Goal 200k: At 100k miles, what parts would you replace to get another trouble-free 100k miles?

Maintenance/Repairs
21

Let’s look at your list, there are lots of things worth doing as normal maintenance, but several that I would 'wait ‘till it breaks’"

Normal service, do as instructed in the manual (or at least as shown in parentheses):
Spark Plugs (60k)
Flush Cooling system (60k)
Replace timing belt (at same time do thermostat and water pump)
Transmission fluid (30k)
Differential fluid (60k)
Power Steering fluid (60k)
brake fluid (30k)
Fuel Filter (if it can be replaced, most can’t these days)
Replace Belts
Wipers
Inspect suspension (bushings, ball joints, etc)

Do when needed:
O2 sensors
Ignition coils
Battery
Brake rotors, pads
Headlight bulbs
Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF)
tensioners, pulleys
Alternator
Check rubber intake boots (not sure why this is on here)
Clean throttle body
Clean Idle control valve

22

Oh, SNAP! I missed the part about how BMW wants your car to fail so you will buy another BMW. Allow me to pile on.

What kind of idiot would replace a car that failed at an early age with another car from the same company? Seriously, if you really think BMW wants your car to fail, why would anyone buy one? Why wouldn’t you buy a car from a car maker whose cars tend to last longer?

If BMW’s new maintenance schedule actually led to premature failure, BMW would aggravate the hell out of its customers, and they would lose their repeat customers.

23

About the only things I pre-emptively replace are batteries and fuel pumps. Other things may be pre-emptively replaced if their removal or proximity is involved with another repair.
(Example would be on my Lincoln Mark. Changing the pump requires dropping the fuel tank and seeing as how the driveshaft can’t be accessed without tank removal I drop the driveshaft and inspect or replace the U-joints while the tank is out.)

Generally speaking regarding my cars it’s just pretty much fluids, filters, performance items such as spark plugs, belts, and so on.

24

Replacing components simply on the basis of anecdotal views or local experiences is not the way to go. Comparing preemptive component replacement in aircraft to autos is not even a good corollary. You don’t want to be at 30 thousand feet whenever a component decides to go South. This doesn’t equate to a repeat customer. Every component, right down to fasteners, on an aircraft is assigned a Mean-Time-Between-Failure (MBTF) rating that is developed through rigorous testing and history. If auto manufacturers attempted to come up with such an analysis, you would be paying a million dollars for your car. The closest they come to a MBTF is with timing belts and fluids. As others have said, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

25

If people start changing all of the items listed by the OP at 100,000 miles then I am opening a garage tomorrow and I am going to be RICH, RICH, RICH!!!

One other funny observation. Most people post here to complain about how their mechanic is allegedly ripping them off. Then we get a post like this where the poster is recommending things that, if the mechanic recommended it, would be considered wasteful and, you guessed it, a rip-off. It’s a strange world we live in…

26

Some people like spending money on their car more than others. For example, many BMW owners like to spend money on their car, and do lots of PM. Others may recognize that it’s cheaper to replace stuff on your own time vs. when the SHTF. If you DIY, I could do all that stuff in my 100k repair list for the cost of 1 or 2 repairs by a mechanic.

Seriously, if you really think BMW wants your car to fail, why would anyone buy one? Why wouldn’t you buy a car from a car maker whose cars tend to last longer?

No, the cars start to require serious maintenance after 70k miles. This is often the 3rd owner by this mileage. So, it works for BMW. The REAL buyers (who buy new) never have a single issue, and sell long before 80k, and buy another “impeccable” BMW. It’s the guy who inherits the a car after 80k to 200k miles that can expect lots of things to break. And, this is where BMW might not care about reliability. In fact, they’d prefer the car just breaks. One less person getting away with driving a BMW on the cheap (used)

27

No, the cars start to require serious maintenance after 70k miles.

Sorry, but cars require serious maintenance starting on day one, and they require serious maintenance as long as you continue to own them. The service intervals don’t shorten as a car gets older.

Repairs, on the other hand, do increase in frequency with age, but today’s reliable cars should be fine until at least 150,000 miles if they are well-taken-care-of.

I know people who buy BMWs new, and keep them for many years. When taken care of according to the maintenance schedule, they seem to last a long time. You might think BMW doesn’t value these types of customers, but I have yet to see any evidence that would convince me you are right about that.

28

Preventive maintenance should not include the replacement of otherwise good parts such as MAF sensors, O2 sensors, alternators, and so on.
There would be no end to parts replacement if a free for all parts replacement policy was followed.

29

Beyond what is recommended in the owner’s manual, me, I wouldn’t replace anything until it broke. That’s the most cost effective. But you are risking a breakdown when something breaks.

