When to give up on repairs

[Raincity]

Whats the wisest strategy in your opinion. Keep it running until final death or trade in and run and live with payments for life.

Got a 2005 Pilot with 105K miles. Blue book craigslist private sale in my area will get me around $5K. Its got new Micheon tires,radiator,motor mounts done in the last year. Getting some transmission flare now. I am sure the tranny will be toast in the next 10K miles. Rebuilt s in this city run around $3500 installed. Fine with the vehicle. Have no desire for something newer. Keep dumping money and driving it.

 

[C1]

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[MagnusTheBrewer]

When the cost of repair exceeds the cost of replacement.

 

[Raincity]

When the cost of repair exceeds the cost of replacement.

How do you figure, Pre certified Pilot 2013+ with 30K miles will cost over $20K. Something used at the same value of my vehicle will have reliability issues down the road. Keep hearing that Honda Vtech will go 400+ miles while the 5 speed trannies they used are ticking timebombs ready to go after 100K miles.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

How do you figure, Pre certified Pilot 2013+ with 30K miles will cost over $20K. Something used at the same value of my vehicle will have reliability issues down the road. Keep hearing that Honda Vtech will go 400+ miles while the 5 speed trannies they used are ticking timebombs ready to go after 100K miles.

I'm speaking of the cost of replacement for an identical vehicle as the one being repaired.

 

[Raincity]

The I guess it a keeper for now. I see rebuilts on ebay for $1500 plus freight. Maybe I can find a mechanic to do the install for $600.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

The I guess it a keeper for now. I see rebuilts on ebay for $1500 plus freight. Maybe I can find a mechanic to do the install for $600.

That would be my strategy. Admittedly, that era of Honda seems to view transmissions as a wear item, but at your rate of driving you should still be able to get many years out of a properly installed rebuild. (Do more fluid changes!)

 

[HeXen]

I give it up when it starts to nickel and dime me to death plus account for the loss in my time and ability to get somewhere reliably. When it's old and major parts go out, then replacing it tends to make it harder on the rest of the system. Replace tranny and suddenly you get a leak in the line for example, perhaps due to the increase in power from the new parts is too hard on the lines or other parts. I've seen replacement motors where the old parts were reused only to have some of those old parts go out as a result.

 

[Fenixgoon]

Whats the wisest strategy in your opinion. Keep it running until final death or trade in and run and live with payments for life.

Got a 2005 Pilot with 105K miles. Blue book craigslist private sale in my area will get me around $5K. Its got new Micheon tires,radiator,motor mounts done in the last year. Getting some transmission flare now. I am sure the tranny will be toast in the next 10K miles. Rebuilt s in this city run around $3500 installed. Fine with the vehicle. Have no desire for something newer. Keep dumping money and driving it.

check out LKQ for used parts. when the trans blew on my genesis coupe, i got a 50k-mile unit for $830 shipped. install was another $650, so $1500 total for a used trans vs $3k+ for a rebuild

i looked at ebay, but there were listings with inconsistent titles/descriptions, so i opted for a more trustworthy route

 

[frozentundra123456]

Surprised to hear that. I have a 2005 Civic with 150k, and it has been very reliable. Still has the original exhaust and just replaced the original plugs this week. Only problems I have had were a starter replacement and a throttle position sensor.

 

[frozentundra123456]

Surprised to hear that. I have a 2005 Civic with 150k, and it has been very reliable. Still has the original exhaust and just replaced the original plugs this week. Only problems I have had were a starter replacement and a throttle position sensor.

In response to the original question, it is usually cheaper to keep the same car and repair it, especially since you can cut insurance to the minimum after a vehicle depreciates. The main reason I would replace is when the time and inconvenience of repairs becomes unacceptable. New cars also have a lot of safety features if those matter to you. For instance, if I drove in heavy traffic every day, I would love to have adaptive cruise control.

 

[Raincity]

Looked into junk trannies. Seems to high to pay $1300 for one under 100K miles. Are these $1500 rebuilts on Ebay junk. They claim to have them updated with the newest friction-less clutches and sonar rings. Most have 2 year warranties.

 

[Raincity]

Surprised to hear that. I have a 2005 Civic with 150k, and it has been very reliable. Still has the original exhaust and just replaced the original plugs this week. Only problems I have had were a starter replacement and a throttle position sensor.

Besides all the regular replacement stuff and scheduled maintenance . I have been through two water pumps 60K for the first that leaked. The second one was replaced when the timing belt was replaced at 90K. Front struts were shot at 50K. Now need replacing again. New radiator at 96K after the original was leaking anti freeze into the tranny fluid. Another widely reported Honda goof that they will not take responsibly for. Starter had been replaced sometime after 50K. All 5 motor mounts died around 100K. Control arm bushings,ball joints are on there way out. Got all the parts needed already from Rock Auto to do an front and back suspension rehaul. Just need to find a mechanic to do the work without getting screwed.

 

[thecoolnessrune]

As others said, I replace it when I no longer feel like I can reliably use it. My time has value too, and if I'm always worried it's going to fall out from under me (or it actually does and leaves me stranded), I'd move on.

I drove my 1997 Mercury Tracer until the frame cracked under the engine, and it was all too rusted to put back together.
My 1998 Oldsmobile Intrigue has left me in the lurch a couple of times (Coolant return elbow shattered, CKIP Sensor broke so the car wouldn't start) and it's done so at really inconvenient times (100 miles away from home), but it's happened separately enough that I still keep driving it without much concern. It's got its problems, but I've had most of them fixed, and I'm familiar with problems it does have. When you're looking at vehicles in that price range (<2K), the devil you know is a safer bet than the one you don't in my opinion.

