To repair or not repair????

[eliza61]

I just replaced my 22 year old Nissan m. It had 225k miles on it. Basically every time I put it in the shop it was running me 800 to 1000 bucks.
The last time the exhaust system went abd it was going to cost 3k to fix. The car wasn't worth 3 thousands bucks.

 

[Belle & Ariel]

Ok so here is the question.....at what point do you stop repairing your car ??

We currently have no car payments which I love.
We have a 2007 dodge nitro with 115k that was in the shop in July for a few minor repairs and recalls. Almost immediately after it needed a battery (no big deal). Well today the engine light is on. It goes to the shop tomorrow and could be very minor. But I am trying to figure out at what point is it just time to buy a new one !!! 500 2000 etc. I do not have money to pay cash so a new one will mean a car payment.

We had a vehicle that I think was a Dodge and the service engine light came on at a certain mileage interval. The dealer said they could reset it for a crazy fee or I could just let it go.
Maybe this is your situation?

 

[sunshinehighway]

We had a vehicle that I think was a Dodge and the service engine light came on at a certain mileage interval. The dealer said they could reset it for a crazy fee or I could just let it go.
Maybe this is your situation?

That doesn't sound right. Here a check engine light is an automatic inspection fail.

 

[supersnoop]

We had a vehicle that I think was a Dodge and the service engine light came on at a certain mileage interval. The dealer said they could reset it for a crazy fee or I could just let it go.
Maybe this is your situation?

There are many different lights that can come on. "Service Engine Soon" is emmissions related and you will fail an emissions inspection if it's on or in the stored history for a certain duration, but you can keep driving without the risk of killing your car. The "Check Engine" light means you need to pull over and figure out what's wrong, because your car could be seriously damaged if you continue to drive it. Most new cars have a "Maintenance Required" that will come on whenever you need an oil change, or, in some cars, every 5,000 miles just to check fluids. That's the light that a dealer would just "reset" for you. The other lights require diagnostics.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

You can go to AA or other auto part store for a computer check for the codes. It sounds like you didn't have O2 sensors replaced yet, also it could be an alert to change the timing belt if you didn't do it. But these checks are free. But, at this point it may become a cash cow, is that the phrase?

If it was a Honda, Toyota, well made car I would put money into a repair, but with a Dodge I would never do it. Our Toyota and Honda we had put maintenance into them, some filters, sensors, and replaced the timing belts, but the Dodge had multiple transmission issues, repairs, rebuilding and then two used ones put in it. It was constantly in the shop for tranny work.

We got rid of it for the Camry 1999, now we have a CRV and Volkswagen.

 

[tvguy]

I am in the keep fixing it club. As a matter of fact, I just picked my 87 Suburban up from the upholstery shop. Spent $580 having the front bench seat redone. Bought it new, and have kept it up. I never ever consider the value of the car in repairs, I consider how many more miles the repair will get me. A new set of tires costs more than I could sell it for, but will get me another 40-50,000 miles. Forget the $48-$60,000 a new one one cost, I can replace the engine for a lot less than what I would lose in depreciation the second I drove the new one off the lot.

 

[tvguy]

The "service engine soon" light indicates a problem with the emissions system. It could be the gas cap, an oxygen sensor, or carbon buildup. Worst case should be the catalytic converter, which would cost about $300 at a muffler shop.

It certainly depends on the make of car, but the average cost to replace a catalytic converter is $1,000, with some Toyotas costing $4,000.

http://www.sacrt.com/documents/catalytic.pdf

 

[supersnoop]

It certainly depends on the make of car, but the average cost to replace a catalytic converter is $1,000, with some Toyotas costing $4,000. http://www.sacrt.com/documents/catalytic.pdf

I qualified that statement with "at a muffler shop." Honda wanted $1,750 to replace the cat on my old civic because their part includes the entire exhaust system. The muffler shop down the road cut the old one out and welded in a new one for $250.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I qualified that statement with "at a muffler shop." Honda wanted $1,750 to replace the cat on my old civic because their part includes the entire exhaust system. The muffler shop down the road cut the old one out and welded in a new one for $250.

This is my experience was well. My old car needed new cats (it had 2). My mechanic sent it out to a muffler shop (actually I think it was a shop that does custom exhausts) . $550 for both replaced. I was happily surprised because I had heard it's such an expensive repair.

 

[msmayor]

There are many different lights that can come on. "Service Engine Soon" is emmissions related and you will fail an emissions inspection if it's on or in the stored history for a certain duration, but you can keep driving without the risk of killing your car. The "Check Engine" light means you need to pull over and figure out what's wrong, because your car could be seriously damaged if you continue to drive it. Most new cars have a "Maintenance Required" that will come on whenever you need an oil change, or, in some cars, every 5,000 miles just to check fluids. That's the light that a dealer would just "reset" for you. The other lights require diagnostics.

Not necessarily true. A BLINKING "Check Engine" light means serious problems...one that is on steady usually means an emissions issue, which could be a failing oxygen sensor, a loose gas cap, etc.

I have driven thousands of miles with a check engine light on; my mechanic has always told me it will not harm the engine...only the environment. I bring it in when I know I have the time to get it fixed.

One of our cars (that my daughter drives) has had a check engine light for 8 months. Its been to the mechanic twice with the code indicating an evap leak, but no one has been able to locate it as it is so small and minor.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

If you always buy a very dependable car like a Toyota or Honda you can never ever go wrong. If you look around these cars are never on the side of the road. They can run 300,000 miles and still be running very strong. Never a repair that is costly or made me think I needed to get rid of any of my cars. No car payments for 10years now. Invest the money in something good the first time and you will never have to look back.