Say you wanted a car that was close to being a new car as possible, as far as reliability. One you could drive across the USA on a family vacation say, and feel it would be as reliable (as far as getting to the place you are going) as if it were a new car. Then I’d replace these parts at 100k with new parts

  1. CV boots, all four (& clean and grease the joints, replace entire joint w/new if damaged)
  2. Water pump
  3. Timing belt, and all the accesory drive belts
  4. Valve cover gaskets, & retorque cylinder head.
  5. Add/remove shims to bring valve clearances into spec as required.
  6. Brake shoes, pads, all rubber parts and seals of calipers and cylinders, including master cylinder, and brake vacuum booster.
  7. Headlights
  8. Wheel bearings (all four)
  9. Starter motor
  10. All replaceable fluids & filters
  11. All rubber & plastic water hoses, fuel lines, brakes lines, and vacuum hoses
  12. Thermostadt
  13. Battery
  14. Wipers

Beyond that, I’d carry a spare new alternator, O2 sensors, in the trunk and tools enough to replace them on the road if it fails mid-trip .

Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF)?
Bushings, ball joints, etc ?
Rubber intake boots?
Throttle body?
Idle control valve?

Unless thee is a reason to believe these won’t last until 200K, only inspect and clean if necessary.

30

Although on some cars it’s not uncommon for ball joints, tie rod ends, etc to last 200K miles, I’d suggest at least checking them and replacing if needed. I’ve owned cars that went in access or 200K miles on them and on some cars I’ve had to change them about every 100K-125K. The thing about front end components is that they will usually give you some type warning (noise, excessive tire wear, poor handling) before getting to the dangerous point allowing you plenty of time to make the repairs.

31

Most of this stuff replace as needed,do at least change coolant in radiator a couple of times,the expensive eletronic componets are very reliable(you can actually clean a O2 sensor,the other areas are plugs ,timing belt,trans fluid)but if you like to work on the car go for it my Wifes Honda had over 170K on the plugs,it was running fine-but ran so much better with new ones.The law of averages is probaly the worst enemy for this car-Kevin

32

Five or more years ago, I mentioned changing the bulbs on my 2002 Sienna to avoid failures. Boy, did I take static from the ‘wise’ folks here. One guy even asked why I didn’t change the motor and transmission just to be sure. Others said bulbs seldom or never fail, which I suppose is why every drug store and grocery store sells them?

Here is the reason for informed people to replace bulbs at a certain time. WHO FINDS THE BAD BULBS FOR YOU? Do you check all external bulbs every time you start the car? No, I didn’t think so. THE COPS ARE USUALLY THE PEOPLE WHO SPOT YOUR BURNED OUT BULBS. That does not always end up in a pleasant way.

The last time we discussed replacing light bulbs before they burn out, a California attorney informed us that California no longer gives fix-it tickets for bulbs, but you will be fined for a moving violation, and get points against your d/l. I do not live in California so cannot personally verify that, but at that time no one disagreed with him. The only way to avoid that is to replace all the bulbs before they fail. If your car has bulbs you can replace yourself, it is much cheaper to replace them all than to have one moving violation and trip to court.

In any case, there are many cops out there who will try to harass you to let them search your car if they stop you for a bad bulb. And, in 2007, a cop pulled me over half an hour south of Hattiesburg, for no reason. (I have been driving over 50 years and have never had a moving violation, and did not have one that night, either.) He approached my car and gave a mighty tug on the rear hatch. It took me a while to understand he had no legal reason to open that hatch, and I am convinced he would have planted something and then taken my car. So, anyone who does not replace all bulbs, no more than 100,000 miles and 75,000 miles is better, is looking for trouble. Don’t do it.

If you mostly drive around home, you can wait until things break to replace them. I spend a lot of time in Mexico hours from the nearest qualified mechanic and source of parts. When I am in the States, I leave my home in McAllen early, and expect to be near the East Coast the next afternoon. When you do that, you need to go for high-rel maintenance, which does indeed mean figure out when certain parts such as O2 sensors tend to start failing, and simply replace them at that mileage. Docnick is one of the few people here who has understood what I am talking about.

So, replace all your external bulbs, not just headlight bulbs. All of them. Now.

33

So, replace all your external bulbs, not just headlight bulbs. All of them. Now.

Maybe you should buy another car that has more reliable lights…

I can count on one hand how many bulbs (not counting head lights) that have burned out in all the vehicles I’ve owned in the past 20 years…4 of those vehicles had OVER 300k miles…

34

Here’s a cheaper idea - check your bulbs every so often, you’ll probably catch a bad one before a cop will take the trouble to pull you over.

35

I just don’t use my brakes and drive only during the daytime. Problem solved.

36

@irlandes…Change all the light bulbs, even if they are working? I think this may be being overly diligent.

Why do I say this? Because you might well replace a bulb that will last the lifetime of the car with one that will only last a month. Light bulbs are like that. Some work just like new for years, while the next one only works a few days.

