First repair at 70k? Not bad!

By the time my first car, a '74 Chevelle, had reached 70k, well... I can't even recount how many repairs it had been through.

If you count oil changes, brake pads, accessory drive belts, etc. as maintenance, not repair (and I do)...

My '05 Scion xB (early build, now just over 9 years old) has just undergone it's first actual repair - that is, I replaced parts that I wouldn't consider wear items.

This morning, I replaced the front sway bar end links and bushings. Actually, only the end link bushings were shot, but the entire Energy Suspension poly bushing kit didn't cost significantly more than just replacing the worn end link bushings.

Anybody who tells you that cars used to be better has forgotten how much they needed to be fixed.

My truck has 105k on it. I've changed one belt and both upper ball joints. Other than oil, that's it. I should at least change the plugs eventually, but modern cars are just so damn reliable that it's easy to forget.

2011 Elantra, almost 135K, 4 plugs, 1 K&N air filter and a cabin filter.

I have not even done brake pads

Yeah, the reliability of modern cars is pretty dang amazing. Our 2008 Honda Fit just hit 86k miles, and the only things it has gotten are fluids, filters, and a set of tires, and everything feels as tight as day 1.

I was worried about the upcoming Timing Belt change at 90k, and turns out it's a chain, so no change! Only real upcoming repair is plugs at 105k.

300k + Ridgeline

nicksta43 wrote: 300k + Ridgeline

Well, just like aussiemg... some things fail with miles, others with time. I know of xB's with 200k+ miles. But mine will theoretically be 25 years old before it hits 200k - so I doubt it'll ever get there

I bought a 91 Escort with 132,000 miles on it and it only needed a clutch! At about 180,000 I had a front bearing issue and replaced both sides and axles "while I was there" as the boots were torn. Around 250,000 miles I had a worn inner tie rod end so I replaced the whole rack and did bushings (poly) "WIWT again" Had a bit of a golden run for the next 100,000 miles with only a radiator problem combined with a bad temp sender and 104 degree Texas summer that cost me an engine.

Had a raft of fuel system rubber fail at 300,000 and am trying to blame Ethanol for that.

Now at 385,000 miles I am looking at some of the items I replaced 200,000 miles ago. Not bad for a pizza delivery car!

Don't even get me started on the 92,000 mile 69 Mustang that is ready for its 3rd paint job, near the end of its second engine, 3rd convertible top and every rubber part!

Bruce

bastomatic wrote: Yeah, the reliability of modern cars is pretty dang amazing.

This is why I am always amazed when I see a relatively new car that has been killed. Seriously, for most cars the level of maintenance required to keep it running reliably is so low that I just can't understand how people kill them. For most cars, a single oil change a year and not throwing it into reverse when it is rolling forward and it should be good for about 100k miles.

Personally, I consider end links and bushings to be wear items.

At 10.5 years and 323K miles on my TDi, I can count on one hand the number of broken things, and some of those are debatable: sunroof weirdness; turn signal random 'clicking' (but hasn't done it in years); glow plug harness (diagnosed @150K, replaced @ 200K); maybe the serpentine belt tensioner (@ 170K).

It's overdue for a major refresh of a number of systems (clutch, turbo, exhaust, suspension again), but I don't think anything I need to replace is out of the ordinary for a car with over 300K miles of fairly harsh northeast driving.

EvanR wrote: Well, just like aussiemg... some things fail with miles, others with time. I know of xB's with 200k+ miles. But mine will theoretically be 25 years old before it hits 200k - so I doubt it'll ever get there

Mine will be 3 years old at 200K

aussiesmg wrote:

EvanR wrote: Well, just like aussiemg... some things fail with miles, others with time. I know of xB's with 200k+ miles. But mine will theoretically be 25 years old before it hits 200k - so I doubt it'll ever get there

Mine will be 3 years old at 200K

That's my point. It is far easier to get 200k out of a car in 3 years, than if it takes 20.

mtn wrote:

bastomatic wrote: Yeah, the reliability of modern cars is pretty dang amazing.

This is why I am always amazed when I see a relatively new car that has been killed. Seriously, for *most* cars the level of maintenance required to keep it running reliably is so low that I just can't understand how people kill them. For most cars, a single oil change a year and not throwing it into reverse when it is rolling forward and it should be good for about 100k miles.

I agree with you. If I see something made in the past 10 years that is smoking.. it is either a mitsubishi product, owned by a pimply 17 year old and covered in dents and dings, or all of the above.

