I had a Benz new 18 years ago and it broke down so often that I eventually sold it. I remember, the window comes down but can’t roll back up right after warranty expired and dealer asked me for $1600 to replace it. I opened the console to pull the springs on all switches and it worked. After the Benz I bought an Infiniti QX56. After 15 years with 200k miles, I have never gone to the garage except for oil change. That damn truck is running fine as aged wine.
I wish ICON had been around when I bought my toolbox. I want to add a side locker and/or top locker to my Matco 6s, but I’m not going to pay $5k for it.
I have a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. At 260,000 miles I replaced the transmission,305,000 miles I replaced the engine with a Jasper. Considering the cost of used cars today it made sense to put the engine in. A Jeep is kind of a timeless vehicle so it can still be cool to drive. Love the channel guys and I’m not a mechanic but I still enjoy the content
I hate Jeeps, mostly for the way they drive. But I concede your point, they are somewhat timeless. I think you made a good decision on investing in the engine.
I've had a lot of cool cars over the years including 3 BMWs and 4 Porsches. The ONLY reason I was able to do this is by doing ALL the service myself. Our current 2006 X3 with 200,000 miles and 1994 325 with 330,000 miles (we bought new) have only one trip to the dealer between them. Learning to work on vehicles at a young age definitely pays off!!!
I agree 100%! I get a double advantage as my main ride is a 2002 Toyota Tacoma. I'm retired now and bought it new. Never replaced the alternator, starter or anything major; only maintained properly with synthetic fluids and replaced timing belt and water pump at 105K for maintenance. I now have over 276000 miles and don't do anything but oil changes (~ every 7000 miles) and brakes (~ every 80000 miles). Now I'm older and I drive like an old man, so the truck runs like new; it rarely spools up over 2000 rpm. It's a beautiful machine. I'm 59 and I believe it will outlive me!
I've owned two E Class Merc's. Nice, reliable cars. They had distributor caps! The newer Audi V8's are nice, but the timing chains being next to the firewall means no go for me. Great design for billable hours though!
Loved my 128i. Lots of wrench time to own it on the cheap. At 13 years and 100k I had to say goodbye. Brakes all around, alternator & starter, plus ac compressor at end life.
Learning to repair and maintain vehicles at a young age while staying current helps to stay on top of maintenance. I've been performing all maintenance and repairs for 54 years, save for a couple of small warranty issues.
As a former bmw mechanic. I am surprised!! Then I thought of my "bad" customers. I told you to replace that oil filter housing seal now we're doing Seven Grand of engine internal repairs. When your European mechanic tells you to replace a $5 gasket listen to them.
Well it depends on how often said customer checks the oil and how bad it is the seepage. Old NA bmws can leak and leak and leak for a long time as long as it is small. The main issue that causes leaks is PCV/CCV system.
My former bmw mechanics never could fix it . Good ole Hollywood, LA area. Not until a Bellingham WA mechanic solved it . He said my E 36 was the last of the bulletproof engines. Over 200,000 miles original engine and trans
I love that he's using Harbor Freight Tool Chests - I did that early on (no longer work with tools) and so many people believed you needed a snapon or matco tool chest to be a pro
Good video. I have a 2011 Audi TT Quattro S Line, 2.0 TFSI, 145K. And yes I've had to fix oil & coolant leaks but at least once fixed, it's not reoccurring. So far. The repair bill sux but when it's right, it's fun to drive.
I service my own cars including Porsches and BMW's. Porsches are incredibly expensive to maintain and would likely be #1 on this list if they saw any frequency.
I’ve got a 2010 E550 and at 10 years like you said, the air suspension failed all around. It was not cheap to fix but I did it. Knock on wood nothing almost at any cost for repairs in 15 years - and a long long time with no car payment so Benz worth it to me. Other factors, Benz white paint seems to hold up exceptionally well. 135k miles and she still looks very good. Customer for life.
I think this was a great educational video. Yet I think longevity is the thing that gets overlooked. Yours is a perfect example, a 2 Ton performance car whose adjustable suspension lasted 10 years. Most similar cars would have been on the 2nd set of normal shocks/struts easily. Plus 10k oil change intervals. I've had 3 black ones, (all used) The paint is amazing with proper care.
I have owned 30 cars and the most reliable and lowest cost to maintain have been: 2004 Honda Civic, 2005 Honda Accord (V6), 2017 and 2020 Mazda 3, 2004 Toyota Celica, 2002 Toyota Corolla and 2004 Mazda Miata. All non turbo and a couple with manual transmissions. Simple is better if you want reliability and low maintenance costs. However my most fun cars have been BMWs. Amazing to drive but needs regular proactive maintenance. Regardless of what you drive find a good independent mechanic and/or do basic maintenance yourself.
I've daily driven a 2003 Chevy Impala and I believe including oil changes, I've put 3 grand into it since I bought it in 2007. It's well maintained, it's getting up miles, this year it did cost a little more and it's getting toward retirement age, but reliability and lowest cost to maintain over the years for me has been that car. It is the 9C3 police model so it has a heavy duty transmission, suspension, brakes (have replaced brakes and suspension). It's a work horse.
I just found your channel with the top 5 least expensive cars to own. Then came to watch this one. Bought new I drove my 2005 Mustang for 14yrs. When even Ford dealer couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it (under 90k miles) i sadly had to sell it for something reliable and chose a used 2014 Mazda 3 Touring with over 80k miles. I’ve driven it now 5yrs and it’s dependable for sure. I’m the first in my family to own a Mazda. I really miss my sporty Mustang even now. But I still have fun driving this little car
Ford’s 4.8 V8 Panther platform (Crown Vic, Merc G Marquee, LC Town Car) is not only reliable & long lived, but parts are easy to find, reasonably priced & there’s plenty of room to navigate under the hood, so repairs are typically very easy. Buick 3800 Series II V6s were another extremely dependable power plant, w/many reaching 300k & higher on the original motor.
Meh, no, the 3800 was often found hydrolocked because the EGR heat cracked the plastic intake manifold, and had it's share of lower intake manifold gasket problems as well. If you caught the problems and repaired them, sure it would go a long time, but that's in the realm of non-trivial, can't really think it is similar to replacing worn out water pump since that is a wear item. At least their water pumps were cheap and easy to replace.
New cars are now like kitchen appliances. Built well enough to get thru the warranty period and then start falling apart after a few years of use. All the plastic parts and only designed to make it easy on the factory to put together
I read an article decades ago discussing how the Germans and I think EU officials decided on a grand compromise. The cars would be recyclable and not last. This would mean more jobs and profits while reducing the problem with old cars with poor emissions and mileage staying in the fleet. Some of the old Mercedes diesels could easily be kept going for decades, but they had dirty emissions. This wasn’t desirable to anyone except the owners who wanted relatively cheap transportation.
Drove 2 Range Rovers for 35 years and Sherwood is dead on about maintenance & repair costs…but I loved them (2) and got both to 250K+ miles. However, they did own my wallet despite frequent preventive service. Just bought a 2024 Mercedes 450 GLE Airmatic so good to see that I stay in the top five! Great video.
If you can afford a Range Rover or MB, you can afford the maintenance. No pity from me on how expensive it is to maintain you four wheeled transportation appliance with a fancy badge.🤣
He’s spot on with Audi VW this coming from someone who’s had over 27 of these vehicles. Reliable but you need to stay up on oil leaks. But the main mechanical bits are very solid.
Only enough, my most expensive car in terms of repairs was an Acura integra I owned for 13 years. By Least expensive, my 2005 Audi TT 3.2L DSG Quattro. In 15 years of daily driver use, parked outdoors, I spent $45 on a broken brake light switch. Other than that, just scheduled maintenance. In the 3 years since then, I have had to replace the fuel pump, and I sunk about 3 grand into cosmetics- new headliner, refurbished headlights, and some repainting on the spoiler, rear hatch and roof. Still drives like new. Still looks like new inside and out. Still fast and fun. Best car ownership experience of my life.
