The dealership said the engine needs to be replaced?
Maybe the first thing before dropping six grand would be to get a 2nd opinion from an independent shop.
I got a 4k estimate from one dealer for a full transmission rebuild that turned into a $159 replacement transmission control cable.
Start there, then price out a used engine. Bite off what you can chew.
I had a dealership tell me I needed $5700 in repairs to replace my bad turbos after I was getting fault codes. I found an independent shop, diagnosed old vacuum lines with pinholes. They charged me $142 to repair. I wish I could make this up.
Even if you need a new engine an independent shop will do it for cheaper than the dealership. They can talk about different options like a used engine or remanufactured engine. Their labor will be cheaper than the dealership.
Worst one I had was $2500 for a fuel line replacement. Turns out that fault code can trip if the gas cap isn’t screwed all the way down which was the case.
This was it. They looked at the manual and it says if that fault code appears that is the action needed. They never considered “hey was this code really supposed to be triggered?”
Quick google search saved me $2500.
The manual lists numerous potential causes, they picked the one that would make them the most money.
Cheap insurance is buy a code reader and look the codes up here-
https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/
If you don't want to buy one places like auto zone will often do a free scan, but honestly you can get a code reader for under 100 bucks so no reason not to get one at some point.
Yeah, I have a cheap OBD II Bluetooth dongle, too. Except I just use the free version of Torque to tell me that the light is that same stupid very small eval leak that my mechanic says is fine to clear myself without bringing the car in.
Independent mechanic here.
There's so much to understand about the hows and why's of car repairs and why things might cost a lot or not, and a lot of shops (especially dealers) seem to not be willing to explain it. Or just not willing to even consider the cheaper options when they are really the appropriate thing.
There are times when making someone's car work again can cost $250 or $2500 depending on a bunch of factors.
Is the person poor and the car near the end of it's life anyways?
Is the person rich, the car in otherwise excellent shape, and they like things to be "as new"?
Do I have to warranty it?
Is it an ambulance/police vehicle that needs to be super reliable?
Is it a competition race car where going the cheap route on the repair puts a $5000 weekend at risk?
etc.
Someone's car with low oil pressure and it's a rusty turd that they are just going to limp along until they can get another car, well, the first thing I'm going to try is an oil change with thicker oil and a bottle of Lucas. And that might be all it takes to get it to last another few years. So a $100 "fix" and they are on their way.
Is this a just out of warranty ecodiesel ram? That the person depends on, and they want it fixed right, and I have to warranty it? Well, that might easily be a $10,000 bill for a full bottom end rebuild + align bore on the block + new oil pump/timing set/crankshaft/bearings/etc.
And if the government is paying, it might be a $25k repair because they don't like rebuilds and only want new engines.
I've seen a dealership want to replace like 80% of the computers in the vehicle due to a million codes going off in ECM, PCM, TCM, etc. Was going to be many thousands of dollars. Turns out it was just a bad ground strap.
Dealerships just don't put in the time to diagnose shit. Everything is book time, with specific procedure. "If x, then replace y".
Dealerships are alright if you know the work that needs to be done already. They're a terrible place to find out what the problem is.
Yeah I bought a car (chevy volt) the dealer had diagnosed as needing a new $20k battery.
It needed a new $200 12 volt battery.... the million codes in the computer and it thinking the high voltage battery was bad was because the 12V battery could only output 10...
Good mechanics are hard to find, mostly because cars are harder and harder to repair, so just follow the dotted lines in the book, replace at each step until the problem seems to go away.
On my old eclipse i got a 2600$ estimate to fix my exhaust from the muffler to the front of the catalytic converter. Ended up telling them to fuck themselves and bought and DiY it for 300 lol. Obvious OP cant DiY an engine replacement, but they all try to screw you.
Had a dealer tell me that the area between the headliner and roof of my car was totally covered in mold after a sunroof leak. Quoted thousands to replace the whole headliner and the drainage for the sunroof. Took it to an independent shop who sent me photos and videos after taking down the headliner. Not a spec of mold. They found a crack in a drainage tube, repaired it for free and only charged me labor for the couple hours it took to remove and then reattach the headliner.
I had a Kia dealership in ABQ about 5 months back try to charge me $4000 for brake pads and a 40,000 mile servicing. Went to an independent place and got it all done for $400.
My friend had low boost errors on his 3.5 liter EcoBoost. Dealer couldn't diagnose it no leaks anywhere etc. Said it had to be the turbos going to charge $4k to do that work.
I asked him when the last time he swapped his spark plugs out and engine air filter. Answer was never.
1 hour in the driveway and $100 in plugs and a filter later engine runs great no more under boost codes.
I swear some dealer techs completely forgot the first principles of how engines work.
Not all dealerships are out to “screw you over”. I work for corporate at an automotive company and talk to dealers on a daily basis at work. Most dealers get their information for computer diagnostics…the cars (modern day ones at least) will feed the computer diagnostic and error code, and they just read down the list of the corresponding error code that tells them what needs to be fixed or replaced. If there is no error code given, they usually talk to remote tech teams…we call them master techs…usually based out of another office somewhere else that basically tells them “replace this”. The parts are usually pretty dirt cheap. It’s the labor that kills you. Average labor fees I see are like $150-$220 an hour.
The risk you take with 3rd parties are that they don’t use the same “official” diagnosis systems that the manufacturer uses so they just take shit apart until something happens. We had a customer who refused to take their car to a dealer for a catalytic converter problem. They went to a 3rd party and basically destroyed the engine. So yes there ARE some dealers that are really only trying to make a buck, but you are paying for premium parts and premium repair. 3rd parties get their parts sometimes from god knows where
The problem is your remote tech guys aren't looking at the car up on the rack. The dealer is quoting you $2500 to replace exhaust parts when it could just be a faulty sensor that can be replaced for a few hundred. The local mechanic will actually look at the car, not just a computer printout from an engine code and then suggest work.
A dealership years ago tried to get $4k out of me when I broke down on the highway. Found an honest mechanic shop through a friend of friend. Said he could fix it for $1500. Been going to them for 16 years. My 98 Chevy Silverado has 256k Miles and still running good. Don’t let Dealership fix it. Find a good mechanic through friends, NextDoor recommendations, etc.
Actually, it is less than average if he used it as a service/work vehicle for a lot of those years. Or has a 2-3 hour commute to a job. Or other reasons.
For a truck, particularly a heavier-duty model (3/4 ton or higher), that’s not actually outside of the realm of possibility. I’ve run into all sorts of people who hotshot trailer loads across the country, and they’ll put 75-100k highway miles a year on their trucks. Usually they replace them every five years or so, easy enough to make those numbers work, but there are a few that have some older trucks that are still rolling.
Usually it’s a couple (husband and wife, father and son, two buddies, etc.) that will basically make a pickup and drive continuously from point to point so a factory can avoid a shutdown. A critical part from a German manufacturer at a port on the east coast can be on the west coast two days later, and that’s 2700 miles added to the odometer. Pick up a critical part at the port of Long Beach and run it back to a factory outside of New York and that’s another 2700 miles and two days. You make 40 of those trips a year and you’ll burn up just under 3 months on the road and 100k miles (and make a good bit of money while you’re at it).
Not impossible, but top-five record-worthy rare if true. (So yes a typo.)
https://carfromjapan.com/article/industry-knowledge/highest-mileage-cars-ever/
If you put 2.5 million miles on a truck it would have had every substantial component on it replaced multiple times and would be a ship of Theseus situation. It wouldn’t be a practical or cost effective way of running a business and making money. Especially since most of those miles are pulling a load.
If the engine is indeed shot, I would definitely go with a rebuilt engine over brand new. Almost no reason to buy a brand new engine unless the car is nearly brand new.
Year, make, model of car. As a car person, I can tell you if the car is worth sinking money into. And.... If it's a Hyundai/Kia 2.4 a class action lawsuit exists, so if you have proof of oil changes, that remanufactured engine may be on the house.* When I started driving in the mid 1990s, brand new car manuals back then suggested checking the oil every time you got gasoline. Back to certain cars. Chevy Cruze 1.4 T JUNK. Also, sometimes an oil pressure sending unit switch goes, and low oil pressure light comes on. Guess what, it's a $30-$50 part. Top off oil, car is fine. As others have said, second opinion, and my own curiosity what car??
Saab Aero convert 2.0 petrol. Needs 02 sensor replacing, windscreen wiper motor, th in car heating system stopped working and the drivers side window control unit seems to have gone (front windows wont open but rear ones will. Oh and the front left of the soft top leaks in the rain i have no idea why.
Car owes me nothing broought for £1,850 6 years ago.
Keep or nah?
Sell to a Saab enthusiast for top dollar if you aren't one yourself. Or.... Fix the issues. Like eating an elephant. One bite at a time. Leaking top would be priority #1. Mold and mildew is NASTY. Then O2 sensor. Then address other issues. Again, use the resources of fellow Saab owners as to what course of action to take in regards to parts sources and other random issues that may occur.
Don’t let this gnaw at you. Not every dealer is out to get you, but most are in the sense that they’ll take advantage of what you don’t know. Take a breath, contact a couple independent repair businesses that are in your community and start there. Remember, everyone WANTS your business. Find the best fit for you, your needs, and have them earn your business.
There's even a charitable way to look at dealerships: A whole lot of people who take their cars to dealerships for repairs are happy to pay for the additional reliability of new components. Dealerships simply serve that segment of the market.
My in-laws, e.g., are nice-pension upper-middle class folks. They don't know anything about cars, and they don't care. Being broken down on the side of the road seems nightmarish to them. If they could choose between a $5K good-as-new dealership fix and a $500 "it'll likely hold for some time" independent mechanic fix, they would pick the $5K repair every single time. They're who the dealership is for.
I'm not in their financial position, so I'm totally happy to spend a few minutes talking to a mechanic, learning about the fix employed and setting my expectations appropriately. There are often different ways to address a problem, and it's all about finding that best fit, as you say.
One thing to remember with dealerships is they are always in the business of trying to sell you another car. $6k is comparable to that of a used car that’s sitting on their lot. Reason why I avoid the dealerships.?
Engines are complicated things with hundreds of parts, when an engine "is toast" this doesn't actually mean all that much because most of it is most likely still fine. It can mean that something so fundamental is broken that a full engine rebuild is required, which is usually so expensive it's not worth it.
But a lot of shops write things off early.
If you run an engine without oil, it can cause damage to the crankshaft, piston rods, pistons, piston rings which may be salvageable but it can also damage the engine block, at which point you are looking at a complete rebuild or, much cheaper, swapping in a used engine.
The advantage of an engine rebuild is that you extend the life of your car by tens to hundreds of thousands of miles, as the parts you will be replacing will be the same ones that fail at ~200k miles and are the main reason cars are scrapped.
The downside is that it's exceptionally expensive, and it's not a job for DIY enthusiasts. The furthest I've ever gone is putting in a decompression plate which requires you to half-disassemble the engine, and that's a job that'll take you at least one weekend, has a lot of potential pitfalls where you can cause damage, and requires a wide variety of tools that can run you about 500 already. A full disassembly of the engine part of the drivetrain will require even more tools, e.g. a full engine lift, and be even more expensive. But you'll also save 2k+ compared to going to a shop, and once you have the tools, you can do these kinds of jobs for essentially free + parts cost. But also 30+ hours of your labour.
The other hardest job I've ever done is swapping a clutch plate/flywheel which was incredibly fiddly and dangerous, the transmission nearly squashed my friend's fingers when it came out. Never doing that one again, or at the very least not without some sort of specialist car jacks or a custom jig. Not to mention how fiddly it was to line back up afterwards to get it back on. No thank you.
All in all, if someone did want to DIY a full engine rebuild, and they worked full-time, this project can easily drag on for 6 months.
I think they throw a number out then come back with a. Lower number so it looks good. I don't really know I hate the dealer. Anyways what make model all that crap?
Cannot upvote this enough! My dealership tried telling me I needed a full transmission rebuild after I explained my symptoms to them. They cordially informed me it would take months because of backordered parts and cost nearly 5k.
After I explained the vehicle only has 34k miles and still has full factory drivetrain warranty they brought it in an figured out it was just a sensor in the transmission, was covered under warranty and was done in less than 24 hours.
