Hi, I am looking at purchasing a 2011 Toyota Corolla. I have just received the mechanical report back and the only thing that shows up on it that I am concerned about is the mention of a very slight oil leak at the rear of the engine. I have attempted to ring the garage that done the car inspection but they must have closed early for the long week end. Please could any one in the know tell me if this is reasonably normal for a car of this age to have a slight oil leak? The car was a leased car and has done 160,000km, but it has being reguarly serviced.
kazbanz,
May 30, 4:46am
a 2011 corolla shouldn't have an oil LEAK period. The leak could be loose filter,spillage,or something more major/serious. the cause of the leak needs to be identified
intrade,
May 30, 4:59am
you would also need a full scan with a oem capable toyota scanner my android phone where i got oem capable software for toyota on it on a 2001 toyota high amparage draw on ignition circuit only thing it can be was sparkplugs on this engine and it was the warning vanished with new plugs . you can find loads of potential problems by looking at data and knowing what it means on newer cars.
Having a oil leak that exists sortof gives a hint in to the direction that it was not maintained or incorrect maintained it goes both ways owners not maintaining and service places not doing the jobs they are supposed to do. toyota of that age wont take any abuse like a 1990s would so get a better check done or walk away befor you buy a lemon.
a.woodrow,
May 30, 5:24am
May just be residue from a recent oil change
kcf,
May 30, 6:56am
an oil leak isn't a big deal :)
Mountains out of molehills aplenty.
intrade,
May 30, 7:15am
an oil leak is a huge deal on a new car like this if its a spill then not but if it is a wheeping gasket affects emissions and fuel economy. I said it 100 times there is 0 tollerance for errors on new low emisson vehicles RE 4 might be might not be needs checking further. if it was a 1990s corolla then yea shel be right mate dont worry but not a 2011
gunhand,
May 30, 7:19am
Will a R2D2C3PO scan tell ya where an oil leak is these days?
jmma,
May 30, 7:21am
Yes he has told you 100 times, don't you listen Lol (o:
gunhand,
May 30, 7:23am
Not according to my mother, father, brother, sister, wife and kids. So, NA. TBH, nothin involving modern electronics surprises me at all.
intrade,
May 30, 7:31am
a wrong fuel trim would hint at it and its not a error code fuel trim error only get set when they ecu cant trim the fuel to the vaccume leaks no more like when you remove a brake booster hose . a oil leek would possibly show 5 to 10% fueltrim adaption. fuel trim must be 0% + - 2% if all is well. positive crank ventilation is part of the fueling system and a oil leak means air gets in when oil gets out and can cause wrong fuel trims .
caldan,
May 30, 7:35am
Thank you everyone for your input. I think I will pull out of the deal, it sounds like the safest option.
intrade,
May 30, 7:39am
no just find out what the oil leek is and where it is . also whom serviced it usually tells a story flawless service records etc was it a toyota agent who serviced it etc.
intrade,
May 30, 7:43am
the garage whom done the check do you trust them. The AA is usually not a god idea to use for prepurchase checks , did you drive the car etc? if its well serviced it should drive like if it was still new . is it a automatic?
snoopy221,
May 30, 7:52am
the only thing that shows up on it that I am concerned about is the mention of a very slight oil leak at the rear of the engine. I have attempted to ring the garage that done the car inspection but they must have closed early for the long week end. Please could any one in the know tell me if this is reasonably normal for a car of this age to have a slight oil leak? The car was a leased car and has done 160,000km,
Debatable- oil leak needs confirmation. I M H O
caldan,
May 30, 8:03am
Yes I have had a test drive, it drives wonder fully compared to my 1998 corolla. It is automatic. Unfortunately I had to rely on the agent for a recommendation of a garage to do the pre inspection as I don't live in the same town that the car for sale is in. I am sure that the car was serviced at a Toyota service centre, so I will contact them as they must have a history of the vehicle that they will hopefully share with me.
thejazzpianoma,
May 30, 9:22am
It would have had to be exceptionally cheap to be good value buying and cost effective, reliable motoring at those km's. I suspect you can do a LOT better for your budget.
tmenz,
May 30, 9:30am
Probably be a loose starwarsher.
xs1100,
May 30, 9:38am
how can you suspect that when (A) you don't know price of car (B) you don't know what the budget is. talk about assumptions
xs1100,
May 30, 9:39am
do be aware that a lot of leased cars will get the absolute minimum done to them to keep costs down also
caldan,
May 30, 9:40am
I have negociated a price of $7000, which is a good price if the oil leak turns out to be minor.
thejazzpianoma,
May 30, 9:45am
1. We know it isn't a private sale.
2. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know the approximate market value and dealer price of a 2011 Corolla with 160K
3. Obviously their budget extends to at least the value of a 2011 Corolla with 160K
I didn't think this was that difficult or unreasonable.
thejazzpianoma,
May 30, 9:46am
That's still quite a lot of money for a car with that many km's on the clock. How long are you intending to keep it and what sort of km's do you do in a year?
caldan,
May 30, 9:51am
The main reason I am wanting a new car is that I will now be doing about 3 to 4 trips a year of 5 hours each way to visit family. I thought a more modern car would be more reliable than my 1998 corolla, although at least I know my 98 corolla has always being serviced every 10000kms and mechanically well maintained. Maybe i am best to stick with it and save a bit more money towards a better car.
thejazzpianoma,
May 30, 9:58am
The Corolla you have was by far a generation that (rightly) earned Toyota it's reputation for reliability. Unfortunately Japan went in to severe long term recession about when that model came out though. This has meant the research and development that made those older Corolla's so good just wasn't there to develop the later ones.
If your Corolla has been properly maintained (more than just oil changes) and treated well it may still be a reasonable proposition from a reliability and financial standpoint for a while yet, depending on km's travelled etc. Personally though, I would definitely update (and we have several times since we owned two corolla's of the same age as yours).
However, for that budget I wouldn't update to another Corolla. They are just far too overpriced for what you are getting and simply not enough of a step up on what you have.
I would happily provide you with some alternatives which can be had with much lower km's for the money but it's only going to cause a big scrap in here if I do. There are a lot of dealers and there mates on these boards who don't want to hear anything remotely negative said about Toyota ever.
Incidentally, I agree with you completely, there is definite advantage to knowing personally how your current vehicle has been maintained etc. Ex lease vehicles can also offer some similar reassurance but I think that is negated in this case by the significant km's.
thejazzpianoma,
May 30, 10:02am
BTW, how many km's on your current corolla and is it an auto or a manual one?
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