The Good Car / Bad Car Maintenance Thread
Discussion
I though it may be interesting to look through people's car history and see what it has really cost when things go wrong, and to be unbiased to list out the cars that have behaved impeccably. So list out the car's age, model and include rough costs during your time of ownership (not including standard maintenance for wear and tear), so I am looking for engine and transmission rebuilds and other unexpected costs. I am sure there are a few surprises as I know there is in my list, it would be interesting to see which cars buck the trend, and which perform to type.
Really Good Cars
2005 Lexus RX300 (Owned 1yr - £0)
2007 Audi RS4 Avant (Owned 1yr - £0)
2008 Honda Civic 2.2 CDTi (Owned 3yrs - £0)
2003 Renault Clio 1.1 (Owned 18mths - £0)
1993 Rover Metro 1.4 Gti (Owned 3yrs - £200 clutch)
1998 Fiat Coupe Turbo 20VT (Owned 2yrs - £0)
Bad Cars
2008 Range Rover Sport (Owned 18mths - £2500 Rear tailgate, cruise control, air suspension and radio buttons)
2013 Audi A6 Avant (Owned 1yr - £?? Gearbox replacement under warranty)
1988 Escort RS Turbo (Owned 18mths - £1800, Bosh Metering Head, Cam Wear)
1998 Rover 220 Coupe (Owned 6mths - £1700, Recon Engine due to big end going)
1991 Nissan Primera (Owned 12mths - £800 Gearbox rebuild)
2011 VW Polo (Owned 6mnths - £? ECU failure under warranty)
Seems luck of the draw for me, I had new cars both were taken out of action by faults within the 1st couple of weeks of ownership. Yet at the other end of the scale I have a 80k mile Metro GTi that I ragged to death and only the clutch expired in 40k miles of hard use...go figure.
Really Good Cars
2005 Lexus RX300 (Owned 1yr - £0)
2007 Audi RS4 Avant (Owned 1yr - £0)
2008 Honda Civic 2.2 CDTi (Owned 3yrs - £0)
2003 Renault Clio 1.1 (Owned 18mths - £0)
1993 Rover Metro 1.4 Gti (Owned 3yrs - £200 clutch)
1998 Fiat Coupe Turbo 20VT (Owned 2yrs - £0)
Bad Cars
2008 Range Rover Sport (Owned 18mths - £2500 Rear tailgate, cruise control, air suspension and radio buttons)
2013 Audi A6 Avant (Owned 1yr - £?? Gearbox replacement under warranty)
1988 Escort RS Turbo (Owned 18mths - £1800, Bosh Metering Head, Cam Wear)
1998 Rover 220 Coupe (Owned 6mths - £1700, Recon Engine due to big end going)
1991 Nissan Primera (Owned 12mths - £800 Gearbox rebuild)
2011 VW Polo (Owned 6mnths - £? ECU failure under warranty)
Seems luck of the draw for me, I had new cars both were taken out of action by faults within the 1st couple of weeks of ownership. Yet at the other end of the scale I have a 80k mile Metro GTi that I ragged to death and only the clutch expired in 40k miles of hard use...go figure.
Really good cars
Most of them to be honest. I don't think I've ever had a big bill
Really bad cars
Land Rover Series 3 - in the last 5 years, I've had:
Most of them to be honest. I don't think I've ever had a big bill
Really bad cars
Land Rover Series 3 - in the last 5 years, I've had:
- Chassis snapped
- Headlight failed
- Indicator failed
- All electrics failed
- Big fire in engine bay (was fixed by thrashing it with a bunch of nettles on a green lane. Still works fine)
- Speedo failed (still doesn't work)
- Chassis snapped again (in a different place)
- Clutch overheated and failed (was fine once cooled off, though)
- Exhaust fell off
- Engine hot start issue
- Brake master cylinder failed
- Chassis snapped again (in a different place again!)
