Re: Repairs ....

I am always astonished that the same folks in my life ALWAYS have repeated major repairs on their car.

By the same token. Most folks in my life have decent success. And a few never seem to have a problem.

I seem to fall between the last two groups. My cars have not been bulletproof by any measure, but they are generally trouble free.

I have a theory that those who take care of their cars generally have decent success.

I believe this is because there are relatively few lemons out there. As a result, major issues are discovered under warranty. If the car gets through the warranty period most big ticket items have had the opportunity to fail.

On my cars - I had few major issues -- On the 986 -- RMS.

On the Camaro - the differential had a bearing go at about 80K and had to be rebuilt. The trans was rebuilt at about 105K.

On the 2004 Saab -- several (4) warrantee visits until they just replaced the whole ECU, then was bulletproof until we Up/down graded to the Subie Tribeca.

On the 2000, 2001 and 2002 saabs -- problem free.

So far the 2008 Tribeca has been bulletproof -- but it is early.

Before that I had a 1976 Cutlass (I paid $500) that was bulletproof - till it blew up at 165K. I had a 1975 Cutlass that I drove for several years with little incident - but I had the opportunity on the '76.

Before the '75, I had a 1966 VW bug - that I bought for $50.00. I drove it for 5 years - then seized the engine -- But that was my fault, I drove 3 hours at 75 mph. Not a good idea in that car.

In all those old cars, I might experience a problem, but only the VW and the 2004 Saab ever left me stranded. In every other case, I would detect a problem, fix it and move on. Most of the time - maybe all the time, the repairs were under $100.00.

Porsche maintenance is way more expensive than repairs on my other cars.

Now once the Healey is running my story may change.....

harness issues. i did write to GM exec offices and they sent me a check for 995$ and they appear to have leaned on the dealer hard enough to fix it. strnage sincethe first one she had 06' had no problems.

at 998 miles a camshaft movement sensor indicator went off. had to have shims on two camshafts installed that were frankly hard to see when turned sideways.

then the littany of harness problems. it was not that i wrecked the car and then had issues, it was a TSB for a harness that was too short. it keeps rubbing on the block every time you hit a bump an shorts out the wire that it rubs through on.

most of my other cars other than my 03 boxster S which did have an RMS as did my 99 Boxster, i have had no issues at all. i do all the maintenance when it's due and change oil more frequently than is called for. it's like the old fram commercial , you can pay a little bit now or a lot later.

or the lack thereof?

In manufacturing and design it is well known that most defects either appear quickly or essentially never. In electronics infant mortality is the vast, vast failure mode. That's why extended warranties on electronics are such a bad deal - and so in credibly profitable. A TSB for a defect such as a too-short harnass indicates that the failure almost MUST re-occur. In fact, i'd insist they take it back and either replace the harness or the car, lest the problems continue past warranty.

You also have to factor in the monkey-lads of the dealer industry. Multiple trips to the shop is too common. The goal is to get the car out the door and get paid. Twice is actually better, if you think sideways enough. Plus, many of the gents working in the back can't spell diagnosus. And if they can, they too are paid on the flat-rate system, not on owner sat.

The other effect is user treatment and maintenance. Yep, some people are hard on stuff. watch them use it. Slam doors, crank switches, run over curbs, rev the motor when its cold ( and essentially dry), etc. Others don't. You also see this is warranty behavior. Then there's true abuse, like racing, which is another story.

Th little old lady is no guarantee of a soft life. My mom - all 4"11" of her, was murder on mechanical things. She did not understand them, did not like them, and thus forced them with grim frustration. I, on the other hand, treat them gently - i feel a switch, etc. Mom ripped them off, how, i don't know.

Grant

Even with modern vehicles it's possible to find genuine design deficiencies where no amount of mechanical aptitude or regular maintenance will make any difference. I had a 2007 Cummins diesel pickup and during the first 2 years I was in the shop 16 times for unscheduled repairs - 14 check engine lights and 2 recalls. Dodge, to its credit, allowed me to replace the vehicle with something else at a very advantageous price.

The point is sometimes the vehicle really does have a poor design.

Also, when you think of how much more complex things are these days in cars. Everyone wants electonic seats. I think some cars have about 10 or more motors per seat to ensure your tush is very happy. I'm sure the chips/switches for one touch windows are more complex than the old push and hold. Lights have motors, engines, transmissions, fuel systems, suspensions, etc, all have cips, brains and sensors. All these things are constantly in use when you drive and increase the likelihood something as some point is going to go wrong, and when it does, it'll be expensive. Also, because people want all this stuff, but also cheap cars, manufacturers cut back on other materials. Why else is the major gripe about the Vette always about the seats and interior bits and pieces. If Chevy improved those things, it would price the core set of drivers out of the market. It's a balancing act.

but that's a subject for a different thread.