Automotive

Weighing Car Repairs Against Buying (upgrading to) another Car

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  • Jan 15th, 2020 3:02 pm
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Weighing Car Repairs Against Buying (upgrading to) another Car

This seems to be a good write-up.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-maintenance ... de-up.html


This one paragraph does strike me though. Do many issues (besides electrical ones) on modern cars follow a pattern where Issue A causes Issue B which then causes Issue C or could many issues be independent of the others?

If you're experiencing issues with your car and don't know whether things are likely to get worse, look for advice on message boards and forums for the make and model of your car. Other people have probably been down this road before you. You can get a preview from them of the problems associated with your vehicle as it ages.


Is there a simple rule (of course fraught with exceptions) to find out which potential repairs make the most sense and can last a few years? I'm thinking suspension components, alternator, starter, A/C clutch replacements (even with after market parts) last at least a few years if done properly. I understand that a good DIYer or mechanic will take the process of elimination when diagnosing and repairing vehicles but I guess my question is if there's a simple neat rule as to know what repairs will last a few years and which ones could be more or less a lottery?


For engines and transmissions, it almost means going to scrap yards to save a good chunk of money on labor and new parts but wondering what other components command a hefty repair bill.
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There is no rule. It's a guessing game. Anything with a moving component has a failure rate higher than 0%. Rule of thumb, replace moving parts in pairs.

I will never buy another scrap yard motor.
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koffey wrote: There is no rule. It's a guessing game. Anything with a moving component has a failure rate higher than 0%. Rule of thumb, replace moving parts in pairs.

I will never buy another scrap yard motor.
Junk yard: "Yeh Yeh the motor is mint"
You: Ok junk yard said motor is ok and I have a 12month warranty:
Mechanic: "Sure whatever either way it's $600 for this engine swap"

8 hours later. 1-2 days inconvenience later

Mechanic: "I'm all done but the engine def sounds funny."
You: "FFFFFFFF, is that piston slap?"
Mechanic: "Don't worry you got a 12month warranty, btw it's not free for me to yank this one out"
You: "FML"
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If it's a BMW, you abandon it the moment you see a drip of any fluid.
If it's an Audi/VW, you abandone it the moment you see a light flicker.
Got it?
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koffey wrote: There is no rule. It's a guessing game. Anything with a moving component has a failure rate higher than 0%. Rule of thumb, replace moving parts in pairs.

I will never buy another scrap yard motor.
Are you suggesting majority of the scrapped cars are due to motor failure? I mean if there is evidence of a big side or rear accident, wouldn't that mean the motor is supposedly sound even after the car is written off or will those cars have been rebuilt and resold? :)
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er34er34 wrote: If it's a BMW, you abandon it the moment you see a drip of any fluid.
If it's an Audi/VW, you abandone it the moment you see a light flicker.
Got it?
So I should ditch the VW when I go to pick up my keys?
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alanbrenton wrote: Are you suggesting majority of the scrapped cars are due to motor failure? I mean if there is evidence of a big side or rear accident, wouldn't that mean the motor is supposedly sound even after the car is written off or will those cars have been rebuilt and resold? :)
Have you ever had to do an engine swap for a blown engine?
Like my Tongue in check anecdote implies. You don't know if an engine is going to work or be trash until it's in.

Can you do your home work? Maybe it's a lot of freaking work. Sure maybe you can scope the engine. But can you compression test it? Not likely.
Was it already spinning it's bearings before it got drove in to a lake? Maybe.
Motors/cars can sit for months before they get to you. Even Junk yards don't know they're buying heaps from Salvage auctions by the lbs. Imagine an engine spinning at 3000RPM when it suddenly smacks in to something sure it could have been good before but the valve train could be a mess, the pistons could start slapping. The Crank is thrusted out of it's bearings and journals all messed up. It might not even be right away. It could take 1000-2000km before minor issues blow up.
Last edited by tebore on Jan 15th, 2020 2:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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alanbrenton wrote: Are you suggesting majority of the scrapped cars are due to motor failure? I mean if there is evidence of a big side or rear accident, wouldn't that mean the motor is supposedly sound even after the car is written off or will those cars have been rebuilt and resold? :)
Nope, I'm suggesting that scrap motors sitting around basically isn't a great deal. I bought one, flipped a bearing. Do you know how many kms are on that engine when you get it? What type of condition it is in? You going to do a leak down test? Are you aware of how the vehicle the engine was pulled from got there? You getting maintenance records for that engine? You getting a carproof? All the questions we ask when we buy a used car. The risk is much greater than say buying a rim or body panel. When it comes to vital components, I'm not buying shit parts with no records and certainly not from some scrap yard.
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tebore wrote: Have you ever had to do an engine swap for a blown engine?
Like my Tongue in check anecdote implies. You don't know if an engine is going to work or be trash until it's in.