- Petrol tank rotted through
- Engine won't start when hot - ongoing problem
I think mine only had half of those issues, nearly all electrical.To be fair, most of those were caused by a little over-exuberance on my behalf, so I can't really blame the truck. Take away the self inflicted issues and I've had a few electrical niggles, a hot start problem and a rotted petrol tank. Not bad for a 31 year old truck that gets used most days
schmalex said:
Really bad cars
Land Rover Series 3 - in the last 5 years, I've had:
Sounds like a pretty good example tbh...Land Rover Series 3 - in the last 5 years, I've had:
- Chassis snapped
- Headlight failed
- Indicator failed
- All electrics failed
- Big fire in engine bay (was fixed by thrashing it with a bunch of nettles on a green lane. Still works fine)
- Speedo failed (still doesn't work)
- Chassis snapped again (in a different place)
- Clutch overheated and failed (was fine once cooled off, though)
- Exhaust fell off
- Engine hot start issue
- Brake master cylinder failed
- Chassis snapped again (in a different place again!)
- Petrol tank rotted through
- Engine won't start when hot - ongoing problem
Can't remember prices, but can remember the work required. Have also included the age and mileage of the cars while owned, where I can remember them:
Good
'94 Rover 214 - Owned 3 years, from '97 to 2000. ~40k miles to ~65k miles. New rad (corroded) & front brake discs. Else just routine stuff.
'97 Mazda 323F 1.8 - Owned in New Zealand for 3.5 years, from 2002 to 2006 and 60k miles to 94k miles. Cambelt (due when bought), else just needed routine servicing. Bombproof.
Less good
'03 Focus 1.8 TDCi - Owned 4.5y, from 2006 to 2011, and from 29k miles to 67k miles. Door lock failed. Cam sensor failed. Stereo failed & ate a CD. Tailgate struts failed. Door hinges wearing - door sagging. Intercooler hoses seeping oil. Poor cold starting.
'85 Fiat Uno 60S - First car, owned from 1997 to 1998, and from 66k miles to 68k miles. In fairness this was 12 years old when I got it and had spent it's entire life doing short trips and parked outside in the rain. Front suspension subframe corroded and was replaced, water pump failed, front doors corroded through along the lower edges. Shocks worn out. Else was pretty reliable.
Poor
'04 Seat Leon FR TDI - Owned from 2011 to 2014, 53k miles to 73k miles - ALternator clutch pulley failed, Door lock module failed, alloys corroded, water leaking through door membranes, boost pipes leaking, aircon fans failed, paint badly faded and lacquer peeling off all over the roof, front supension bushes worn out.
Good
'94 Rover 214 - Owned 3 years, from '97 to 2000. ~40k miles to ~65k miles. New rad (corroded) & front brake discs. Else just routine stuff.
'97 Mazda 323F 1.8 - Owned in New Zealand for 3.5 years, from 2002 to 2006 and 60k miles to 94k miles. Cambelt (due when bought), else just needed routine servicing. Bombproof.
Less good
'03 Focus 1.8 TDCi - Owned 4.5y, from 2006 to 2011, and from 29k miles to 67k miles. Door lock failed. Cam sensor failed. Stereo failed & ate a CD. Tailgate struts failed. Door hinges wearing - door sagging. Intercooler hoses seeping oil. Poor cold starting.
'85 Fiat Uno 60S - First car, owned from 1997 to 1998, and from 66k miles to 68k miles. In fairness this was 12 years old when I got it and had spent it's entire life doing short trips and parked outside in the rain. Front suspension subframe corroded and was replaced, water pump failed, front doors corroded through along the lower edges. Shocks worn out. Else was pretty reliable.