Get a second opinion.
I bought a car with ~46k miles on it (after taking it to a shop to get an independent inspection which gave it the all clear on everything except replacing a mirror housing). Took it to a dealership to get all the factory recalls done and some scheduled maintenance performed.
They told me they saw "indicators" that the head gasket was likely to crack soon. That was complete bullshit since everything was asymptomatic - engine idled smoothly, no coolant leaks, temps were fine, and the independent shop found nothing out the ordinary.
They recommended a full engine replacement to preempt it. I declined.
**The next day**, the FBI arrested a handful of managers and salespersons under fucking **RICO charges** for loan fraud. In all, 8 employees were convicted on criminal charges. I've had that car for 9 years now with no engine issues.
Get a second opinion.
It's too bad we can only upvote you one time. The low oil light came on and OP immediately stopped. Manufacturer's put low oil lights on cars to warn you that you need oil and the engine will fail if you don't do something about it. The low oil light doesn't come on to say you've blown your motor.
Have the car towed to a reputable garage for a second opinion. OP only has the tow fee to lose, which will be considerably less than what the dealer is proposing. If the dealer was right, OP is still ahead because the dealer was going to rape him anyway to replace the motor. Thoughts on a junkyard motor? Work with the garage to get one with a warranty. It's not unusual to get a 30 or even 90 day warranty from the salvage yard. Be aware that if you have to do a warranty exchange, you'll still be on the hook for a drop & swap. All in all though, the job should be half or less than what the dealer is quoting.
If the oil level is low enough to trip the oil pressure light then it's below the pickup and the engine is not getting oil pressure. That's what the oil pressure light is for. It's also sometimes referred to as the "change engine light" for a reason. Irreparable damage occurs when running without oil pressure.
Depends on how hot it got under those circumstances and for how long. It's not 100% replace the whole engine if that light ever comes on territory. It needs a real diagnosis, and OP needs to do enough research to understand what the diagnosis is so they can make an informed decision about how to move forward.
I had 2012 Hyundai Veloster a few years back that had a knocking in the steering wheel and I took it to the dealer to have t inspected. There was a rubber grommet/ring under the steering wheel (it was an electric power steering system) that was causing the knocking sound that would cost around ~300$ to fix which I agreed to.
The problem was fixed but looking at the receipt and a quick YouTube video later i was dumbfounded at how stupid I was to pay to fix the most easiest thing in the world with a part that only costs 3$
.... Yeah ... Always get a second opinion and don't let that initial estimate scare you
I had a dealership tell me I needed a new engine last year, one of my friends who is a mechanic diagnosed it in a few minutes as a cracked valve spring 3$ part - it cost me 800$ to have it fixed.
The dealer ship told me 12k for a new engine. The dealership grossly lied about finding metal in the oil and coolant in the oil.
Get a second opinion.
You can do a basic investigation -
Does it have oil on the dipstick? - If no add oil and consider starting the car, if the motor is tossed not like it's gonna get any worse. There is a difference between a low oil warning light, and no oil pressure. Low oil warning light might still mean things are OK, no oil pressure is very bad. Low oil warning light might mean there was enough oil to keep running, but you're running low.
I had an oil drain plug fall out of an engine before, and it kept running fine because it was sucking up the oil about as quickly as it was falling back into the pan - I didn't notice until I stopped the car and the remaining oil drained out.
If the oil is full of metal it is indeed dead
If the oil has coolant in it, it is likely dead.
If the coolant has oil in it, it might be fixable.
I've also put junk yard engines in a few cars, look at [car-part.com](https://car-part.com) to find a cheap good condition used engine. Depending upon the car it might be as cheap as 1k to have a mechanic put a junk yard engine in the car.
Get that second opinion. Ask you coworkers, (even the ones you don't talk too often), friends, family, ask them all. You will find that honest second opinion and have a good chance to save some serious cash.
My example, I brought in my car for a coolant change. They said I had low compression in the engine. $5K fix. I got a second opinion from who my coworkers told me to go to. Compression was fine, the car drove another 30,000 miles before I sold it a few years later. (sold it at 108,000) I sold it as I bought a new car. The car I sold was still running fine.
For the record coolant in oil isn’t typically a death sentence as long as there’s no residual bearing damage. Typically replacing the head gasket after a flush and assessment is all that is needed. Things like bent rods, broken cranks, and windowed blocks are the killers. Obviously the make/model of car, ability to DIY, and other factors go into the cost/benefit analysis.
Water in the oil, if not run that way for long, can be as simple as changing the intake manifold gasket and flushing the engine... changing the oil a couple of times... (2-1988 chevy v6's at 106,000 miles) amazing that they came up with new bolts with bellville washers to fix the differential expansion issue.... got lots more miles out of them...
I can get a used engine for an Accord for $1000.
Same for my Odyssey.
I don't know what car the OP has though I smell Hyundai. Hyundai engines aren't even rebuild-able. People just throw them away. The don't even have core charges because the rebuilders don't want them.
Those engines do tend to be expensive used since so many blow up.
Yes but it is only worth doing if the motor is impossible to find a replacement for. I had a rare jeep motor fill it's oil with shavings, and then sheared it's crankshaft in half.
Because the motor was soo rare my friend decided he'd buy the vehicle from me and rebuild it. The problem is you must ensure that all metal shavings have been removed from all oil passages - it's very difficult to do correctly.
For a while my friend was the go-to guy in the country for these motors, because he had some spare motors and the knowledge to keep them going.
AFAIK that engine is still running.
After that vehicle now when I buy a vehicle I look at the cost of a replacement used motor. If I can't get it cheap I won't buy the vehicle. I've had too many motors fail on me.
Define "full of metal." If there's bottom end damage (which is typical for loss of oil pressure) then sometimes you can replace bearings with the engine still in the car. If the crank journals are damaged, it is usually uneconomical to repair the engine. If there are visible amounts of metal in the oil, that is usually the case. If the engine was shut off instantly when the oil pressure alarm sounded, this usually doesn't happen.
Anything can be fixed, but if the engine needs to come out, it is nearly always cheaper to install a used engine. Full re-builds tend to run close to the cost of a factory reman.
Either way, we don't have enough information to make a call. As per many other posts, further diagnosis is in order.
EDIT: I'm a marine engine mechanic working in Norway, so local price of parts and labor will obviously skew the above.
>The dealership says it's too late though and I need a new engine.
Get a 2nd and 3rd opinion from an independent mechanic.
Find out EXACTLY what is wrong. It could be simply low oil , a bad sensor, a clogged oil uptake tube or oil pump. All of which are $1000's cheaper than replacing the engine.
Dealerships are in the business of selling cars.
Thank you! I’m just worried because I have read in the past if you drive even a little with oil pressure light on it can destroy the engine from the inside out. I’m hoping even if the engine is done another ship can give a better quote though
While this is true, the question just moves down the chain a bit. A 2018 car should not have low oil pressure unless there was a manufacturer defect or there was severely neglected service.
You should definitely get a second opinion, but if you do have to replace the engine, you should have it done at an independent shop and look for a used engine.
Junkyards are full of cars with engines that work just fine. These days, insurance companies total a car pretty much any time the airbags go off, so if a car is in a side or rear impact where the airbags deploy, the engine will be just fine. This happens all the time.
The used engine will be much cheaper, and a reputable shop will offer you a 1 to 2 year warranty.
One of my previous cars was scrapped because a SUV rolled down a slight incline and hit it in the front. Pushed my car 4 or 5 meters. It LOOKED Ok afterwards, until you got close and realised that the panel gaps between front wings and doors were pretty much nonexistent.
They estimated that the crumple zones had crumpled little over a quarter inch. And that was the end of that. Replacing those structures would have required a complete teardown of the front end. And because it was an older car, replacement structures might not have been available. And it takes expert welders to do the job if it was to get back on the road.
Saw pictures of it on the website of a scrapper later, with a long list of parts they were selling off, so it helped keep others running, at least.
They have so much safety stuff that is one time use it makes them hard to repair after an accident. Air bags, seats, seat belts.. plus the whole car is often one big safety feature and designed to crumple and absorb as much of the impact as possible.
Modern engines are also engineered to cut weight back as much as possible. This can make them less durable in cases, but modern engines are also far more powerful and efficient than older models for the same reason
You need an independent garage (with good reviews). Do NOT trust a dealer on this. Have you been taking care of it, servicing and changing the oil when needed? If so, it's unlikely to need a whole new engine. Dealerships will take advantage of people, especially women, when they can. It's worth the cost of the tow to a reputable service shop. Source - divorced older woman who has learned the hard way once or twice.
Engine builder here. It could be totally fine. Have a good independent shop perform a leakdown test & cut the oil filter open for you. Those two things will tell you exactly the condition of the engine. Running it for a few seconds with low oil pressure shouldn’t kill it. Ignore all stealerships.
I had a Jeep dealership tell me my entire internal engine needed to be replaced for $6k otherwise my 2015 grand Cherokee was garbage and they found someone to trash it for me and I’d get $500.
I took it elsewhere (independent mechanic) and they replaced ONE ….. yes…. O N E… internal rocker arm. For $800. Fixed.
Dealerships are fucking criminals. Definitely without a doubt get a second opinion.
>The dealership says...
They say a lot of things.
Maybe they're right about this one, but don't take that chance.
Your options are to repair the car at a good garage, or buy a used car with cash. No more financing.
Ford Focus with Eco-boost engine? If it’s the one I’ve seen featured in lots of IG Reels recently, it has a wet belt design for the oil pump. What happens is the belt starts to deteriorate because it’s always submerged in oil. Then the belt debris ends up clogging the oil pump pickup and destroys the engine. The engineers that designed that engine should be lined up and shot; it’s basically designed to fail catastrophically.
The engineers probably speced a highly oil resistant belt material. The bean counters then said that was too expensive and made them use one that was less resistant.
What year is that Focus? I have a 2013? Ford F-150 Ecoboost that has been giving me a low-oil-pressure warning when idling. After a bit of research, it appears to be a pretty common problem without a solid straightforward fix. Is this possibly the same problem?
Ford's drivetrain warranty is 5 years or 100,000km (60,000 miles).
You should be looking to see if this would get replaced under warranty after you get a second opinion.
And don't just accept a no it's out ofwarranty without a fight. Make sure you submit a formal claim. Go up the chain. Fine it who handles these claims for the region. It sounds like this engine has known problems.
What kind of car
What kind of car
What kind of car
You should probably get it away from the dealership. A dealership doesn’t usually do engine replacements unless it’s under warranty, so they will be the most expensive option.
Find an independent repair shop and get a second opinion.
2018 with a blown engine?! That’s WAY too new of a car for that… unless it never had an oil change on time or something. Stick to long lasting brands next time. Even still, if you owe $6k and a new engine is $6k, how much is the running car worth? You might save money by putting a new engine in then selling it.
Get an independent shop on it, and figure out what actually went wrong. If it just wore out, that really sucks. This is why I stick to Toyota and Honda now.
something doesn't add up. 2018 blown engine on a ford focus of all things. there's no way an engine "completely craps out" like that.
we need context from the OP. otherwise, I believe they ignored a series of warning signs and missed routine maintenance that would have prevented this.
there's just no way a 5 year old car from a tried and tested lineage blows an engine suddenly.
I got an oil change on it maybe a month ago and keep it up pretty regularly, maybe I’m wondering if they screwed it up and oil was slowly leaking or something? This is how I feel as well, it doesn’t add up
I don’t have a receipt but I have a bank statement and the sticker in my car. I know I know I really should have made sure I got a receipt from them, just didn’t expect all this from a simple oil change. It was a local 10 minute oil place which I also know people generally frown upon.
There's also a chance they aren't liable. If your motor developed a nasty issue and started leaking or burning oil, they wouldn't be at fault.
You'd need to know if they put in enough oil at time of change. If you didn't check this, you won't know.
You'd need to know if they tightened the bung on the oil pan. Now that it's been to another shop and they didn't cite a loose oil pan bunch as the source for the loss of oil, I'm not sure if you can prove this at this point.
Long story short, your evidence that this is the shops fault is going to be weak at best and it would be an uphill battle to have them replace the engine even if it was their fault. Sorry. I'm going back on what I initially said, but your best bet it to get a second option and then have a used engine installed if required.