I had a dome light burn out in a early 90’s Corolla (a car I purchased new), the dome light bulb burned out after the car was only 3 months old. I replaced the bulb, and the replacement burned out in 3 weeks. I replaced that one. It burned out in 3 weeks. Again. 3 weeks. Finally it occured to me the place I was getting the bulbs, the dealership, had a batch of bad dome light bulbs. I bought a replacement bulb at Kragen instead, and it has lasted to this day, over 20 years.

It’s true what you say, in CA the police, what they used to do would be to write you a “fix-it” ticket if your tail light was out. All you had to do was replace the bulb, drive over to the nearest police station, and an officer there would come out and verify it was fixed. There was no need to go to court or pay a fine or anything else. You just mailed the signed paperwork in and all was forgiven.

Now, they want to make some money on these kinds of minor infractions. So there is a payment due for a burned out tail light. It hasn’t happened to me but I’ve heard about it from others. I think you have to go to the court building with your ticket, and an officer there will verify the bulb is fixed, he’ll sign off the paperwork, and then you go into the court billing office and pay the fine, which I think is around $100 for a burned out lightbulb. The fine varies quite a bit by court location. I don’t think it is considered a moving violation, at least not in the sense you get any points or have any insurance or traffic school issues. I don’t think the police stop every car with a burned out tail light they see either. I’ve seen officers drive right behind cars with burned out lights, including a burned out headlight, and not stop them in fact.

In any event, excepting headlights possibly, I think it’s a better course to take the middle path: simply check your light bulbs on a frequent basis, and if any are burned out, replace them. Most econoboxes only use a few different bulb types, so if bulbs are a concern, you could buy some and keep them in the glovebox so you have them on hand.

37

If you are willing to spend the maintenance costs similar to an airplane, go for it! It is a difference of at worst coasting to the side of the road for a tow, but more normally getting warning lights of a problem.

O2 sensors
sure if you want to spend the bucks, I prefer to wait until they fail, as in my car only a warning light goes off. Give me a dollar cost.
Spark Plugs (and coils?)
Spark plugs as recommended in the manual, coils, 4 me wait till it fails, what cost?
Cooling system (Thermostat, Hoses, Water pump, Timing belt, Radiator, Flush coolant, etc.)
Manual should state coolant change interval, Timing belt and water pump intervals, visually inspect hoses ~ replace as needed.
Battery ~ As needed you usually get slow crank in cold weather states, every 5 years in hot weather states.
Transmission fluid ~ As manual suggests
Differential fluid ~ As manual suggests or 150k(4me)
Power Steering fluid ~ As manual suggests or 150k(4me)
Brake rotors, pads, brake fluid. ~ New fluid each time new pads and rotors, as needed
Headlight bulbs ~ as needed, replace in pairs
Fuel Filter ~ per manual
Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF) ~ per manual or as needed
Replace Belts, tensioners, pulleys ~ per manual or as visual inspection or noise indicates
Alternator ~ as needed
Wipers ~ as needed
Inspect suspension (bushings, ball joints, etc) ~ every oil change
Check rubber intake boots ~ ?
Clean throttle body? ~as needed
Clean Idle control valve? ~as needed

My maintenance schedule, oil change 3 to 5 k, coolant, 3 to 6 years depending on mileage, Trans fluid and filter as recommended, air, fuel filter as recommended in the manual. Current experiences 03 windstar, new fuel pump extended warrenty, new plenum o rings $500 , invest in depreciation or repairs!

38

New Xenon bulb at dealer = $200
New Xenon bulb installed by local indy = $100
Ordering new Xenon bulb off Ebay = $50
Ordering used Xenon bulb off Ebay = $15

If you wait until it fails, you will pay a lot more,
if you don’t want to wait possibly a week for the bulb in the mail.
Bulb can be replaced while keeping the original as a spare.
Pays for itself 5x over if you DIY

39

I think bulb design is a lot better now and they hold up so well that bulb failure is something I seldom worry about although I check lighting on a regular basis. The only exception would be those (can’t use the appropriate language on a family friendly forum) match head sized bulbs that Ford uses in a variety of places on the interior.

Theyre prone to failure due to terminal fit rather than burnout and 10 bucks a pop usually means that the accessory in question will stay in the dark. Apparently the engineers at Ford saw fit to use about a dozen of them in the EATC of my Lincoln and a few dozen more in the steering wheel controls and door panels, etc with about 1/3 of them being dark; again, due to poor terminal fit rather than being burned out.
Thank goodness for the Braille system… :slight_smile:

40

I have a 92 Jeep Cherokee I got second hand in 98. I changed out the engine after 200K (not there was anything so wrong with it - but it was getting a bit ‘tired’… but as for the other stuff… I think you’re just asking for a world of trouble. I’ve ALWAYS regretted doing things like you suggested, above. Either by getting a faulty new piece or encountering a strange incompatibility, etc etc… remember - your drivetrain is like an ecosystem… if you radically change one thing it can really affect the overall health and operation of the entire chain… it’s kind of like a living organism - treat it with respect and care and it will respond in kind…