Today we visited Dr. Motorworx and had a long discussion with the owner. Apparently he has been replacing oil sludged Toyota 3.0l engines since 1999. And, most importantly, Toyota has been quietly been paying for the repairs. He has replaced over 2,000 Toyota engines and was an expert witness in the class action lawsuit.

Toyota replaced the 3.0l engine with the 3.3l in an attempt to fix the sludging problem. According to Dr. Motorworx, the problem worsened. The engines are virtually identical except then increased the piston size. He had two engines on the loading dock a 3.0 and 3.3, both covered in sludge. The 3.3l clearly had more sludge on it ... which proves nothing except that 3.3l engines do sludge up.

He told me the engine can be replaced for $5,000. Along with the engine replacement, he will supply complete documentation of the damage to the engine for a claim against Toyota. I like the idea of $5,000 charge. I can sue Toyota in small claims court for a full recovery of damages. He recommended instead I team up with a number of his customers and take Toyota to regular court.

I have a lot of things to think about.