I don't really know what to do at this point. I had my check engine light come on maybe 2 days ago it turned off today but it's due for oil so I took it to the dealer anyways. It started knocking pretty loud a couple of days ago and at first I thought it was the rod that holds the hood up but it wasn't and it was just the engine being super loud. Flash forward to today, I took it to my mechanic and he had to charge me to clean the oil off the bottom of my car because there was oil EVERYWHERE. He cleans it off and changes the oil and the engine is still super loud and knocking. Essentially he told me I need a new motor. I just really wanted some opinions on this and what my options are here. A new motor is 1500 without installation, I could get some people and rent a lift and maybe install it with them without paying for labor. So all together the cheapest I could do this is maybe 2k. The car is at 150k miles, has had massive oil eating issues for maybe 2 years now I go through 4 qts in maybe 3k miles. Due to the oil eating issues, I have absolutely driven this car on low oil for extended periods of time without being aware of it. I haven't gotten the engine checked or torn apart yet to see if its a piston issue or an unfix-able issue. My question here is, is it worth it to take the engine apart and see if its a fixable issue, or do you think because I have previously driven it with low oil and upon arrival today it had no oil that it is very plausible that my engine is just toast? I really don't have a ton of money and I'm about to graduate college and I really need to figure out if its worth it to just sell this one, pay the 1k I owe on it and just buy a new one. Or if its worth spending the how ever much its going to be to get the engine fixed. I live a super busy life and I do a lot of driving so changing the oil every 2k miles was a huge strain on both my finances and time ( I know it sounds stupid ) I dont want to deal with having to buy 40 dollar oil every 2 months and constantly checking my car. I love this car but I dont know what to do. I wanted to also add in here, the car is from ny so its super rusted from its many years there. Which is another factor that I'm considering. Its not as if all the parts are shiny and new, I need new wheel hubs eventually and some other things even if I was to get the engine replaced.
Don’t forget about the traction battery, you are nearing the time it may need to be replaced as well. Count on anther $1,500-$2,000 as well. If you can get a used engine installed for around $1,000 I say yes, other than that it may just not be worth it at this point....Those damn EGR clogs take another motor to the grave.
Oy. I recently bought a 2010 with 145k miles thinking that I wouldn't have to worry about anything major until closer to 200k, then I find out about the EGR and head gaskets. I consider myself pretty handy but a total newbie when it comes to DIY car maintenance, so cleaning out the EGR seems incredibly daunting.
It isn’t that bad. Just take your time and watch the videos beforehand and you’ll be ok. We’ve got 198k miles on our 2010 and going strong. Knowing what to do is more than half the battle.
