Took my wife’s car into a dealership for a check engine light and oil in coolant. Got a quote for repairs and the total is more than what I have left on the loan for the fucking car and now I have no clue what to do, i’ve had the car for a year and a half and this absolutely blows my mind. I’m aware a good chunk of the stuff on the quote is unnecessary, but I still need some help weeding out exactly what I should take care of and what’s a scam, or if I should even bother at all.
Well really it’s only $10k since it looks like they quoted out two (roughly equally priced) options. That probably doesn’t really help much though.
Now take it to a highly-rated independent shop for a second opinion and quote.
Dealerships are known for “recommended”repairs. The manufacturers place goals on the dealerships for revenue. Go to a good independent shop.
Oil in coolant is the main problem. It could just be a head gasket. But how long has it been like that? Need a leak down test of the cylinders to pinpoint where a leak may be. It sounds like the oil caused damage to parts that don’t like oil. As long as there is no coolant in the engine oil, it might not be too bad. Hmmmm, a Subaru is actually something I haven’t really worked on. Just changed oil on. I did a quick search and found 8 engines for $1,300 each in New Jersey. Plus shipping. I’m not sure how much the shipping would be.