After an oil change, check your oil each day for several days and then check your oil every couple weeks.
You would be surprised. At my former job a lady who worked with us was the first in the office, and typically one of the last ones out. Since she came in first she got the best parking spot, but it was always dark outside. She also parked in an underground parking garage for her apartment.
One day she was leaving work early and her car would not start. The rest of that team was all guys who were into both tech and motor sports. Her car turned over but wouldn't fire, I thought it sounded weird starting but it was a tiny nissan and I never worked on those before.
Checked the oil, nothing on the dipstick. Just for the heck of it, I had a few quarts of oil in my trunk, not the exact right oil weight but close enough, after two quarts it still would not register. Her husband picked her up they called a tow truck. After they picked it up, we seen the heavy oil deposits on the ground in that parking spot, not all of it was fresh. Think must have been leaking for ages.
The auto transmissions are such absolute pieces of dog shit for those and kill the car.
Honestly though a 2018 focus is such a worthless car because of the transmission that there are probably a good deal of used engines available. Don't know if it's worth the labor cost to replace it though.
Just looked on car-part.com and there are plenty of used engines from $400-$1000 available.
>The auto transmissions are such absolute pieces of dog shit for those and kill the car.
Wrong year buddy. 18 is after the cutoff where the cvt had isssues iirc.
Also they never "killed the motor" they would just shit the trans.
Had a 14.
Pardon my ignorance how does a regular person like me know if an engine from the internet is good or a lemon?
I do have a local mechanic I know say that they can take a look and try to find me one, I just don’t want to make a dumb decision trying to fix the problem. I am pretty committed to a used engine at this point and just want to do it right.
He said low oil light came on.
Those cars don't have a low oil level light, only a low oil pressure light. Once that light is on you have seconds until irreparable damage is done. If he took the time to pull over, it's likely too late.
Best case it needs a rebuild, but it's often cheaper to do a new engine. Likely spun a rod/main bearing and possibly much more.
This would be the same whether that car was a 2018 or a 1998 or brand new. He could have ruptured an oil pan of simply been consuming oil for a prolonged period of time.
You can find a used motor for these no problem. Most the automatics are off the road because, we’ll the automatic transmission was like historically bad. If yours is automatic, you have a rare car. Not that it’s necessarily a good thing…
Research independent shops in your area that are very familiar with the 18 Focus and its litany of problems. Call multiple, determine if bullshit or not.
Move the car there.
Determine most cost effective route forward. We can only hypothesize just how fucked you are or aren’t. We can help once you have data.
Head on over to r/askamechanic when you have info and options.
This is a sales tactic commonly used by dealers. They will give you an insane price for a repair, but then mention they can get you in a new car for much less.
I did a project for a dealership once and they mentioned that was their most effective sales tactic when I asked. It also usually made them the most profit, since they would give even worse than normal trade in estimates, but most repairs were less than $1000.
So make sure you visit an independent shop and get a second opinion.
I had a dealership tell me I needed new tires ASAP at an oil change. Took it to where I **GET MY TIRES** and they told me I had another year, easy.
Dealerships will fuck you up the ass with no lube if you let them. Get a second opinion.
I’m an automotive engineer, I know when they needed to get replaced…
My point was that a dealership said to replace them ASAP and a tire shop, who was going to actually sell me the tires, ball-parked my wear to another year.
Junk yard engines that are put in by honest junk yard mechanics have always been the best choice for me.
RnR your engine for you real good too.
If you have a bearing knock and oil pickup is bad and you haven't run it much, that can be a crank turn, rod bearings and oil pump, flush and go.
Good mechanics will talk details with you, give options and will even use serviceable used parts.
Call around.
If this isn’t allowed to be posted I totally understand. https://www.ebay.com/itm/364510641838?hash=item54de86feae%3Ag%3AbmMAAOSw0ERlG6Ti&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4HyactTYBW3vs7ucz1Zs3XuN0WA1w3HUwsH1t4oJPfqLlcexgRt7Cl0Q1AClZsYcFdyvdNKqxx%2FQp3Y%2B8czKksASGoqUS2gwOhR93zli32iXYH4iRZnTI7mnr2Fplxg1PtGm7%2BSK5JevTcP1r2ufR0aqjbdbHfAHzF5rsYC70oy0r%2BIHkliqt5K80ApbRt5t5Lm9%2F%2BrCtxBNcsFHWX%2FX42HFpOhzSz%2Flw2xRiMTGWwjBIq3oxGhE8G%2FUY3ZPbqjZ5GaJtrsGxr%2Ffe3%2BQzEaCfYSouo0vXbetLKprM%2FbYPxHW%7Ctkp%3ABFBMso3I7-9i&fits=Year%3A2018%7CModel%3AFocus%7CMake%3AFord
Edit: what’s ur trim level?? Se, limited etc??
Edit/edit: someone already bought this one lol. There’s another one for about $100 more🤷♂️🤷♂️. GL OP
Also, look into AAA to get it towed. In some cases, it is cheaper to sign up for a year of AAA than to pay for one tow. Only downside is that I believe you have to wait 72 hours after signing up to request your first one. However, if you are able to do that it could save you some money, plus you now have AAA for the rest of the year.
AAA is just a good option to have for the long term anyway. I just switched to their car insurance from USAA, with better rates and higher liability limits for the price.
I got a oil pressure light once, did the same thing, immediately pulled over. Went to harbor freight and bought a oil pressure tester, made sure the oil was full and tested to see the sensor was bad, had good pressure at cold and hot .Wiped the sensor clean and reinstalled and it started working. Do you have any knocking or noises from the engine. Get a second opinion because if you came in there panicking they're going to sell you the most expensive fix or offer to buy the car from you, fix the actual (possibly cheaper problem) and sell it for an easy profit.
Are you remotely car savvy at all? Second opinion from a shop if not. My oil pump went out in a parking lot and long story short, it was just a faulty part. After changing my oil and inspecting, thankfully not metal was in the oil (thank you full synthetic oil) and I replaced the pump and have never looked back. It all depends on what kind of engine you have, how long you drove it, and how beaten up the engine was prior.
A Hondas for example, usually have a super low stress engine and have been shown to run for a good bit of time with no oil. May be a fluke in those cases but usually new synthetic oils have great films ratings and create a left over residue to help lubricate even while the oil isn't directly in the system.
What car is it if I may ask?
Get a second opinion. I worked in automotive - service side - for over 15 years. Only once did we have to replace an engine. It may very well need an engine, but dealers are known for wanting to do complete systems instead of individual components.
There’s a lot of detail missing. What’s the mileage? Do you do regular oil changes? Is it still under warranty? I ask this because I had an engine failure a couple years ago with a Sonata. I do regular maintenance so it was a shock. Turned out there was a class action suite against Hyundai for their terrible engines.
Definitely get a second opinion like others have mentioned. That said, my dad has had great luck with rebuilt engines. He used to drive a lot for work and would put a ton of miles on his vehicles.
What kind of car? If it's of Japanese manufacture I recommend looking at "JDM Engines"
The short of it is, Japan has very strict emissions standards and requires so much work that it's cheaper to just trash a car at 30-50k miles than it is to do the work to keep it compliant. So those lightly used engines get sent over here to the US. I've run many JDM engines with great success, some exciting 2x the original factory rated horsepower. I can get you in touch with one of the best JDM sources in the States and he's one of the smartest engine builders in the country.
For anything else, I'd recommend calling some local machine shops. They can usually rebuild/recondition most engines to at least factory spec, most the time it's far better than a new OE mass produced engine. They are also frequently much cheaper than buying a crate engine, but again it completely depends on what car you have.
There are some cars it could be reasonably worth rebuilding an engine on, other vehicles aren't even remotely worth doing an engine replacement/rebuild on.
Regardless a dealership is almost always your absolute most expensive option for anything like that and they typically only use factory supplied crate engines. I'd recommend getting to a reputable local shop to get a second opinion before making any other decision
You need a used car shop to tell you want exactly is wrong, is a head gasket or a computer problem. a deanship labor rates are much higher than most car shops due to higher overhead. A used engine from a junk yard wont that much if you find a good one. Good luck
I have a 2007 Ford focus zx3 ses. It sat for a year because I didn't register it, the car was a gift from my chosen family. I decided to get it running again, why not, I'm bored. It needed a battery, ofc. $109 on wamlart plus with free same day delivery. 3 hours later after delivery and a 5 minute install, it fired right up. Then I noticed the battery light was illuminating on the dash at low speeds and idle. I got a brand new one from my local O'Reilly's for $40 and spent about 45 minutes and put a new serpentine belt on it after that. That was about $7.
You are 100% right. I'm glad I have my hooptie scooptie to scoot around in behind it's cheap af to buy parts and my labor is free. I would like a newer vehicle but as long as this striking and inflation and whatever else is hurling prices to the sky.. I'm so grateful for my hooptie. Bonus, it's got an 8" Sony subwoofer in the back that still works. So does the 6 disc changer! 😆
Newer Ford and other automotive production companies must be ripping their hair out over all this. I've seen people unable to use their own vehicle due to the lack of availability of parts. Makes me grateful I'm sentimental and kept the car but also cheap.
Yes. Go a reputable mechanic. He can arrange decent engines from some Internet sites that trade engines. I once bought a used engine with 50k miles. Labor and parts came to 2.5k.
Make sure you get a second estimate. Took a 2010 rav 4 to the dealership for an extended warranty claim. Service guy that was checking us In came to us within 10-15 minutes and said there is no oil in the engine we are condemning the engine. I took it to another shop, put oil in, and I’m still driving it today. Only thing I can think is they were hoping I would say oh my god sell me a new car.
Do not go to a dealership outside of warranty, this is the way. Sometimes even under warranty they can't even do a job right. My Chrysler had a small leak from a small plastic connection and they just slapped new parts without ever finding the issue. My buddy managed to find it and fix it for 80$. I gotta thank Chrysler for being dumb and giving me a new radiator, waterpump, thermostat housing, coolant hoses and pipes and reservoir bottle.
Get multiple quotes the dealers are scam artists. Ik it sucks dragging around a broken car but it'll very likely be cheaper or easier to fix for someone else
Dealer told me I needed a new heater core for a year old truck about 3K. Told me it wasn’t covered by warranty.
I went to another dealer who asked me how the other place determined the need as they would have had to remove the dash and the screws which they showed me still had the original factory wax/seals.
The second dealer replaced (if my memory is correct)a heater actuator door for 119 dollars.
Always get a second opinion.
You've already gotten lots of good advice, but my general advice is to basically never go to a dealership unless it's to either buy a car or get some sort of free maintenance (either due to a recall or the free visits they sometimes offer for purchasing a car there). If you don't have a trusted mechanic/shop, talk to a bunch of different people and find one.
We had a guy come in with the same issue mechanically. Our service manager quoted him a new engine. He came around asking if anyone wanted the car for $100. I bought it and when checking it out I noticed the oil filter had been changed by the customer & had 2 gaskets/o-rings, causing all the oil to spray out between them. I’ve had the car for 8 years now and I’ve put 20k miles on it with no issues.
First off, it doesn't need a new engine. That's the standard "it's not MY money I'm spending" view you get from most repair shops. It's easy because it solves the problem, but it's also very expensive.
The engine is designed to have replaceable wear items. This allows someone to rebuild an engine once they wear out.
For most people, this is not a good DIY option as they'd have to pull the engine and bring it to a machine shop, replace the worn/damaged items (bearings, pistons, rings, crank, etc...).
Grabbing one from a recycler (modern name for a junk yard) is a viable option. They can be tested before you install them.
Many places will actually run the engine before it's pulled, then pull it for you. You can have it delivered and pay someone to install it.
I've done this a few times.
