Hi Recently I was advised that I should replace the timing cover and slapped with a huge cost of 2200 for labor + 150 for parts. The car has 70K miles on it and was at some point a rental vehicle and
My question is it worth replacing the timing cover?
or should I sell the car( after letting the buyer know) without fixing it?
What the shop probably wants to replace is the timing cover gasket. Leaking cover gaskets are fairly common on that model. There are two reasons to replace it. First, a leak means you’re losing oil, which can be a major problem if you don’t check it often. Second, oil can get on the timing belt and shorten its life. That one doesn’t apply because your Corolla has a timing chain. The estimate is pretty high and unless you’re losing significant amounts of oil I’d live with it and check my oil regularly. As for selling the car that’s up to you but I’d inform whoever bought it.
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How much oil does the car use? Can you see oil on the ground under the engine? If your car does use a significant amount of oil, then get a second opinion. Otherwise, don’t bother.
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Yep, unless you’re leaking a lot, I’d live with it.
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+1
Is the OP checking his oil level frequently?
If so, and if the amount of oil loss is negligible, then this situation is one that can be ignored, as long as the oil is replenished as necessary.
If the OP decides to have the timing cover gasket replaced, a good independent mechanic’s shop could most likely do the job for a cost of hundreds of dollars less.
You have a timing chain that is lubricated by the oil pump that is built into the front timing cover. One issue with these is the front oil seal which is easy to replace. The seal is only a few bucks and it should not take more than an hour to replace, maybe two hours counting all the paperwork and time for pulling into the stall and clean up after.