@ It’s true. I had the integra for 13 years and it’s not like it was unreliable. Its just cost a lot to fix over that long. It went thru 2 radiators, an alternator, multiple sets of spark plugs, and the brake rotors would warp any time you had a really hard brake event. Had them replaned or replaced 5 times. And the all plastic interior just gradually fell apart . For the integra, 8 grand over the years on just repairs. The TT has been a gem of a car. Way better to drive, way better looking and sounding than any other car I’ve had. I bought it 2 years old with 14k miles off a lease to a young woman who had driven it fast everywhere, but never raced it or jackrabbited it. So it was broken in perfectly. The 05 car in the US did not have the “launch control” feature that the European cars had that young men were so prone to abuse. And The DSG transmission really protects the power train overall. You cannot drive the US issue DSG over redline. It has a governor set just under 130 so you can’t top out 6th gear over redline. And even in manual mode it will upshift the instant you hit redline if you are still accelerating in every other gear. It never misses a perfect shift, and never forgets to shift into first at a stop. And the interior on the TT is still like new. The leather is a little worn yet still in great shape, but everything inside the car that looks like metal is real aluminum, not chromed plastic. Audi wanted this car to be their design masterpiece. So, seriously, first 15 years, only a broken brake light switch, and scheduled maintenance. But I admit that scheduled maintenance on the TT was more costly than the integra. Oil changes on engine, transmission and haldex were moderately more expensive. And I went thru a lot more of those z rated tires. But I did not include the scheduled maintenance costs on the integra or the TT. For example, New brake pads on the TT ran around $1800. But in 18 years I have only had to replace them twice. On the integra it was more like $900, but in 13 years I not only had to replace them 4 times, But I also had to resurface the rotors twice, and have them replaced 3 times, because the rotors were prone to warping- which I count as repairs since I never had to replace nor re-surface a rotor on the TT. But scheduled maintenance, overall, was only moderately higher on the TT which I would expect given the car was much higher performing and its original sticker price was 64k in 2005. ( 2 years later- with 14k on the clock, I paid only 32K for it ) Now, in the last 4 years, I have had some repairs done. I replaced the headlights due to rat and sun damage. I replaced a taillight due to a chip from a rock. I replaced the instrument cluster for the common dreaded red screen issue. I re-did the headliner due to its peeling loose from being parked in the sun for 17 years. I have had the roof, rear deck and spoiler repainted due to the clear coat starting to show sun damage and ceramic coated the car. And I have had the wheels refurbished. So at present I am about 5 grand in. But the result is I have a design classic high performing and elegant car that looks and drives like it’s new. The integra cost me more than that just to keep it running. And I would never have invested 5 additional grand into an old integra, just to keep it looking sharp. Just in terms of ownership enjoyment and appreciation, the TT has been vastly more worth its cost and has cost me a fraction of what I feared it might. The integra cost me less in buying and upkeep, but a lot more in breakage and repairs.
@christopherpardell4418 I have an 18 year old TL with 290,000 miles and have only had the timing belt and water pump repleaced when they were do for preventive maintenance every 100,000 miles. Brakes done once. That's it. I guess we just drive differently, vastly differently... Also, I know some older folks who have more money then they need and drive Audis. That is when they aren't at the dealer for warrenty repairs. Its annoying giving them rides al the time. What happened to dealership loaners?
@ I never put a lot of miles on my vehicles. The Integra I had for 13 years I think had 100,000 miles on it when I sold it. And the TT I’ve had for 18 only has 133k on it. My ‘commute’ is about 3 miles. Other than that and shopping runs, I’ve driven them the length of california a dozen times each. To a certain extent, I think it’s just luck. Some specific model years are better than others. Or even some individual cars might be lemons while others off the same line do fine. I am not saying a TT would be cheaper for everyone. Most of the folks who buy them likely drive them really hard. Men in particular. About the only serious difference in how each was driven was that the Integra was driven by my GF on a regular basis, whereas no one drives the TT but me. Also, the Integra was a 94 Whereas the TT was a 2005. Mid aughts Audi’s were pretty well built cars. I think folks issue with Audi are not issues of reliability or breakdowns. It’s just a more expensive car out of the box, and any repairs you DO need are more costly in general.
When I saw Audi in the video, my heart sank because i'm considering buying a TT mk3. Your comment is very reassuring. I hope the mk3 is as good as yours.
Info like this with stats and general experience is invaluable, so thankyou. I would love to see a constant series, running down specific models from brands. If certain models are better than others, it's important to point it out and perhaps discover root cause. Opinions can be just as powerful as trends in statistics, so please don't be afraid to share. This type of insight is lacking in a big way for this industry and around the web. I'm looking forward to the least expensive follow up video, and in general perhaps gleaning the more important concern of which models and brands are reliable, regardless of how costly maintenance is when things go wrong.
Good info and not surprising. I used to buy vehicles by how “cool” I thought they were. I now buy 3rd year model Honda and Toyota’s to avoid costly repairs.
had an avalon which was the worst car I ever owned - cost me an arm and a leg. Not old either. Conversely also had a corolla which was fine (but very dull). Best vehicle was a diesel golf - bombproof.
When I lived in Dubai I bought a 2005 Mercedes C230K with an AMG sports kit brand new. Transmission issues, crank case issues, aircon issues, brake issues, engine issues, electrical issues, air conditioning failures, twice. It was lovely to drive, when it worked, but after two years on a three year lease I took a hit to get out of the lease early. Not a month went by when that thing wasn't in the shop for three days waiting for parts. All covered under warranty, but I just couldn't stand the inconvenience of not having the car available when I needed it. On the other hand, I had a 2002 911-S4 which was excellent, but impractical since I needed to take more than one person with me on occasion and the rear seats are for amputees. I had an Alfa for three years and no issues with that either, which was surprising. I've also owned Honda, Mitsubishi and Mazda, absolutely no issues at all. Also recently sold a Kia Forte 5 that was a good car, I must have gotten a good engine, or the engines on the Korean made cars sold in Asia are better than the ones sold in the US. Funny enough, I work in the Philippines now and have a Chinese made 2001 Ford Territory here, just over three years old now and all I've had to do is oil and filter changes. Very impressed with the build quality and ADAS features, and strangely the Chinese made Ecoboost engines are different from those sold in the US. They have timing chains instead of belts, and the blocks are cast iron instead of aluminum, at least on their four cylinder engines. They also use Honeywell turbos instead of the Borg Warner ones in the US models. They claim that they are "revised" for the Chinese and SE Asian markets with reliability in mind.
I own a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado with a 5.3 V 8 It has 660,000 original miles with only having to replace the differential at 440,000 miles. Everything on it works !!!!
There is beginning to be a consensus forming that the GMT800 ('99-06) GMCs and Chevys are peak truck. Modern enough to have proper road manners and features without the excessive complexity of later trucks.
For the Dodges, 2006 was a turning point on Diesels with DEF. Then there is the 5.7L that has lifter issues from cylinder deactivation. But with a 4.7L, they can last a while with the 5-speed transmission.
My guess is that a quality independent shop like this sees a lot of the sticker shock items from the dealer repair shops as an alternative so the average would be higher here. This may not reflect the true average cost for repairs but is likely a compliment to the quality of this shop and the value they provide for higher cost repairs.
I decided to check the PCV valve on my old Highlander at 180,000 miles because I was changing the valve cover gasket. I checked and the valve was under $10 and in stock. It simply plugged in the back of the valve cover. It was clean and functioning.I'm at 201,000 miles and 18 years and it has never dripped oil or broken down. The valve cover gasket was for a cosmetic leak.
Good video - thank you! I suggest adding two easy pieces of data. One is the average age of the cars and the other is the amount of average miles. Thanks again!
I've owned a 2011 Audi S4 since new, and you started the video describing something that happened to my car. I did the service myself but it was time consuming and not for the faint of heart. I still have and love my Audi, but I do not want to do the service myself if/when it happens again.
Great video! I also enjoyed the one on the least expensive to maintain. It would be useful if the survey was constrained to vehicles under 10 years old and 150,000 miles. The average person doesn't keep a vehicle beyond this so it would give a good estimate of cost-of-ownership. Increasing the sample to three or four years would help smooth out any anomalies that might exist.
