Piston Slap: The Corolla and the Khadda Factor

Raghav writes:

While searching Internet I saw your replies on Toyota Corolla. I too have few problems with Toyota Corolla 2007 model purchased in India, it has 37,000 Km on the odometer. The vehicle is serviced regularly every 10,000 km. The problems are:

1. Engine growling noise steadily increases with the RPM beyond 3,000 and this happens on all gears. What could be the reason?

2. One of the rear shock absorber was leaking and the dealer replaced just the faulty one (under warranty, car had done 27,000 km) and after that I feel the ride quality is poor. Do you think changing only one shock can cause this?

I have taken it to the dealer but their response is vague like (a) sound insulation from engine area must have become weak (b) change tires because side walls have a crack.

Sajeev answers:

I’m avoiding Raghav’s question for a moment to applaud our readers outside of North America. It’s nice to see our International reach is present, accounted for. And occasionally pours over to Piston Slap! Plus, the dynamic of discussing a mundane car (2007 Corolla) sold as a premium-ish vehicle in another country is…well, that just makes this letter even more delicious.

So to any and all philistine readers who don’t consider a Toyota Corolla an aspirational vehicle, this answer will not appease you. Because, as witnessed in my 2009 visit to India, the Corolla is a great “luxury” car. And with that in mind:

1. Provided the sound is smoother in tone, far pleasing to the ear than a Maruti 800, I suspect this is normal. Just in case, have the Corolla placed on a lift, with an eye on the exhaust system. If you ran over a particularly bad khadda (bump) while avoiding TATA trucks, scooters or rickshaw drivers, there’s a slim chance the exhaust was damaged and a weld is broken. I find this scenario not likely, but then again, most urban Indian roads aren’t stellar.

1. Well, that makes the khadda factor more believable! Yes, shocks must be replaced in pairs for this precise reason. Quite frankly, I am “shocked” that Toyota (even in India) would consider that a proper fix. Indians are (stereotypically) cutthroat penny-pinchers, but this is beyond stupid for a (Toyota authorized?) dealership. Then again, this perpetuates the myth of how goshdarn cheap we Indians are with money, aside from gold jewelry and extravagant weddings. In that case, Corollas for all, bhai!

So you have a couple things to keep in mind. First, its time for new shocks: after 3+ years on rough Indian roads, I’d replace all four. Second, if any of your tires have cracks in the sidewall, they need to be replaced. This will also help your ride on tough roads, considering they are probably original (at 37k on the clock) and significantly thinner/harder/noisier than when new.

Send your queries to mehta@ttac.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry.