2010 ICE noise

Good day all,
I've creeped this forum page over the years but have now made an account to seek some guidance.

I own a 2010 base model. I am the second owner and have had it since 2015. The car has just under 188k miles and has been driven from CA to CO and now to CT. I've been fortunate that the most I've ever had to put into it has been new tires. I had a hybrid system failure about 2 years ago but luckily was a known recall issue and was repaired for free. It's always been a quiet and reliable ride.

I'm not very mechanically inclined so I'm not sure what my next steps should be. My wife and I share the car and during the holiday season it was up for an oil change. I wasn't able to get it in anywhere due to our tight schedules. I did top it off with a few quarts of oil. I figured even if the filter/oil needed changing that oil in was better then no oil. Again.. I'm not really a car person and it seemed to be the best alternative in our situation.

A few weeks ago my wife texted from work to say the car was acting /sounding really weird. She was worried about getting home but drove it anyway (16 miles) back home.
When she got home I went out and listened. Sure enough the car now makes a terrible knocking sound from the ICE. We assumed it maybe had something to do with low oil. She had reported that the oil indicator had come on occasionally when making sharp turns. I drove it down the street to a small auto shop. They checked the oil and reported it had none. They put a small amount in before taking it into the shop. When I started the engine and they heard it they told me he engine was probably shot and no oil change was gonna fix it. They didn't do any real diagnostic work beyond listening to it for a minute.

I'm at a loss about what to do. I thought I'd be able to drive this car longer. I've been fortunate to not have any major issues (until now). It's our only vehicle as a family. I'd like to keep it.

Any suggestions?
Can anyone point me towards a specialized mechanic in CT?

Help me Obi "Priuschat" Kenobi... You're my only hope


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Hopefully this works. Video I just took and uploaded.

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No check engine light. Nothing out of the ordinary on the dash. It made that sound both before and after the oil they put in. I don't know what type they did though. I usually do the suggested synthetic during my changes. I know no one here can say with certain but I'm guessing I should have it towed to a shop for a change? I'm very nervous about driving it anywhere.

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Message on the dash about low oil. I believe I added 2. Then I checked the dipstick and it was registering. The message went away.

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I wish it was that easy. We're certainly looking but I unfortunately lost my job late November so affording or financing a new vehicle is proving difficult. I was hoping that with our tax return I might be able to find a fix or have someone at leadt look at this car.

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I'm thankful for all the information everyone has given me from the somewhat positive to the truly grim. I may still have it towed somewhere for a full oil/filter change. I know it may not do anything for me but it's maybe $30. Maybe I'll be surprised?

I had started to look at salvage engines on allusedparts. It looks like $1800-$2500(plus labor) for an engine with 90-115k miles on it. I'm curious on people's thoughts about getting an engine to be installed. Bisco you mention it might not be worth it for a car with nearly 200k on it already. Is your thought that the rest of the car and it's components are at nearly 200k even if a new engine is installed?

Also if the issue is the "rod knock" that others have mentioned is replacing the entire ICE the only way (cheapest way) to fix that? Or can that individual issue within the engine be repaired for less?

I unfortunately still owe on this car. I'm in the last year of a very long loan. Worst case if it's junk I guess I'll continue to pay it off and sell it for junk once I own it.

 

I'm learning a lot here and appreciate all the info. It seems like this car is most likely toast. I'm curious if any users in my general area are familiar with a reputable shop in Hartford County, CT? I think I'd like to take it in for a hands on diagnosis from someone who knows these cars. Last time I went to a dealership shop I didn't have a good experience. I guess they are a last option. At this point I'd probably rather not put $2-3k into a car that might.. Might be worth $5k. I was gonna drive it until I couldn't, I just thought I had more time. And I guess I would have if I had been more vigilant.

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