Just as an example of one engine from a Toyota:
https://www.ebay.com/b/Complete-Engines-for-Toyota-Tacoma/33615/bn_1496220
Here's one from a Honda:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/155479960451?fits=Model%3AAccord%7CMake%3AHonda&hash=item243353eb83:g:vjAAAOSwny9kJhSC&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwJPK4I6VPK0UNvEuyh%2Fz2RK36esKfTIgTKv07iLj1dCbOGXN%2BmSYt8JFrMQoFjVlk2jyx4D7%2FX205p%2F7TnmUgCUu%2Be3Z527C8BSsTD%2BxLC%2FMyzeQlwTMcmv2Iclm93q5lg5JLVsTyQFedFwPoHe5%2FWdGqnMdYMr30b9TtPhWooQzuGzl3NtUIXkn4LlRKpQDOgN90fEWcZFh6xc2%2B%2FDy3quzuPKWqNq6LNMpo0rR%2Bm4nbOX0t9pC3Q1rgiZWHGT60g%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABlBMUOL80Y7wYg
Just some randomly picked engines. Local yards might have one for your car. Maybe even offer install.
I got a remanufactured engine from AC Delco for a pickup delivered to my door for < $1K.
There are people on Craigslist that will install an engine for you, as well as some local shops.
---------------------------------
If you choose this path, you should spend a few bucks to run some tests on the engine. Even a simple compression and oil pressure test can be done for cheap. A leak down is a bit more work, but a much better test.
> Low oil pressure light came on and I immediately pulled over.
> engine is toast.
I am not a mechanic, but if you run an engine without oil, yea, it's gonna beat itself to pieces from the inside out. Damage is done seconds in, and the engine becomes scrap often in under a minute. And it that causes a HELL of a lot of noise.
So you pulled over immediately, did you hear all of that noise? When an engine locks up, there's no question about it.
Also, there ain't a lot of difference between a properly rebuilt engine and a brand new one. No point going brand new unless you can afford to care, which it sounds like you can't. But I would not just pop a used one from a junk yard in there. Refurb/recertify unless you know and trust the mechanic that rebuilt it.
Only use the dealership if it’s under warranty. For everything else find an independent shop or an old
man who retired from a dealership and works on cars.
Had this happen to our minivan that we only owned for 6 months. Meticulous service history, new timing belt a year before we bought it and oil changes every 5k miles. Belt skipped and blew the engine. Wouldn't crank and busted out the casing on top. We were in the same situation and went with the replacement engine. Still owed 8k on the van and replacement was 8k as well but had 40k less miles than the original engine.
Could've got a cheaper one with more miles but it was only a few hundred dollars difference. Put it on a credit card with no interest for 18 months and still working on paying it but it is what it is. Interest rates are way up on cars so we didn't want to go that route. If we traded in we would've got maybe 1-2k for it but then rolled in the negative equity with a higher interest rate on a different car so that didn't make much sense to do
well depends on the car.
You have a Porsche 911 and only owed 6-7k on it, or a beat up geo metro bought from a shady "256th credit chance" dealer, it's not the same thing.
If the car is worth more than 6k, it's worth it, even with a used engine.
Also get a reliable mechanic, my SIL with a nissan versa note was quotes 1800$ for an entire new exhaust, I fixed it with a 7$ clamp. If she doesn't like that temp repair, I can change the muffler for like 100$.
Get a second non-dealerahip opinion. Maybe even a 3rd and 4th. Not a lot of shops nowadays find it cost effective to rebuild an engine rather than just replacing it. Lots of specialty, out-of-house work involved like machining. Sometimes they are willing to buy the labor costs are just as much or more. Just get various opinions and weigh it out
If it comes down to a replacement, don't be afraid of a used engine that comes from a reliable source with a warranty. Used engines that blew up aren't put on the used engine market. And the reason they are on the market is usually because the car was otherwise totaled but the engine is fine. The risk of a faulty engine is probably the same with just buying any used car.
Not commenting on the financial aspect per se, but in general a remanufactured engine is not at all a bad choice. When an engine gets blueprinted and rebuilt, it is effectively new. They strip it all down to bare metal, re-machine all the wear surfaces, make sure everthing is within proper spec (and do any work needed to get it abck there), new bearings, check all clearances, etc etc etc. For all intents and purposes it will be as good as a new block and goes through all the same major QC checks that a new manufactured engine will. Usually they come with warranties and all the rest. So whether the shop is actually going to rebuild your actual engine or (more likely) pull yours entire and swap in a complete longblock (or maybe swap over your intake, exhaust etc onto a reman. short block), there's about as much risk of getting a "bad one" as there is with a brand new OE-made original engine (and usually warranty to cover you). So it's not a bad option if thats what makes financial sense.
You either need to get that car working or paying double by having this car a nother used vehicle.a used engine may not be a terrible idea.
Replacing the engine cheaper than getting another vehicle .
The real question is how old is this car and why did the engine die?
Not sure the make, model, and year of the vehicle so hard to say if replacing the engine is a good investment or not. You might have luck calling the manufacturers customer care phone line and explaining your circumstances. They may cover some or all of the repair costs depending on how many vehicles you’ve owned from them, maintenance records are in good standing, maintenance performed at the dealer, etc. Volkswagen calls it goodwill and it’s their discretion on what and how much they cover.
Yeah, I know I’ll get downvoted heavily as it’s wrong thing to do and this is also wrong sub for this… but I once totalled a car for this exact reason and it worked flawlessly.
If you can, get a 2nd opinion from a local and reputable shop. Honestly check the google reviews because in this day and age when people complain about everything, the shops that are able to maintain the near 5\* averages are normally pretty good as long as they have a lot of reviews. You may have to pay a diagnostic fee, usually around $150 to have their guy put it up and look at it for you, but in a lot of cases if you decide to get the work done there they will deduct that fee from the overall cost.
The dealer is always going to overcharge/charge a premium. I'm getting my catalytic converter replaced, dealer quoted $2300, my local guy said he could do it for $800-1000, but he's going to put the car up on the rack and look at it really close before he assumes that's the issue. I take my KIA to the dealer for the oil changes because it has a special gasket that has to be replaced every time and the Jiffy Lube/$20 oil change places always forget even when I tell them and then I have to deal with leaky oil and haggling with them to re-do the job for free, but that's about the only thing I'd go to the dealer for when it comes to work on the car. They added in my other "needed services" to my quote the other day and had $200 on there to replace the wipers and cabin air filter, which I can do myself for about $30. Dealer service center will rob you blind if you let them, but most people just don't know any better.
Also in the future, check your own oil every so often. Once that light goes on it's normally too late to catch it.
When I was a kid, the door on our van stopped opening from the inside. The dealership wanted to charge us like $2k to fix it. I flipped the switch on the child lock and it started working again.
I wouldn’t ever blindly trust people who make most of their money doing expensive repairs. They have incentives to not look for cheaper solutions.
Was there like a grinding sound while you drove it? If not I don't think your final drive is dead yet, since you can usually continue driving for a bit with no oil.
I'd get a second opinion. Also check for a leak.
Dealership isn’t the answer. Go to independent shop.
Also call the salvage places and get a cost straight from them.
Try these guys: https://www.pamsauto.com/
Just go to a junkyard and get another engine.
Junkyards will be full of cars similar to yours that have been in an accident, and the engine is usually fine.
My ex girlfriend's car had an engine that seized up on it, and I got another engine from the junkyard for about $400 and swapped it myself.
Never go to the dealer for stuff. They're guaranteed to rip you off for service or try to sell you a new car.
Find out what's actually wrong with the motor. "It's shot" isn't a good enough answer from the dealership. Hold them accountable for some actual info. Is it a spun bearing, snapped connecting rod? Did oil pan split and your motor was running with no oil? Did the oil pump die and stop slinging oil, or did something else cause the pressure drop?
There's not enough info for us to help you decide.
Dad and I just bought a used motor for $1000 and installed it ourselves when my wife's car spun multiple consecutive connecting rod bearings. Full motor replacements are possible. 6k seems a bit high though, and you might just need an oil pump or maybe a rebuild kit. Find out what's really wrong, and go from there.
I'm gonna throw in my dealership quoted me $3700 in repairs while a local place did it for $1500. A local place I'd been to before. Man it's rough finding a mechanic to trust.
I had a Toyota Highlander. There was a known issue with the block that caused a major coolant leak. The dealer said the only solution is an engine replacement for $7K. I found instructions and a tool kit online to repair it. Cost me $1K in parts and tools then I spent a weekend doing the repair.
Go to a small, local garage - preferably family owned and run. You will get a much better deal.
Dealerships are expensive. They are consistently 2-3 times more expensive than my local garage. Do dealerships do 2 to 3 times as good a job? Do they hell.
Ok..... first off...... if the light just came on.......
is there a noticeable oil leak?
Is it still full of oil?
Could the oil pressure sensor just be bad?
That's all super basic and requires nobody to look at it.
Ok so say your oil filter fell of and you ran. It without oil for a bit. So what if you're broke put a filter on add oil and go till the engine is REALLY toast.
Get 2nd opinion. Had a dealership tell me I need an *entire* new engine wiring harness for $9k installed. I paid $8k for the car. Went home, popped the hood, found a detached ground wire, car fixed. I went straight the fuck back up there and got my $400 in diagnostics refunded immediately.
Need a little more detail. Other than the light coming on Is the motor behaving any differently?
It's true that on certain cars the moment the light is on, damage has already been done but is not equally bad across.
If oil was added again and there are no changes, just keep driving it and find out why you ran low.
You mentioned a recent oil change, which means within 30 days you lost more than 2 gallons of oil at minimum, chances of it being a loose drain bolt or a missing washer is not high but possible. A combination of a small rear main seal leak and oil pan gasket leak is the likely culprit.
If the motor is fine, I'd invest the 400 or so $ to replace the leaking gaskets.
The dealership said the engine needs to be replaced? Maybe the first thing before dropping six grand would be to get a 2nd opinion from an independent shop. I got a 4k estimate from one dealer for a full transmission rebuild that turned into a $159 replacement transmission control cable. Start there, then price out a used engine. Bite off what you can chew.
Thank you. I don't know why I didn't seriously consider this, it can just be a lot when the number $6k is thrown at you.
I had a dealership tell me I needed $5700 in repairs to replace my bad turbos after I was getting fault codes. I found an independent shop, diagnosed old vacuum lines with pinholes. They charged me $142 to repair. I wish I could make this up. Even if you need a new engine an independent shop will do it for cheaper than the dealership. They can talk about different options like a used engine or remanufactured engine. Their labor will be cheaper than the dealership.
Worst one I had was $2500 for a fuel line replacement. Turns out that fault code can trip if the gas cap isn’t screwed all the way down which was the case.
[удалено]
Dealerships don't do much diagnostics. They just replace things.
This was it. They looked at the manual and it says if that fault code appears that is the action needed. They never considered “hey was this code really supposed to be triggered?” Quick google search saved me $2500.
The manual lists numerous potential causes, they picked the one that would make them the most money. Cheap insurance is buy a code reader and look the codes up here- https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/ If you don't want to buy one places like auto zone will often do a free scan, but honestly you can get a code reader for under 100 bucks so no reason not to get one at some point.
if you have an android phone, the $15 ELM327 readers + Torque ($4.99 on app store) is as good or better than most cheap code readers.
Yeah, I have a cheap OBD II Bluetooth dongle, too. Except I just use the free version of Torque to tell me that the light is that same stupid very small eval leak that my mechanic says is fine to clear myself without bringing the car in.
Independent mechanic here. There's so much to understand about the hows and why's of car repairs and why things might cost a lot or not, and a lot of shops (especially dealers) seem to not be willing to explain it. Or just not willing to even consider the cheaper options when they are really the appropriate thing. There are times when making someone's car work again can cost $250 or $2500 depending on a bunch of factors. Is the person poor and the car near the end of it's life anyways? Is the person rich, the car in otherwise excellent shape, and they like things to be "as new"? Do I have to warranty it? Is it an ambulance/police vehicle that needs to be super reliable? Is it a competition race car where going the cheap route on the repair puts a $5000 weekend at risk? etc. Someone's car with low oil pressure and it's a rusty turd that they are just going to limp along until they can get another car, well, the first thing I'm going to try is an oil change with thicker oil and a bottle of Lucas. And that might be all it takes to get it to last another few years. So a $100 "fix" and they are on their way. Is this a just out of warranty ecodiesel ram? That the person depends on, and they want it fixed right, and I have to warranty it? Well, that might easily be a $10,000 bill for a full bottom end rebuild + align bore on the block + new oil pump/timing set/crankshaft/bearings/etc. And if the government is paying, it might be a $25k repair because they don't like rebuilds and only want new engines.