Poor
'04 Seat Leon FR TDI - Owned from 2011 to 2014, 53k miles to 73k miles - ALternator clutch pulley failed, Door lock module failed, alloys corroded, water leaking through door membranes, boost pipes leaking, aircon fans failed, paint badly faded and lacquer peeling off all over the roof, front supension bushes worn out.
etchacan said:
schmalex said:
Really bad cars
Land Rover Series 3 - in the last 5 years, I've had:
Sounds like a pretty good example tbh...Land Rover Series 3 - in the last 5 years, I've had:
- Chassis snapped
- Headlight failed
- Indicator failed
- All electrics failed
- Big fire in engine bay (was fixed by thrashing it with a bunch of nettles on a green lane. Still works fine)
- Speedo failed (still doesn't work)
- Chassis snapped again (in a different place)
- Clutch overheated and failed (was fine once cooled off, though)
- Exhaust fell off
- Engine hot start issue
- Brake master cylinder failed
- Chassis snapped again (in a different place again!)
- Petrol tank rotted through
- Engine won't start when hot - ongoing problem
Fiat Grande Punto T-Jet.
New ARB Drop links
Gearbox Oil change.
2 New tyres - which lastest 6k!! :O
Misfire - needed 4 new spark plugs and 2 new ign coils.
Gearbox oil leak - Done previously to my ownership (badly) by Fiat main stealer!
Snapped spring.
another 2 new tyres, to replace the crappy Pirelli's that last 6k.
New Clutch, Dual Mass and Concentric Slave Cylinder.
Needs:
Full Service.
New exhaust.
It was seriously abused the by previous owners, and i'm paying for it.
New ARB Drop links
Gearbox Oil change.
2 New tyres - which lastest 6k!! :O
Misfire - needed 4 new spark plugs and 2 new ign coils.
Gearbox oil leak - Done previously to my ownership (badly) by Fiat main stealer!
Snapped spring.
another 2 new tyres, to replace the crappy Pirelli's that last 6k.
New Clutch, Dual Mass and Concentric Slave Cylinder.
Needs:
Full Service.
New exhaust.
It was seriously abused the by previous owners, and i'm paying for it.
Seems like fun, I'll have a go...
Good:
2005 Honda Civic 1.6 Sport
Bought in March 2013 with 45,000 miles
Common service items done (inc. cambelt), all ok with that.
Suffered from a stuck caliper on the rear. Rear discs and pads replaced and caliper rebuilt (poorly serviced brakes from previous owners I suspect). Also has had air-con problems (gas being lost); traced to a broken pipe leading into the condensor. Pipe replaced, no problems since. Has an issue with the throttle body sticking closed, requires some adjustment (not difficult to do). Might be part of routine maintainence (my brothers car has suffered the same issue). Else all been fine. Current mileage is around 71,000 miles.
Somewhat good:
2005 BMW 120d, bought at 53,000 miles 3.5 years ago
Regular servicing (oil and filters, brake pads and brake fluid), all ok with that.
First issue: battery failed. Not a problem itself but...
Second issue: relays stuck on. Traced to water ingression due to a failed seal between the windscreen and body. Relay tray replaced with new relays, windscreen removed, cleaned up, rebonded back on. £1000 bill...
Third Issue: idler pulley broke off, no feed to the alternator. Fixed for £85.
Fourth issue: Engine running problems. Eventually traced to a coked / sludged inlet manifold. Degreased, and new air filters etc put in and values reset etc etc. Runs well now. £350.
Current mileage, 80,000 miles
I'm happy with the BMW though, the faults havnt been difficult to find and remedy albeit have been a bit costly and have also left my wife requiring sourcing some other transport. So inconvinient if nothing else.
Somewhat ok:
1999 VW Golf 1.6 Auto (Mk IV)
Usual servicing (spark plugs a ball ache to get to).
Needed rear suspension bushes replaced.
But the main, major issue:
Transmission failure, repeated. Auto transmission was not performing correctly, flair-ups between shifts (rpm rises while between gears). Fluid change did not solve issue. Gearbox eventually became very bad and went into limp-home mode (locked into 2nd gear). Gave rise to other issues with "running away" with itself. Became very dangerous. gearbox sent to a specialist who rebuilt it. Gearbox was put back in, no better. Issue not obvious and difficult to replicate for the technician (isnt that always the case!). Vehicle went back many times and had a lot of rebuilds (under warrenty, excellent transmission shop they were very good with this). Problem eventually deemed cured, but sold onto another owner.
