Hello everyone, im new to this forum.
I wanted to get some advice because i cant find anything on the internet, the probem is I have a toyota corolla 03' e12 hatchback, D4D engine with 90hp. Ive been driving it for a year and before that my brother drove it for a year, everything was fine besides it burning a little oil. As of today i got bad news from my mechanic (he has gained my respect from previous fixing) he told me that the engine is done, it still drives but he said not for long and the cost of the repairs will be more than the car itself. Its really sad because i really love this car and planned on driving it for a long time. So as of now i need a new car (im still trying to sell the current one) and im not picky at all and ive been thinking to buy another corolla same year same body type the only thing would be a better engine or a better previous owner. So maybe there are people that know these corollas well and could tell me which of these model years (2002-2007 i think) WHICH ENGINE IS THE BEST to buy. I know most of you are americans and probably dont know about diesel a lot. Im a 19 year old student and I work for food delivery on my spare time so the best choice would be the more economical ones rather then power. Thanks for your response in advance.
What in the?! For a Toyota D-4D to be finished, it would’ve taken some serious amount of negligence from the previous owners. Those engines are EXTREMELY reliable. What was the mileage of your Corolla?
How difficult is it for you to take second opinion from another honest mechanic or even your nearest Toyota dealer?
Did your current mechanic give you a reason for engine about to fail?
For the Corolla, both the 1.8L petrol engine & the 1.4L turbo diesel are extremely reliable. I’m curious to know what went wrong with yours.
@inthrustwetrust
I dont know for sure but my guess would be the lack of care. It was imported about 3.5 years ago and the previous owner drove it for around 1.5 years then my brother for another 1year and now me also 1 year. So my guess is that those last 3.5 years killed it and i believe that im the only one who tried to take care of. Sometimes i would fix it myself and if there were something more difficult i would drop it of at the mechanic. Its really a bummer because it wasnt a perfect car and didnt even have a/c but i kinda liked it for that simplicity. At this moment it is at 191 500km which is very little for a corolla so when i heard the news i couldnt really believe it. But the mechanic said it would be cheaper to put a new engine in it which would still cost a fortune, at least to me. I still kinda want to drive a corolla or something similar but im scared to buy it because i cant find anything on which engine is the best one
@inthrustwetrust
And about the problems im not completely sure how to say them in english but it was something to do with oil leaks from the parts that send fuel to the injectors and that it could be deeper that just seals. And everyhing was wrong with the belt inside the engine (i believe it has a belt and not a chain, so correct me if im wrong) and a lot of parts around it which names i cant remember. And there are also some things that i would need to fix in the near future which would also cost a lot
If your mechanic says that the engine is going out because it's burning oil, as long as the oil level in the engine is not too low, your engine should be running good. I would not worry about it since you said it does not burn that much oil. Instead of looking to sell your car, look for another mechanic seriously.
About the Corolla models you mentioned, from 1999 to 2002, they have oil burning issue. So avoid those models if you want to buy another one.
Good luck.
@yaser
Thank you for your opinion. I dont think its the mechanics fault, they are really good honest guys. I cant find the exact problem in english but the oil is burning but not only that it is leaking and the problem could be deeper if its not the seals. And im not sure maybe you can answer this but do these engines have a belt or a chain because i believe it has a belt and the mechanic said that it is done completely and he was afraid to keep the car running. Also a lot of parts that are around the belt are done too i cant really remember what they were. And still this isnt it. So in conclusion he said we can do these fixes but can not guarantee that that would be it. And i dont want to risk it
It has a timing belt and it should be non-interference engine, so if the belt is broken, it does not ruin the engine.
Good luck.
Here's what I found for Corolla: https://www.autotempest.com/results?make=toyota&model=corolla&zip=90210&minyear=2002&maxyear=2007
