Need advice, dealership says I need new engine
 

I don't know if anyone can help, but I figured this would be worth a shot.
I was driving home last week and while on the highway my engine shut off. Pulled it off to the side and started it back up, but it wasnt idling right, I pulled off and parked it, got it towed to a dealership and they looked it over and are telling me that I need a complete new crate engine, which will cost $15,000. My car is 4 years old and 65k miles and I haven't had a single issue in the lifetime of the vehicle up to this point.
What I'm trying to figure out is if that is what is really needed, if there is a cheaper option, or if I'm being bent over a table. They won't do a full teardown because the warranty is expired and Toyota is not offering any help. The only thing they have given me is a picture of the oil and the error code read out.

Thanks for any helpful information or advice!

Just Google the code number combined with "frs" and see the general prognosis. It's a known issue and it sucks. Your oil having metal flakes in it doesn't bode well either.

Lots of threads, with varying fixes!

Hello spdsk8race and welcome to ...... The Forum ...... :clap:

That code doesn't look good for your car. As mentioned, there has been a lot written about that problem, for your review.

You might consider draining the crankcase oil to see if there are metal particles in the bottom of the pan.

Is your car boosted..??

Have you tracked it ..??

Will it start and run at all ... ??

$15,000 sounds like a lot for a new engine .... :iono:

Come back.


humfrz

100% stock Everything. No boost, no mods, never been on the track. It started but I had to review it to keep it going before it idled out and went into limp mode.

My big question is should I get it towed to another shop, since the dealership won't do a teardown to find the actual issue without a warranty, trust the dealership, or find my own engine which I have no idea where to start on that. Toyota told me because my oil records are from jiffy lube they are valid to a out of warranty fix. Only dealership records will be accepted.

If it out of warantee just take it to a subaru shop they will fit new engine for a fraction of that price

Do some research through those threads. I would at least give the sensor swap a try and maybe send an oil sample to Blackstone for analysis before shelling out more than the vehicles value in a "new" engine after one dealer's diagnosis.

Perhaps find a local tuner familiar with the platform. You're out of warranty either way, might as well use someone who has expertise with the car.

Ask Toyota to see if they would goodwill the repair to help lower the repair bill. If you had your car Normally serviced at the dealership, ask for a discounted Labor rate if you're a loyal customer. Doesn't hurt to ask.

A used engine with 30-60k miles on it can be had for 2200-3000 dollars. Add ~18h of labor at a good Indy (1800 bucks ish) and you should be set for just under 5K.

Good luck


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Well, spdsk8race, the first thing I would do is to get that car away from that dealership.

If you live in a bigger city, I would call around to local shops that have experience with that type of engine to try to find one that would give you a second opinion as to the cost of repairs.

The oil analysis suggested above would be a good idea.

If the shop is not too far away, I'd just drive it there.

Keep us posted.


humfrz

Get the car away from the dealer if the only thing they want to do is a brand new engine swap. It will cost more than buying a whole car, not even joking here.

Also, stop doing oil changes at Jiffy lub, I dont think there is a garage in the world I would trust less than them. Almost 100% convinced your problem is because of an "oil change" where they didnt change it all, or put in the wrong oil.

Replace that cam sensor and leave the negative terminal off for 4 hours. Let it relearn and go from there. Worked for me.

Agree with this... jiffy lube and other quick lube places literally hire people off the street with 0 experience. I don't understand the rationale behind taking a $30k purchase to get the engine, the most expensive part of the car, worked on by people that are getting paid minimum wage. Minimum wage = minimum effort; just to save at most $20 compared to getting it changed at the dealership.

That's a lie, read your warranty information.