2019 Toyota Corolla hatchback SE 2.0 six speed manual was supposed to be my reliable car when I bought it a few years ago. I paid 22k and it had about 18k miles on it. I had driven manual cars all my life but my previous car had an auto. I figured it'd be convenient to not have to shift. The transmission (Nissan cvt) failed. 4500 dollars later I traded in my Nissan for this Toyota.

Shopping for a manual transmission car this time. After all, manual transmissions don't break. Worst case I need to replace the clutch or maybe a slave cylinder eventually.

Cut to today, at 72500 miles. My clutch kept going to the floor. I was losing clutch fluid. My brake and clutch fluid reservoir are shared so if my clutch dumps all my fluid I no longer have brakes as well. Solid design choice Toyota. So I thought slave cylinder was the problem, 100 dollar part on the outside of the transmission. Maybe an hour or 2 of labor.

Nope. Toyota decided to combine the slave cylinder and release bearing into one assembly and place it INSIDE the transmission. Because of this, the transmission has to be pulled to repair it. I think the part ended up being 2 to 3 hundred dollars. The labor though???? I was quoted $2200 total at a local mom and pop shop. 12 hours of work. Who knows what a dealership would have charged.

Thank God I purchased a 3rd party warranty from the dealership for about 1300 bucks. This would cover up to 5 years or 100k miles. This warranty will cover whole engines and transmissions. But not "wear" parts such as brake pads or clutches. I was 99% sure my slave cylinder was a wear part and I was screwed.

I took my car into the shop (barely making it there). After driving like this for a week and filling my fluid everyday I must have run too low the day before I went to the mechanic. The car would not go into gear. The pedal would go to the floor, I would force it into 1st and I had to quickly use my foot to pull the clutch pedal back up.

Anyway, I made it there trying my best not to stop and have to put it in 1st gear again. My route to the shop was full of stop signs and red lights so it was a nightmare. I was a few minutes late to my appointment and got a ride home. The shop said they'd call me when they figure out what it was.

A few hours later they confirmed what I thought, the slave cylinder. They also confirmed that my warranty covered it. 50 dollar deductible and the cost of the fluid. I was ecstatic.