Got a 2010 Mercedes w221/S550 NA V8 and I can say it’s been worth the maintenance cost. Plus the maintenance cost are cheaper than a car note. 202k on the odometer and still rides better than most new vehicles I rent when traveling. It’s on my page btw!
Thought it was funny you pointed out the oil filter housing for jeep, dodge, Chrysler. We literally just replaced the one on our Chrysler just a little over a week ago and I noticed it looks like a Dorman on the jeep in the video…def looks to be superior part since it’s metal compared to factory and that’s what we put back in as well. Maybe stuff like that wouldn’t fail as often if it wasn’t made out of plastic lol
Very helpful video thank you. I knew Ford had to be up there. My dad has a 4.2 from 2008 and I think ever since he had 45,000 miles on it there’s been three repairs yearly exceeding $200 and that’s basically Parts alone.
When I bought my first M Benz, I also purchased a 8qt oil extractor and the filter socket. It costs me roughly $50 dollars to do an oil change ve $500 at the dealer. The best part is not having to climb under the car or getting dirty.
Great list. Land Rover doesn't surprise me. You take it to the dealer and they say, "We dont know what's wrong yet, but we know it will cost you $3500". HVAC, differential, water leak, oil leaks, suspension...
Sherwood, I just want to give my thoughts on the Chrysler Pentastar engine. My example is in my ‘12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible. I believe that frequent and on time oil changes is critical to an engine like the Pentastar because of the small oil passages associated with the variable valve timing feature. As a DIYer I replaced my own oil filter/oil cooler housing with a Dorman aluminum unit. I did this before I had any leaks and the convertible now has just 77,400 miles. It is my favorite and my retirement ride in this life.
I got a 2019 Jeep grand Cherokee Limited, had 18,000 miles on it when I bought it now has just over 100,000 and the only problems I had were normal where issues, tires and brakes, that’s it. It’s been an excellent vehicle for me.
Take into account the corrosion issues for the cars in the snow belts. My Mercedes was well cared for, but rust issues killed it. This was a great video.
Haven't even watched it until the end, really loving it, but it brings to mind something I've heard, about engineers needing to meet with repairers, on the design journey to a final product...okay, updated comment, saw it until the end, guessed Land Rover, lol! Ford and GM are no surprise
It seems like it would be easy to do and would be valuable for many people considering pre-owned purchasing to know repair costs for those cars between 5 &10 years old and/or with 50k to 100k miles.
Just sold a 2011 Audi S5 that felt like a ticking time bomb every time I drove it at 94000 miles. Small oil leak at oil cooler o-ring turned into broken plastic thermostat cover, which is sold as a unit with water pump, ended up costing $1350. Was a great car, but entering the big dollar repair zone with known timing chains issues. Feel much relief having gotten rid of it. Got stuck with a ‘98 jag XJ8 after doing timing chains. Never again.
@@OCISupport-yj5bdit is clearly not because cars are bad. But because second and third owners decide it is not "worth" fixing. The fate of bimmers. If taken care of ON TIME they problems are concentrated around a few engine models and they are far between
I own a 2015 335GT and like to think of myself as a shade tree/DIY mechanic and I am not surprised one bit that BMW is #2. The price of parts isn’t terrible, it’s the labor hours being charged by the shops to get to the part being replaced. 😮
You are correct about what you are saying. My 2017 Jeep Rubicon need new Rockers, Lifters and we are doing the Oil Cooler as well. It’s still a good Jeep but poor quality components used by Chrysler means we have to do the necessary upgrades. Very well explained in the video.
Be sure to look at Tesla Model S for the least expensive. We bought a new 2014 model S and have only had to replace tires and wiper blades in 141,000 miles! Original brake pads still good. Amazing. Battery was replaced under warranty at 94,000 miles( no cost to us). Hard to beat these numbers. Car also came with free super charging for life. Car was expensive ( $126,000 in 2014) but no maintenance.
A friend of mine got the same Tesla, 4 Motors and many minor problems as water intrusion, HV water leaks, complete suspension......you just got a good one or you do not drive it as my friend 😂
Cheapest brand to own according to Consumer Reports survey. Model 3 at~$4000 over 10 years. Also Model S broke their assessment score with an 11 out of 10. And MotorTrend best car in their 75 year review history.
It completely depends on the vehicle more so than the manufacturer. I work on all my vehicles and the easiest car to maintain has been my bmw m550i. Oil change, plugs, brake fluid changes, brakes/rotor change, trans filter/fluid, diff fluids, transfer case fluid, filter, etc… I’ve done them all and it’s been a pleasure to work on. Educate yourself on the basics instead of being a helpless car owner and form your own opinion. Otherwise, you will be a victim of repair shops.
As a data nerd I absolutely love a change of pace with videos like this! It’s probably a data privacy/ownership issue but would be cool to see the (anonymous) numbers dumped into an Excel workbook or something too, but I’d understand if that’s too much work or not possible!
We had a 2009 civic that cracked the head. We took it back to honda 3x before they figured it out. Aparently, it was a real problem for that motor. We just can't win
Had a 1993 FORD taurus and put 188,000 on it. Only issues were 2 water pump replacement. Drove it across country with 185k, averaged 26 mpg. Damn good car
We are an Audi family on our 5th Audi/VW and I hear that they are unreliable have multiple issues but I guess we just have been lucky. Only issue to date on the 4 Audi’s and 1 VW was the exhaust rotted needing replacement on 1 car? I use scheduled maintenance intervals at dealer (cost @ $200- $600) for Audi’s up to 50k then I do maintenance, change oil, filters, lube hinges, I change all brakes myself. Last A4 we owned had 7 years with 125,000 miles before got rid of.
I have 205k miles on my A4 on the original clutch and have only had three issues; carbon buildup, weak injector, and a fuel pump that started to go bad. Never left me stranded and runs like a top.
This pretty much confirms to me (DYI folks) to avoid ALL European vehicles plus Dodge/Jeep & ALL Ford Turbos! ( Unless you can afford to always replace at warranty expiration!) Cars today are unfortunately BY DESIGN no longer be reasonably owner maintained. I have never paid for an oil change for 55 years, but beyond that am frustrated by no longer being able to maintain my vehicles. Even Brake Jobs are now stupid complicated ! DYI auto maintenance is sadly dying!
Love my BMW 530, so far never had an issue in 3 years of ownership. But I do know that spare parts are not cheap , and it always pays to have a problem fixed sooner rather than later. Worst car I know of: my nephew‘s Jeep. Indestructible: my uncles oldish Mercedes E class, 300 000 miles and running…..Very decent: various GM models and a Buick we have in the family, not troublesome at all!
BMW and Mercedes have got to be on the list. The 5 Bimmers ive owned thru the last 20 years always had valve cover and oil pans that leaked oil. Least expensive to own, Japenese and Korean Brands.
I moved from GM to Toyota about 10 years ago....They are not 'super cheap' on repairs, but you don't get hit in the wallet so frequently on them with surprise repairs... I have 2 Toyotas, a Tacoma and a FJ Cruiser, 3 Lexus rides including a GX460 and a RX350, and a 2003 ES300..I feel like I'm getting my money out of them and I'm not going broke because 90% of the repairs needed are DIY...😄😄😄
Yep, I have two Chrysler products & two Toyota products and the Toyotas are 2x the cost to repair for the same parts, but the frequency is probably 10x less. Great cars!
When I owned a transmission shop years ago, Landrover was nearly the top. Not only were the parts expensive, but they were prohibitively hard to get. There was no aftermarket supply, and everything was proprietary to the dealer/manufacturer.