Can you do your home work? Maybe it's a lot of freaking work. Sure maybe you can scope the engine. But can you compression test it? Note likely.
Was it already spinning it's bearings before it got drove in to a lake? Maybe.
Maybe it's different for a transmission. A friend did source a transmission from the scrap yard for a gifted 2002 Accord and after that replacement, the car drives well.

I wouldn't have brought that up if I didn't know anyone who had successfully obtained a good working transmission to replace the broken one in the car but hey, I'm learning a lot on this thread.


Believe me, I would rather not have to spend thousands on repairs and just get a newer or new vehicle but for stuff like suspension, it seems those things can give the car a new lease on life lol. Just wanted to know if there are specific parts/components that can be replaced and almost be guaranteed to last a few years. Most aftermarket A/C parts (clutch, evap, condenser) are covered with some warranty so that's good to know.
Last edited by alanbrenton on Jan 15th, 2020 2:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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alanbrenton wrote: Maybe it's different for a transmission. A friend did source a transmission from the scrap yard for a gifted 2002 Accord and after that replacement, the car drives well.
Again luck of the draw. I might as well just get a rebuilt for a couple hundred more. Labour and downtime costs me more.
Tranny rebuilt is like what $1000 maybe? A junkyard tranny is $500?? Either way i'm in for $300 labour for a swap.
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And I'll be right there to sell you a tranny kit when it decides to implode.

Me being the scrap yard bro. That just sold you the tranny.

That will implode.
Last edited by koffey on Jan 15th, 2020 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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^ Do rebuilds come with some warranty on parts and labor?

Sounds like the only repairs (non-lottery type) worth pursuing on much older vehicles are those whose parts and labor are warranted for a period of time or those that are likely not going to break again like brand new suspension components or electrical ones (alternator, starter). :)

Good to know my two Honda's (17.5 and 9 y.o.) will eventually need to be retired but yeah I'll be confirming with owners on a dedicated thread whether repairs will be good use of my hard-earned money. Surprised to see people still chatting about the 7th gen Civic! :)
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alanbrenton wrote: ^ Do rebuilds come with some warranty on parts and labor?

Sounds like the only repairs (non-lottery type) worth pursuing on much older vehicles are those whose parts and labor are warranted for a period of time or those that are likely not going to break again like brand new suspension components or electrical ones (alternator, starter). :)

Good to know my Honda's will eventually need to be retired.
Junkyards will sometimes warranty the part.
But again you're on the hook for labour.
Why would a mechanic eat the cost of wasting his time when you buy the part for him.

There's always the scenario that a mechanic may get a Junk yard tranny for you but he's going to pad his risk taking. Then give you a 12 month warranty.

Generally mechanics hate doing that they'll get you a rebuilt because it's less risky.

Junkyards are great for non-critical or non moving parts. Mirrors, wheels, exhausts.
Or you're going to be doing a engine build up and swap. I know back in the day B16 swap that was popular people would get junk motors but then strip it down and build it up before dropping it back in.

Either way no one is covering your inconvenience.
Last edited by tebore on Jan 15th, 2020 2:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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I had a 6 month warranty on the scrap engine. It blew after about 7 weeks. Options, scrap yard, 400 auto wreckers by the way, avoid them, offered to pull and replace for time/labour. Can't remember the cost. Other option was to rebuild it, since the block was good, toss in some new internals and should be good to go. Had 1 year parts warranty, no labour because pulling and disassembling motors is fun. Now, lets say a rod decided to take a shit and shoot out the block that was just rebuilt. If I put new rods in, will the rod warranty cover a brand new motor? How do I prove it was their rod that they installed that I bought from them that cause the catastrophic failure? Anyways, that motor blew up after about 2 years, so a year out of warranty. Sourced a motor from a astro van, traded the truck for 86 cutlass supreme.
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tebore wrote: Junkyards will sometimes warranty the part.
But again you're on the hook for labour.
Why would a mechanic eat the cost of wasting his time when you buy the part for him.

There's always the scenario that a mechanic may get a Junk yard tranny for you but he's going to pad his risk taking. Then give you a 12 month warranty.

Generally mechanics hate doing that they'll get you a rebuilt because it's less risky.

Junkyards are great for non-critical or non moving parts. Mirrors, wheels, exhausts.
Or you're going to be doing a engine build up and swap. I know back in the day B16 swap that was popular people would get junk motors but then strip it down and build it up before dropping it back in.

Either way no one is covering your inconvenience.
Great recommendation. Sounds rebuild is the way to go then. Hopefully both of my Honda's can reach those anecdotal 300,000 miles. :)

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