Hi All,
While driving on a highway last week a rod had probably fallen off a pickup truck in the front which came and hit my corolla’s underneath. Today i came to know that the engine needs to be replaced. Mine is a 2012 toyota corolla with only 23k miles on it.
Here are two options I have:
replace the bad engine with a new one. total cost is around $1800 (insurance pays for rest)
replace with a used engine from a 2014 corolla with only 5k miles on it. of course it comes with a 1 year warranty. my concern is that what kind of impact had the engine from the salvaged car might have had. cost wise this option is much desirable at ~$500. Would this create any issues moving forward.
Would experts here please advise what would be the best option. Thanks in advance.
My vote is for a new one; assuming this means brand spanking new.
I’m also curious about this rod that “probably” fell off of a pickup in front of you.
Is this a pipe or bar or are you talking about a connecting rod and a hole in the engine oil pan?
I"m trying to determine if your engine was damaged by road debris or if your engine was run out of oil and threw a connecting rod.
So how often has the oil been changed and how often do you raise the hood to check the oil level?
to common sense: the new one is slightly out of budget and am weighing the cons of replacing with a 5k miles engine. would my car lose value due to this ‘old’ engine. say if i were to sell this vehicle in another 3 years with everything running great, would i run into any problems.
are ‘old’ engines like these really bad and might break down in coming years more?
I’d go “new”, although I find myself wondering if it’s actually new or rebuilt.
Either way, boneyard motors usually resent greater risk… although this one sounds like a really low risk one. If you opt for the boneyard motor, be sure they take the ECU with the motor. I can guarantee that there were changes between 2012 and 2014.
what is the ‘ECU with motor’? i am slightly inclined towards the 5k ‘used’ one as it is almost a new one and will have 1 year warranty with labor. if things are bad and i make a couple of 300 miles long trips on it, it should definitely show up. what do you think?
The ECU is the Engine Control Unit, the computer that takes in all of the sensor signals and controls the engine’s throttle plate, ignition, fuel metering, etc. that operate the engine. The automobile’s systems are constantly evolving, and engines changing, and as they do the sensors can change, the engines change, and the signals that the ECU sends to the various operating systems need to change too. Something as simple as a change in the injector spray pattern can mean that the signal that the ECU has to send to it can be different than it sent the old 2012 injectors. It’s always wise to have the correct computer controlling a specific engine.
I agree that the 5K one sounds like a very low risk motor. And it’s certainly a heck of a lot cheaper. I admit that this one is a tough decision.
insurance covers labor as well if things are bad. i have the same thought as you “mountainbike” that the 5k miles sounds a very low risk one. its almost 1.2 grand higher for the new engine.