1st Oct 2021, 22:08
Are you trying to imply those items are all normal wear and tear which the commenter mentioned?
2nd Oct 2021, 21:31
Oil cooler leak issues mentioned by the reviewer aren't wear and tear... not on a 2014 car (only 7 years old); had the car been at least 10 years old, definitely. The reviewer is very much into preventive maintenance, notice what they said on the hoses. A new radiator as a precautionary replacement at 105K miles but for a reasonably young car, does get me thinking - but then, with my previous car, a 4-cyl BMW, it needed a new radiator at around that mileage (160K km/100K miles), when it was around 15 years old.
3rd Oct 2021, 19:25
Take some of these related comments with a grain of salt. Especially when there are people on here who believe that exhaust manifolds and brake calipers are maintenance items.
3rd Oct 2021, 21:49
If a car is sitting with very low miles you can have an oil leak. Like leaving one in a garage at a vacation home for a few months. From seals. Also the A/C can fail, brakes get moisture and master cylinder fails. Even with battery maintainer in, in a garage. If you have a GM as another example, in several years the Dexcool can eat your cooling system. Then others like ethanol in the gas tank on low mile cars. Even newer models. I have had issues myself as some of my cars are not driven often enough. Various manufacturers.
5th Oct 2021, 07:18
Exhaust manifolds usually last the length of the vehicles life I agree, but seeing as most people buy used including myself, and have had a caliper fail on every car I have ever had, always between the 50,000 - 100,000 mile mark, it essentially is a maintenance item. And I look after my brakes. I have owned almost all makes of cars. Timing belts are essentially maintenance as well at this mileage. Also calipers seem to fail/seize if the car has been sitting for a long time (a year or more, along with other problems!), regardless of mileage. Just my observations.
Not wanting to get into the faults vs maintenance debate on here as it usually dissolves into pointless arguments that go on forever, but it has been said before, this site is generally good but I wish the "faults" section was a little clearer and people took a little extra time to define what they would class as servicing and maintenance, vs faults and/or breakdowns. Really depends on how well a review is written, ultimately not the website's fault to be honest.
5th Oct 2021, 19:58
Kind of baffles me that every car you have owned required caliper replacement under 100k miles. My experience is completely opposite. In over 30 years of driving I have owned 7 cars, all GM and Ford fullsize, 2 with well over 200k miles, and none of them ever needed brake calipers. Also work on and maintain my cars myself along with immediate and extended family member's. They too never needing calipers; different brands with a few over 200k miles.
Years ago when I was employed at a repair shop, yes working on many vehicles I have replaced seized calipers, but not a common practice. Seemed like a hereditary problem on certain makes and models such as a Ford Tempo and Dodge Intrepid.
6th Oct 2021, 11:29
I get what you are saying. Calipers can last a long time. Also depends on how the car was treated by the previous owner. I have had calipers last more than 100K. But a lot cars they seem to fail on early. My last car, a Volvo S40, both front calipers seized at 120K. I wasn't surprised, but it was expensive. I live in the UK and car parts are generally expensive here. Most dealers and service shops/garages will replace parts with manufacturers original or a quality aftermarket part; I would assume some are obviously longer lasting than others. I would like to know the best brands. Brembo are pretty famous on performance cars, I have no idea if they make cheaper calipers for regular cars.
6th Oct 2021, 18:09
You are So right. That's why they are listed in the maintenance section of most owners manuals.
7th Oct 2021, 18:35
Yeah, due to GM engaging in fraud for the Citations they lent out to reviewers. Nothing like that happened with the Intrepid.
7th Oct 2021, 21:58
Maybe this will help you understand a little better.
Brake calipers themselves are not maintenance items. Though they do require maintenance in a way every time you change pads you should grease the slide pins and bracket tabs. Do this and the calipers will last the life of the car like most of them do anyways.
8th Oct 2021, 03:42
Agreed. There tends to be a small group of voices that fuel the fire and eventually leads to review comments getting locked which is unfortunate. Comments like 22:17 a generic statement that just says "Brake calipers are absolutely a maintenance item" with no explanation or factual evidence to prove that.
8th Oct 2021, 11:38
The other thing you can do to extend the life of your entire brake system including the master cylinder and calipers is to replace your brake fluid every two to three years. Even though most manufacturers include this item in their maintenance recommendations, it seems to be often overlooked. Brake fluid absorbs water, which over time can cause corrosion, seized caliper pistons, and other maladies.
8th Oct 2021, 16:08
Yes and this is called maintenance! Same as changing the shock absorbers, changing timing belts and putting air in your tire.
8th Oct 2021, 18:01
Yeah! Exactly! Timing belts are in the maintenance schedule of your owners manual. Calipers are not...
8th Oct 2021, 21:41
Talking about reliability reputation. The early Intrepid was mediocre at best, then the later ones with the 2.7 V6 had an oil sludge problem worse than Toyota.
9th Oct 2021, 10:50
Every moving part on a car is a wear item. Age accelerates wear. I had to replace all new brakes and lines on my one 2004 truck with only 30,000 miles. It’s outside. On 3rd set of tires from dry rot. It’s used every other weekend now. Washed waxed fluids changed. Mobil 1 oil filters. Used on pavement only. It's age, weather
9th Oct 2021, 12:23
Could also do with the climate and environment that you live in. 20 years ago I lived on the east coast and the combination of the road salt and cold weather would do a number on cars a hell of a lot worse than they do where I live now out here in the West Coast. Road salt just absolutely eats just about everything under cars. I distinctly remember that most vehicles over 10 years old were pretty badly rotted. But where I live now, it's not uncommon to still see 30-year-old cars it look perfectly fine. So you think about something like a brake caliper constantly being exposed to road salt and I could totally see one wearing out or otherwise seizing in less than 100,000 miles.
1st Oct 2021, 18:47
167k miles IS long term! You're complaining about things, like the starter needing replacement, at 167k miles? Parts wear out, they need replacement.