Crystal Lake Auto Repair & Tire
The coolant crossover pipe on my 2010 Toyota Corolla cracked, causing the coolant to leak and the engine to significantly overheat. My car only had 123,000 miles on it, underwent regular routine maintenance, and had truly had no other issues to date. When I took it to the dealer on Tuesday after noticing my heat was not working, they explained they’ve never seen this type of crack on a Toyota Corolla cylinder head before and quoted a price equivalent to a down payment on a brand new car. Effectively, a new lower head was required and labor for fixing this type of issue was not cheap. Toyota Corollas are known for their reliability and longevity, so I felt robbed of my sturdy car knowing without this issue I’d have another 150k + miles to travel with my car. I wasn’t ready to part with it and felt even with this investment it would be cheaper than a new car. We decided it was probably worth contacting a few local shops to explain the issue and get additional opinions/quotes before deciding next steps. My family has been going to Douglas in Crystal Lake for years trusting their integrity and always receiving quality results. When we explained the issue to Xavier he said they were confident they could beat the dealer price, but wanted to see the crack before providing a formal quote. I brought the car in Wednesday (roughly 1 hour after calling to discuss the issues), was generously provided access to a rental car on site, and received a call within 2 hours to discuss their findings. Ultimately, I had a weak head cast and receiving the replacement part would take 2+ week because it needed to be shipped from Canada. This part is scarcely available, because it never breaks! The guys at Douglas suggested brazing the tube, because the crack did not go into the cylinder head but there was no guarantee it would hold under a pressure test. They were pretty confident and if it worked, it would only cost about 1/3 of the dealers price to replace the part! We decided to go ahead with the braising and held our breaths. Chris called me around 11 the next morning, said everything went great and my car underwent the pressure test for more than 30 minutes with no issues. He offered to complete an inspection and suggested completing my 120k mile maintenance, which they did. I left the lot that evening with my car in perfect working condition. To think 2 days prior I thought I needed to buy a new car... I cannot express how thankful I am to have worked with such an amazing team. The guys at Douglas know what they are doing and honestly want what is best for you and your vehicle. I highly recommend them and trust that they will take excellent care of you. Thank you, Douglas!