Car Repair Costs

Great replies so far!! It seems we often get sucked into spending money on a car when we should pull the plug. I focus on buying cars (new or used) that have no major design flaws, and then nurse them along till a major repair or corrosion tells me to call it quits. That moment usually arrives between 15 and 20 years into the car’s life, at which time there is little residual value.

I just dropped $3,000 into my 2004 Sienna in January. Part of it was maintenance and part was repairs. Timing belt, water pump, and spark plugs was $1,000. I also needed a steering shaft ($500) and they discovered the front sub-frame was rotted out and needed to be replaced. That was another $900 and then the old control arms would not come off so those had to be replaced, for another $500. Plus another $100 in miscellaneous hardware and gaskets. If I had known going in that it would cost $3,000 I probably would not have bothered. But once the patient is open it’s tough to give up on her.

The Timing belt, plugs and water pump is considered maintenance. So $2000 or so were repairs. How many miles on the vehicle at this time. You must live in a very corrosive environment. A 2004 Sienna here would be considered about half way through tis life.

I had the heater core spring a leak on an air conditioned Ford Maverick that I owned. When the indicator light for high temperature went on, (the Maverick didn’t have a temperature gauge), got off the road immediately, let the engine cool a bit and added water. I was 50 miles from home and stopped at the Dodge dealer where I has purchased the car 5 years earlier. The service department said it was a leaking freeze plug in front of the transmission and the transmission would have to be dropped. They didn’t have time to do the job, so they gave me a jug of water and sent me on my way. I did get home without adding water. I took the car to my mechanic who made the same diagnosis. However, when he removed the transmission, he found that the problem wasn’t the freeze plug at all but a leaking heater core which meant removing the dashboard, then removing the evaporator for the air conditioner. As I remember, the price was quite reasonable for the work. What I do remember is that there was no charge for removing and replacing the transmission. The garage 50 miles away had made the same wrong diagnosis. I tried to pay my mechanic at least part of his labor for dropping the transmission, but he wouldn’t take any money for that. The most expensive job I has to have done was a new engine in an Aerostar I once owned, but that repair was done under warranty so it didn’t cost me anything.

@Triedaq Ford heater cores were notoriously weak. We had a Mercury Comet, a Maverick knockoff, and when the heater core sprang a leak it covered the windshield and made me pull off the road. The local garage sort of insinuated they “loved Fords” as they kept them in business. This Comet only had 50,000 miles on it at the time.

Is anybody aware that this thread is over 3-1/2 years old?
Original post dates next to the subject headings might prevent a lot of these old posts being dug up.

Is anybody aware that this thread is over 3-1/2 years old?

I am aware, did the OP violate a rule by reviving this thread?

No, but come on, 3-1/2 years???

Holy cow, has it really been that long? Time flies.

I had to have the transmission rebuilt on my Bronco. It went out around the 140k mark, the rebuilt unit held up fine up to the point where I traded it in at around the 268k mile mark. The rebuild was around $2000ish IIRC.

@bing I started another thread called “Most Expensive Repair” a little while back. Good responses so far. I was trying to find out at what stage owners give up because of the cost versus the remaining value of the car.

This old thread “Car Repair Costs”, may have been picked up because of the new layout of the website.

I worked at a GM dealership 40 years ago and would still not purchase any of their products. My Brother bought a 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass 350 cu in diesel. One engine + one transmission replaced under warranty. One more engine replaced on recall. Second engine was failing at just over 30,000 total miles when the GM abortion was mercifully crushed by a tractor trailer while parked. I still wonder if the tractor trailer driver was really that inept or had owned a GM V8 diesel and was doing him a favor.

Triedaq: I had the same thing happen on a 1973 Mustang. On the way to work the windshield interior slightly fogged so I hit the defroster. Instant zero visibility. I safely pulled over with my head out the window. Turned defrost off and wiped the window enough with a rag to drive another mile. My delivery van was parked at a service station and we pulled the heater hoses. They fortunately had a coupler so we just stuck them together. I bought a new heater core and 2 gallons of coolant while on my route. I replaced the heater core and did a coolant change a couple days later in my driveway. The Mustang had no A/C and the heater core was behind a cover plate on the firewall. This was 1984 so the heater core was less than $30 and the coolant was about $2 per gallon.

I’m not sure I know what I’m doing here yet and if the threads are old or new. At any rate to me the decision to get rid of my riviera was not necessarily a cost issue. I was willing to spend to repair it but could not find what was causing the stalling problem after trying everything and two shops. So it was more a dependability issue. I just couldn’t have it stalling without warning even though it would start up right away.

I guess I have never gotten rid of a car because of a major repair because usually there is plenty of utility left and a car without a trans or an engine is worth nothing so just grin and fix it and off we go again. Nice run on sentence but I’m tired.

I think it’s one of those universal questions that can be revived, even if the OP is long gone in terms of the original problem. It’s interesting to me to hear where people draw the line on continuing to invest in a car or not–sometimes there are good stories behind it, otherwise it’s a cost analysis. Okay, I’m musing at this point after busting my knuckles on the Jeep again…

I don’t see a problem that Docnick revived his own old discussion

I do have a problem when some other guy revives a discussion that’s been dormant for years, and acts like a jerk about it

I feel if someone other than the original poster wants to revive such a discussion, he should be made aware of the fact that he’s raising the dead, and he has to “click to agree” before he proceeds

It’s so easy to start a new discussion, anyways

Thanks db4690 We’ve experienced a tremendous increase in car quality and durability over the years. Yet, too many end up on the scrap heap prematurely die to a major failure which in most cases could be prevented.

From an environmental point of view a car that prematurely dies is a large waste of energy and resources. I’m not asking for mandatory transmission maintenance and timing belt change outs. but the EPA could put pressure on manufacturers to stress and emphasize these and other maintenance items in their manuals, instead of almost hiding them. The same goes for cooling system maintenance.

Too many owners equate “low maintenance” with no maintenance.