This engine was totaled by simply putting off a minor repair - a coolant leak. When you're losing coolant and there are no puddles in the driveway, there is a good chance the coolant is leaking inside the engine in places it doesn't belong. Coolant in the oil is as bad to an engine as not having any oil in it to start with. The owner decided to "fix it later". Final cost of repairs? $3000. The cost to prevent this problem? Less than 1/10 of that.

Many people think since their cooling system is a sealed unit and/or contains long-life coolant, that maintenance here is a thing of the past. This is another example of why performing factory scheduled maintenance can cut back on vehicle costs over its lifetime. Let's don't forget the factory schedules are designed to meet the minimum requirements to keep a vehicle running reliably enough to live until the warranty expires! Manufactures rely on you to wear out your car so you will buy another one!

This is an example of a timing belt being used beyond its useful life. Many of today's engines use a rubber belt to operate critical internal engine components. This isn't to be confused with the accessory belt all engines have that control things like the alternator or water pump. Timing belts are hidden from view inside the engine and allowing one to break due to age can cost thousands of dollars in most cases. Once it breaks, many engines suffer severe internal damage due to contact between internal parts. Does your vehicle have a timing belt? If you're not sure, call us and we can confirm whether is does or not plus we can advise you of the recommended maintenance schedule for its replacement. While it may seem expensive to spend a few hundred dollars to replace one for maintenance, that's cheap compared to the alternative of ignoring it.

Something as commons as a belt squeal might be a serious problem waiting to bite you. This belt squeal was due to a bearing that needed replacement. Instead, the vehicle was driven until the bearing failed and caught the engine compartment on fire. What could have been prevented for a few dollars wound up costing hundreds.

While these are some rather expensive examples of what can happen when the inevitable is ignored, even the little things can save you a lot of money. Replacing a fuel filter every 30,000 miles will cost around fifty dollars. Allowing a fuel pump to struggle 'til death pushing fuel through a plugged filter might approach a thousand dollars in some applications! That little misfire in the engine? It's seems like a small annoyance, but allowing a misfire to continue will damage one or more catalytic converters. Some vehicles have several running hundreds of dollars apiece! The list goes on and on. While there are no guarantees of preventing every breakdown, it has been proven a high percentage of them can be eliminated with a little upkeep.

We have the technology to track your maintenance and prevent every example you've seen here. Do yourself a favor. See us for some pointers which might keep your vehicle from being listed next on this page!

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Revised: 02/09/10.