Need to spend $2500 USD on my car's repairs, car value is $4K

[Astronut325]

This is a rant thread.

I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan. Has 115000 miles on it. The current dealer trade in value is $3500-4000.

And now I need to shell out $2500 for the following repairs:
1. New control arms for spindle/suspension
2. New wheel bearing hub
3. All motor/transmission mounts

Just two weeks ago the Van died mid-road because of a dead alternator ($400), and a new power steering pump was also needed ($650, and yes it was making a lot of noise).

Have two kids and my mom with us. So any travel requires a minivan to for their stuff and our stuff. We mostly use it road trips. And a pre-owned minivan costs $25-30K so getting a replacement is much more expensive. It's just really frustrating to spend this much money on something that doesn't even value the total cost of repairs I've had to do over the last year or so (new struts, new brake master cylinder, new climate control module, mass airflow sensor, radiator, and water pump).

If you're thinking... Stop being lazy, do it yourself... Yeah no. Less than 25% of that cost is labor. Rest is parts.

For a Honda, I'm not seeing the "legendary reliability."

I'll end my rant here. Just had to vent my frustrations. My Toyotas with 200K miles didn't give me even half of these issues.

 

[PlanetSmasher]

Sell the car. If you're paying more than half the car's value in repairs you're better off just cutting it loose and getting another car.

 

[TaySan]

Sell the car. I went through the same thing with my old 2000 Lincoln Continental. At that point you are better off just getting a new car

 

[neoak]

Honda legendary reliability only applies to the engine.

If you want something completely reliable, get a Toyota, like you've seen yourself with the ones you have.

 

[Dalek]

I just went through the same thing. My 2009 RAV4 has its transmission die and it wasn't worth the cost of fixing it. Had to bite the bullet and get a new car.

 

[Vas]

I've been there. The reason why your car's calue is 4K is because it'll take an additional 6K do get it reliably running. That said, I wish I still had my 1995 Mazda B2300 truck, lol! Standard transmission as a lot of fun to drive.

 

[Deleted member 36493]

Sell, use money for leasing a new minivan. By the time you have to worry about maintenance, your lease will be up. And you don't have to put down 25-30K.

 

[Deleted member 57378]

400 for an alternator!!!
Thats a 35-200 dollar part that takes 10min to swap out. I think your shop is taking you for a ride.

 

[Nothing Loud]

How are you gonna get full trade-in value if the car needs major repairs? If you can get double the cost of the repairs by trading in, just do that, and get a Toyota or a Honda (certified pre-owned).

 

[Deleted member 18025]

Never mind didn't see the last part.

Sell it

 

[FeliciaFelix]

Sell car. Also, car is 12 years old. Honda is not being a bitch, it just that the car is pretty old. I drove a Nissan Altima to the ground and died at 12, so 12 years sounds like a right time for it to die.

I got $1000 as trade in and yours sounds in a worse shape. So dont pin your hopes too high.

Dont even fix it. You'll never get the repair value back.

 

[Box]

Agree with others. Sounds like your problem van is going to be a money sink.

 

[bsigg]

Sounds like routine type of maintenance on that year and mileage.

 

[turbobrick]

It does have good reliability if you just think of the engine, which will easily reach 300k. The problem is those vans also has transmission issues which you will run into at some point. I would sell it for a toyota van tbh. Or any other van that's not a early - mid 2000's Odyssey.

Also, spending over half of the value on repairs is not a big deal when you consider you're still saving money over buying a new car. As someone who drives only 20+ year old cars, I can tell you that in the long run its cheaper to keep fixing your old car than to buy a new one. Also, your car isn't that old considering the average age of cars on the road in the US is like 11.8 years old.

 

[Quality Garbage]

This is a rant thread.

I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan. Has 115000 miles on it. The current dealer trade in value is $3500-4000.

And now I need to shell out $2500 for the following repairs:
1. New control arms for spindle/suspension
2. New wheel bearing hub
3. All motor/transmission mounts

Just two weeks ago the Van died mid-road because of a dead alternator ($400), and a new power steering pump was also needed ($650, and yes it was making a lot of noise).

Have two kids and my mom with us. So any travel requires a minivan to for their stuff and our stuff. We mostly use it road trips. And a pre-owned minivan costs $25-30K so getting a replacement is much more expensive. It's just really frustrating to spend this much money on something that doesn't even value the total cost of repairs I've had to do over the last year or so (new struts, new brake master cylinder, new climate control module, mass airflow sensor, radiator, and water pump).