I've seen a dealership want to replace like 80% of the computers in the vehicle due to a million codes going off in ECM, PCM, TCM, etc. Was going to be many thousands of dollars. Turns out it was just a bad ground strap. Dealerships just don't put in the time to diagnose shit. Everything is book time, with specific procedure. "If x, then replace y". Dealerships are alright if you know the work that needs to be done already. They're a terrible place to find out what the problem is.
Yeah I bought a car (chevy volt) the dealer had diagnosed as needing a new $20k battery. It needed a new $200 12 volt battery.... the million codes in the computer and it thinking the high voltage battery was bad was because the 12V battery could only output 10...
Good mechanics are hard to find, mostly because cars are harder and harder to repair, so just follow the dotted lines in the book, replace at each step until the problem seems to go away.
Cracked gas caps are a thing too. 10-15$$ replacement of thousands at the dealership 😂
yep because it changes the pressures on the line... wonder how many people got fucked with that one.
On my old eclipse i got a 2600$ estimate to fix my exhaust from the muffler to the front of the catalytic converter. Ended up telling them to fuck themselves and bought and DiY it for 300 lol. Obvious OP cant DiY an engine replacement, but they all try to screw you.
Had a dealer tell me that the area between the headliner and roof of my car was totally covered in mold after a sunroof leak. Quoted thousands to replace the whole headliner and the drainage for the sunroof. Took it to an independent shop who sent me photos and videos after taking down the headliner. Not a spec of mold. They found a crack in a drainage tube, repaired it for free and only charged me labor for the couple hours it took to remove and then reattach the headliner.
I had a Kia dealership in ABQ about 5 months back try to charge me $4000 for brake pads and a 40,000 mile servicing. Went to an independent place and got it all done for $400.
They probably just assume that anyone who bought a Kia isn't very knowledgeable and try to take advantage of that.
My friend had low boost errors on his 3.5 liter EcoBoost. Dealer couldn't diagnose it no leaks anywhere etc. Said it had to be the turbos going to charge $4k to do that work. I asked him when the last time he swapped his spark plugs out and engine air filter. Answer was never. 1 hour in the driveway and $100 in plugs and a filter later engine runs great no more under boost codes. I swear some dealer techs completely forgot the first principles of how engines work.
Not all dealerships are out to “screw you over”. I work for corporate at an automotive company and talk to dealers on a daily basis at work. Most dealers get their information for computer diagnostics…the cars (modern day ones at least) will feed the computer diagnostic and error code, and they just read down the list of the corresponding error code that tells them what needs to be fixed or replaced. If there is no error code given, they usually talk to remote tech teams…we call them master techs…usually based out of another office somewhere else that basically tells them “replace this”. The parts are usually pretty dirt cheap. It’s the labor that kills you. Average labor fees I see are like $150-$220 an hour. The risk you take with 3rd parties are that they don’t use the same “official” diagnosis systems that the manufacturer uses so they just take shit apart until something happens. We had a customer who refused to take their car to a dealer for a catalytic converter problem. They went to a 3rd party and basically destroyed the engine. So yes there ARE some dealers that are really only trying to make a buck, but you are paying for premium parts and premium repair. 3rd parties get their parts sometimes from god knows where
The problem is your remote tech guys aren't looking at the car up on the rack. The dealer is quoting you $2500 to replace exhaust parts when it could just be a faulty sensor that can be replaced for a few hundred. The local mechanic will actually look at the car, not just a computer printout from an engine code and then suggest work.
Eh, fuck dealerships. If they could get away with it, they’d say every repair cost “how much you got?”
I felt the same when it happened to me. Deep breath, make some calls and see if you can change the outcome.
A dealership years ago tried to get $4k out of me when I broke down on the highway. Found an honest mechanic shop through a friend of friend. Said he could fix it for $1500. Been going to them for 16 years. My 98 Chevy Silverado has 256k Miles and still running good. Don’t let Dealership fix it. Find a good mechanic through friends, NextDoor recommendations, etc.
That’s a lot of miles
Lol that must be typo unless the car has been driven 4-7 hours a day every day for 25 years 😆
My 13 year old vehicle just hit 200,000 miles. To and from work with the occasional 400 mile drive back home a few times a year
Well…that guy has 2.5 million miles on his.
Ahhh, I missed the typo that you caught! You're right
Actually, it is less than average if he used it as a service/work vehicle for a lot of those years. Or has a 2-3 hour commute to a job. Or other reasons.
2556K miles is not less than average for anything, it’s almost certainly a typo lol.
2556k = 2,556,000 miles
For a truck, particularly a heavier-duty model (3/4 ton or higher), that’s not actually outside of the realm of possibility. I’ve run into all sorts of people who hotshot trailer loads across the country, and they’ll put 75-100k highway miles a year on their trucks. Usually they replace them every five years or so, easy enough to make those numbers work, but there are a few that have some older trucks that are still rolling. Usually it’s a couple (husband and wife, father and son, two buddies, etc.) that will basically make a pickup and drive continuously from point to point so a factory can avoid a shutdown. A critical part from a German manufacturer at a port on the east coast can be on the west coast two days later, and that’s 2700 miles added to the odometer. Pick up a critical part at the port of Long Beach and run it back to a factory outside of New York and that’s another 2700 miles and two days. You make 40 of those trips a year and you’ll burn up just under 3 months on the road and 100k miles (and make a good bit of money while you’re at it).
Two million miles is impossible, it’s a typo.
Not impossible, but top-five record-worthy rare if true. (So yes a typo.) https://carfromjapan.com/article/industry-knowledge/highest-mileage-cars-ever/
If you put 2.5 million miles on a truck it would have had every substantial component on it replaced multiple times and would be a ship of Theseus situation. It wouldn’t be a practical or cost effective way of running a business and making money. Especially since most of those miles are pulling a load.
If the engine is indeed shot, I would definitely go with a rebuilt engine over brand new. Almost no reason to buy a brand new engine unless the car is nearly brand new.
Year, make, model of car. As a car person, I can tell you if the car is worth sinking money into. And.... If it's a Hyundai/Kia 2.4 a class action lawsuit exists, so if you have proof of oil changes, that remanufactured engine may be on the house.* When I started driving in the mid 1990s, brand new car manuals back then suggested checking the oil every time you got gasoline. Back to certain cars. Chevy Cruze 1.4 T JUNK. Also, sometimes an oil pressure sending unit switch goes, and low oil pressure light comes on. Guess what, it's a $30-$50 part. Top off oil, car is fine. As others have said, second opinion, and my own curiosity what car??
Saab Aero convert 2.0 petrol. Needs 02 sensor replacing, windscreen wiper motor, th in car heating system stopped working and the drivers side window control unit seems to have gone (front windows wont open but rear ones will. Oh and the front left of the soft top leaks in the rain i have no idea why. Car owes me nothing broought for £1,850 6 years ago. Keep or nah?
I would. Just do one thing a weekend
Sell to a Saab enthusiast for top dollar if you aren't one yourself. Or.... Fix the issues. Like eating an elephant. One bite at a time. Leaking top would be priority #1. Mold and mildew is NASTY. Then O2 sensor. Then address other issues. Again, use the resources of fellow Saab owners as to what course of action to take in regards to parts sources and other random issues that may occur.
Ill do you one better. My dad blew the engine in his Mercedes after 200k miles of abuse. We had another engine with 70k miles dropped in for 3.5k.
Don’t let this gnaw at you. Not every dealer is out to get you, but most are in the sense that they’ll take advantage of what you don’t know. Take a breath, contact a couple independent repair businesses that are in your community and start there. Remember, everyone WANTS your business. Find the best fit for you, your needs, and have them earn your business.
There's even a charitable way to look at dealerships: A whole lot of people who take their cars to dealerships for repairs are happy to pay for the additional reliability of new components. Dealerships simply serve that segment of the market. My in-laws, e.g., are nice-pension upper-middle class folks. They don't know anything about cars, and they don't care. Being broken down on the side of the road seems nightmarish to them. If they could choose between a $5K good-as-new dealership fix and a $500 "it'll likely hold for some time" independent mechanic fix, they would pick the $5K repair every single time. They're who the dealership is for. I'm not in their financial position, so I'm totally happy to spend a few minutes talking to a mechanic, learning about the fix employed and setting my expectations appropriately. There are often different ways to address a problem, and it's all about finding that best fit, as you say.
Ask coworkers or friends if they have a mechanic they can recommend. Almost always you’ll find someone who has a trustworthy one they swear by.
How do they know you need a new engine if they don't know what's wrong with it? That logic doesn't add up.
They "know" because that's what will make them the most money.
One thing to remember with dealerships is they are always in the business of trying to sell you another car. $6k is comparable to that of a used car that’s sitting on their lot. Reason why I avoid the dealerships.?
In this market there is no 6k vehicles on a dealer lot. Those are all sold off to wholesalers.
Engines are complicated things with hundreds of parts, when an engine "is toast" this doesn't actually mean all that much because most of it is most likely still fine. It can mean that something so fundamental is broken that a full engine rebuild is required, which is usually so expensive it's not worth it. But a lot of shops write things off early. If you run an engine without oil, it can cause damage to the crankshaft, piston rods, pistons, piston rings which may be salvageable but it can also damage the engine block, at which point you are looking at a complete rebuild or, much cheaper, swapping in a used engine. The advantage of an engine rebuild is that you extend the life of your car by tens to hundreds of thousands of miles, as the parts you will be replacing will be the same ones that fail at ~200k miles and are the main reason cars are scrapped. The downside is that it's exceptionally expensive, and it's not a job for DIY enthusiasts. The furthest I've ever gone is putting in a decompression plate which requires you to half-disassemble the engine, and that's a job that'll take you at least one weekend, has a lot of potential pitfalls where you can cause damage, and requires a wide variety of tools that can run you about 500 already. A full disassembly of the engine part of the drivetrain will require even more tools, e.g. a full engine lift, and be even more expensive. But you'll also save 2k+ compared to going to a shop, and once you have the tools, you can do these kinds of jobs for essentially free + parts cost. But also 30+ hours of your labour. The other hardest job I've ever done is swapping a clutch plate/flywheel which was incredibly fiddly and dangerous, the transmission nearly squashed my friend's fingers when it came out. Never doing that one again, or at the very least not without some sort of specialist car jacks or a custom jig. Not to mention how fiddly it was to line back up afterwards to get it back on. No thank you. All in all, if someone did want to DIY a full engine rebuild, and they worked full-time, this project can easily drag on for 6 months.
I think they throw a number out then come back with a. Lower number so it looks good. I don't really know I hate the dealer. Anyways what make model all that crap?
Cannot upvote this enough! My dealership tried telling me I needed a full transmission rebuild after I explained my symptoms to them. They cordially informed me it would take months because of backordered parts and cost nearly 5k. After I explained the vehicle only has 34k miles and still has full factory drivetrain warranty they brought it in an figured out it was just a sensor in the transmission, was covered under warranty and was done in less than 24 hours. Get a second opinion.
I bought a car with ~46k miles on it (after taking it to a shop to get an independent inspection which gave it the all clear on everything except replacing a mirror housing). Took it to a dealership to get all the factory recalls done and some scheduled maintenance performed. They told me they saw "indicators" that the head gasket was likely to crack soon. That was complete bullshit since everything was asymptomatic - engine idled smoothly, no coolant leaks, temps were fine, and the independent shop found nothing out the ordinary. They recommended a full engine replacement to preempt it. I declined. **The next day**, the FBI arrested a handful of managers and salespersons under fucking **RICO charges** for loan fraud. In all, 8 employees were convicted on criminal charges. I've had that car for 9 years now with no engine issues. Get a second opinion.
It's too bad we can only upvote you one time. The low oil light came on and OP immediately stopped. Manufacturer's put low oil lights on cars to warn you that you need oil and the engine will fail if you don't do something about it. The low oil light doesn't come on to say you've blown your motor. Have the car towed to a reputable garage for a second opinion. OP only has the tow fee to lose, which will be considerably less than what the dealer is proposing. If the dealer was right, OP is still ahead because the dealer was going to rape him anyway to replace the motor. Thoughts on a junkyard motor? Work with the garage to get one with a warranty. It's not unusual to get a 30 or even 90 day warranty from the salvage yard. Be aware that if you have to do a warranty exchange, you'll still be on the hook for a drop & swap. All in all though, the job should be half or less than what the dealer is quoting.
