6th May 2021, 18:59
I don't think clearly maintenance items such as belts and wp - the ones that the owner manual is mentioning - should be considered repairs. However the rest are all repairs - from a tie rod to a window regulator or an electronic module. But if you look at those overly "optimistic" reviews, they don't mention anything, not a single broken switch, wheel bearing, alternator, sensor, anything. That's precisely when you realize what kind of reviews those are.
7th May 2021, 01:41
All water pumps that are scheduled to be changed are the ones driven off the timing belt. It makes perfect sense to do both at once seeing how both require the same procedure. I never had a timing belt engine, all were chains and the water pumps ran off a "V" or serpentine belt only requiring replacement if they leaked or the bearings started to growl. Most that I've owned, the water pump lasted the life of the vehicle.
7th May 2021, 13:21
I agree with you on this, it always causes confusion on here. Perhaps the faults section needs a separate section on maintenance items. But then most well written reviews will include maintenance items in the fault or general comment section.
I hate the message threads that go on forever though. I remember a guy arguing with me back and forth a few years ago about a review I wrote for a car I had for 10 years and over 100,000 miles. It was generally a reliable car and I mentioned most maintenance items, and faults, but he was upset because he had the same car and said my review was fake as the reliability I got out of it was impossible. Why is this so hard for people to believe? Look after your car and it can last many miles without serious issues. I get that the 200,000 mile plus reviews written with little or no faults are fake, but you should ignore such reviews, and remember also some reviewers maybe just forget to mention all the faults they had on a car over many years.
8th May 2021, 00:12
That's why I put a comment on what's maintenance vs. repair. I feel that if the failure (or impending failure - if caught early) is debilitating (the car will not run or will detrimentally affect safe running) or cause considerable inconvenience, it's definitely a repair.
But true, there are small items fixed that you forget. When I put a review and updates on my previous car, a BMW hatch (bought at 10 years old, sold when it was nearly 20 years old), I listed as many of the things I dealt with over the years, but forgot the fan solenoid (which was fixed cheaply during a scheduled service).
The car has been very dependable (why would I keep it for 10 years otherwise). But if my car has been pretty good (and that was a BMW), my friend has had her used Mazda 6 for 5 years (now 15 years old), and besides regular service, absolutely nothing has gone wrong. Not even the water pump (she doesn't know much about cars, so will always call if she feels something is amiss).
So yes, there are cars out there which cover long distances without seemingly any 'repairs'. And, since this is an anonymous site (you don't need a user name), there is really no reason why someone with any sort of car, especially upmarket ones, shouldn't be able to spill the beans and tell the world how terrible their car is in reality. This site is very useful, you get to see the trends in certain cars and its variants.
8th May 2021, 17:01
Yes I completely agree. This site is one of the better car review sites, better than a glossy biased magazine style site anyway. Was talking to a friend not long ago who has a taxi service here in the UK. One of the most popular cars for taxis here is a Skoda Octavia. They regularly get used for years and mileages above 300,000 miles are common, they are reliable cars if looked after and still run well at that mileage and get sold on. Was asking him what gets replaced on those cars through the years and he said all the usual stuff - Brakes and suspension pretty much entirely, alternators commonly fail around the 100K mark, exhaust, etc. So if I read a high mileage review of one of those cars I can believe it, even if they leave out maintenance items by simply forgetting. For example that car requires timing belt changes around the 80K mark, so you kinda have to assume the reviewer of that car has done that (probably 3 times in its life as a taxi) whether they mention it or not.
9th May 2021, 07:02
There is actually a big reason why someone would not tell the defects on his car. It is hard to tell the world that your car is the most amazing object while it costs thousands of dollars every year to maintain.
18th Oct 2022, 00:32
That's not true. My Subaru Legacy has 226K and I only changed tires, brakes and caliper pins, muffler. Not one major failure or repair.
3rd Jul 2024, 04:17
Sold my Isuzu Trooper with 467k on it and only replaced the radiator and an alternator. I have had so many cars go high mileage without massive repairs. Do your maintenance! That’s what it boils down to.
Ford Focus Wagon, 234k, only brakes and a wheel bearing.
Hyundai Tiburon, 267k, only small crap like spark plugs and had to replace two brake calipers.
5th May 2021, 21:48
I guess it all depends on what constitutes a repair vs. maintenance. So if the water pump starts leaking at 140K km (87K mi) and must be changed (unscheduled), would that be a repair, as opposed to the water pump and thermostat proactively replaced for its 120K km service, together with the oil change with the 2-year brake fluid flushing which would be maintenance?