It is once again time for a new vehicles are garbage thread.

[CJ19]

I would prefer to be hunting and not making this post but here I am on a hunting trip and new vehicle problems mean im eating breakfast in the cabin instead of hunting. The guy who drove has a new chevy diesel with less than 20,000 miles. This guy babies his trucks and is the type to take extreme care of all equipment including vehicles. Vehicle starts the 175 miles to limp mode bullsht. Im sure it some dumbass sensor issue. Will wreck a few days of the trip bc we cant go where want and the truck owner is going to the dealer to get it checked out.

Its pretty amazing that vehicles from 30 years ago were more reliable. The amount of stupid sensors and worthless electronics that perform some menial task but cause catastrophic problems when they fail is unreal. It is difficult to put into words the distain that I have toward the people that have pushed vehicle technology in the direction it has gone. All the stupid sensors, 10 speed crap transmissions, faulty pumps that are supposedly going to change the weather, etc. Hope you all have great days and your hunts go more smoothly than mine.

 

[2531usmc]

Your assessment of modern vehicles is about right. That’s why young people can no longer afford them

 

[def90]

All of those sensors, 10 speed transmissions and everything else exist in order to get the vehicles to come in under EPA exhaust limits.

 

[Yoder]

Well, the good news is it probably only cost around $100k. What a bargain.

 

[Yoder]

Your assessment of modern vehicles is about right. That’s why young people can no longer afford them

That and most are lazy turds that only work a maximum of 40 hrs a week and have a $150k student loan with a degree in unicorn herding or French art history.

 

[Steve300xcw]

That’s why young people can no longer afford them

If were being honest here. Most folks cant really afford a new rig

 

[Poser]

What drives me crazy is the needless labor complexity to replace components that require regular replacement. Engine bays used to be extremely accessible with spark plugs, starters, water pumps etc all straight forward to replace.

Starters, spark plugs, water pumps should all be laid out in a way that they are accessible without anything more than minor disassembly. Every vehicle should have a cabin access to port to the fuel pump similar to older Land Rovers. You're talking about components that have 100k lifespans max. It shouldn't cost you $1500 in labor to replace a $150 part that requires 2 bolts and a electrical connection. Alternators should be replaceable on the side of the road with a wrench and a YouTube video.

 

[Muleyczy]

What drives me crazy is the needless labor complexity to replace components that require regular replacement. Engine bays used to be extremely accessible with spark plugs, starters, water pumps etc all straight forward to replace.

Starters, spark plugs, water pumps should all be laid out in a way that they are accessible without anything more than minor disassembly. Every vehicle should have a cabin access to port to the fuel pump similar to older Land Rovers. You're talking about components that have 100k lifespans max. It shouldn't cost you $1500 in labor to replace a $150 part that requires 2 bolts and a electrical connection. Alternators should be replaceable on the side of the road with a wrench and a YouTube video.

100% agree….unfortunately to do a majority of repairs now a days you have to remove the entire cab. Pretty crazy

 

[CJ19]

What drives me crazy is the needless labor complexity to replace components that require regular replacement. Engine bays used to be extremely accessible with spark plugs, starters, water pumps etc all straight forward to replace.

Starters, spark plugs, water pumps should all be laid out in a way that they are accessible without anything more than minor disassembly. Every vehicle should have a cabin access to port to the fuel pump similar to older Land Rovers. You're talking about components that have 100k lifespans max. It shouldn't cost you $1500 in labor to replace a $150 part that requires 2 bolts and a electrical connection. Alternators should be replaceable on the side of the road with a wrench and a YouTube video.

Did you see that bill that was put out about farmers having the right to fix their own equipment. I have no idea whats in it but the concept of it certainly makes sense to me.

 

[CJ19]

Well the def heater isnt working. So long as it doesnt get colder and the 5 inches of snow doesnt get deeper we should be fine. What an absolutely infuriating issue to have.