If you're thinking... Stop being lazy, do it yourself... Yeah no. Less than 25% of that cost is labor. Rest is parts.

For a Honda, I'm not seeing the "legendary reliability."

I'll end my rant here. Just had to vent my frustrations. My Toyotas with 200K miles didn't give me even half of these issues.

Click to shrink...

Uhh... maybe your being swindled by your mechanic because it sounds like your paying for work that shouldn't need to be done at 115k miles... like radiator, water pump, master cylinder ect.

Hoses, belts and fluids would be expected but the parts themselves... if get a second opinion if one shop is doing all your work.

 

[FTF]

That's the value of the trade in without making those repairs or if you make those repairs first?

 

[kambaybolongo]

Sounds like routine type of maintenance on that year and mileage.

Click to shrink...

don't be silly, cars are supposed to go 200k miles without a single mechanical issue

/s

 

[TheOMan]

I went through something similar a while back (and then the car got totaled soon after :(, I still miss it). It will be cheaper to keep your van than getting a new one, but know you will be dropping more money to keep it running safely.

 

[opticalmace]

If I were you I'd get a second opinion from another shop.

 

[perfectchaos007]

400 for an alternator!!!
Thats a 35-200 dollar part that takes 10min to swap out. I think your shop is taking you for a ride.

Click to shrink...

My alternator was harder to get to you have to take out the serpentine belt and a few other components also if you don't already own the tools needed the cost can really start to add up. Its not a bad investment to invest in tools though since they mostly last forever

 

[Roy]

This is a rant thread.

I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan. Has 115000 miles on it. The current dealer trade in value is $3500-4000.

And now I need to shell out $2500 for the following repairs:
1. New control arms for spindle/suspension
2. New wheel bearing hub
3. All motor/transmission mounts

Just two weeks ago the Van died mid-road because of a dead alternator ($400), and a new power steering pump was also needed ($650, and yes it was making a lot of noise).

Have two kids and my mom with us. So any travel requires a minivan to for their stuff and our stuff. We mostly use it road trips. And a pre-owned minivan costs $25-30K so getting a replacement is much more expensive. It's just really frustrating to spend this much money on something that doesn't even value the total cost of repairs I've had to do over the last year or so (new struts, new brake master cylinder, new climate control module, mass airflow sensor, radiator, and water pump).

If you're thinking... Stop being lazy, do it yourself... Yeah no. Less than 25% of that cost is labor. Rest is parts.

For a Honda, I'm not seeing the "legendary reliability."

I'll end my rant here. Just had to vent my frustrations. My Toyotas with 200K miles didn't give me even half of these issues.

Click to shrink...

I would find a better mechanic

 

[turbobrick]

My alternator was harder to get to you have to take out the serpentine belt and a few other components also if you don't already own the tools needed the cost can really start to add up. Its not a bad investment to invest in tools though since they mostly last forever

Click to shrink...

Yeah, its a fwd V6, so I'm sure a lot of the price the OP paid was labor as I'm guessing the engine bay is quite tight.

 

[Cpt-GargameL]

Don't ever buy parts directly through any dealer or else you'll get taxed like a MF.

I have a 2017 TypeR. All the of the Honda OEM parts I've ever needed I purchase them online. Not knockoffs, Honda OEM.

The best thing you can do here to lower that cost is to tell them to give you a part list (which they can give you and will upon request) and look online for these parts, then have them install them. The only thing you should be paying them is for the labor of the installation of these parts.

I'm saying this based out of experience.

Here are some good sites (of many) for Honda OEM parts

https://www.hondapartsnetwork.com/v-2007-honda-odyssey-5-door--lx--5-speed-automatic

https://www.hondapartswholesaledire...yssey-5-door/lx-trim/5-speed-automatic-engine

You can also find Honda OEM parts brand new on eBay for a lot cheaper than what you'll be paying Honda directly.

As I said, this is based on experience and seeing their at cost prices, employee prices and public prices.

Just trying to look out.

 

[Astronut325]

Uhh... maybe your being swindled by your mechanic because it sounds like your paying for work that shouldn't need to be done at 115k miles... like radiator, water pump, master cylinder ect.

Hoses, belts and fluids would be expected but the parts themselves... if get a second opinion if one shop is doing all your work.

Click to shrink...

Radiator was replaced when it started leaking (it was the original factory radiator). Master cylinder was replaced when it was leaking. Only did fixes/repairs when absolutely needed.

Also, I've had three shops check the van. And the dealer. Also, all maintenance was performed on schedule by the dealer up until 100K miles. Only after 100K I started taking to local shops.

