Is a 2.0D Corolla worth it in 2020?

[Mallick1]

I am planning to buy a Corolla as a second car which will primarily be used for home errands and occasional trips between Islamabad and Abbottabad. I did some crude calculations with regards to running costs of a diesel corolla and 1.3~1.5 liter petrol. Personally Im somewhat inclined towards the idea of a diesel variant because of its better fuel economy. Im considering basically an earlier model 2.0D, preferably the 2000-2001 model, the Indus 2.0D
On the other hand my mechanic has told me to steer completely clear from a 2C engine due to unavailability of quality aftermarket rebuild parts in Islamabad/Pindi area. I kinda sorta trust the guy's judgement because he managed to solve some pretty tricks niggles with my 2014 hybrid Axio but he's not really a diesel mechanic.
The quesion, good folks of PakWheels is simple, is a diesel Corolla worth the risk or not incase the engine decides to die one fine morning ?

[IIIM5]

Yes it is worth tu keep it and if you feel about engine simple a bolt on swap can be done and I disagree from your mechanic every part is available as it is a Toyota

[Xulfiqar]

Its a very simple engine but requires "non-gutka or paan" brains to work on.

The car becomes hopeless if you get "deezall sarviss" lab from "Tasalee Buksh" (owner of fantastic mostache) to mess with the injection pump and the injectors.

The pump is a finely calibrated device along with the injectors, and then the pump is timed with help of a dial gauge to have the timing dead zero spot on where you want it (this requires 100% perfection and accuracy of the fuelling parts first)

Also note that you are never supposed to cool any road going diesel engine with plain tap water as it will create severe cavitation and cause immense level headaches later on.

So being sensible, find a mechanic who knows what all the above is, then set out to find a car which you can redo to factory spec - once you do it back to spec, its a very good car (slow but good)

[nawan885]

If u can find a good condition car then it is good as I had 6 years experience of 2D... my avg drive is 10k per years and it required only basic services like petrol car

[Mallick1]

Thankyou for your reply sir, I was hoping you'd reply to this forum This would be my first diesel ownership experience. I've driven and used diesel cars before but they were mostly office pickups. I have two questions if you would be so kind to answer them.
1, What tests/ checks can be done before a purchase to ascertain the quality of an engine ? The one thing that has me slightly anxious is the fact that my mechanic told me that compression or other tests are not really useful in determining the quality of a diesel engine and the only good way to check the engine is to take it for a long drive.
2, If along the way the engine does need an overhaul or a rebuild, are there quality parts available ? He told me that 2C requires speacalized galvanized pistons which are not commonly available in the market and are expensive and then there is the problem of boiling them in hot oil to make them expand but all of them dont expand uniformly. I was quoting him verbatim here. Can you please shed some light on the rebuild issue.

Lastly sir I have gone through some of your posts on other forums on which you have highlighted the need for finding proper trained mechanics who do not rely on jugars and this is the main problem here. I am willing to pay up for good services but in most cases you still end up with crap mechanics. Can you please share contact details of any good diesel mechanics in Islamabad / Pindi. I dont mind coming down to Lahore even if the mechanic comes recommended. Thank you for your patience.

[anon36782927]

This post was flagged by the community and is temporarily hidden.

[Mallick1]

thankyou for this informative reference

[aforashfaqahmad]

i owened 2004 20D. was good but fuel average was 16-17. now i have 2D 2001 its fuel avg is 20km/l and awesome torque, i require less maintains and problems compared to cultus

[iqbalu140]

As in only oil changed ans filters?

[dayrider]

Lastly sir I have gone through some of your posts on other forums on which you have highlighted the need for finding proper trained mechanics who do not rely on jugars and this is the main problem here. I am willing to pay up for good services but in most cases you still end up with crap mechanics. Can you please share contact details of any good diesel mechanics in Islamabad / Pindi. I dont mind coming down to Lahore even if the mechanic comes recommended. Thank you for your patience.

There are quite a few qualified mechanics in isb and rawalpindi. One of them is @rajaatta at rehman Autos, ijp road.
Another good diesel mechanic is waheed at young autos, they do decent overhauls.
All parts are readily available since this is an indus model and still widely used in some parts of the country.
As for checking, the first check is blowby, next is level of smoke, next is any odd noises

[Mallick1]

Atta bhai at Rehman Autos is my go-to guy for all things and he is the one who solves any and all issues with my cars but Atta bhai didnt share my enthusiasm for the 2.0D

[Xulfiqar]

He told me that 2C requires speacalized galvanized pistons which are not commonly available in the market and are expensive and then there is the problem of boiling them in hot oil to make them expand but all of them dont expand uniformly. I was quoting him verbatim here

Your mechanic is a crackhead? - boiling pistons in hot oil? and how does he expect to "galvanize" aluminium pistons? - Are you sure he actually is a car mechanic?

[Xulfiqar]

Tuning and repairing diesels is not that bad, you need to use higher precision as its a very high compression engine, The quick and dirty way to test a diesel is to go inspect the car when dead cold, glow it once and the engine should start on flick of key and have a good stable idle which will be high if the cold start device is working on the pump (it usually is not because people try to run plain water in the radiator rather than coolant) - it should control it to 800 rpm once warmed up (needle at half) - it should start easy without glow when warm - however to test good health - check for blow at oil cap with engine at 1800 rpm and a piece of paper to see if it flutters or gets sucked in - if you see a chimney of smoke blowing at high pressure from there, the engine is losing compression into the crankcase.

If the engine labours to start then its a basket case which can be anything from "ustaad maarka pump" to a dead engine. While both are rebuildable properly - you will need to dig deep if the injection pump is jacked or if the engine has broken pistons and rings (usually happens when mechanics try to start it with some petrol vapour)

there are some guys here which can help you - contact @syncview for an estimate and time frame before you dive into such.

remember that corolla 2.0D is a 2 litre engine but its pretty slow too.

[Mallick1]

Thankyou for your expert opinions sir, highly indebted