I have a 2008 Ford focus that's running approx. 93,000 miles. Is it worth paying the price for fixing or should I get new car?
I love my Focus but it has had more than a couple issues, but it is ten years old and running higher mileage. I did buy a Focus because they have a reputation for running longer than other cars ( in general comparison).
Recently it deaccelarated while I was driving it. My mechanic asked me to take it to the dealer because my coils were full of oil.so the coils have to be replaced and a cover gasket… Grand total $1,100 to fix. Is it worth fixing or should I get a new car? This is a pretty penny to me.
Fix it because its cheaper to fix than payments on new car.
Your MECHANIC said to take it to the dealer?
1, Find another mechanic/shop. Coils and a cover gasket is a pretty straight forward repair and if your guy/gal can't handle that, they are not a mechanic at all.
2, The dealer will fix it right but will be the most costly, a trusted independent shop that will warranty their work would be the more economical choice.
3, Fix your Focus, they are good reliable vehicles that can easily go 200k miles with proper maintenance.
Since your mechanic sent you to Ford he must see there's still life left in it. Jethro is right - the cost of repair is only 3-4 month's car payments and probably less than you would pay for sales tax on a new car.
I keep most of my cars to the bitter end - longer than many people would because I do nearly all the repairs myself. It's enough experience to recognize old age and end of life for cars. A few have a failure that costs more than the car is worth, like a transmission failure, but most just start on a process I call crumbling. They have relatively minor failures that are worth repairing (like yours) but get more and more frequent. When you look back and see you spent more in the last year than the car was worth you know it is time to replace it. However, that doesn't mean you lost money. You still had use of the car, something you would have paid several thousands of dollars in car payments on if you had traded it in to start with. It is more art than science.
93k miles is NOT "high miles" for a 10-year old car. In fact, MOST people would consider that BELOW AVERAGE miles.
While an older car is going to need some occasional maintenance, a NEW car will cost you more for monthly payments and insurance.
If you consider $1100 to be a pretty penny, then when you shell out $22k-$25k for a new car you're going to have a mild heart attack. I would get a diagnosis as to why the coils have oil in them ( That's an odd problem to have) and see what the repair cost to fix the root problem will be. OEM coils for that car cost $30 each BTW (you have four) and a valve cover gasket is $12. Even allowing for mark up and labor the $1100 quote is very high. I'd get a 2nd opinion
Get it fixed at your local community college automotive school. They want people to bring in cars to let the students learn.
93,000 isn't even CLOSE to high mileage, and a new car will LOSE $1,100 in value just be signing the paperwork.
Unless there's a lot more you haven't mentioned, it isn't even a question. Repairing the car you have is FAR better economically.
You really need to get a second and a third opinion. I know people that have their own mechanics they trust but believe me I'm 64 years of age and am a retired auto mechanic and I have seen it all a million times. Sometimes when a mechanic feels that he has no idea what or how to start repairing a car then he will tell the customer that they need to take it to a dealer or it's gonna cost you more to repair it than it's worth. Your car is worth a lot more than 11 hundred bucks and these cars now days last a lot longer than they use to, 93000 miles is about the engines break in now, my sister has a ford focus with over 176,000 miles on it so think about this and don't rush into anything.
Somebody is ripping you off. Those coils cost about $30 each new. The gasket is $20. Total parts cost for a 4 cyl. $80. 6 cyl. $110. It takes about 2 hours to do the work. Most mechanics even in California (most places charge a lot less than CA) only charge around $75 an hour. Total cost with labor costs should be between $230 and $260.
"Cover gasket"? Do you mean head gasket?
When you say it "decelerated" was it like the key was turned off and then back on or did the motor stall and you had to pull over and try to restart it?
I'd find a private mechanic and get a second opinion.
If it still runs ok I'd drive it to see if it happens again. If it's an electrical problem the CEL should light up and then you need to have the codes read. If it was a coil problem you should have a lit CEL and misfire codes in the PCM.
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