That's the value of the trade in without making those repairs or if you make those repairs first?

Click to shrink...

Without repairs. With repairs... about $5K!

don't be silly, cars are supposed to go 200k miles without a single mechanical issue

/s

Click to shrink...

Uh... I'm not saying cars need to be faultless for 200K miles. My Toyota's did have issues after 100K too. But I never had to spend half of it's value on repairs.

If I were you I'd get a second opinion from another shop.

Click to shrink...

I got three shops and the dealer to check it. They all agreed!

 

[Deleted member 721]

get a second opinion, if its the same thing sell it

 

[FTF]

...

Without repairs. With repairs... about $5K!
...

Click to shrink...

Ok yeah then definitely sell it without making those repairs.

 

[Jarmel]

Guess the question is do you want a car note or not? 5-6k down on a car will significantly lower those payments but you could also just dump 2k into the car and ride it out for another 2-3 years.

 

[Razgriz417]

get rid of it

 

[Freakzilla]

This is a rant thread.

I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan. Has 115000 miles on it. The current dealer trade in value is $3500-4000.

And now I need to shell out $2500 for the following repairs:
1. New control arms for spindle/suspension
2. New wheel bearing hub
3. All motor/transmission mounts

Just two weeks ago the Van died mid-road because of a dead alternator ($400), and a new power steering pump was also needed ($650, and yes it was making a lot of noise).

Have two kids and my mom with us. So any travel requires a minivan to for their stuff and our stuff. We mostly use it road trips. And a pre-owned minivan costs $25-30K so getting a replacement is much more expensive. It's just really frustrating to spend this much money on something that doesn't even value the total cost of repairs I've had to do over the last year or so (new struts, new brake master cylinder, new climate control module, mass airflow sensor, radiator, and water pump).

If you're thinking... Stop being lazy, do it yourself... Yeah no. Less than 25% of that cost is labor. Rest is parts.

For a Honda, I'm not seeing the "legendary reliability."

I'll end my rant here. Just had to vent my frustrations. My Toyotas with 200K miles didn't give me even half of these issues.

Click to shrink...

Hondas legendary reliability is their engines. Toyota is everything else.

Ok also please make your decision quickly because you DO NOT want to be driving a vehicle that needs a new wheel bearing

 

[McPaul]

Sell it.

 

[turbobrick]

I mean, a lot of the work you've done and need done is stuff that won't need to be replaced for a long time. Just think of how many years/miles you've put on it before it became an issue.

And now I need to shell out $2500 for the following repairs:
1. New control arms for spindle/suspension
2. New wheel bearing hub
3. All motor/transmission mounts

Click to shrink...

I do think the price is a little high for those items though. Granted you will need an alignment also, but that should only add at most $100-150 to the price. Mounts are cheap, but its probably like 2-3 hours labor. Control arms can be pricey if OEM, so I'm guessing $150 each. Don't see the rest plus labor equaling $2500.

 

[Shopolic]

I had an experience like this and sold my car. But after that, regretted it. :(

 

[Pagusas]

Suck it up buttercup, a car's value is in its usefulness to you. If you are spending this much a year on repairs you might as well sell it and put that money into car payments for your next, hopefully more reliable car (get a Toyota)

 

[Astronut325]

I mean, a lot of the work you've done and need done is stuff that won't need to be replaced for a long time. Just think of how many years/miles you've put on it before it became an issue.



I do think the price is a little high for those items though. Granted you will need an alignment also, but that should only add at most $100-150 to the price. Mounts are cheap, but its probably like 2-3 hours labor. Control arms can be pricey if OEM, so I'm guessing $150 each. Don't see the rest plus labor equaling $2500.

Click to shrink...

I'm trying to see it from that perspective. That hopefully this is the end of major repairs and that I will have another 3-5 years of just basic maintenance (oil changes, tires, brake pads, etc).

The mounts are $150-200 a piece. The control arms, OEM, are $450 a piece. The wheel bearing hub is $300.

A certified pre-owned van will result in. $400/month payment.

 

[turbobrick]

I'm trying to see it from that perspective. That hopefully this is the end of major repairs and that I will have another 3-5 years of just basic maintenance (oil changes, tires, brake pads, etc).

The mounts are $150-200 a piece. The control arms, OEM, are $450 a piece. The wheel bearing hub is $300.

A certified pre-owned van will result in. $400/month payment.

Click to shrink...

oof, those prices. I had to replace front end parts on my Volvo and thought that was expensive, but it was cheap compared to those prices.