I have a 2016 Ram 1500 hemi that I picked up in 2021 with 94k and still have with currently 146k miles on it. This is what I recommend to extend the life of the hemi & cut down common issues: 1. Get a tuner to delete/bypass the AFM feature. 2. Use quality full synthetic oil (Mobil 1, Pennzoil, Amsoil, etc) 3. Use a quality oil filter (wix, Mobil 1, etc) 4. DONT GO MORE THAN 4k MILES on oil changes. 5. CUT DOWN IDLING YOUR HEMI. This is a big one 6. If you are putting a new engine (hemi) in it. Upgrade the oil pump. Melling make a high flow oil pump and I hear they work great
@@rebert69I have a 2017 Ram hemi and do all the above plus run 5/30 Valvoline high mileage oil. Just hit 95k and had my mechanic buddy do plugs, coolant and tranny drain n fill. Valvoline tranny fluid and mopar coolant. Only engine issue so far was exhaust manifold bolts which was covered under my certified powertrain warranty. Few other things like fuel sending unit twice and third backup camera. Beyond that all good 👍
You should have bumped it up to 200k mi, include a rental and salary offset coverage. I avoid these warranty scams because the manufacturer can use loopholes to avoid honorning them. Its a little like paying for a meal before you eat it. Once you get food poisoning, you shouldn't ever go there again. However, people line up to buy the same pieces of trash (I'm not saying Fords are trash) over and over again. Time is money. All the time it takes even interacting with the stealership is time we're losing money. Here's hoping you never need to make a warranty claim.
I drive a 2018 Subaru Impreza and since purchasing in '18 the only repair I've made was this year and I had to purchase a new gas cap because the old one caused a slight evap leak.
I got 170,000 miles from new on my 2014 Chrysler Town & Country. The ( no longer available) Mopar Lifetime Maximum Care service contract covered $23,000 in repairs. The Pentastar 3.6 problems were a significant portion of the repair costs.
But it is available. A coworker just bought a ram, the ONLY reason he bought it is because of a lifetime warranty on literally the entire vehicle, from dodge not the dealer. Still wouldn't own one
Great info. When I was working we used to get rental vehicles. These vehicles had around 137 180 miles on them. New, plastic still on. I got a Ford Explorer about 2 to 3 months using it while on the Highway it would not accelerate. I thought it was the gas. I took it to get checked out. Throttle body and needed to go to the dealer. I took it back to the rental. I then got a Jeep Cherokee, on a windy day the wind pull the driver side door. It bent the metal there was nothing to stop it from going further out, except the hinges. Then when it shift it felt like the Transmission was going to fall off. These were brand new car. First rental was us. Then I got a GMC that one was a lot better no issues.
I had an 2001 Acura Integra for 7 years, it was a fun car, I got tired of it, only had maintenance to keep up. I sold it and bought a 2007 Acura TL, I'm a big fan of Acuras.
The current Audi Q5 , not the SQ5, is pretty easy and simple to work on, and the 2.0 turbo 4 got updated and is pretty good now. If you bought one and expect to keep it past warranty change your oil every 7000 miles and don't delay replacement of other fluids. Also use good quality gas.
The issues on the Chrysler 3.6L V6 is with the oil cooler (made of plastic. Aftermarket metal ones are best) and the roller valve rockers. The bearings on the rollers wear out and the rocker begins to contact and damage the cam. The start to "tick" when this happens. Service them immediately and you may only need to replace the roller rockers and not the camshaft.
Least expensive will be released on Sunday! Stay on the lookout and hit the bell to be notified. Appreciate all of you!
Saw your Icon tool chest ! What's your top 2-3 brand names for tools ? And bottom 2-3 brand names for tools ? Thanks ! We love your videos !!
Its so funny I knew its JLR
Toyota.... curious how far I'm off
None of them. They all suck. They all use the same parts and just decide to charge more for them from brand to brand.
Toyota/Lexus.
Hands down.
OK. Now we need to see the cheapest and/or best cars to own. Thanks for all this time and effort put into this information.
Yes please!
Agreed
Toyota / Honda
@@HoweyJR_This ^^^ More expensive purchase price but can’t beat Japanese reliability. I work on them and rarely a huge issue or constant. Tanks
@@nordicpride9708 bought a 05 Camry in 2020 194k still going at 316k lol
Cars are the 2nd most expensive purchase most people make. Information like this is priceless.
Audi, the four rings of financial ruin 😂
They show the balance of your bank account after servicing. $ 0000
1st was my wife. 😂
@@HypocriticYT Ahhah
Third if you count marriage
As a guy that owns a Ford, Jeep, Mercedes and an Audi.
I can vouch for this list 😂
You really hate yourself, huh
😂
Someone hates making wise decisions 😂
🙏 focus on hope not fear 😂 Chaching 😮
You're a brave man. 😉
Believe this list. I’ve been in the auto repair business for half of my life, and I guessed all five of these before the video started.
I was guessing BMW, Audi, Mercedes, JLR and not sure about the fifth but it must be from the Stellantis group such as Alfa/Jeep/Peugeot
@@LimWeeChoonWhen we see a Jeep pull up to the shop we all know it’s going to be something more than an oil change, even if the customer doesn’t know.
I really thought Mercedes would be number one. Not just because it's expensive to begin with but because of all of the gizmos and gadgets.
Me too and I’m not a mechanic. I just reasearch a lot!
What would your guess be for the least expensive to maintain?
5. Audi/VW
4. Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram
3. Mercedes
2. BMW
1. Jaguar/Land Rover
Also:
7. GM/Chevrolet
6. Ford
I won’t touch these cars EVER
Hero
You know the difference between a porcupine and a BMW?
The porcupine has it's pricks on the outside😁
I had a Benz new 18 years ago and it broke down so often that I eventually sold it. I remember, the window comes down but can’t roll back up right after warranty expired and dealer asked me for $1600 to replace it. I opened the console to pull the springs on all switches and it worked.
After the Benz I bought an Infiniti QX56. After 15 years with 200k miles, I have never gone to the garage except for oil change. That damn truck is running fine as aged wine.
I love your ICON tool box with the hutch! Thing is SWEET!
I have that exact set up. It’s sweet indeed.
My Snap On rep says it’s exactly like the older designs on the hutch.
I wish ICON had been around when I bought my toolbox. I want to add a side locker and/or top locker to my Matco 6s, but I’m not going to pay $5k for it.
I have a 2011 Jeep Wrangler. At 260,000 miles I replaced the transmission,305,000 miles I replaced the engine with a Jasper. Considering the cost of used cars today it made sense to put the engine in. A Jeep is kind of a timeless vehicle so it can still be cool to drive. Love the channel guys and I’m not a mechanic but I still enjoy the content
I have a 2002 Jeep Wrangler Sport and still going strong. I haven't had anything big gone wrong on it. I plan on keeping forever. Love it.
I hate Jeeps, mostly for the way they drive. But I concede your point, they are somewhat timeless. I think you made a good decision on investing in the engine.
I've had a lot of cool cars over the years including 3 BMWs and 4 Porsches. The ONLY reason I was able to do this is by doing ALL the service myself. Our current 2006 X3 with 200,000 miles and 1994 325 with 330,000 miles (we bought new) have only one trip to the dealer between them. Learning to work on vehicles at a young age definitely pays off!!!
I own 3 Audi's from the 90s man... They aren't that bad... But like you said, I work on my own shit.
I agree 100%! I get a double advantage as my main ride is a 2002 Toyota Tacoma. I'm retired now and bought it new. Never replaced the alternator, starter or anything major; only maintained properly with synthetic fluids and replaced timing belt and water pump at 105K for maintenance. I now have over 276000 miles and don't do anything but oil changes (~ every 7000 miles) and brakes (~ every 80000 miles). Now I'm older and I drive like an old man, so the truck runs like new; it rarely spools up over 2000 rpm. It's a beautiful machine. I'm 59 and I believe it will outlive me!
I've owned two E Class Merc's. Nice, reliable cars. They had distributor caps!
The newer Audi V8's are nice, but the timing chains being next to the firewall means no go for me. Great design for billable hours though!
Loved my 128i. Lots of wrench time to own it on the cheap. At 13 years and 100k I had to say goodbye. Brakes all around, alternator & starter, plus ac compressor at end life.
Same here. 4 porsches. Cheaper to maintain then taking a ford into pro mechanic
Learning to repair and maintain vehicles at a young age while staying current helps to stay on top of maintenance. I've been performing all maintenance and repairs for 54 years, save for a couple of small warranty issues.
As a former bmw mechanic.
I am surprised!!
Then I thought of my "bad" customers. I told you to replace that oil filter housing seal now we're doing Seven Grand of engine internal repairs.