 

[Poser]

100% agree….unfortunately to do a majority of repairs now a days you have to remove the entire cab. Pretty crazy

Even on my 4th Gen 4 Runner, you have to remove the passenger tire and the water pump to replace the starter. On a 90s Chevy, you could replace the starter without even having to jack the vehicle up. It sucked and was a bit frustrating, but you could do it in a AutoZone parking lot. I once did it on a gravel road. If nothing else, you could also reach the starter to actually tap it with a hammer if you were in a pinch with a failing starter. These days, a failing starter requires a tow and $1500 worth of labor.

 

[EdP]

All of those sensors, 10 speed transmissions and everything else exist in order to get the vehicles to come in under EPA exhaust limits.

This is the mantra of left wing politicians. If you vote for them you are part of the problem.

 

[5MilesBack]

Alternators should be replaceable on the side of the road with a wrench and a YouTube video.

Shouldn't even need a Youtube video. Takes about 5 minutes to change the alternator on my old 7.3L PSD. I replaced the alternator on my '89 Toyota 4x4 earlier this year, and the only reason it took about an hour was because one of the bolts broke off inside the bracket, so had to remove the bracket as well to get the broken piece out and go get a new bolt. I had to look it up in my maintenance book, but the last time I changed that alternator was 28 years ago. That's not bad for an alternator.

But I helped a buddy change his alternator on his 90's Jeep Cherokee. What a pain in the butt compared to my above two.

 

[JRMiller]

There are some articles out there about the repo rate getting so high in the last few years.
They are blaming economic woes, inflation, etc.
That is partly true and does have its place.
But having worked in the auto service business since 1994 (mostly new car dealerships), I will tell you that its staggering now the mount of vehicles now being surrendered due to repair costs.
Its becoming common that people making regular car payments then get a $5k+repair bill and cant make both the car payment and the repair payment, so they give up and don't pay either and let the repo man take it.
There are very, very few vehicles around now that can make it past 100k miles without needing repairs that cost more than the car.

 

[Poser]

There are some articles out there about the repo rate getting so high in the last few years.
They are blaming economic woes, inflation, etc.
That is partly true and does have its place.
But having worked in the auto service business since 1994 (mostly new car dealerships), I will tell you that its staggering now the mount of vehicles now being surrendered due to repair costs.
Its becoming common that people making regular car payments then get a $5k+repair bill and cant make both the car payment and the repair payment, so they give up and don't pay either and let the repo man take it.
There are very, very few vehicles around now that can make it past 100k miles without needing repairs that cost more than the car.

I read this morning that vehicle Repos are currently almost equal to peak 2009 levels.

 

[180ls1]

Someone here made a thread stating a code reader/clearer was mandatory to carry with modern diesels. Maybe one can help even if you have to keep clearing the code?

 

[JimIsland]

I have 2 trucks: A 2017 Ram 4x4 w/diesel and my "forever" truck is a 2006 Chevy 1500HD with the 6.0/L480e 4.10 tranny. The Ram has been very reliable but is very costly to maintain. Even oil changes and fuel filters are costly. BUT, it's a tool and I need it for the boat and/or all the heavy lifting. The ole Chevy only has 110K miles. I haven't put a dime in it except for routine maintenance stuff like tires, stereo, back up camera, rhino liner and a Bakflip.

If my life depended on getting from point A to point B, I'm hopping in the 20 year old Chevy.

 

[EdP]

I thought I wanted a new truck to replace my 2007 Ram 2500 w/ 5.9l Cummins. Its at 215,000 and not having issues but is 18 y/o and I was thinking something newer might be more reliable. I'm now thinking otherwise.

 

[270quest]

Maybe not apples to apples, but my wifes 4runner has been an absolute gem in reliability so far as a new/newish vehicle that has lots of tech/sensors. Its a 2021 SR5 TRD off road premium - 110k trouble free miles - she drives a lot, around 20k plus a year.

Hoping to keep that one well past the 250k mileage mark

 

[MuleyFever]

I have to wonder if there are any actual numbers to back up that new vehicles are less reliable. When a new car fails its surely more costly and more of a PIA to get fixed but do they fail more often? Between my vehicles and my wifes I can only think of 2 instances of having to leave the vehicle at the shop in over 10 years. And neither was a breakdown, just had to get something fixed/replaced that was slowly failing.