Hey everyone,
Mechanical found an oil leak from the timing cover, he said it will cost $4000 to get fixed, what should I do? Thank you!
Miles 160000
Mechanical found an oil leak from the timing cover
How bad is the leak? If just a little seepage you could leave it alone and keep an eye on it.
he said it will cost $4000 to get fixed
The shop manual for that car quotes the book time for that job at 12.6 hours for the 1.8L engine. (You did not specify which engine you have.) Checking Toyota Parts online it appears the OEM gasket is is not available, so not sure how much the gasket set will cost. If we estimate that at $200, that would leave $3800 in labor which would be over $300/hour. That seems a bit excessive. Even if the gasket set is 2 or 3 times that amount the labor charge would still be outrageous.
If you have the 2.4L engine it's not quite as bad a proposition time-wise. Book time is listed as 4.6 hours. Once again, Toyota doesn't list OEM parts available. Using the same estimate for a gasket kit we'd come up with about $826 per hour. (That's so ridiculous I'm assuming your estimate is for the 1.8L engine.)
what should I do?
Get the car looked at and the job quoted (if deemed necessary) from another mechanic. Preferably a good independent mechanic, not a dealer or chain shop.
@chucktobias, thank you for your response. The engine is a 1.8L. There’s no oil leaking onto the ground.
@hafid - Sounds like just a little seepage. If the problem is that minor I would just leave it be and keep an eye on it.
@chucktobias thank you