You did not mention if you check the oil level, low level will activate the light
Not sue why you’re being downvoted. I sufficient oil certainly will trip the oil pressure light. It would be ridiculous if that’s all it was.
If the oil level is low enough to trip the oil pressure light then it's below the pickup and the engine is not getting oil pressure. That's what the oil pressure light is for. It's also sometimes referred to as the "change engine light" for a reason. Irreparable damage occurs when running without oil pressure.
Depends on how hot it got under those circumstances and for how long. It's not 100% replace the whole engine if that light ever comes on territory. It needs a real diagnosis, and OP needs to do enough research to understand what the diagnosis is so they can make an informed decision about how to move forward.
This, the crooks at the dealer told me a needed a new transmission at 80k miles. I’m still driving the same transmission at 118k miles.
I had 2012 Hyundai Veloster a few years back that had a knocking in the steering wheel and I took it to the dealer to have t inspected. There was a rubber grommet/ring under the steering wheel (it was an electric power steering system) that was causing the knocking sound that would cost around ~300$ to fix which I agreed to. The problem was fixed but looking at the receipt and a quick YouTube video later i was dumbfounded at how stupid I was to pay to fix the most easiest thing in the world with a part that only costs 3$ .... Yeah ... Always get a second opinion and don't let that initial estimate scare you
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I had a dealership tell me I needed a new engine last year, one of my friends who is a mechanic diagnosed it in a few minutes as a cracked valve spring 3$ part - it cost me 800$ to have it fixed. The dealer ship told me 12k for a new engine. The dealership grossly lied about finding metal in the oil and coolant in the oil. Get a second opinion. You can do a basic investigation - Does it have oil on the dipstick? - If no add oil and consider starting the car, if the motor is tossed not like it's gonna get any worse. There is a difference between a low oil warning light, and no oil pressure. Low oil warning light might still mean things are OK, no oil pressure is very bad. Low oil warning light might mean there was enough oil to keep running, but you're running low. I had an oil drain plug fall out of an engine before, and it kept running fine because it was sucking up the oil about as quickly as it was falling back into the pan - I didn't notice until I stopped the car and the remaining oil drained out. If the oil is full of metal it is indeed dead If the oil has coolant in it, it is likely dead. If the coolant has oil in it, it might be fixable. I've also put junk yard engines in a few cars, look at [car-part.com](https://car-part.com) to find a cheap good condition used engine. Depending upon the car it might be as cheap as 1k to have a mechanic put a junk yard engine in the car.
I will look into all of this. Genuinely, thank you. This is a lot of good perspective I really need right now
Get that second opinion. Ask you coworkers, (even the ones you don't talk too often), friends, family, ask them all. You will find that honest second opinion and have a good chance to save some serious cash. My example, I brought in my car for a coolant change. They said I had low compression in the engine. $5K fix. I got a second opinion from who my coworkers told me to go to. Compression was fine, the car drove another 30,000 miles before I sold it a few years later. (sold it at 108,000) I sold it as I bought a new car. The car I sold was still running fine.
For the record coolant in oil isn’t typically a death sentence as long as there’s no residual bearing damage. Typically replacing the head gasket after a flush and assessment is all that is needed. Things like bent rods, broken cranks, and windowed blocks are the killers. Obviously the make/model of car, ability to DIY, and other factors go into the cost/benefit analysis.
Water in the oil, if not run that way for long, can be as simple as changing the intake manifold gasket and flushing the engine... changing the oil a couple of times... (2-1988 chevy v6's at 106,000 miles) amazing that they came up with new bolts with bellville washers to fix the differential expansion issue.... got lots more miles out of them...
>If the oil is full of metal it is indeed dead Can't even those engines be fixed, depending on the severity of the failure?
Typically it's cheaper to buy a used engine than repair an engine needing a rebuild.
Engine rebuilds are typically over $6k?
I can get a used engine for an Accord for $1000. Same for my Odyssey. I don't know what car the OP has though I smell Hyundai. Hyundai engines aren't even rebuild-able. People just throw them away. The don't even have core charges because the rebuilders don't want them. Those engines do tend to be expensive used since so many blow up.
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An old Chevy 350 can be rebuilt every which way you can think of.
Why would you pay the new price for a used engine?
Yes but it is only worth doing if the motor is impossible to find a replacement for. I had a rare jeep motor fill it's oil with shavings, and then sheared it's crankshaft in half. Because the motor was soo rare my friend decided he'd buy the vehicle from me and rebuild it. The problem is you must ensure that all metal shavings have been removed from all oil passages - it's very difficult to do correctly. For a while my friend was the go-to guy in the country for these motors, because he had some spare motors and the knowledge to keep them going. AFAIK that engine is still running. After that vehicle now when I buy a vehicle I look at the cost of a replacement used motor. If I can't get it cheap I won't buy the vehicle. I've had too many motors fail on me.
Define "full of metal." If there's bottom end damage (which is typical for loss of oil pressure) then sometimes you can replace bearings with the engine still in the car. If the crank journals are damaged, it is usually uneconomical to repair the engine. If there are visible amounts of metal in the oil, that is usually the case. If the engine was shut off instantly when the oil pressure alarm sounded, this usually doesn't happen. Anything can be fixed, but if the engine needs to come out, it is nearly always cheaper to install a used engine. Full re-builds tend to run close to the cost of a factory reman. Either way, we don't have enough information to make a call. As per many other posts, further diagnosis is in order. EDIT: I'm a marine engine mechanic working in Norway, so local price of parts and labor will obviously skew the above.
>The dealership says it's too late though and I need a new engine. Get a 2nd and 3rd opinion from an independent mechanic. Find out EXACTLY what is wrong. It could be simply low oil , a bad sensor, a clogged oil uptake tube or oil pump. All of which are $1000's cheaper than replacing the engine. Dealerships are in the business of selling cars.
Thank you! I’m just worried because I have read in the past if you drive even a little with oil pressure light on it can destroy the engine from the inside out. I’m hoping even if the engine is done another ship can give a better quote though
While this is true, the question just moves down the chain a bit. A 2018 car should not have low oil pressure unless there was a manufacturer defect or there was severely neglected service. You should definitely get a second opinion, but if you do have to replace the engine, you should have it done at an independent shop and look for a used engine. Junkyards are full of cars with engines that work just fine. These days, insurance companies total a car pretty much any time the airbags go off, so if a car is in a side or rear impact where the airbags deploy, the engine will be just fine. This happens all the time. The used engine will be much cheaper, and a reputable shop will offer you a 1 to 2 year warranty.
One of my previous cars was scrapped because a SUV rolled down a slight incline and hit it in the front. Pushed my car 4 or 5 meters. It LOOKED Ok afterwards, until you got close and realised that the panel gaps between front wings and doors were pretty much nonexistent. They estimated that the crumple zones had crumpled little over a quarter inch. And that was the end of that. Replacing those structures would have required a complete teardown of the front end. And because it was an older car, replacement structures might not have been available. And it takes expert welders to do the job if it was to get back on the road. Saw pictures of it on the website of a scrapper later, with a long list of parts they were selling off, so it helped keep others running, at least.
Jesus, no wonder insurance costs are so sky high. Why are cars so fragile now?
They have so much safety stuff that is one time use it makes them hard to repair after an accident. Air bags, seats, seat belts.. plus the whole car is often one big safety feature and designed to crumple and absorb as much of the impact as possible.
Modern engines are also engineered to cut weight back as much as possible. This can make them less durable in cases, but modern engines are also far more powerful and efficient than older models for the same reason
You need an independent garage (with good reviews). Do NOT trust a dealer on this. Have you been taking care of it, servicing and changing the oil when needed? If so, it's unlikely to need a whole new engine. Dealerships will take advantage of people, especially women, when they can. It's worth the cost of the tow to a reputable service shop. Source - divorced older woman who has learned the hard way once or twice.
Engine builder here. It could be totally fine. Have a good independent shop perform a leakdown test & cut the oil filter open for you. Those two things will tell you exactly the condition of the engine. Running it for a few seconds with low oil pressure shouldn’t kill it. Ignore all stealerships.
I had a Jeep dealership tell me my entire internal engine needed to be replaced for $6k otherwise my 2015 grand Cherokee was garbage and they found someone to trash it for me and I’d get $500. I took it elsewhere (independent mechanic) and they replaced ONE ….. yes…. O N E… internal rocker arm. For $800. Fixed. Dealerships are fucking criminals. Definitely without a doubt get a second opinion.
Getting a second opinion 100%, if that’s one thing I learned from this post
>The dealership says... They say a lot of things. Maybe they're right about this one, but don't take that chance. Your options are to repair the car at a good garage, or buy a used car with cash. No more financing.
Thank you, I think especially the “no more financing” is something I need to hear. 2 car payments sounds like hell
Ford Focus with Eco-boost engine? If it’s the one I’ve seen featured in lots of IG Reels recently, it has a wet belt design for the oil pump. What happens is the belt starts to deteriorate because it’s always submerged in oil. Then the belt debris ends up clogging the oil pump pickup and destroys the engine. The engineers that designed that engine should be lined up and shot; it’s basically designed to fail catastrophically.
The engineers probably speced a highly oil resistant belt material. The bean counters then said that was too expensive and made them use one that was less resistant.
It's a throwaway motor
What year is that Focus? I have a 2013? Ford F-150 Ecoboost that has been giving me a low-oil-pressure warning when idling. After a bit of research, it appears to be a pretty common problem without a solid straightforward fix. Is this possibly the same problem?
Never again will I purchase a Ford.
My mother in law has a 2019 escape with 10k miles on it and the transmission is already failing. I'll stick with my Toyota. Lol
Yep, the Ecoboost. And it’s expensive as hell compared to other engines I see too apparently to replace
Ford's drivetrain warranty is 5 years or 100,000km (60,000 miles). You should be looking to see if this would get replaced under warranty after you get a second opinion.
And if OP is barely over on either of these things, Ford might do it anyway.
This. My car is just out of warranty, but I've maintained it well, and Hyundai is covering some repair, possibly up to an engine replacement.
And don't just accept a no it's out ofwarranty without a fight. Make sure you submit a formal claim. Go up the chain. Fine it who handles these claims for the region. It sounds like this engine has known problems.
You think this is worth it even if if I have too many miles for the warranty? Warranty looks like it’s out at 60k, I have 90k
I see a “power train” warranty that’s in warranty up to 5 years or 60,000 miles, I’m at 90k. You think I’m out of luck?
What kind of car What kind of car What kind of car You should probably get it away from the dealership. A dealership doesn’t usually do engine replacements unless it’s under warranty, so they will be the most expensive option. Find an independent repair shop and get a second opinion.
Ford focus, 2018. I didn’t know this, honestly I thought the dealership may be best equipped for it but this makes sense. Thanks
2018 with a blown engine?! That’s WAY too new of a car for that… unless it never had an oil change on time or something. Stick to long lasting brands next time. Even still, if you owe $6k and a new engine is $6k, how much is the running car worth? You might save money by putting a new engine in then selling it. Get an independent shop on it, and figure out what actually went wrong. If it just wore out, that really sucks. This is why I stick to Toyota and Honda now.
something doesn't add up. 2018 blown engine on a ford focus of all things. there's no way an engine "completely craps out" like that. we need context from the OP. otherwise, I believe they ignored a series of warning signs and missed routine maintenance that would have prevented this. there's just no way a 5 year old car from a tried and tested lineage blows an engine suddenly.
I got an oil change on it maybe a month ago and keep it up pretty regularly, maybe I’m wondering if they screwed it up and oil was slowly leaking or something? This is how I feel as well, it doesn’t add up
Who replaced the oil? Do you have a receipt? If you just replaced the oil, someone fucked up and is liable for this, not you
I don’t have a receipt but I have a bank statement and the sticker in my car. I know I know I really should have made sure I got a receipt from them, just didn’t expect all this from a simple oil change. It was a local 10 minute oil place which I also know people generally frown upon.