Not even my last girlfriend could kill her newest car.. and I drained sludge out of that Honda

EvanR wrote:

aussiesmg wrote:

EvanR wrote: Well, just like aussiemg... some things fail with miles, others with time. I know of xB's with 200k+ miles. But mine will theoretically be 25 years old before it hits 200k - so I doubt it'll ever get there

Mine will be 3 years old at 200K

That's my point. It is far easier to get 200k out of a car in 3 years, than if it takes 20.

Try it.

My 2004 GTO had 98K miles on it before I sold it and I never turned a wrench on it. Oil changes were all it ever needed.

And notice also how much more rust resistant cars are than 20-30 years ago.

I thought the subject was "First repair at $70k".

cwh wrote: And notice also how much more rust resistant cars are than 20-30 years ago.

Except any Mazda

aussiesmg wrote:

EvanR wrote:

aussiesmg wrote:

EvanR wrote: Well, just like aussiemg... some things fail with miles, others with time. I know of xB's with 200k+ miles. But mine will theoretically be 25 years old before it hits 200k - so I doubt it'll ever get there

Mine will be 3 years old at 200K

That's my point. It is far easier to get 200k out of a car in 3 years, than if it takes 20.

Try it.

I have too much automotive ADD to drive the same car for 20 years. At four years and counting, My Scion holds a record for longest-term daily driver.

If it was financially feasible, I'd get something new tomorrow. So I will never drive the same car for long enough to get to 200k at the rate I drive.

'90's era Isuzus with at least indifferent maintenance would easily go 250-300k with only a timing belt or two. It wasn't unusual to have one in for the 120k service that was still on the original front brake pads and at 200-250K they still felt solid. Except for the 4 banger 626's with the spun sugar CD4E Ford transmissions Mazdas stayed together good too. 1990's era GM stuff would last but they rattled and banged, felt like a collection of loose parts flying in formation.

OTOH, my first car was a 1965 Falcon I bought in 1976. It had something like 110k miles on it and EVERYTHING on it was worn out with the exception of the rear axle.

2002 Powerstroke F250. New starter
New ball joints
New glow plugs (came from Florida, probably would have run forever with bad glows down there)
Resealed oil cooler
New serpentine belt tensioner.
New upper radiator hose (is this a wear item?)
265k miles. Mint Lariat leather interior, all options work. Its a great truck.

1981 Plymouth voyager Timing chain at 100k Next mechanical work? Timing chain at 214k Repeat every 100k or so. Body gone @ 498k, goes to JY. Cars have all been built to a standard and if taken care of will reward wih long life.

I hope my current car works the same way.

93gsxturbo wrote: 2002 Powerstroke F250. New starter New ball joints New glow plugs (came from Florida, probably would have run forever with bad glows down there) Resealed oil cooler New serpentine belt tensioner. New upper radiator hose (is this a wear item?) 265k miles. Mint Lariat leather interior, all options work. Its a great truck.

On the other hand;

2008 F550, on it's third engine at 130,000 miles.

2010 F550, Second engine, second transmission at 165,000

I bought SWMBO's accord at 8 years and 90k miles. In 2 years and 50k since the only thing more than oil and tires was an O2 sensor and rear brakes due to a seized caliper and slider.

On my Civic I'm just going to follow the built in maintenance scheduled and see how that goes.

I thought build quality was going downhill again. I bought a 1998 Toyota pickup new that year and sold it at about 240000 km, not having ever touched a thing on it other than tune ups. And I was in my early twenties, so even that didn't happen with regularity.

My wifes Toyota Sienna OTH..... drivers door hinges broken new door required. One sliding door no longer opens, stereo has not worked in 2 years, plastic bumpers loose and flap in the wind, plastic parts(including bumpers) have warped with time and no longer fit properly, and there is more that escapes me ATM. Oh, and the rear wiper fell off one day. It has around 140,000 km.

My 2008 Dodge Ram...rear seat recliner snapped off, power seat four way switch fell off, rear ashtray(never used even for change!) no longer stays closed, steering wheel stereo controls don't work any more, stereo rotary volume control doesn't work(actually raises the volume in both directions now, but fortunately the duplicate steering wheel control does still work for that), fuel guage quit, (at 1/4 tank so I didn't know and ran out of fuel. $1600.00 dealer tow and bills for new fuel pump before they realized what the problem was don't get me started) regular turbo sticking/driveability troubles, drivers seat blew apart, which is when I found my Laramie has vinyl seats and not the advertised leather, and there is more I am forgetting. 145,000 km.

So both vehicles are under 100,000 miles. Mine is used primarily for sales calls, and usually just has me in it. Oh, and all the wires for both back doors(they never get opened!) broke and I had to reconnect them all.

I baby my truck. I love it but what a piece of E36 M3 for build quality. No wonder they went broke a year after building it.