Bought 2009 Toyota corolla LE sadan from my sister with just 32000 miles on toyota says it needs a VVTI cam gear see alot of problems about the gear COULD this be covered by Toyota with low of mileage Sounds like a defect
I own a 2009 Corolla LE and I’ve never heard of that particular problem until now. I bought the car 9 years ago with 58k on the odometer and it has 120k now. I guess it’s possible the work was done under warranty before I bought it. In any event, your Corolla originally carried a 5yr.60k powertrain warranty so no, it’s not covered. Go ahead and have the camshaft timing gear replaced and the timing chain too while the shop is at it. It won’t be cheap, mainly because of labor, but it’s better than replacing the whole car.
IT only has 32000 miles on it Don,t think it would need a timing chain
Thank you for the advice
Oh, I doubt it needs a timing chain either but it’s a related repair and the part should only be about another $40.
The camshaft gear can be replaced without removing the timing chain cover, the gear is accessible through the cylinder head cover, about 3 hours of labor.
To replace the timing chain takes about 8 hours and $300 in parts.
Variable valve timing problems are frequently caused by oil changes that were not done frequently enough, or by using the wrong grade of oil.
Only 32k miles in 11 years means that–on average–this car has been driven less than 3k miles per year, and that can be very bad for an engine if the oil wasn’t changed at least every 6 months. If the OP’s sister is one of those people who has maintenance performed on the basis of odometer mileage–rather than on the basis of elapsed time–this can result in a LOT of engine problems, over and above VVTI issues.
Can the OP verify that her sister had the oil changed every 6 months?
I very much doubt Toyota would cover the repair on an 11 year old car, regardless of miles.
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Yes, that is an excellent point that I forgot to mention earlier.
Manufacturers rarely extend warranty coverage, and the idea of them extending it for an extra 6 years is just not possible.
Even if this repair was needed during the period of the Powertrain Warranty, it wouldn’t have been covered if the OP’s sister failed to change the oil at least every 6 months. Can the OP verify how often–in terms of elapsed time–her sister had this engine’s oil changed?
Lexus performed a voluntary recall on certain 2006-2011 models for the same problem. It has nothing to do with oil changes, oil leaks from the camshaft adjuster while the engine is off, then creates a noise during start-up.
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What exactly is the problem with the cam gear? A common problem I have read about is a rattling sound for a couple of seconds when you start the engine. Aside from the noise, I don’t think anything is damaged by it.
My 2009 corolla with 137,000 miles does it a few times a year in cold weather ( I’m in New Jersey).