I drive a Ford brand that in my opinion has been a reliable horse in the last 20months. However, anytime I need to do a repair I get these comments from mechanics, novices and non-car owners that I should sell the car being very expensive to maintain. I don’t think this is correct at all, but what do I know as a first car owner! So here are the repair stats in the last 20months… would you call the car problematic or costly to maintain?

Length of Use: 20months

Fixes made so far:

1.Right wheel hub – changed twice. First change was regrettably tokunbo when I did not know so much. Next change was a brand new hub. Cost for both changes including labour – N48,000
2.Service every 4,000 - 5,000miles and coolant – N10,000
3.AC – At purchase, dealer used fake gas that corrupted the entire climate control system. Opted to change the entire system after about 3months of use – N60,000
4.Tyres – recently got 4 brand new tyres – N88,000
5.Brake pad change (twice) and service of brakes - N15,000
6.Changed front ball joints after 4months of use – N12,000
7.Changed rear shock absorbers at purchase – N15,000
8.Changed battery – N12,000

That’s about all… so what do the techies think? Is this maintenance cost fair? Note that my landlord that bought a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder at the same time has given up on it due to excessive repairs.

Where are the technical guys... Siena, Ikenna, Fhemmy... your attention needed o!!!

I won't say the car is problematic but the cost of maintaining it seems to be a bit high.
However, most problematic cars won't start their problems until after 12months of usage as toks. This also depends on recklessness of the user

^^ Thanks for your feedback. Compared with a Toyota Highlander or Honda Pilot, is the maintenance cost high?

Idontknowwhat my country people would refer to as unproblematic or inexpensive in terms of vehicle maintainance.
first dre is d issue of unscientific overratted attachment to japvehicles.
dre is also d issue that our mechanic hav successfully transfered dre innuendo & inability to cope with advancement in the autoworld onto carowners.
3rdly american and european cars are more expensive dan Asiain cars no doubt. This is d price u pay for additional comfort, power, handling. . . So you wldnt expect it to be as cheap as its jap counterprt. The other day someone was saying a 2004 accord is expensive to maintain. Its relative if you ask me. What is expensive to me myt be peanuts to you. But we all know when a commodity is expensive.
you changed shock absorbers for 15k dat about d same price with dat of a 'o4 corolla & accord.
brake pads for 15k an oem brake pads for a 406 myt cost as much landing in naija. Tha

^^^ Good insight.

Those who believe that Japs craps are easier to maintain shud examine their heads. I have had auto gear problem with my camry for two wks now and yet, the fault has not been solved. Now the car can't even get to where it can be scanned. next time I am buying any car with ma mony, it's gona be a benz or volvo.

tpacalipse: Those who believe that Japs craps are easier to maintain shud examine their heads. I have had auto gear problem with my camry for two wks now and yet, the fault has not been solved. Now the car can't even get to where it can be scanned. next time I am buying any car with ma mony, it's gona be a benz or volvo.

Lol! No let them hear am o!

Among my colleagues in Abuja, am the only one that drives a Euro car. The rest drive Japs. 3 of them have replaced their auto transmissions (2 Toyotas & 1 Honda). The 2 Toyotas engine also failed and were replaced as well. Funny enough, none of them do long distance journy with thiers. But i travel a lot with mine. My engine and transmission are still in tact, still run like new.

When people come here to seek advice on cars they want to purchase and ask people to choose for them between a Euro and a Jap car. 98% will recommend Jap car for the fellow, with their funny reasons & paint the Euro car as most unreliable one could think of. If the fellow "mistakenly or in confusion" ended up buying a Euro car instead. Guess what will happen? Every minute of the ownership of the car, he will be looking out for signs for the claimed "unreliability" he gathered. When a fuse blows, he would shout "they warned me o!". When a brake pad wears off, he would blame himself for making the most terrible mistake of his life, purchasing that car. And when he takes the car to a mango tree mechanic and they connect something awful there and the car starts misbehaving, he would put it for sale right there and end the "nightmares" he was warned would come if he venture.

But with Japs, even if his shock absorber keeps failing everyother day, he finds it "reliable" and wouldnt mind replacing them every month or so as they failed, forgetting that a Euro car owner would found replacing strut every month as something fundamentally wrong he cant live with, since he only gets failed struts in his vehicle once in how many years.

My point is, no car doesnt have its weak point and strong one against the other. You cant say one is better than the other in all ramifications. Thats a blatant lie to me. You see people telling you that his car consume less than the other, when he didnt consider the two cars engine size, cubic capacity, car weight, transmission type, state of the engines, state of the EFI systems of both, etc.

I dont condemn any car or brand. I just like one particular brand which gives me all i wanted and needed out of a car, most especially, what i get behind the wheel.

The fact remains, anyone who cant maintain a Euro or an American car doesn't deserve it. If you want something good; something classic or something safer, it will cost you more to acquire and keep in good shape, running as long as you want. You dont expect to sit on a first class seat on a plane & enjoy the goodies that comes with that seat, when you couldnt afford it. The air hostess will pursue you like a madman comot go economy seat.


Finally, get a car you can afford, fuel and maintain. But dont ever think that the other car or brand is not as good as yours simply because you couldnt afford to buy or keep it on the road, because some people could and aint complaining.

Ikenna.

Most of the things changed there were either by error or at purchased, so you wouldn't count that to be problematic..In my own opinion , after you would have put the car in a good order, you can then watch out items that spoils thereafter that are not changed in non erroratic conditions..not the one the mechanic will fix one and spoil another...

this is a 13yr old car..i wudnt say its problematic...though it appears the parts r a bit pricey.

4 or 5 months for service appears too long to me...........what type of oil do you use?..and what distance do u drive in that period?..i mean distance in miles?.

most of the troubles people have with cars in nigeria is usually out of ignorance n then going to ignorant mechanics...........

cretin: this is a 13yr old car..i wudnt say its problematic...though it appears the parts r a bit pricey.

4 or 5 months for service appears too long to me...........what type of oil do you use?..and what distance do u drive in that period?..i mean distance in miles?.

most of the troubles people have with cars in nigeria is usually out of ignorance n then going to ignorant mechanics...........

I service based on distance covered and that is 4000 - 5000 miles (as per the service manual for the car).

I use Mobil brand of recommended oil grade.

ok cool u r enlightened.......thats correct........if u r using synthtic oil the manual recommends 5k miles or 6months...which ever comes first, but to be on the safe side.....i do 4k miles or 4months...which ever comes first