 

[Yuriman]

Surprised to hear that. I have a 2005 Civic with 150k, and it has been very reliable. Still has the original exhaust and just replaced the original plugs this week. Only problems I have had were a starter replacement and a throttle position sensor.

The automatic transmissions Honda used with their V6 engines during the early 2000's were garbage. Their manuals of that era have premature syncro failure, and CVTs were still in their infancy and also unreliable. The autos used with their 4 cylinder seem fine and their manuals can be driven almost indefinitely as long as you're not abusing the synchros, but early death of V6 autos is a very common and well documented issue.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Are these $1500 rebuilts on Ebay junk. They claim to have them updated with the newest friction-less clutches and sonar rings. Most have 2 year warranties.

Maybe? The concept itself isn't flawed, but it ultimately depends who did the refurb and how careful they were. On a very basic level, a busted scrap transmission plus a $200 rebuild kit (and maybe a couple other replacement parts) and a few (many?) hours work equals a $1500 transmission that will last basically as long as a new one - a couple guys in a shop with no customer interruptions and who knew what they were doing could crank 'em out pretty good.

So I guess look at the eBay reviews, find the shop that's doing the work, see if they're on Yelp or something, etc. The usual due diligence you'd do before you decide whether or not to take your car to the dealership or Bob's House of Car Repair And Smoked Meats.

 

[madoka]

My car (95 Maxima) is worth about $500 and I routinely spend $2000 a year in repairs to keep her running. That's still cheaper than the annual registration fee on a McLaren.

 

[Raizinman]

I also have a 2005 Pilot, but mine has 430,000 miles (original owner). I change the fluids as per the manufacturers recommendation and often a more frequent depending on temperature and load. My transmission is still going smooth without even a hiccup. Why is your transmission going out prematurely?

 

[Kaido]

I also have a 2005 Pilot, but mine has 430,000 miles (original owner).

Hoooooooooooly crap dude, are you serious?!

 

[Kaido]

Got a 2005 Pilot with 105K miles. Blue book craigslist private sale in my area will get me around $5K. Its got new Micheon tires,radiator,motor mounts done in the last year. Getting some transmission flare now. I am sure the tranny will be toast in the next 10K miles. Rebuilt s in this city run around $3500 installed. Fine with the vehicle. Have no desire for something newer. Keep dumping money and driving it.

This is what makes me want to get an electric car. Two of my friends just passed 100k each on their EV's (Leaf & Fit) & have only had to change the tires once, no other maintenance issues outside of wiper blades & windshield fluid.

 

[mindless1]

I'd pay $3500 on a Pilot with 105K mi, considering that most other repairs I DIY and the engine should still have well over 100K mi left in it. That is unless there was enough body rust to notice without having to look for it, especially on a unibody vehicle.

 

[Kaido]

When to give up on repairs

Whats the wisest strategy in your opinion. Keep it running until final death or trade in and run and live with payments for life.

I mean, you're going to pay either way - for a replacement car, or for repairs for your current car. The typical 'sound financial advice' is to get a late-model used car (like something off-lease), pay that off, and then have a good, low-maintenance car for awhile.

It mostly boils down to how much you love your ride & how much pain (financial, frustration, etc.) you're willing to put up with. I just got rid of my lemon Jeep Renegade...lots of time in the shop (worked out to roughly a week in the shop for every month I owned it - and I bought it NEW!) & kept having problems no matter what they did to it. Finally made the decision to deep-six it after I got it paid down to the point where I could flip it without being underwater. Not really excited about having an extra 2 years of car payments, but at least I have a hassle-free (for now) vehicle. Having been in my replacement car for a week with absolutely zero issues, I'm regretting not just biting the bullet & getting rid of the Jeep earlier.

You have a Honda, so you can probably get 200k miles out of that puppy easily. If you like it & have the budget available to do the work required, I'd say keep it...you'll have more stuff to fix down the road, but a few grand now could potentially save you from tens of thousands for a replacement vehicle for quite some time.

 

[mizzou]

When the cost of repair exceeds the cost of replacement.

I would say this is sound advice...however something to consider is a $3000 transmission worth it in a $500 rust bucket car? Probably not. How about a $3000 tranny in a $3000 car? Hmm. Maybe? Depends

There is definitely a grey area. If your vehicle is rather sound and well maintained, I don’t think keepin it repaired will be a stupid decision...ever

As an owner of a car I’ve had for 16 years...I will tell you it’s darn near impossible to stop the tide of never ending repairs. Gaskets, rubber, and steel only last so long and their are ungodly amounts of it in your vehicle. Fix the transmission? Great. Next month it’s the intake gasket. Next month it’s the water pump. Next month your door trim falls apart.


If you are OK driving an old car and keeping it well operated, that’s good, just don’t expect it to be as reliable as a 1-4 year old car. Get some rental car coverage on your insurance for peace of mind.

$3000 here or there is not the end of the world. Most of your repairs will be sub $500 anyway. So just keep track of it and make sure you aren’t going crazy putting money into it. I dumped like 6000 in my truck the last two years and it’s only worth 8000.

What are 24 months of $500 car payments? See not so crazy

 

[Raincity]

I also have a 2005 Pilot, but mine has 430,000 miles (original owner). I change the fluids as per the manufacturers recommendation and often a more frequent depending on temperature and load. My transmission is still going smooth without even a hiccup. Why is your transmission going out prematurely?

Did you hit the Honda lottery. Heard of many Pilots, Ridgelines and Oddesys having their trannies go between 100K to 200K miles.

 

[Raincity]

I'd pay $3500 on a Pilot with 105K mi, considering that most other repairs I DIY and the engine should still have well over 100K mi left in it. That is unless there was enough body rust to notice without having to look for it, especially on a unibody vehicle.

$3500 is going to get you a high mileage Pilot in this area.