What's the most expensive car repair you've ever needed?
I had my first car for 4 years, until it munched a couple valves for lunch. Due to the major damage that resulted (broken piston), I ended up needing a new engine for $4,000. Being that the car was 13 years old, there was no way I was putting the money into that.
@tallpowerhouseblonde Several years ago, there was a road test of a Ferrari (I cannot recall which model) in Car and Driver magazine, and they mentioned that an oil change cost almost $1500, due to the fact that the car used oil that cost $67/quart, and needed 22 quarts. I read somewhere that an oil change for one of the Bugatti Veyron cars costs $20,000. The car has to be partially disassembled to get to the oil system.
2000 S-10 Xtreme. 4.3 liter V-6, leaked coolant internally, and decided to make metal. Installed a Jasper (tm) remanufactured engine, paid extra to have a Jasper Authorized Installation Center put it in (gave me the 3 yr. 100k mile warranty for both the engine and the labor to install it). About $5500.00. But worth it, as it burns absolutely no oil. And very well balanced internally. No vibration at all.
@billybcgn25 That actually sounds like what happened to my Pontiac Grand Am 3.4 (second car). Apparently GM has had an issue with intank manifold gaskets leaking in a few of their V6 engines.
@latinbutterfly, it really irritated me, especially when I had had driveshaft issues with that thing too. Grrr... But swapping out an engine was above my pay grade. Half shafts, cylinder heads, even intake manifolds (Buick 3800 Series II and III), yep. But not the whole enchilada.
Well I have never owned a car that needed a major repair.
The only vehicle I had to pay for a lot would be my dad's motorcycle as it was left for restoration and the mechanic had put a lot of faulty parts for which I paid. I had to pay another person to do a complete restoration from the ground up and the total cost for both the restorations was a hair above 1400 dollars
@latinbutterfly I had a 1992 Toyota Tercel that needed a valve job at 81,000 miles. SiInce they had to disassemble the engine to do the valves, had them replace the piston rings and all the engine and rod bearings as well, so I had an restored engine. It was worth the extra $500. The car is still running strong; we gave it to my ex-wifes step sister.
@billybcgn25 Mine jumped right in front, he hit dead square in the middle of the grill. So weird, it was as if he popped straight up from the road! Me and my mom went looking for him, but he was gone, leaving a trail behind him into the woods I felt bad. 😢
It was $4000 for a new transmission. That transmission only lasted for two more years, and then it went, too, at which time I decided I needed a new car.
A 1975 MG Midget - OMFG. First it was the clutch (have to pull the engine to replace it), then the carburator caught fire toasting some of the wiring, on and on and on...I sold it to my uncle who died a year latter so I didn't have to listen to him bitch about that fucking car for very long
@DonHobag As you know, Evangelicals call "Lucifer", or the Devil, the "Prince of Darkness". Well, Britons call Lucas Electrical company the prince of darkness as well--for very good reason. Seems all British cars and bikes of the 50s and 60s had a propensity of going dark when the sun went down. :P LOL