When your European mechanic tells you to replace a $5 gasket listen to them.
Well it depends on how often said customer checks the oil and how bad it is the seepage.
Old NA bmws can leak and leak and leak for a long time as long as it is small.
The main issue that causes leaks is PCV/CCV system.
My former bmw mechanics never could fix it . Good ole Hollywood, LA area. Not until a Bellingham WA mechanic solved it . He said my E 36 was the last of the bulletproof engines. Over 200,000 miles original engine and trans
@@dust_gale3108no because that seal he referenced keep the oil and antifreeze separated.
@@kitbram2033did nearly 300 on an e46 before body rust I felt was excessive to keep
No one is turning down a $5 gasket, they're turning down $1000 in labor to replace a $5 gasket
I love that he's using Harbor Freight Tool Chests - I did that early on (no longer work with tools) and so many people believed you needed a snapon or matco tool chest to be a pro
Did you notice the HF welder?
I've had a large Home Depot Husky brand for many years. It is packed full and no problems ever. Much cheaper than the big names.
Love my US General tool chest
9:23 if a BMW doesn’t have an oil leak - it doesn’t have any oil in it.
Good video. I have a 2011 Audi TT Quattro S Line, 2.0 TFSI, 145K. And yes I've had to fix oil & coolant leaks but at least once fixed, it's not reoccurring. So far. The repair bill sux but when it's right, it's fun to drive.
I service my own cars including Porsches and BMW's. Porsches are incredibly expensive to maintain and would likely be #1 on this list if they saw any frequency.
I just bought my first Porsche and don't do my own service. Like going into labor without an epidural. I know the pain is coming.
Just had a headlight go on my Macan. A new one is $2,700. Luckily used ones can be had on ebay. My Cayman has been trouble free for a decade though.
I’ve got a 2010 E550 and at 10 years like you said, the air suspension failed all around. It was not cheap to fix but I did it. Knock on wood nothing almost at any cost for repairs in 15 years - and a long long time with no car payment so Benz worth it to me. Other factors, Benz white paint seems to hold up exceptionally well. 135k miles and she still looks very good. Customer for life.
I think this was a great educational video.
Yet I think longevity is the thing that gets overlooked. Yours is a perfect example, a 2 Ton performance car whose adjustable suspension lasted 10 years.
Most similar cars would have been on the 2nd set of normal shocks/struts easily. Plus 10k oil change intervals. I've had 3 black ones, (all used) The paint is amazing with proper care.
I have owned 30 cars and the most reliable and lowest cost to maintain have been: 2004 Honda Civic, 2005 Honda Accord (V6), 2017 and 2020 Mazda 3, 2004 Toyota Celica, 2002 Toyota Corolla and 2004 Mazda Miata. All non turbo and a couple with manual transmissions. Simple is better if you want reliability and low maintenance costs. However my most fun cars have been BMWs. Amazing to drive but needs regular proactive maintenance. Regardless of what you drive find a good independent mechanic and/or do basic maintenance yourself.
Wow my list is the complete opposite most reliable 1 2000 Camaro SS(6 speed) 2 2007 Mercedes Benz clk 350 2005 RL, 99 Oldsmobile 2003 TL 2009 Saab 9-7x aero. 07 audi a4 14 Cadillac CTS.Least reliable 97 Honda prelude 2004 Honda civic 01 TL bmw 335i Cadillac 15 Ats( 6 speed)
No Jaguar on the list 🤔
@@K..hozea2 #1 Jag/Land Rover - did you watch the video?
@willynilly-s5x I must of missed that part 👍
I've daily driven a 2003 Chevy Impala and I believe including oil changes, I've put 3 grand into it since I bought it in 2007. It's well maintained, it's getting up miles, this year it did cost a little more and it's getting toward retirement age, but reliability and lowest cost to maintain over the years for me has been that car. It is the 9C3 police model so it has a heavy duty transmission, suspension, brakes (have replaced brakes and suspension). It's a work horse.
I just found your channel with the top 5 least expensive cars to own. Then came to watch this one. Bought new I drove my 2005 Mustang for 14yrs. When even Ford dealer couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it (under 90k miles) i sadly had to sell it for something reliable and chose a used 2014 Mazda 3 Touring with over 80k miles. I’ve driven it now 5yrs and it’s dependable for sure. I’m the first in my family to own a Mazda. I really miss my sporty Mustang even now. But I still have fun driving this little car
Thanks for the honesty and hard work put in these videos 🤟🏻
Ford’s 4.8 V8 Panther platform (Crown Vic, Merc G Marquee, LC Town Car) is not only reliable & long lived, but parts are easy to find, reasonably priced & there’s plenty of room to navigate under the hood, so repairs are typically very easy. Buick 3800 Series II V6s were another extremely dependable power plant, w/many reaching 300k & higher on the original motor.
**4.6
4.6
Meh, no, the 3800 was often found hydrolocked because the EGR heat cracked the plastic intake manifold, and had it's share of lower intake manifold gasket problems as well.
If you caught the problems and repaired them, sure it would go a long time, but that's in the realm of non-trivial, can't really think it is similar to replacing worn out water pump since that is a wear item. At least their water pumps were cheap and easy to replace.
New cars are now like kitchen appliances. Built well enough to get thru the warranty period and then start falling apart after a few years of use. All the plastic parts and only designed to make it easy on the factory to put together
They want you to lease. For years now.
Well, not all but most are.
I read an article decades ago discussing how the Germans and I think EU officials decided on a grand compromise. The cars would be recyclable and not last. This would mean more jobs and profits while reducing the problem with old cars with poor emissions and mileage staying in the fleet.
Some of the old Mercedes diesels could easily be kept going for decades, but they had dirty emissions. This wasn’t desirable to anyone except the owners who wanted relatively cheap transportation.
You've obviously never bought a Toyota.
Just buy Japanese.
Amazing! Luxury cars cost more to repair? I had no idea….
Fascinating.
Drove 2 Range Rovers for 35 years and Sherwood is dead on about maintenance & repair costs…but I loved them (2) and got both to 250K+ miles. However, they did own my wallet despite frequent preventive service. Just bought a 2024 Mercedes 450 GLE Airmatic so good to see that I stay in the top five! Great video.
I feel the same way about my Volvo ( pretty sure they share parts with Range Rover
RANGE ROVERs 30 years ago are reliable ang high quality cars. Also Mercedes. Modern MERCEDES, I do not think the same.
@@rolandochavarria466- Mid-90s Mercedes were some of the best cars ever built. Then the bean counters got their dirty hands involved.
If you can afford a Range Rover or MB, you can afford the maintenance.
No pity from me on how expensive it is to maintain you four wheeled transportation appliance with a fancy badge.🤣
You love poorly built vehicles.
He’s spot on with Audi VW this coming from someone who’s had over 27 of these vehicles. Reliable but you need to stay up on oil leaks. But the main mechanical bits are very solid.
This channel always has great content, but we also enjoy watching because you’re a very likable guy, Sherwood! Cheers from Cincinnati!
Only enough, my most expensive car in terms of repairs was an Acura integra I owned for 13 years. By Least expensive, my 2005 Audi TT 3.2L DSG Quattro. In 15 years of daily driver use, parked outdoors, I spent $45 on a broken brake light switch. Other than that, just scheduled maintenance. In the 3 years since then, I have had to replace the fuel pump, and I sunk about 3 grand into cosmetics- new headliner, refurbished headlights, and some repainting on the spoiler, rear hatch and roof. Still drives like new. Still looks like new inside and out. Still fast and fun. Best car ownership experience of my life.
Even anecdotally can't imagine that this is accurate.
@ It’s true. I had the integra for 13 years and it’s not like it was unreliable. Its just cost a lot to fix over that long. It went thru 2 radiators, an alternator, multiple sets of spark plugs, and the brake rotors would warp any time you had a really hard brake event. Had them replaned or replaced 5 times. And the all plastic interior just gradually fell apart . For the integra, 8 grand over the years on just repairs.
