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2 Questions About Corolla 2001

by kulkarni_ash, March 23, 2011



kulkarni_ash

Hello

I have a 2001 Corolla with 185,000 miles on it, i have 2 questions and need some advice

1. I see that my right front tire is worn out more then the left front, local mechanic advised to change Right Tie rod and do front wheel balancing, and is going to charge 250 to do so.

Is this correct, i have to change tire, so should i change tire first and then get this done?

2. My corolla gives about 35 miles on highway, but only 20 miles in city, is this correct can i do some thing about it?

The mechanic also says i need to change the engine mount, as he sees the vehicle to jerk when i change from neutral to drive or drive to reverse, and if i dont do this it would damage my transmission eventually. This would cost another 200$

The biggest question i have is should i put money in to fix this car, the engine works fine and i have this car for 10 years and i have changed catalytic converter and oxygen sensors only,

What do you guys think, what is life of this corolla, how long can it go, how many miles can i put on it?

I would ask the mechanic why does he suspect the right tie rod - Did he verify that the joint completely worn out? Did he check the alignment to verify that it was out of spec?

How is the tire worn - worn unevenly? cupped? feather-edged? etc. Anything else seems out of the ordinary, harder to steer, pulling at highway speeds, etc?

$250 to change a tie rod, rebalance the tire up front? didn't mention anything of an alignment - that sounds a bit off. If the tie rod is indeed bad and the tire wear is excessive, you should really replace the tire (possibly both tires - keep them as an axle set) before you do an alignment and wheel balancing.

As for the mileage - 35MPG on highway is pretty decent. 20MPG in the city is a little lower than average, but not out of the ordinary, depends on the driving conditions. Possible that the excessive tire wear and possible alignment issue is sapping some mileage in the city, though getting 35MPG on the highway makes it seem like you don't have a serious alignment/tire issue yet.

Not sure what the mechanic meant by jerking vehicle, you mean the engine rocks on its mounts when you shift in and out of gear? If the whole vehicle shudders when you shift in and out of gear, could be worn mounts or it could be the engine needing a tune up. $200 for parts and labor is about ballpark for this type of work - but you have to verify that mount is indeed bad. At this mileage, it is very possible the mount is worn out. You can check yourself by brake torque the engine briefly and watching how much the engine moves forward and backwards. It will move a bit under normal conditions, but if it moves enough to bang into the hood or seemingly rotate more than a couple of inches - could be bad mounts. Usually worn mounts are coupled with excessive steering wheel and chassis vibrations.

Lifespan of the car - hard to say, with any certainty. Maintenance is a big part of that equation - letting even small things go can end up costing you a considerable amount down the road. If it worthwhile to put in a couple of hundred of dollars into this car or start looking for another one, that is completely up to you. I've seen posts of owners that have less than 20K-30K miles on the car before something catastrophic happened to the transaxle or gearbox - and others that have gone well over 300K miles with no major mechanical issues. As long as you stay on top of the maintenance, what I've found is that is much more likely that the car will be disabled/destroyed in an accident before the powertrain fails on these cars. My own Matrix XRS was just touching 120K miles and running perfectly, before it was rearended and declared a total loss by the insurance company. That car could have easily hit 200K-300K miles, in my opinion, actually ran better at that point than when I first purchased it used 5 years ago. Current replacement 2009 Matrix is at a little more than 25K miles, and trouble free - aside from tire issue, and my current 2002 Corolla is over 185K miles and running strong - 200K-250K no problem.

  • 149 posts
Hello

 

I have a 2001 Corolla with 185,000 miles on it, i have 2 questions and need some advice

1. I see that my right front tire is worn out more then the left front, local mechanic advised to change Right Tie rod and do front wheel balancing, and is going to charge 250 to do so.

Is this correct, i have to change tire, so should i change tire first and then get this done?

2. My corolla gives about 35 miles on highway, but only 20 miles in city, is this correct can i do some thing about it?

The mechanic also says i need to change the engine mount, as he sees the vehicle to jerk when i change from neutral to drive or drive to reverse, and if i dont do this it would damage my transmission eventually. This would cost another 200$

The biggest question i have is should i put money in to fix this car, the engine works fine and i have this car for 10 years and i have changed catalytic converter and oxygen sensors only,

What do you guys think, what is life of this corolla, how long can it go, how many miles can i put on it?

1) Have you owned this vehicle since new? How often do you rotate your tires?

2) Where do you live? If you are in the cold north with salty winter roads your 10yr old car is probably getting quite "ripe".

3) Get a 2nd and 3rd opinion/estimate on repairs. You must have a friend that is car-savy, ask his opinion.

We can't see your car in person so it's hard to diagnose your faults but if you are wearing tires unevenly, you need work.

kulkarni_ash

I have owned this car through out the life, and i used to live PA, now in CT, so i am not sure if rust is a problem because of salt.

The mechanic put the car on ramp and checked the tie rods and that is when he came to conclusion that they need to be changed, and he said 250 for change tie rod and balance and alignment, i will get the car checked with some one else also to take there opinion.

When i change gears all car jerks and that is why he thinks needs new engine mount, are needed along with tuneup. and i do see a bit of steering vibration if i am going around 70 miles an hour.

It is hard decision if i should sell the car or replace it, my mechanic thinks i should use the car still it stops working and then get a new one, as i wont get much any resale for this car,

I was thinking about getting used Matrix, but looks like Toyota has stopped Matrix production, so will there be a problem to repair or resale if i get one used

Toyota Matrix is mechanically similar to the Toyota Corolla (same platform). As far as I know, production of the Matrix is still on going, the NUMMI plant has been closed down and GM axed Pontiac division, so they don't make the Pontiac Vibes anymore. But I agree with the mechanic as far as resale goes - at this point, if you plan on keeping the car, stay on the maintenance and drive it to the ground - so to speak. Lots of factors come to play when deciding to hold onto an older car or buying a new one. Not having a car payment, higher insurance premium can offset the slightly higher operating costs of maintaining an older car. Some cases, it is advantageous to get a new car (financing deals, enhanced features/safety, new car smell, etc.) Up to you and what your finances allow.

I'd hold off on the mounts - do the tune up first and see how that goes. Vibration at that speed could be from a number of culprits - could be tires need to be rebalanced, tire is excessively worn, loose suspension, worn struts, bad tie rod, faulty steering, warped rotors, bent wheel, poor engine tune, etc.

Jerk when changing gears might be more of an issue with the transaxle than the mounts - what is the service history of the transaxle (assuming automatic transmission - 3-speed or 4-speed)? Is it better or worse after the car warms up?

..... Some cases, it is advantageous to get a new car (financing deals, enhanced features/safety, new car smell, etc.) .....
that new car smell everyone is so fond of are fumes from uncured or curing resins in the new plastics. not exactly healthy.

 

Bisphenol, methalymethacrylate, etc. LOL

I agree with fish: Go incrementally with your fixes. Learned that a long time ago from a good car guy, and it has never steered me wrong.



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