We have logged almost 470,000 miles in about 39 months on a 2009 Corolla. Time for an engine. Mechanic (who I trust) said they found a used engine (18K miles) locally for about $1900. With labor, engine swap should be about $3000-3200.
That sounds reasonable to me. Opinions?
Sounds about right to me but there’s a lingering question or two.
You will have a low miles engine installed but what about the rest of the car it’s attached to?
The transmission has a shaky 470k miles and unless the suspension has been serviced that car will need shocks, struts, and a complete suspension/steering rebuild.
True. It’s held up well. Alternator lasted till 360,000.
While 95% of it is highway miles (courier work), wear happens. Miles is miles!
Don’t mind dropping in a new tranny & other parts - it’s cheaper than a new car. Tranny lasted till 595K on a previous Highlander.
Thanks for the feedback.
While 95% of it is highway miles…
Highway miles are not as hard on a car as short trip miles, although if there are other parts you’re concerned about you could pay a mechanic an hour labor and have him give it a looking over for other problem areas before putting $3000.+ into it. This could be very beneficial since you are working with a mechanic you trust.
Wow 470k on a 09?? I gotta see this! But I would go with another engine if the rest of the car checks out OK. No reason to put all these miles on another car. Lets see if you can go for the record. Wonder what the highest # of miles has ever been put on a Toyota.
Quick question: Are you replacing the engine as… preventative maintenance… or because the current original one is shot?
When I bought my 2002 Sienna in 2001, an article on the dealer’s wall said some guy drove a Corolla 800,000 miles before needing to overhaul the motor. So, I’d say some Toyotas have been driven a very long way.
400 miles a day every day of the week? That’s 8-12 hours windshield time a day. That’s a hard life.
I suspect that nearly any modern car driven mostly highway miles and getting regular fluid changes and maintenance will fare as well as this.
The labor seems a little high…For that money, I would INSIST they guarantee no CEL or emissions test problems…Engine swaps with modern cars can be very tricky if the engine control computer does not match the engine EXACTLY…