>> plenty of reported problems with the "01M" transmission, we arnt the only ones to have suffered from such odd, hard-to-trace problems.
And finally, my trusty, trusty steed...a suzuki SV650s motorcycle
Bought in 2006 with 18,400 miles
dead regulator/rectifer (easily traced, easily fixed)
dodgy starter solenoid (easily traced, easily fixed)
stuck choke plungers in carbs (easily traced, easily fixed)
Clutch plates needed replacing at 40,000 miles
Exhaust gaskets replaced at 63,000 miles
Other faults: Car driver doing a u-turn, pedestrian run out in front of me, my dodgy electrical skills resulting in ignition switch assembly needing replacing.
Current mileage: 73,000 miles. An excellent purchase which, despite the faults has proved quite easy to work on and have fixed. It remains my favorite vehicle of all time ever anywhere in the universe.
Good:
2005 Honda Civic 1.6 Sport
Bought in March 2013 with 45,000 miles
Common service items done (inc. cambelt), all ok with that.
Suffered from a stuck caliper on the rear. Rear discs and pads replaced and caliper rebuilt (poorly serviced brakes from previous owners I suspect). Also has had air-con problems (gas being lost); traced to a broken pipe leading into the condensor. Pipe replaced, no problems since. Has an issue with the throttle body sticking closed, requires some adjustment (not difficult to do). Might be part of routine maintainence (my brothers car has suffered the same issue). Else all been fine. Current mileage is around 71,000 miles.
Somewhat good:
2005 BMW 120d, bought at 53,000 miles 3.5 years ago
Regular servicing (oil and filters, brake pads and brake fluid), all ok with that.
First issue: battery failed. Not a problem itself but...
Second issue: relays stuck on. Traced to water ingression due to a failed seal between the windscreen and body. Relay tray replaced with new relays, windscreen removed, cleaned up, rebonded back on. £1000 bill...
Third Issue: idler pulley broke off, no feed to the alternator. Fixed for £85.
Fourth issue: Engine running problems. Eventually traced to a coked / sludged inlet manifold. Degreased, and new air filters etc put in and values reset etc etc. Runs well now. £350.
Current mileage, 80,000 miles
I'm happy with the BMW though, the faults havnt been difficult to find and remedy albeit have been a bit costly and have also left my wife requiring sourcing some other transport. So inconvinient if nothing else.
Somewhat ok:
1999 VW Golf 1.6 Auto (Mk IV)
Usual servicing (spark plugs a ball ache to get to).
Needed rear suspension bushes replaced.
But the main, major issue:
Transmission failure, repeated. Auto transmission was not performing correctly, flair-ups between shifts (rpm rises while between gears). Fluid change did not solve issue. Gearbox eventually became very bad and went into limp-home mode (locked into 2nd gear). Gave rise to other issues with "running away" with itself. Became very dangerous. gearbox sent to a specialist who rebuilt it. Gearbox was put back in, no better. Issue not obvious and difficult to replicate for the technician (isnt that always the case!). Vehicle went back many times and had a lot of rebuilds (under warrenty, excellent transmission shop they were very good with this). Problem eventually deemed cured, but sold onto another owner.
>> plenty of reported problems with the "01M" transmission, we arnt the only ones to have suffered from such odd, hard-to-trace problems.
And finally, my trusty, trusty steed...a suzuki SV650s motorcycle
Bought in 2006 with 18,400 miles
dead regulator/rectifer (easily traced, easily fixed)
dodgy starter solenoid (easily traced, easily fixed)
stuck choke plungers in carbs (easily traced, easily fixed)
Clutch plates needed replacing at 40,000 miles
Exhaust gaskets replaced at 63,000 miles
Other faults: Car driver doing a u-turn, pedestrian run out in front of me, my dodgy electrical skills resulting in ignition switch assembly needing replacing.
Current mileage: 73,000 miles. An excellent purchase which, despite the faults has proved quite easy to work on and have fixed. It remains my favorite vehicle of all time ever anywhere in the universe.