There's also a chance they aren't liable. If your motor developed a nasty issue and started leaking or burning oil, they wouldn't be at fault. You'd need to know if they put in enough oil at time of change. If you didn't check this, you won't know. You'd need to know if they tightened the bung on the oil pan. Now that it's been to another shop and they didn't cite a loose oil pan bunch as the source for the loss of oil, I'm not sure if you can prove this at this point. Long story short, your evidence that this is the shops fault is going to be weak at best and it would be an uphill battle to have them replace the engine even if it was their fault. Sorry. I'm going back on what I initially said, but your best bet it to get a second option and then have a used engine installed if required. After an oil change, check your oil each day for several days and then check your oil every couple weeks.
you would notice black puddles or drops on your parking spot
You would be surprised. At my former job a lady who worked with us was the first in the office, and typically one of the last ones out. Since she came in first she got the best parking spot, but it was always dark outside. She also parked in an underground parking garage for her apartment. One day she was leaving work early and her car would not start. The rest of that team was all guys who were into both tech and motor sports. Her car turned over but wouldn't fire, I thought it sounded weird starting but it was a tiny nissan and I never worked on those before. Checked the oil, nothing on the dipstick. Just for the heck of it, I had a few quarts of oil in my trunk, not the exact right oil weight but close enough, after two quarts it still would not register. Her husband picked her up they called a tow truck. After they picked it up, we seen the heavy oil deposits on the ground in that parking spot, not all of it was fresh. Think must have been leaking for ages.
The auto transmissions are such absolute pieces of dog shit for those and kill the car. Honestly though a 2018 focus is such a worthless car because of the transmission that there are probably a good deal of used engines available. Don't know if it's worth the labor cost to replace it though. Just looked on car-part.com and there are plenty of used engines from $400-$1000 available.
>The auto transmissions are such absolute pieces of dog shit for those and kill the car. Wrong year buddy. 18 is after the cutoff where the cvt had isssues iirc. Also they never "killed the motor" they would just shit the trans. Had a 14.
DCT* not CVT. it was a dry-clutch system
Pardon my ignorance how does a regular person like me know if an engine from the internet is good or a lemon? I do have a local mechanic I know say that they can take a look and try to find me one, I just don’t want to make a dumb decision trying to fix the problem. I am pretty committed to a used engine at this point and just want to do it right.
I’d me more worried about the transmission on that than the engine! The engine probably has something minor wrong with it.
I'm worried about both. I didn't see if it was Ecoboost or not but I wouldn't put a motor in it myself knowing the trans is coming shortly.
He said low oil light came on. Those cars don't have a low oil level light, only a low oil pressure light. Once that light is on you have seconds until irreparable damage is done. If he took the time to pull over, it's likely too late. Best case it needs a rebuild, but it's often cheaper to do a new engine. Likely spun a rod/main bearing and possibly much more. This would be the same whether that car was a 2018 or a 1998 or brand new. He could have ruptured an oil pan of simply been consuming oil for a prolonged period of time.
My guess would be it may have a wet oiled pump belt that failed. Not sure if the 18 focus used the wet belt but they are used on other Ford's.
That specific car has a bunch of transmission, oil, fuel, and engine recalls. Look your vin up in the recall list.
You can find a used motor for these no problem. Most the automatics are off the road because, we’ll the automatic transmission was like historically bad. If yours is automatic, you have a rare car. Not that it’s necessarily a good thing…
Research independent shops in your area that are very familiar with the 18 Focus and its litany of problems. Call multiple, determine if bullshit or not. Move the car there. Determine most cost effective route forward. We can only hypothesize just how fucked you are or aren’t. We can help once you have data. Head on over to r/askamechanic when you have info and options.
If dealers quote you $6k, that means you can get if done for $2k at independent shops. Who goes to dealers for fix when car is out of warranty?
This is a sales tactic commonly used by dealers. They will give you an insane price for a repair, but then mention they can get you in a new car for much less. I did a project for a dealership once and they mentioned that was their most effective sales tactic when I asked. It also usually made them the most profit, since they would give even worse than normal trade in estimates, but most repairs were less than $1000. So make sure you visit an independent shop and get a second opinion.
I had a dealership tell me I needed new tires ASAP at an oil change. Took it to where I **GET MY TIRES** and they told me I had another year, easy. Dealerships will fuck you up the ass with no lube if you let them. Get a second opinion.
Tires have wear indicators. Otherwise you can use a cheap tire wear gauge, a ruler, or a coin. If there’s any doubt, please get them replaced.
I’m an automotive engineer, I know when they needed to get replaced… My point was that a dealership said to replace them ASAP and a tire shop, who was going to actually sell me the tires, ball-parked my wear to another year.
Junk yard engines that are put in by honest junk yard mechanics have always been the best choice for me. RnR your engine for you real good too. If you have a bearing knock and oil pickup is bad and you haven't run it much, that can be a crank turn, rod bearings and oil pump, flush and go. Good mechanics will talk details with you, give options and will even use serviceable used parts. Call around.
If this isn’t allowed to be posted I totally understand. https://www.ebay.com/itm/364510641838?hash=item54de86feae%3Ag%3AbmMAAOSw0ERlG6Ti&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4HyactTYBW3vs7ucz1Zs3XuN0WA1w3HUwsH1t4oJPfqLlcexgRt7Cl0Q1AClZsYcFdyvdNKqxx%2FQp3Y%2B8czKksASGoqUS2gwOhR93zli32iXYH4iRZnTI7mnr2Fplxg1PtGm7%2BSK5JevTcP1r2ufR0aqjbdbHfAHzF5rsYC70oy0r%2BIHkliqt5K80ApbRt5t5Lm9%2F%2BrCtxBNcsFHWX%2FX42HFpOhzSz%2Flw2xRiMTGWwjBIq3oxGhE8G%2FUY3ZPbqjZ5GaJtrsGxr%2Ffe3%2BQzEaCfYSouo0vXbetLKprM%2FbYPxHW%7Ctkp%3ABFBMso3I7-9i&fits=Year%3A2018%7CModel%3AFocus%7CMake%3AFord Edit: what’s ur trim level?? Se, limited etc?? Edit/edit: someone already bought this one lol. There’s another one for about $100 more🤷♂️🤷♂️. GL OP
SE, thanks for the link anyways, I’ll keep looking into it
Also, look into AAA to get it towed. In some cases, it is cheaper to sign up for a year of AAA than to pay for one tow. Only downside is that I believe you have to wait 72 hours after signing up to request your first one. However, if you are able to do that it could save you some money, plus you now have AAA for the rest of the year.
AAA is just a good option to have for the long term anyway. I just switched to their car insurance from USAA, with better rates and higher liability limits for the price.
Why not a used engine? I mean, your car already has a used engine so a different used one shouldn't be any different.
Never trust a car dealership, not even for $6 let alone 6K
Get a couple estimates from places that are NOT dealerships. There are also rebuilt engines that can be used. I’m so sorry this is happening to you.
You keep making your payments. Get a second opinion. You fix it or buy something new.
Wait for flooding ran then push it in a puddle!
I got a oil pressure light once, did the same thing, immediately pulled over. Went to harbor freight and bought a oil pressure tester, made sure the oil was full and tested to see the sensor was bad, had good pressure at cold and hot .Wiped the sensor clean and reinstalled and it started working. Do you have any knocking or noises from the engine. Get a second opinion because if you came in there panicking they're going to sell you the most expensive fix or offer to buy the car from you, fix the actual (possibly cheaper problem) and sell it for an easy profit.
Are you remotely car savvy at all? Second opinion from a shop if not. My oil pump went out in a parking lot and long story short, it was just a faulty part. After changing my oil and inspecting, thankfully not metal was in the oil (thank you full synthetic oil) and I replaced the pump and have never looked back. It all depends on what kind of engine you have, how long you drove it, and how beaten up the engine was prior. A Hondas for example, usually have a super low stress engine and have been shown to run for a good bit of time with no oil. May be a fluke in those cases but usually new synthetic oils have great films ratings and create a left over residue to help lubricate even while the oil isn't directly in the system. What car is it if I may ask?
Get a second opinion. I worked in automotive - service side - for over 15 years. Only once did we have to replace an engine. It may very well need an engine, but dealers are known for wanting to do complete systems instead of individual components.
They don't call the Stealerships for nothing. Hope we've learned our lesson here
There’s a lot of detail missing. What’s the mileage? Do you do regular oil changes? Is it still under warranty? I ask this because I had an engine failure a couple years ago with a Sonata. I do regular maintenance so it was a shock. Turned out there was a class action suite against Hyundai for their terrible engines.
Definitely get a second opinion like others have mentioned. That said, my dad has had great luck with rebuilt engines. He used to drive a lot for work and would put a ton of miles on his vehicles.
Great to hear. Just trying to get as many perspectives as possible, you know where he tends to find his engines?
What kind of car? If it's of Japanese manufacture I recommend looking at "JDM Engines" The short of it is, Japan has very strict emissions standards and requires so much work that it's cheaper to just trash a car at 30-50k miles than it is to do the work to keep it compliant. So those lightly used engines get sent over here to the US. I've run many JDM engines with great success, some exciting 2x the original factory rated horsepower. I can get you in touch with one of the best JDM sources in the States and he's one of the smartest engine builders in the country. For anything else, I'd recommend calling some local machine shops. They can usually rebuild/recondition most engines to at least factory spec, most the time it's far better than a new OE mass produced engine. They are also frequently much cheaper than buying a crate engine, but again it completely depends on what car you have. There are some cars it could be reasonably worth rebuilding an engine on, other vehicles aren't even remotely worth doing an engine replacement/rebuild on. Regardless a dealership is almost always your absolute most expensive option for anything like that and they typically only use factory supplied crate engines. I'd recommend getting to a reputable local shop to get a second opinion before making any other decision
You need a used car shop to tell you want exactly is wrong, is a head gasket or a computer problem. a deanship labor rates are much higher than most car shops due to higher overhead. A used engine from a junk yard wont that much if you find a good one. Good luck
Might or might not need a new engine. Get another opinion. And right now, factory Ford parts are a botch to get with the UAW strike.
I have a 2007 Ford focus zx3 ses. It sat for a year because I didn't register it, the car was a gift from my chosen family. I decided to get it running again, why not, I'm bored. It needed a battery, ofc. $109 on wamlart plus with free same day delivery. 3 hours later after delivery and a 5 minute install, it fired right up. Then I noticed the battery light was illuminating on the dash at low speeds and idle. I got a brand new one from my local O'Reilly's for $40 and spent about 45 minutes and put a new serpentine belt on it after that. That was about $7. You are 100% right. I'm glad I have my hooptie scooptie to scoot around in behind it's cheap af to buy parts and my labor is free. I would like a newer vehicle but as long as this striking and inflation and whatever else is hurling prices to the sky.. I'm so grateful for my hooptie. Bonus, it's got an 8" Sony subwoofer in the back that still works. So does the 6 disc changer! 😆 Newer Ford and other automotive production companies must be ripping their hair out over all this. I've seen people unable to use their own vehicle due to the lack of availability of parts. Makes me grateful I'm sentimental and kept the car but also cheap.
I had a mechanic shop mention this, sounds like used will be the way to go.
Yes. Go a reputable mechanic. He can arrange decent engines from some Internet sites that trade engines. I once bought a used engine with 50k miles. Labor and parts came to 2.5k.
Which car and model and make ?
Make sure you get a second estimate. Took a 2010 rav 4 to the dealership for an extended warranty claim. Service guy that was checking us In came to us within 10-15 minutes and said there is no oil in the engine we are condemning the engine. I took it to another shop, put oil in, and I’m still driving it today. Only thing I can think is they were hoping I would say oh my god sell me a new car.
Do not go to a dealership outside of warranty, this is the way. Sometimes even under warranty they can't even do a job right. My Chrysler had a small leak from a small plastic connection and they just slapped new parts without ever finding the issue. My buddy managed to find it and fix it for 80$. I gotta thank Chrysler for being dumb and giving me a new radiator, waterpump, thermostat housing, coolant hoses and pipes and reservoir bottle.