The TT has been a gem of a car. Way better to drive, way better looking and sounding than any other car I’ve had. I bought it 2 years old with 14k miles off a lease to a young woman who had driven it fast everywhere, but never raced it or jackrabbited it. So it was broken in perfectly. The 05 car in the US did not have the “launch control” feature that the European cars had that young men were so prone to abuse. And The DSG transmission really protects the power train overall. You cannot drive the US issue DSG over redline. It has a governor set just under 130 so you can’t top out 6th gear over redline. And even in manual mode it will upshift the instant you hit redline if you are still accelerating in every other gear. It never misses a perfect shift, and never forgets to shift into first at a stop. And the interior on the TT is still like new. The leather is a little worn yet still in great shape, but everything inside the car that looks like metal is real aluminum, not chromed plastic. Audi wanted this car to be their design masterpiece.
So, seriously, first 15 years, only a broken brake light switch, and scheduled maintenance.
But I admit that scheduled maintenance on the TT was more costly than the integra. Oil changes on engine, transmission and haldex were moderately more expensive. And I went thru a lot more of those z rated tires. But I did not include the scheduled maintenance costs on the integra or the TT. For example, New brake pads on the TT ran around $1800. But in 18 years I have only had to replace them twice. On the integra it was more like $900, but in 13 years I not only had to replace them 4 times, But I also had to resurface the rotors twice, and have them replaced 3 times, because the rotors were prone to warping- which I count as repairs since I never had to replace nor re-surface a rotor on the TT. But scheduled maintenance, overall, was only moderately higher on the TT which I would expect given the car was much higher performing and its original sticker price was 64k in 2005. ( 2 years later- with 14k on the clock, I paid only 32K for it )
Now, in the last 4 years, I have had some repairs done. I replaced the headlights due to rat and sun damage. I replaced a taillight due to a chip from a rock. I replaced the instrument cluster for the common dreaded red screen issue. I re-did the headliner due to its peeling loose from being parked in the sun for 17 years. I have had the roof, rear deck and spoiler repainted due to the clear coat starting to show sun damage and ceramic coated the car. And I have had the wheels refurbished.
So at present I am about 5 grand in. But the result is I have a design classic high performing and elegant car that looks and drives like it’s new.
The integra cost me more than that just to keep it running. And I would never have invested 5 additional grand into an old integra, just to keep it looking sharp.
Just in terms of ownership enjoyment and appreciation, the TT has been vastly more worth its cost and has cost me a fraction of what I feared it might.
The integra cost me less in buying and upkeep, but a lot more in breakage and repairs.
@christopherpardell4418
I have an 18 year old TL with 290,000 miles and have only had the timing belt and water pump repleaced when they were do for preventive maintenance every 100,000 miles. Brakes done once. That's it. I guess we just drive differently, vastly differently...
Also, I know some older folks who have more money then they need and drive Audis. That is when they aren't at the dealer for warrenty repairs. Its annoying giving them rides al the time. What happened to dealership loaners?
@ I never put a lot of miles on my vehicles. The Integra I had for 13 years I think had 100,000 miles on it when I sold it. And the TT I’ve had for 18 only has 133k on it. My ‘commute’ is about 3 miles. Other than that and shopping runs, I’ve driven them the length of california a dozen times each. To a certain extent, I think it’s just luck. Some specific model years are better than others. Or even some individual cars might be lemons while others off the same line do fine.
I am not saying a TT would be cheaper for everyone. Most of the folks who buy them likely drive them really hard. Men in particular.
About the only serious difference in how each was driven was that the Integra was driven by my GF on a regular basis, whereas no one drives the TT but me. Also, the Integra was a 94 Whereas the TT was a 2005. Mid aughts Audi’s were pretty well built cars.
I think folks issue with Audi are not issues of reliability or breakdowns. It’s just a more expensive car out of the box, and any repairs you DO need are more costly in general.
When I saw Audi in the video, my heart sank because i'm considering buying a TT mk3. Your comment is very reassuring. I hope the mk3 is as good as yours.
I can't thank you enough for this video. This is very important info for the consumer.
Info like this with stats and general experience is invaluable, so thankyou. I would love to see a constant series, running down specific models from brands. If certain models are better than others, it's important to point it out and perhaps discover root cause. Opinions can be just as powerful as trends in statistics, so please don't be afraid to share. This type of insight is lacking in a big way for this industry and around the web. I'm looking forward to the least expensive follow up video, and in general perhaps gleaning the more important concern of which models and brands are reliable, regardless of how costly maintenance is when things go wrong.
Good info and not surprising. I used to buy vehicles by how “cool” I thought they were. I now buy 3rd year model Honda and Toyota’s to avoid costly repairs.
This is the way
had an avalon which was the worst car I ever owned - cost me an arm and a leg. Not old either. Conversely also had a corolla which was fine (but very dull). Best vehicle was a diesel golf - bombproof.
When I lived in Dubai I bought a 2005 Mercedes C230K with an AMG sports kit brand new. Transmission issues, crank case issues, aircon issues, brake issues, engine issues, electrical issues, air conditioning failures, twice. It was lovely to drive, when it worked, but after two years on a three year lease I took a hit to get out of the lease early. Not a month went by when that thing wasn't in the shop for three days waiting for parts. All covered under warranty, but I just couldn't stand the inconvenience of not having the car available when I needed it. On the other hand, I had a 2002 911-S4 which was excellent, but impractical since I needed to take more than one person with me on occasion and the rear seats are for amputees. I had an Alfa for three years and no issues with that either, which was surprising. I've also owned Honda, Mitsubishi and Mazda, absolutely no issues at all. Also recently sold a Kia Forte 5 that was a good car, I must have gotten a good engine, or the engines on the Korean made cars sold in Asia are better than the ones sold in the US. Funny enough, I work in the Philippines now and have a Chinese made 2001 Ford Territory here, just over three years old now and all I've had to do is oil and filter changes. Very impressed with the build quality and ADAS features, and strangely the Chinese made Ecoboost engines are different from those sold in the US. They have timing chains instead of belts, and the blocks are cast iron instead of aluminum, at least on their four cylinder engines. They also use Honeywell turbos instead of the Borg Warner ones in the US models. They claim that they are "revised" for the Chinese and SE Asian markets with reliability in mind.
You ain’t going wrong with Honda
Thanks, Sherwood. Appreciate the information.
I own a 2000 Chevrolet Silverado with a 5.3 V 8
It has 660,000 original miles with only having to replace the differential at 440,000 miles.
Everything on it works !!!!
Everything went bad on them after 2007 with the cylinder deactivation.. causing lifter issues..
There is nothing on it to go wrong.
There is beginning to be a consensus forming that the GMT800 ('99-06) GMCs and Chevys are peak truck. Modern enough to have proper road manners and features without the excessive complexity of later trucks.
Your very lucky !
For the Dodges, 2006 was a turning point on Diesels with DEF. Then there is the 5.7L that has lifter issues from cylinder deactivation. But with a 4.7L, they can last a while with the 5-speed transmission.
My guess is that a quality independent shop like this sees a lot of the sticker shock items from the dealer repair shops as an alternative so the average would be higher here. This may not reflect the true average cost for repairs but is likely a compliment to the quality of this shop and the value they provide for higher cost repairs.
I decided to check the PCV valve on my old Highlander at 180,000 miles because I was changing the valve cover gasket. I checked and the valve was under $10 and in stock. It simply plugged in the back of the valve cover. It was clean and functioning.I'm at 201,000 miles and 18 years and it has never dripped oil or broken down. The valve cover gasket was for a cosmetic leak.
Sounds like somebody has a very good system to track productivity. Any deeper dive somebody would be paying me.
Good video.
Excellent analysis! I only pay attention to cars when I'm buying one, but this info is something I'm very interested in knowing!
A little over 25 hours book time for an Audi timing chain is something to think about when admiring how pretty they are.
Yeah, thats a lot of time. 3.0l Ecoboost explorer is 28 hours timing chain job I did a few weeks back.
@moh5896 - that can’t be right. Isn’t the 3.0L Ecoboost a derivative of the 2.7L? I did a 2.7L Ecoboost short block in less than 28 hours.
@@ghostwrench2292 It's not. A little over 16 hours book time. No walk in the park though.