Good Cars
2006 Ford Fiesta - Mum has owned this from new so 9 years now only on 55k miles but it has never failed a MOT or needed anything other than a routine service apart from a ecu issue fixed FOC by Ford.
2003 Clio 172 - Owned 18 Months and 22k miles thrashed the f
k out of it and just needed a set of front tyres and a routine service.
2005 MG ZR - Owned 12 months again trashed (18) no issues at all
2008 Ford Mondeo (Dad) - 100k miles 3 years no issues from new
2012 Ford Focus - As above
Bad Cars
2002 VW Golf GTI - New Bottom End, New Headgasket, New Turbo, New Springs, New A/C Compressor, New Clutch, Electrical Issues, New Front Subframe (Rust) few others bits in 12 months and 10k miles fking terrible.
2006 VW Passat 1.9 TDI (From New) - Owned 2 years needed a new turbo, new gearbox, electrical issues, electronic handbrake got stuck on in London so my Dad left the car as was leaving the company and had given up with it at that point.
2003 Audi A6 2.5 TDI (Dad) - Owned as a company car from new engine fked up injectors/camshaft wear from memory had to be rebuilt under warranty at 50k ish miles.
Basically our family doesn't seem to get on with the VW group...
2006 Ford Fiesta - Mum has owned this from new so 9 years now only on 55k miles but it has never failed a MOT or needed anything other than a routine service apart from a ecu issue fixed FOC by Ford.
2003 Clio 172 - Owned 18 Months and 22k miles thrashed the f
k out of it and just needed a set of front tyres and a routine service.2005 MG ZR - Owned 12 months again trashed (18) no issues at all
2008 Ford Mondeo (Dad) - 100k miles 3 years no issues from new
2012 Ford Focus - As above
Bad Cars
2002 VW Golf GTI - New Bottom End, New Headgasket, New Turbo, New Springs, New A/C Compressor, New Clutch, Electrical Issues, New Front Subframe (Rust) few others bits in 12 months and 10k miles f
king terrible.2006 VW Passat 1.9 TDI (From New) - Owned 2 years needed a new turbo, new gearbox, electrical issues, electronic handbrake got stuck on in London so my Dad left the car as was leaving the company and had given up with it at that point.
2003 Audi A6 2.5 TDI (Dad) - Owned as a company car from new engine f
ked up injectors/camshaft wear from memory had to be rebuilt under warranty at 50k ish miles. Basically our family doesn't seem to get on with the VW group...
Most of mine have been pretty good. Standout at either extreme though:
2003 Golf GT TDI 130 (mk4) - had it 6 years, now well over 140,000 miles. Needed a clutch/DMF kit, front wishbone bushes and a new dipstick tube. Otherwise servicing and consumables only.
2004 Renault Grand Scenic 1.9dCi - bought at 2 yrs old. Sold at 4 yrs old after:
2003 Golf GT TDI 130 (mk4) - had it 6 years, now well over 140,000 miles. Needed a clutch/DMF kit, front wishbone bushes and a new dipstick tube. Otherwise servicing and consumables only.
2004 Renault Grand Scenic 1.9dCi - bought at 2 yrs old. Sold at 4 yrs old after:
- Power steering column failure
- Famous Megane window regulator failure (x3)
- Tyre pressure monitoring system failure
- Instrument panel failure
- Worn guide on panoramic roof (at 27,000 miles!)
- Spurious "CHECK INJECTION" warnings on the computer
- Sudden, catastrophic failure of the clutch slave cylinder, necessitating recovery.
I'll join the masses...I've excluded spending on scheduled maintenance/wear items as per the OP, but included estimates for costs of some items that were replaced under warranty. I've also tried to judge on a ratio against mileage/time period and the type of car versus work required.