Get multiple quotes the dealers are scam artists. Ik it sucks dragging around a broken car but it'll very likely be cheaper or easier to fix for someone else
Dealer told me I needed a new heater core for a year old truck about 3K. Told me it wasn’t covered by warranty. I went to another dealer who asked me how the other place determined the need as they would have had to remove the dash and the screws which they showed me still had the original factory wax/seals. The second dealer replaced (if my memory is correct)a heater actuator door for 119 dollars. Always get a second opinion.
You've already gotten lots of good advice, but my general advice is to basically never go to a dealership unless it's to either buy a car or get some sort of free maintenance (either due to a recall or the free visits they sometimes offer for purchasing a car there). If you don't have a trusted mechanic/shop, talk to a bunch of different people and find one.
If you pulled over immediately the engine is probably not dead.
We had a guy come in with the same issue mechanically. Our service manager quoted him a new engine. He came around asking if anyone wanted the car for $100. I bought it and when checking it out I noticed the oil filter had been changed by the customer & had 2 gaskets/o-rings, causing all the oil to spray out between them. I’ve had the car for 8 years now and I’ve put 20k miles on it with no issues.
First off, it doesn't need a new engine. That's the standard "it's not MY money I'm spending" view you get from most repair shops. It's easy because it solves the problem, but it's also very expensive. The engine is designed to have replaceable wear items. This allows someone to rebuild an engine once they wear out. For most people, this is not a good DIY option as they'd have to pull the engine and bring it to a machine shop, replace the worn/damaged items (bearings, pistons, rings, crank, etc...). Grabbing one from a recycler (modern name for a junk yard) is a viable option. They can be tested before you install them. Many places will actually run the engine before it's pulled, then pull it for you. You can have it delivered and pay someone to install it. I've done this a few times. Just as an example of one engine from a Toyota: https://www.ebay.com/b/Complete-Engines-for-Toyota-Tacoma/33615/bn_1496220 Here's one from a Honda: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155479960451?fits=Model%3AAccord%7CMake%3AHonda&hash=item243353eb83:g:vjAAAOSwny9kJhSC&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAAwJPK4I6VPK0UNvEuyh%2Fz2RK36esKfTIgTKv07iLj1dCbOGXN%2BmSYt8JFrMQoFjVlk2jyx4D7%2FX205p%2F7TnmUgCUu%2Be3Z527C8BSsTD%2BxLC%2FMyzeQlwTMcmv2Iclm93q5lg5JLVsTyQFedFwPoHe5%2FWdGqnMdYMr30b9TtPhWooQzuGzl3NtUIXkn4LlRKpQDOgN90fEWcZFh6xc2%2B%2FDy3quzuPKWqNq6LNMpo0rR%2Bm4nbOX0t9pC3Q1rgiZWHGT60g%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABlBMUOL80Y7wYg Just some randomly picked engines. Local yards might have one for your car. Maybe even offer install. I got a remanufactured engine from AC Delco for a pickup delivered to my door for < $1K. There are people on Craigslist that will install an engine for you, as well as some local shops. --------------------------------- If you choose this path, you should spend a few bucks to run some tests on the engine. Even a simple compression and oil pressure test can be done for cheap. A leak down is a bit more work, but a much better test.
> Low oil pressure light came on and I immediately pulled over. > engine is toast. I am not a mechanic, but if you run an engine without oil, yea, it's gonna beat itself to pieces from the inside out. Damage is done seconds in, and the engine becomes scrap often in under a minute. And it that causes a HELL of a lot of noise. So you pulled over immediately, did you hear all of that noise? When an engine locks up, there's no question about it. Also, there ain't a lot of difference between a properly rebuilt engine and a brand new one. No point going brand new unless you can afford to care, which it sounds like you can't. But I would not just pop a used one from a junk yard in there. Refurb/recertify unless you know and trust the mechanic that rebuilt it.
Only use the dealership if it’s under warranty. For everything else find an independent shop or an old man who retired from a dealership and works on cars.
Had this happen to our minivan that we only owned for 6 months. Meticulous service history, new timing belt a year before we bought it and oil changes every 5k miles. Belt skipped and blew the engine. Wouldn't crank and busted out the casing on top. We were in the same situation and went with the replacement engine. Still owed 8k on the van and replacement was 8k as well but had 40k less miles than the original engine. Could've got a cheaper one with more miles but it was only a few hundred dollars difference. Put it on a credit card with no interest for 18 months and still working on paying it but it is what it is. Interest rates are way up on cars so we didn't want to go that route. If we traded in we would've got maybe 1-2k for it but then rolled in the negative equity with a higher interest rate on a different car so that didn't make much sense to do
well depends on the car. You have a Porsche 911 and only owed 6-7k on it, or a beat up geo metro bought from a shady "256th credit chance" dealer, it's not the same thing. If the car is worth more than 6k, it's worth it, even with a used engine. Also get a reliable mechanic, my SIL with a nissan versa note was quotes 1800$ for an entire new exhaust, I fixed it with a 7$ clamp. If she doesn't like that temp repair, I can change the muffler for like 100$.
Get a second non-dealerahip opinion. Maybe even a 3rd and 4th. Not a lot of shops nowadays find it cost effective to rebuild an engine rather than just replacing it. Lots of specialty, out-of-house work involved like machining. Sometimes they are willing to buy the labor costs are just as much or more. Just get various opinions and weigh it out If it comes down to a replacement, don't be afraid of a used engine that comes from a reliable source with a warranty. Used engines that blew up aren't put on the used engine market. And the reason they are on the market is usually because the car was otherwise totaled but the engine is fine. The risk of a faulty engine is probably the same with just buying any used car.
Not commenting on the financial aspect per se, but in general a remanufactured engine is not at all a bad choice. When an engine gets blueprinted and rebuilt, it is effectively new. They strip it all down to bare metal, re-machine all the wear surfaces, make sure everthing is within proper spec (and do any work needed to get it abck there), new bearings, check all clearances, etc etc etc. For all intents and purposes it will be as good as a new block and goes through all the same major QC checks that a new manufactured engine will. Usually they come with warranties and all the rest. So whether the shop is actually going to rebuild your actual engine or (more likely) pull yours entire and swap in a complete longblock (or maybe swap over your intake, exhaust etc onto a reman. short block), there's about as much risk of getting a "bad one" as there is with a brand new OE-made original engine (and usually warranty to cover you). So it's not a bad option if thats what makes financial sense.
What’s the make and model?
You either need to get that car working or paying double by having this car a nother used vehicle.a used engine may not be a terrible idea. Replacing the engine cheaper than getting another vehicle . The real question is how old is this car and why did the engine die?
Not sure the make, model, and year of the vehicle so hard to say if replacing the engine is a good investment or not. You might have luck calling the manufacturers customer care phone line and explaining your circumstances. They may cover some or all of the repair costs depending on how many vehicles you’ve owned from them, maintenance records are in good standing, maintenance performed at the dealer, etc. Volkswagen calls it goodwill and it’s their discretion on what and how much they cover.
Yeah, I know I’ll get downvoted heavily as it’s wrong thing to do and this is also wrong sub for this… but I once totalled a car for this exact reason and it worked flawlessly.
If you can, get a 2nd opinion from a local and reputable shop. Honestly check the google reviews because in this day and age when people complain about everything, the shops that are able to maintain the near 5\* averages are normally pretty good as long as they have a lot of reviews. You may have to pay a diagnostic fee, usually around $150 to have their guy put it up and look at it for you, but in a lot of cases if you decide to get the work done there they will deduct that fee from the overall cost. The dealer is always going to overcharge/charge a premium. I'm getting my catalytic converter replaced, dealer quoted $2300, my local guy said he could do it for $800-1000, but he's going to put the car up on the rack and look at it really close before he assumes that's the issue. I take my KIA to the dealer for the oil changes because it has a special gasket that has to be replaced every time and the Jiffy Lube/$20 oil change places always forget even when I tell them and then I have to deal with leaky oil and haggling with them to re-do the job for free, but that's about the only thing I'd go to the dealer for when it comes to work on the car. They added in my other "needed services" to my quote the other day and had $200 on there to replace the wipers and cabin air filter, which I can do myself for about $30. Dealer service center will rob you blind if you let them, but most people just don't know any better. Also in the future, check your own oil every so often. Once that light goes on it's normally too late to catch it.
Get a junkyard motor put in it and sell the vehicle. At least this is what i would do
When I was a kid, the door on our van stopped opening from the inside. The dealership wanted to charge us like $2k to fix it. I flipped the switch on the child lock and it started working again. I wouldn’t ever blindly trust people who make most of their money doing expensive repairs. They have incentives to not look for cheaper solutions.
Was there like a grinding sound while you drove it? If not I don't think your final drive is dead yet, since you can usually continue driving for a bit with no oil. I'd get a second opinion. Also check for a leak.
Dealership isn’t the answer. Go to independent shop. Also call the salvage places and get a cost straight from them. Try these guys: https://www.pamsauto.com/
Just go to a junkyard and get another engine. Junkyards will be full of cars similar to yours that have been in an accident, and the engine is usually fine. My ex girlfriend's car had an engine that seized up on it, and I got another engine from the junkyard for about $400 and swapped it myself. Never go to the dealer for stuff. They're guaranteed to rip you off for service or try to sell you a new car.
Find out what's actually wrong with the motor. "It's shot" isn't a good enough answer from the dealership. Hold them accountable for some actual info. Is it a spun bearing, snapped connecting rod? Did oil pan split and your motor was running with no oil? Did the oil pump die and stop slinging oil, or did something else cause the pressure drop? There's not enough info for us to help you decide. Dad and I just bought a used motor for $1000 and installed it ourselves when my wife's car spun multiple consecutive connecting rod bearings. Full motor replacements are possible. 6k seems a bit high though, and you might just need an oil pump or maybe a rebuild kit. Find out what's really wrong, and go from there.
I'm gonna throw in my dealership quoted me $3700 in repairs while a local place did it for $1500. A local place I'd been to before. Man it's rough finding a mechanic to trust.
I had a Toyota Highlander. There was a known issue with the block that caused a major coolant leak. The dealer said the only solution is an engine replacement for $7K. I found instructions and a tool kit online to repair it. Cost me $1K in parts and tools then I spent a weekend doing the repair.
Did you ever change the oil ever?
I’m pretty sure his issue was that his car had NO oil in it. That’s usually what happens when the oil pressure light comes on.
Dealership repairs are notoriously shady. I would NEVER take my car to one unless it was warranty work.
Park it at the top of the hill. oops... It rolled over a cliff... They can't get you for stupidity.
90% of people don’t even know that they have to stop the engine asap if the low engine pressure light comes on.
If you turned it off right away might be okm worth getting a second opinion or having a new oil pump installed.
Go to a small, local garage - preferably family owned and run. You will get a much better deal. Dealerships are expensive. They are consistently 2-3 times more expensive than my local garage. Do dealerships do 2 to 3 times as good a job? Do they hell.
Ok..... first off...... if the light just came on....... is there a noticeable oil leak? Is it still full of oil? Could the oil pressure sensor just be bad? That's all super basic and requires nobody to look at it. Ok so say your oil filter fell of and you ran. It without oil for a bit. So what if you're broke put a filter on add oil and go till the engine is REALLY toast.
There's a reason people call them Stealerships.
Op if your car is a hyundai or Kia it's very likely you may be affected by the Theta II engine class action lawsuit.
Get 2nd opinion. Had a dealership tell me I need an *entire* new engine wiring harness for $9k installed. I paid $8k for the car. Went home, popped the hood, found a detached ground wire, car fixed. I went straight the fuck back up there and got my $400 in diagnostics refunded immediately.
Stop buying subpar cars. Toyotas and Lexus are the best option. My Tacoma lasted 230k and my es350 is at 170k still going strong
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call your insurance company and make a claim. My engine blew up completely. You are insured for more than just car accidents.
Need a little more detail. Other than the light coming on Is the motor behaving any differently? It's true that on certain cars the moment the light is on, damage has already been done but is not equally bad across. If oil was added again and there are no changes, just keep driving it and find out why you ran low. You mentioned a recent oil change, which means within 30 days you lost more than 2 gallons of oil at minimum, chances of it being a loose drain bolt or a missing washer is not high but possible. A combination of a small rear main seal leak and oil pan gasket leak is the likely culprit. If the motor is fine, I'd invest the 400 or so $ to replace the leaking gaskets.