@@greggc8088 look it up and get back to me. 2.7 in an f150 is MUCH more straightforward over a 3.0 in a 2020+ explorer
@@greggc8088 it’s 28 on the explorer. Much tighter quarters over an f150
This is the conntent I like the most. Good to hear from your perspective on cost and what types of problems these rides normally have.
It is nice to have so many folks aware of the dirty tricks being played on them by auto makers.
Thanks for a great video!
Good video - thank you! I suggest adding two easy pieces of data. One is the average age of the cars and the other is the amount of average miles. Thanks again!
This is why I do all my own mechanic work. My VW has only ever been in a shop for an alignment after I did some front end preventative maintenance.
VW owns Audi. Both are crap.
@@matrixistOP thought he was smart.. 😂
@@matrixist golf was the best car ever owned - bombproof.
@johnd8971 The Golf was pretty decent.
I've owned a 2011 Audi S4 since new, and you started the video describing something that happened to my car. I did the service myself but it was time consuming and not for the faint of heart. I still have and love my Audi, but I do not want to do the service myself if/when it happens again.
Owned a 911 997 turbo for 10 years. Nothing but regular maintenance. Most expensive part is brakes and rear tires.
Great video! I also enjoyed the one on the least expensive to maintain. It would be useful if the survey was constrained to vehicles under 10 years old and 150,000 miles. The average person doesn't keep a vehicle beyond this so it would give a good estimate of cost-of-ownership. Increasing the sample to three or four years would help smooth out any anomalies that might exist.
Got a 2010 Mercedes w221/S550 NA V8 and I can say it’s been worth the maintenance cost. Plus the maintenance cost are cheaper than a car note. 202k on the odometer and still rides better than most new vehicles I rent when traveling. It’s on my page btw!
Thought it was funny you pointed out the oil filter housing for jeep, dodge, Chrysler. We literally just replaced the one on our Chrysler just a little over a week ago and I noticed it looks like a Dorman on the jeep in the video…def looks to be superior part since it’s metal compared to factory and that’s what we put back in as well.
Maybe stuff like that wouldn’t fail as often if it wasn’t made out of plastic lol
"Not inexpensive to fix." :-) I love it.
Very helpful video thank you. I knew Ford had to be up there. My dad has a 4.2 from 2008 and I think ever since he had 45,000 miles on it there’s been three repairs yearly exceeding $200 and that’s basically Parts alone.
I saw the ICON tool box in the background of your video. Snap On is in trouble. Their day is done.
When I bought my first M Benz, I also purchased a 8qt oil extractor and the filter socket. It costs me roughly $50 dollars to do an oil change ve $500 at the dealer. The best part is not having to climb under the car or getting dirty.
I’m blessed that I can do most of my own maintenance work, as shop rates are the real problem! 👨✈️
Great list. Land Rover doesn't surprise me. You take it to the dealer and they say, "We dont know what's wrong yet, but we know it will cost you $3500". HVAC, differential, water leak, oil leaks, suspension...
Sherwood, I just want to give my thoughts on the Chrysler Pentastar engine. My example is in my ‘12 Chrysler 200 Touring convertible. I believe that frequent and on time oil changes is critical to an engine like the Pentastar because of the small oil passages associated with the variable valve timing feature. As a DIYer I replaced my own oil filter/oil cooler housing with a Dorman aluminum unit. I did this before I had any leaks and the convertible now has just 77,400 miles. It is my favorite and my retirement ride in this life.
Rainman Ray's Repairs has at least one video on the Dorman oil filter housing.
I got a 2019 Jeep grand Cherokee Limited, had 18,000 miles on it when I bought it now has just over 100,000 and the only problems I had were normal where issues, tires and brakes, that’s it. It’s been an excellent vehicle for me.
As a current X5 owner, BMW = Bring My Wallet.
Break My Wallet.
Bring More Wrenches😂
Big Money Wasted
Big Money Wasted
Big Mexican Women…yes because they are expensive to feed to.
Take into account the corrosion issues for the cars in the snow belts. My Mercedes was well cared for, but rust issues killed it. This was a great video.
Modern Mercedes are very 💲💲💲 to fix but some older models can be a bargain to buy and maintain for the DIY owner that handles maintenance at home.
Haven't even watched it until the end, really loving it, but it brings to mind something I've heard, about engineers needing to meet with repairers, on the design journey to a final product...okay, updated comment, saw it until the end, guessed Land Rover, lol! Ford and GM are no surprise
Excellent vid, an interesting topic based on data 👍🏽
It seems like it would be easy to do and would be valuable for many people considering pre-owned purchasing to know repair costs for those cars between 5 &10 years old and/or with 50k to 100k miles.
1. Audi/VW 2:36 2.Chrysler, Ram, Dodge, Jeep 5:10, 3. Mercedes 6:58 4. BMW 9:04 5. Ford 12:18 from least to most expensive
Ford was a honorary mention actually #6
Jaguar and Land Rover were number 5. Ford 6. and GM 7.
Little correction: he said that Jaguar/Land Rover are the most expensive. Not Ford.
Alfa Romeo not on the list because if it needs a repair, it's totalled
Thanks
Just sold a 2011 Audi S5 that felt like a ticking time bomb every time I drove it at 94000 miles. Small oil leak at oil cooler o-ring turned into broken plastic thermostat cover, which is sold as a unit with water pump, ended up costing $1350. Was a great car, but entering the big dollar repair zone with known timing chains issues. Feel much relief having gotten rid of it. Got stuck with a ‘98 jag XJ8 after doing timing chains. Never again.
Range Rovers - beautiful to look at, nice to drive, but oh those repair visits & bills. Always wanted one, but just cannot do it.
It's the very definition of a "Money Pit", that's why.
@@randy74989 It's the definition of a "woman" The more beautiful to look at, the more expensive she is to have in your life.
@@The_007 NUTZ!
I am not in your industry but I am not surprised by your findings. I have owned an Audi and did find it expensive to service.
Worked at a large firms, hundreds of employees, saw every make of car.
Repair Cost
#1 Jags
#2 Mercedes
#3 Audis
Is like we already knew this list...
Thought for sure BMW would be number 2.....see what I did there (#2 💩?).....it IS #2 in the video though.
@@OCISupport-yj5bdit is clearly not because cars are bad. But because second and third owners decide it is not "worth" fixing.
The fate of bimmers.
If taken care of ON TIME they problems are concentrated around a few engine models and they are far between
I own a 2015 335GT and like to think of myself as a shade tree/DIY mechanic and I am not surprised one bit that BMW is #2. The price of parts isn’t terrible, it’s the labor hours being charged by the shops to get to the part being replaced. 😮
You are correct about what you are saying. My 2017 Jeep Rubicon need new Rockers, Lifters and we are doing the Oil Cooler as well. It’s still a good Jeep but poor quality components used by Chrysler means we have to do the necessary upgrades. Very well explained in the video.
Curious how many miles on your Rub? I have a 24 Wrangler and Gladiator.
14,000 miles.
That's a good jeep??
Be sure to look at Tesla Model S for the least expensive. We bought a new 2014 model S and have only had to replace tires and wiper blades in 141,000 miles! Original brake pads still good. Amazing. Battery was replaced under warranty at 94,000 miles( no cost to us). Hard to beat these numbers. Car also came with free super charging for life. Car was expensive ( $126,000 in 2014) but no maintenance.
A friend of mine got the same Tesla, 4 Motors and many minor problems as water intrusion, HV water leaks, complete suspension......you just got a good one or you do not drive it as my friend 😂
Cheapest brand to own according to Consumer Reports survey. Model 3 at~$4000 over 10 years.
Also Model S broke their assessment score with an 11 out of 10. And MotorTrend best car in their 75 year review history.
It completely depends on the vehicle more so than the manufacturer. I work on all my vehicles and the easiest car to maintain has been my bmw m550i. Oil change, plugs, brake fluid changes, brakes/rotor change, trans filter/fluid, diff fluids, transfer case fluid, filter, etc… I’ve done them all and it’s been a pleasure to work on. Educate yourself on the basics instead of being a helpless car owner and form your own opinion. Otherwise, you will be a victim of repair shops.