Good
1990 Toyota Corolla 1.6 Auto (owned for 1 year/20k miles) - £0
2004 MG ZS 180 (6 years/20k miles) - £100 for airbag wiring mod, £50 for thermostat & housing
Not bad
1999 Lotus Elise 111S (owned for 2 years/8k miles & counting) - £350 for radiator & associated bits
2006 Nissan Micra 160SR (owned for 18 months/15k miles) - £100 for airbag wiring repair
Bad
2003 Ford Focus 1.6 (owned for 4 years/60k miles) - 2x pairs of rear wheel bearings, 1x coil pack, 1x steering column, 1x wiper stalk, 1x clockspring; estimate around £1500 for it all
2005 Ford Focus ST170 (owned for 3 years/40k miles) - 2x lambda sensors, 1x sump reseal, 3x cam cover gaskets, 1x thermostat housing; estimate around £400
To be fair I've been reasonably lucky with cars so far, helped with a dollop of preventative maintenance creeping in as I've got older/more experienced. Even the two Ford's, the worst of the bunch, I didn't consider too bad, although the first Focus being my first car I perhaps view with rose tinted glasses...
Good
1990 Toyota Corolla 1.6 Auto (owned for 1 year/20k miles) - £0
2004 MG ZS 180 (6 years/20k miles) - £100 for airbag wiring mod, £50 for thermostat & housing
Not bad
1999 Lotus Elise 111S (owned for 2 years/8k miles & counting) - £350 for radiator & associated bits
2006 Nissan Micra 160SR (owned for 18 months/15k miles) - £100 for airbag wiring repair
Bad
2003 Ford Focus 1.6 (owned for 4 years/60k miles) - 2x pairs of rear wheel bearings, 1x coil pack, 1x steering column, 1x wiper stalk, 1x clockspring; estimate around £1500 for it all
2005 Ford Focus ST170 (owned for 3 years/40k miles) - 2x lambda sensors, 1x sump reseal, 3x cam cover gaskets, 1x thermostat housing; estimate around £400
To be fair I've been reasonably lucky with cars so far, helped with a dollop of preventative maintenance creeping in as I've got older/more experienced. Even the two Ford's, the worst of the bunch, I didn't consider too bad, although the first Focus being my first car I perhaps view with rose tinted glasses...
itcaptainslow said:
Bad
2005 Ford Focus ST170 (owned for 3 years/40k miles) - 2x lambda sensors, 1x sump reseal, 3x cam cover gaskets, 1x thermostat housing; estimate around £400.
Amazed you class £400 for 3 years and 40k miles motoring comprised of a couple of gaskets and a thermostat/lambada sensor as bad because to me that sounds pretty good I think you must have been very lucky!2005 Ford Focus ST170 (owned for 3 years/40k miles) - 2x lambda sensors, 1x sump reseal, 3x cam cover gaskets, 1x thermostat housing; estimate around £400.
greggy50 said:
itcaptainslow said:
Bad
2005 Ford Focus ST170 (owned for 3 years/40k miles) - 2x lambda sensors, 1x sump reseal, 3x cam cover gaskets, 1x thermostat housing; estimate around £400.
Amazed you class £400 for 3 years and 40k miles motoring comprised of a couple of gaskets and a thermostat/lambada sensor as bad because to me that sounds pretty good I think you must have been very lucky!2005 Ford Focus ST170 (owned for 3 years/40k miles) - 2x lambda sensors, 1x sump reseal, 3x cam cover gaskets, 1x thermostat housing; estimate around £400.
I'm fortunate I can DIY most things so the prices I quote are for parts only.
MX5: Owned for one year. Nothing broke
Eunos: Owned for 6 months. Old, tired example, needed new brake lines at around £200
MX5 Phoenix: Owned for 18 months: Nothing at all
RX8: Owned for 2 months. Nothing broke, didn't keep it long enough!
Elise: Owned for almost 2 months now. Head gasket!
Eunos: Owned for 6 months. Old, tired example, needed new brake lines at around £200
MX5 Phoenix: Owned for 18 months: Nothing at all
RX8: Owned for 2 months. Nothing broke, didn't keep it long enough!
Elise: Owned for almost 2 months now. Head gasket!
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