scion might be the better and more cost-effective approach. Ask shop if just replacing Scion with another car should be considered too. If you need the car as your sole daily driver, the latter is probably your best bet. Your old Scion even in current condition has some value for its parts. A diy’er might pay you something for it too, to take on as a project car.
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I will guess that after the engine overheated, someone added water to the cooling system and the water entered the cylinders. One month later, the cylinder head is removed, water and rust are found in the cylinders.
The rust may or may not be significant, the damage caused by overheating the engine caused more damage than just a failed head gasket.
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