Are modern autos designed to be expensive to repair?

[db22]

Last week I bought a 2015 C-Max Energi. After a few highway miles, it became obvious that there was too much of what I thought might be tire noise. So I took it in to a local shop with a good reputation. After an hour's wait, I learned that the front driver's side wheel bearing was shot. Cost: ~$600.00. They also informed me that the passenger side CV joint boot was leaking grease. So replace the boot, right? Not a chance. The entire CV joint and axle is an "assembly" that must be replaced. 25 years ago any front-drive car that leaked grease from a CV boot just needed a new rubber CV boot. The 2015 C-Max needs an "assembly", cost: ~$700.00. 

I haven't bought a new car since the 1970s, and I usually drive ancient rattletraps. I bought the C-Max because I am now older than Methuselah and got tired of shifting a grabby 5-speed. The C-Max is comfy and gets great mileage. With a fully-charged HVB, I can do local errands without burning a drop of gasoline. But it looks like all that I save and more will be required to pay for routine repairs.

So -- is there any good reason for this? Or is it just a way for the auto industry to shake down drivers, most of whom have no idea how to get by without a car? 

Your opinions will be much appreciated.

[homestead]

Tire noise can be bad on c-max.  Finding a mechanic you can trust is key.

How many miles does the car have on it?

[db22]

2 hours ago, homestead said:

Tire noise can be bad on c-max.  Finding a mechanic you can trust is key.

How many miles does the car have on it?

~148,000 on the odo. The noise is directional, coming from the front left, and the repair shop found the front left bearing to be failing. It's much louder in a right-hand turn or curve, and quiets in a left-hand turn or curve. So the wheel bearing diagnosis makes sense. Tires were new last fall -- higher-end General Tire radials.

[homestead]

Lots of old data on this forum going back to 2012 when the c-max came out.  Suggest you do a search for the cv boot problem before laying out $$ for that one.

 

[nogoodbum]

As cars have gotten more & more complex, it's easy to question the auto industry for blame, but the true blame mostly falls on federal & state regulations. Emission, safety, or CAFE along with public demand have turned simple repairs in your backyard into something needing a rocket scientist. The auto industry is to blame for designs that require special [for most of us single use] tools. More & more simple things are being used trying to force owners back to dealers service centers only. One example I can think of on the C-Max, is the lack of an transmission dipstick forcing an older owner back to the dealer or finding a shop willing to check it for you.

[nogoodbum]

Without knowing your area, the prices quoted are a bit high compared to averages listed via a quick Google/Bing search. You may want to get a second quote or three.

[nogoodbum]

Forgot to add, as a mature driver myself [70+] I feel your pain.

[db22]

On 6/7/2024 at 10:00 AM, nogoodbum said:

As cars have gotten more & more complex, it's easy to question the auto industry for blame, but the true blame mostly falls on federal & state regulations. Emission, safety, or CAFE along with public demand have turned simple repairs in your backyard into something needing a rocket scientist. The auto industry is to blame for designs that require special [for most of us single use] tools. More & more simple things are being used trying to force owners back to dealers service centers only. One example I can think of on the C-Max, is the lack of an transmission dipstick forcing an older owner back to the dealer or finding a shop willing to check it for you.

It's easy to blame the "damn gummint" for this sort of thing. But do we want the whole country to have Los Angeles-level air quality? I can think of two instances in my life where seat belts saved my bacon. Would Detroit have installed them if they hadn't been forced to do so? The "gummint" is certainly to blame for some things (gargantuan bureaucracy, a CYA leadership culture, too-cozy relations with the defense industry) but corporate greed is a major factor in cost-passing to consumers and embarassments like the current dumpster fire at Boeing. It has been my honor to know some government employees who were dedicated to their jobs and delivered terrific value for the taxpayer money that provided their pay -- meteorologists, air traffic controllers, and every career NCO I ever got to know (I worked for twenty years for a military contractor).

[db22]

On 6/7/2024 at 12:14 AM, homestead said:

Lots of old data on this forum going back to 2012 when the c-max came out.  Suggest you do a search for the cv boot problem before laying out $$ for that one.

 

Rock Auto has the right-side axle/CV joint assembly. A poster here described installation as a two-man job, and he probably had access to a lift. I will call around a see if there is a shop willing to install it if I provide the part. Thanks!

[db22]

A couple of days ago I walked past a neighbor's house and saw someone hard at work on a recent Ford Escape. Turns out the car needed a new battery, and my neighbor had called a skilled friend to replace it. To change the battery in an Escape, you must remove the windshield wipers and the brake fluid reservoir. Several hours of careful disassembly and reassembly are required for an amateur owner to completed this job. Another example of a system engineered to encourage owners to give up and take the car to a professional for even minor service.

The 12v battery on my C-Max is buried under the floor aft of the HVB, and looks difficult to remove. Oh boy.

[jestevens]

Engineers say "Oh, this part only needs replaced every seven years so" -- to replace the battery in my Prius from the trunk you had to remove a bunch of ductwork and a brake controller .. headlights -- in my HHR you literally had to turn the wheel to one side, undo the clips from the wheel wheel, reach up from behind the wheel well and then change the headlight from under the car.  The Prius headlights -- to do by Toyota spec you had to remove and replace the front bumper, $300 .. I found the part on Amazon for $80 per xenon bulb and very carefully replaced them with teeny hands and a compact mirror.  Even the CMAX you have to peel up the HVAC cowling, pop some push pins near the radiator and wrench a bit on the headlight assembly to get it to pivot to the point where it's easy access, depending on which headlight you want to replace.

 

My '94 Cavalier?  You could open the hood and replace a headlight bulb in about 30 secs.

Edited July 5 by jestevens

[IFHP]

At a minimum is seems like new cars are designed without regard to servicing the vehicle. I'm currently needing to get the 12-volt battery out of the vehicle and might have to take it to a shop because one of the hex screws the hold in place the panel covering most of the battery is stripped. 

[jzchen]

On 9/2/2024 at 10:16 PM, IFHP said:

At a minimum is seems like new cars are designed without regard to servicing the vehicle. I'm currently needing to get the 12-volt battery out of the vehicle and might have to take it to a shop because one of the hex screws the hold in place the panel covering most of the battery is stripped. 

 

My gripe about the battery, if I recall correctly, was that the + side is the near side.  I would think they could have chosen the reverse so the - side is accessible for pulling the ground.

 

Hopefully a bolt extractor would reach/fit?