Hello all,
I was referred to this group and hope one or more of you might have some advice for me. I have a 1999 Corolla LE purchased about six months ago, 145k miles. Previous owners said that they had done everything mechanic recommended by the car, replaced timing belt at
120k, however their reliability was a little suspect as they thought they were selling me a Camry originally (it was their daughter's car and she'd removed the markings). But I had the car checked out by a local mechanic when I bought it, and the engine is and has been extremely solid.About a month ago I started noticing a rattle on my right front tire when going over potholes. I did some research and tracked this down to known issues with either the tie rod ends or the strut mount. I called a local dealership service dept and they said they'd check it out for free, and gave me a rough estimate for the cost of replacing either the tie rod ends or the strut mount. I went there yesterday, they did diagnose it, said it was the tie rod ends, wanted double what they'd quoted me over the phone ($450), then tried to charge me a diagnostic fee ($100 -- I didn't pay it). They also recommended changing the sway bar links ($150) and then all of this does require an alignment ($50).
Over the course of yesterday and today my starter has now rapidly started to die. I turn the key and think I can hear the solenoid clicking followed by a soft noise as the car tries to start and doesn't turn over. The battery was replaced last month and all other electrics work fine. The starting is intermittent but rapidly dwindling and I'm pretty sure the starter itself is just nearly dead. Called the dealership again and they do have a starter in stock ($266) and can install it ($133). For all service they offer 1 year warranty, parts and labor.
So I suddenly am looking at the dealer recommending $1000 of work on a car I paid $3500 for six months ago; I've already replaced the battery and both headlights and done a transmission flush, minor stuff but the costs are racking up. I am wondering what the complexity is of doing these repairs on my own.
I've found a rebuilt starter online for $95, 1 year warranty. Tie rod ends $25 for outer and $40 for inner, 1 year warranty each. Have not purchased any of these yet. Based on my research with my abilities I would be comfortable replacing the outer tie rod end, but from what I can find replacing the inner tie rod end is more complicated, and I understand the starter is a pain. I have friends who are willing to help me who aren't especially car experienced but are engineers and are strong and good problem solvers.
What would you all recommend I do? How difficult is it to replace the inner tie rod end? Should I try to install the starter myself? The alternative to going to the dealer is going through my local mechanic, which is also an option, though I suspect he'd find more expensive parts than I would -- but he would probably install the parts I can find for less than the dealership would.
Any advice on making these repairs is very appreciated. Aside of the bother of wasting money I just can't afford $1000 right now and would be putting it on credit if I had to go that route. Obviously the starter issue is the more pressing one since it is very nearly dead, but that problem could be approached separately from fixing the tie rod ends.
Thanks very much, Erin Hoffman