Engine Overhauled, Shock absorbers and more parts replaced
Toyota Corolla, 2E engine
Looks like the price I paid for a cheap second hand car will get tripled little by little. So far, it has undergone a number of surgeries already including top overhaul, cross member replacement, under chassis repair, tire replacement, a/c replacement, alternator and battery replacement, and countless number of car wash services. This time, its engine was overhauled and shock absorbers were replaced.
For several months, I’ve been taking all the risks of driving a car that feeds not only on gas but on oil as well and could stall on the road any time. It actually did for at least ten times. I’m just thankful that somehow, there’s a grease monkey residing in me and I was able to fix minor problems myself as long as there’s no detached parts that can’t be done by screw drivers and pliers.
Since it’s getting worse, I decided to bring my car out and looked for shops that does engine overhauling in Dasmarinas, Cavite. I went to a Shell Helix and they gave me ballpark figures of 10K for parts, 12K for machine shop services and 5K for labor. That only includes engine overhaul. I collapsed right after I saw it and brought to nearby hospital.
Right across Shell was a Toyota Center but I did not bother inquiring because I knew right then that that estimate will only cost me a left shock absorber.
I then went to a shop I know that sells Toyota car parts somewhere up north, and learned they also offer the service my car needs. They gave me a fixed amount of 8K for service labor and parts needed for engine overhaul. Of course, I took the offer since it’s way cheaper than the first one. They also gave me four shock absorbers for 1K each. While we dissect the engine, we also found more parts that need replacement. The package went up to 15K all in all. So compared to the first estimate I got, it’s way better. I did not inquire in other shops so I don’t have any idea if there’s cheaper price somewhere.
I saved 12K on that, but again, if I will sum up all the expenses I’ve incurred since I bought the car, I think it’s already more than double. So I pray that no more problems occur soon. Though I know right then what to expect when I bought the car for 90K.