Where do I go to learn repair basics for Audi?
Great episode. Fond of my 2001 TJ, since new, still looks/runs great 23 years later. Easy to maintain...
Finally real data from a real shop!
As a data nerd I absolutely love a change of pace with videos like this! It’s probably a data privacy/ownership issue but would be cool to see the (anonymous) numbers dumped into an Excel workbook or something too, but I’d understand if that’s too much work or not possible!
This is why I drive a 2011 Honda Civic, so far nothing. but regular maintenance done and runs like a champ !
We had a 2009 civic that cracked the head. We took it back to honda 3x before they figured it out. Aparently, it was a real problem for that motor. We just can't win
Had a 1993 FORD taurus and put 188,000 on it. Only issues were 2 water pump replacement. Drove it across country with 185k, averaged 26 mpg. Damn good car
We are an Audi family on our 5th Audi/VW and I hear that they are unreliable have multiple issues but I guess we just have been lucky. Only issue to date on the 4 Audi’s and 1 VW was the exhaust rotted needing replacement on 1 car? I use scheduled maintenance intervals at dealer (cost @ $200- $600) for Audi’s up to 50k then I do maintenance, change oil, filters, lube hinges, I change all brakes myself. Last A4 we owned had 7 years with 125,000 miles before got rid of.
That's just average mileage.
I have 205k miles on my A4 on the original clutch and have only had three issues; carbon buildup, weak injector, and a fuel pump that started to go bad. Never left me stranded and runs like a top.
VW/Audi issues on the net are taken out of proportions!!
Good stuff!
We need more of this real world data!!!
Keep brining it .
This pretty much confirms to me (DYI folks) to avoid ALL European vehicles plus Dodge/Jeep & ALL Ford Turbos! ( Unless you can afford to always replace at warranty expiration!)
Cars today are unfortunately BY DESIGN no longer be reasonably owner maintained. I have never paid for an oil change for 55 years, but beyond that am frustrated by no longer being able to maintain my vehicles. Even Brake Jobs are now stupid complicated ! DYI auto maintenance is sadly dying!
Love my BMW 530, so far never had an issue in 3 years of ownership. But I do know that spare parts are not cheap , and it always pays to have a problem fixed sooner rather than later. Worst car I know of: my nephew‘s Jeep. Indestructible: my uncles oldish Mercedes E class, 300 000 miles and running…..Very decent: various GM models and a Buick we have in the family, not troublesome at all!
How about a video on the highest mileage cars you work on?
We all know it’s Toyota
@@rayvalero8580American trucks
i enjoyed this type of videos. thank you.
As my mechanic says, if you can't afford a new German car, you definitely can't afford a used one.
Really enjoying the direction you guys are going with your platform. Great content 👍
BMW and Mercedes have got to be on the list. The 5 Bimmers ive owned thru the last 20 years always had valve cover and oil pans that leaked oil. Least expensive to own, Japenese and Korean Brands.
German engineers call it calculated seepage.
Excellent vid... Thanks for telling which brands to run away from...
I moved from GM to Toyota about 10 years ago....They are not 'super cheap' on repairs, but you don't get hit in the wallet so frequently on them with surprise repairs... I have 2 Toyotas, a Tacoma and a FJ Cruiser, 3 Lexus rides including a GX460 and a RX350, and a 2003 ES300..I feel like I'm getting my money out of them and I'm not going broke because 90% of the repairs needed are DIY...😄😄😄
Yep, I have two Chrysler products & two Toyota products and the Toyotas are 2x the cost to repair for the same parts, but the frequency is probably 10x less. Great cars!
When I owned a transmission shop years ago, Landrover was nearly the top. Not only were the parts expensive, but they were prohibitively hard to get. There was no aftermarket supply, and everything was proprietary to the dealer/manufacturer.
I have a 2016 Ram 1500 hemi that I picked up in 2021 with 94k and still have with currently 146k miles on it. This is what I recommend to extend the life of the hemi & cut down common issues:
1. Get a tuner to delete/bypass the AFM feature.
2. Use quality full synthetic oil (Mobil 1, Pennzoil, Amsoil, etc)
3. Use a quality oil filter (wix, Mobil 1, etc)
4. DONT GO MORE THAN 4k MILES on oil changes.
5. CUT DOWN IDLING YOUR HEMI. This is a big one
6. If you are putting a new engine (hemi) in it. Upgrade the oil pump. Melling make a high flow oil pump and I hear they work great
Add run 5w/30 instead of 5w/20
@@rebert69I have a 2017 Ram hemi and do all the above plus run 5/30 Valvoline high mileage oil. Just hit 95k and had my mechanic buddy do plugs, coolant and tranny drain n fill. Valvoline tranny fluid and mopar coolant. Only engine issue so far was exhaust manifold bolts which was covered under my certified powertrain warranty. Few other things like fuel sending unit twice and third backup camera. Beyond that all good 👍
Enjoying the content keep it coming
You just justified me buying extended warranties on 4 new Ford SUVs for the family with Ecoboost 10yr 125K miles 😂
You should have bumped it up to 200k mi, include a rental and salary offset coverage.
I avoid these warranty scams because the manufacturer can use loopholes to avoid honorning them. Its a little like paying for a meal before you eat it. Once you get food poisoning, you shouldn't ever go there again. However, people line up to buy the same pieces of trash (I'm not saying Fords are trash) over and over again. Time is money. All the time it takes even interacting with the stealership is time we're losing money.
Here's hoping you never need to make a warranty claim.
I drive a 2018 Subaru Impreza and since purchasing in '18 the only repair I've made was this year and I had to purchase a new gas cap because the old one caused a slight evap leak.
I got 170,000 miles from new on my 2014 Chrysler Town & Country. The ( no longer available) Mopar Lifetime Maximum Care service contract covered $23,000 in repairs. The Pentastar 3.6 problems were a significant portion of the repair costs.
But it is available. A coworker just bought a ram, the ONLY reason he bought it is because of a lifetime warranty on literally the entire vehicle, from dodge not the dealer. Still wouldn't own one
Great video. Definately do more videos like this. It would be nice to see a video on which are the best years for different manufacturers.
Great info. When I was working we used to get rental vehicles. These vehicles had around 137 180 miles on them. New, plastic still on. I got a Ford Explorer about 2 to 3 months using it while on the Highway it would not accelerate. I thought it was the gas. I took it to get checked out. Throttle body and needed to go to the dealer. I took it back to the rental. I then got a Jeep Cherokee, on a windy day the wind pull the driver side door. It bent the metal there was nothing to stop it from going further out, except the hinges. Then when it shift it felt like the Transmission was going to fall off. These were brand new car. First rental was us. Then I got a GMC that one was a lot better no issues.
I work on enterprise cars.
Not uncommon to see blown headgaskets or worse at 10-20,000 miles
I was recently in an accident and got a 2024 GMC pickup for a rental. What a piece of garbage.
I had an 2001 Acura Integra for 7 years, it was a fun car, I got tired of it, only had maintenance to keep up. I sold it and bought a 2007 Acura TL, I'm a big fan of Acuras.
No surprise Land Rover tops the list.
Crazy for a luxury model
Love this type of video since we are shopping for a new car
Bring back naturally aspirated engines / & push rod engines cheaper maintenance
We all know how to work on those vehicles as well. As long as we don’t hot rod them and replace parts with Chinese junk, they really are fantastic.
A lot less electronic crap, modules, can crap !
The current Audi Q5 , not the SQ5, is pretty easy and simple to work on, and the 2.0 turbo 4 got updated and is pretty good now. If you bought one and expect to keep it past warranty change your oil every 7000 miles and don't delay replacement of other fluids. Also use good quality gas.
Scotty Kilmer would agree, thanks for an informative video!
The issues on the Chrysler 3.6L V6 is with the oil cooler (made of plastic. Aftermarket metal ones are best) and the roller valve rockers. The bearings on the rollers wear out and the rocker begins to contact and damage the cam. The start to "tick" when this happens. Service them immediately and you may only need to replace the roller rockers and not the camshaft.