Pffft, this (or the opposite) can happen with any brand. Some brands are more prone to longevity, but none are foolproof. My coworker swears by her Toyota. But she's also dumped several thousand bucks into it in the first 180,000 miles. Another coworker gave up on her Civic just shy of 100,000. Constantly in the shop. She actually did better with a VW (still spent $$$ on it) which is statistically one of the least reliable cars on the road.

 

[mrodgers]

That doesn't sound right. Here a check engine light is an automatic inspection fail.

My check engine light has been on since about 6 months after I bought it in 2010. I know what it was and I fixed it under an extended warranty (coils, I replaced them myself) and the dealer won't just reset it for me without a diagnostic fee. I don't know if a simple code scanner can reset the light on a VW. I always read you need the VW software to do it so I haven't bothered.

Not all areas have emissions testing. I don't get my emissions tested. A regular mechanical State inspection isn't going to care.

 

[supersnoop]

Not necessarily true. A BLINKING "Check Engine" light means serious problems...one that is on steady usually means an emissions issue, which could be a failing oxygen sensor, a loose gas cap, etc.

I have driven thousands of miles with a check engine light on; my mechanic has always told me it will not harm the engine...only the environment. I bring it in when I know I have the time to get it fixed.

One of our cars (that my daughter drives) has had a check engine light for 8 months. Its been to the mechanic twice with the code indicating an evap leak, but no one has been able to locate it as it is so small and minor.

I suppose this could vary by model, but, like I said earlier, there are different types of lights. Generally, if it's yellow, you can keep driving; if it's red, you need to pull over. I've never seen one that came on, then started blinking when the problem got worse. So, I guess the moral of the story is, read your owners manual so you know how severe the problem is when your lights come on.

 

[sunshinehighway]

My check engine light has been on since about 6 months after I bought it in 2010. I know what it was and I fixed it under an extended warranty (coils, I replaced them myself) and the dealer won't just reset it for me without a diagnostic fee. I don't know if a simple code scanner can reset the light on a VW. I always read you need the VW software to do it so I haven't bothered.

Not all areas have emissions testing. I don't get my emissions tested. A regular mechanical State inspection isn't going to care.

Maybe that's a VW thing. Many cars will reset the light automatically once the problem is fixed.
If the light is always on, how will you know when you have a new problem?

I'm shocked there are states without emissions testing. I know some are more strict than others but didn't realizes some places have no testing.

 

[Buzzsgramma]

Our grand daughters Jeep has 167,000 mi on it..it was her mom's car bought used....

Our DS had a Jeep Grand he traded in had 197,000....
He also has a 1999 Camaro...with 142,000...body is great...
Tahoe 2007....just replaced transmission at 77,000....!!!! It has the same engine as the Camaro...go
figure!!!

Our DD has the 2003 Ford Explorer we bought new..so far 130,000...

Our DSIL has a Ford Focus he bought used it now has 203,000 on it....thats a 4 cyl...

Take car of your car or get it repaired....drive it in the ground..

 

[My3kiddos]

I have a Chrysler and not 2 weeks ago spend almost $500 to have some repairs done that are not covered under my "lifetime added wrap warranty", but it's better than a car payment. Just 2 days ago the check engine light came on and I took it to Autozone and it has something to do with my intake manifold. It's going to the shop on Monday and hopefully it's something under the lifetime warranty I was able to get in 2007. If not I'll pay the $99 for complete diagnostic find out what part it is and have someone else fix it (hopefully my fiancé).

My plan when I bought this car new and was able to get an extended lifetime warranty was to drive it until it can't be driven anymore. I'm willing to spend a few hundred a year to fix it rather than pay a few hundred a month. It has over 110,000 miles on it and I've probably spent $2k on repairs. Way better than a car payment

 

[tvguy]

I qualified that statement with "at a muffler shop." Honda wanted $1,750 to replace the cat on my old civic because their part includes the entire exhaust system. The muffler shop down the road cut the old one out and welded in a new one for $250.

Used I assume. My neighbor had his stolen off his Toyota and paid $1,400 just for the after market converter at MIdas new. Then it wouldn't pass smog so he had to buy the $2,100 Toyota part. They wouldn't be stealing them if you get them that cheap

 

[sunshinehighway]

Used I assume. My neighbor had his stolen off his Toyota and paid $1,400 just for the after market converter at MIdas new. Then it wouldn't pass smog so he had to buy the $2,100 Toyota part. They wouldn't be stealing them if you get them that cheap

Going to Midas was his mistake.

 

[supersnoop]

Used I assume. My neighbor had his stolen off his Toyota and paid $1,400 just for the after market converter at MIdas new. Then it wouldn't pass smog so he had to buy the $2,100 Toyota part. They wouldn't be stealing them if you get them that cheap

Nope, brand new. Scrap value is only about $80. Maybe the shop figures that into the price. There's only about 2 grams of platinum in a cat.

 

[kymom99]

Maybe that's a VW thing. Many cars will reset the light automatically once the problem is fixed.
If the light is always on, how will you know when you have a new problem?

I'm shocked there are states without emissions testing. I know some are more strict than others but didn't realizes some places have no testing.

We used to have testing here but no more. It depends on your levels if pollution. We have reformulated gas, which does cost more.