13th Sep 2020, 19:24

It all depends how much money you are throwing into it. You think a BMW with 200,000 miles had only $200 in repairs in the past 10 years? That's what their owners say. If a car is still running fine with 150,000 miles, it's because the owner has spent many thousands of $ to have it fixed. And if a guy tells you he never did repairs, that perhaps has something to do with a word called bragging.

14th Sep 2020, 22:31

Even Toyotas do need repairs. I've just had a steering rack done, around NZ$750 to repair it. I don't know of a car - Japanese or any - which did not need repairs over 100K mi. But what some people deem as repairs, others find it as part of maintenance. If there's a slight oil drip on an engine accessory, and you get it done during service, and adds 2 hours of labour to access it on top of the usual oil change, is it deemed repair or maintenance? A coil may need changing, $250 plus installation, but the first time after 10 years, is it unreasonable?

17th Sep 2020, 18:37

Good point. But you have to factor in another thing: people who want to make their car appear 'better' will also be inclined to consider a rack 'normal maintenance'. When subjectivity kicks in, everything gets blurred. And I think the site is too vague saying 'Faults'. If you need to replace an axle shaft at 40,000 miles, is that normal maintenance or a fault? An axle shaft is supposed to last much longer, still, it is a maintenance item - but failing this early shouldn't be considered a fault? The term 'Fault' also makes some people think it's only about major engine or transmission problems. I think that is misleading for others when they read "this car had 200,000 and not a problem" - just because it had no problems with the engine, but had to go numerous times at the garage for electrics, sensors, computers, suspension, etc.

18th Sep 2020, 18:24

I wouldn't consider an axle shaft as maintenance. The main cause of them going bad is due to a torn CV boot that many never know about until it's too late, and the CV joint knocks and clucks when making a turn. I've mainly seen this on Japanese vehicles. In the meantime every single FWD GM car we ever owned never had a problem. Some with over 200k.

20th Sep 2020, 18:06

What do you mean by never had a problem? You never had a sensor failure? Or an electrical failure? Or anything else that had to be fixed by the dealer? You see, there are too many people who write to defend their car and make it appear perfect. I can type here whatever I want, the question is, how do we know if someone is telling the truth when there are so many people misleading just because they like their car?

21st Sep 2020, 17:45

Wrong. Reread the comment. "FWD" talking about CV axles. Never had a problem with them on a front drive GM car.

Also while you're on the subject; I have a few reviews on this site myself and yes, even the good ones list repairs (not maintenance) in the fault section.

23rd Sep 2020, 21:44

I see, you were referring to the axles alone. Speaking of reviews, when we write one, the section appears as "What things have gone wrong with the car?". It seems to indicate indeed even wear items that had to be replaced prematurely - for example a shock absorber replaced at 30,000 miles. Along with repairs such as electric windows, sensors, AC, etc, on top of more severe engine or transmission issues.