Though to be honest, you don't need OEM honda parts for all of those. Engine/transmission mounts you can go aftermarket, and possibly control arms if there's a good company that makes them. Wheel bearing I would get OEM though. That could save you a couple hundred.

Looking at prices on rockauto.com it seems you could save quite a bit. Most control arms are in the $100-150 range.

 

[thewienke]

You can also get a newer Dodge Grand Caravan for much less than $25-30k.

In real life, I've only heard positive things about their reliability (my brother alone has driven two to over 300k miles with proper maintenance). Online people shit on them for not being Honda or Toyota with all the usual accompanying horror stories.

 

[Radd Redd]

There's gotta be some new minivans under 25k. I know dealers 3 years ago were bending over backwards trying to sell me some when all I wanted was an suv/crossover with a 3rd row standard.

 

[brawndolicious]

The wheel bearing is the only thing that really seems to need to be repaired for safety. Having worn out suspension and motor/transmission mounts after 10 years/100k miles is absolutely normal since those have rubber bushings so they have a hard limit on how long they can last. I guarantee your Toyotas had the same wear on rubber components after 100k miles.

But the wheel bearing is only a ~$100 dollar part from what I see on Rockauto and it's an easy enough repair to do yourself. I think the best thing to do is to repair the wheel bearing and sell the car private party rather than trade it in, you'll get an extra $1-2k and have enough for a down payment on a newer minivan.

You also might be able to get a good deal on minivans these days due to the crossover craze. The only downside on buying a new car right now is interest rates have been going up.

 

[turbobrick]

You can also get a newer Dodge Grand Caravan for much less than $25-30k.

In real life, I've only heard positive things about their reliability (my brother alone has driven two to over 300k miles with proper maintenance). Online people shit on them for not being Honda or Toyota with all the usual accompanying horror stories.

Click to shrink...

This is true. They're actually not that bad, and the caravan is probably one of the best vehicles Chrysler ever made. My family had one growing up and we got rid of it at 230k miles with very little issues. The early-mid 90s models had weak transmissions, but after that they were fairly solid.

 

[tsampikos]

Oh my god you are describing an eerily similar situation I had a few years ago when I bought the same kind of van for $3200. Same repair cost btw. UGH.

 

[Fall Damage]

This is a rant thread.

I have a 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan. Has 115000 miles on it. The current dealer trade in value is $3500-4000.

And now I need to shell out $2500 for the following repairs:
1. New control arms for spindle/suspension
2. New wheel bearing hub
3. All motor/transmission mounts

Just two weeks ago the Van died mid-road because of a dead alternator ($400), and a new power steering pump was also needed ($650, and yes it was making a lot of noise).

Have two kids and my mom with us. So any travel requires a minivan to for their stuff and our stuff. We mostly use it road trips. And a pre-owned minivan costs $25-30K so getting a replacement is much more expensive. It's just really frustrating to spend this much money on something that doesn't even value the total cost of repairs I've had to do over the last year or so (new struts, new brake master cylinder, new climate control module, mass airflow sensor, radiator, and water pump).

If you're thinking... Stop being lazy, do it yourself... Yeah no. Less than 25% of that cost is labor. Rest is parts.

For a Honda, I'm not seeing the "legendary reliability."

I'll end my rant here. Just had to vent my frustrations. My Toyotas with 200K miles didn't give me even half of these issues.

Click to shrink...

I would keep it myself. Wive's car has 220k and mine has 180k and running great. Engines last a lot longer these days. I don't think you need to get all those repairs done at once though right? Correct me if I'm wrong but bad control arms/suspension will simply lead to increased tire wear.

I remember my shop telling me I needed new motor mounts a couple years back and I never did bother getting them replaced. The car idles a little rough but that's it. I don't know anything about the wheel bearing hub.

I would get a second opinion for sure.

 

[turbobrick]

I would keep it myself. Wive's car has 220k and mine has 180k and running great. Engines last a lot longer these days. I don't think you need to get all those repairs done at once though right? Correct me if I'm wrong but bad control arms/suspension will simply lead to increased tire wear.

I remember my shop telling me I needed new motor mounts a couple years back and I never did bother getting them replaced. The car idles a little rough but that's it. I don't know anything about the wheel bearing hub.

I would get a second opinion for sure.

Click to shrink...

You'd want to do the wheel bearing and control arms at the same time. A bad alignment due to worn out control arm mounts/ball joints can cause increased wear on your wheel bearing. Also they're both part of the front suspension so it makes sense to do them at the same time. Motor mounts could be done later, but they will need to be done at some point.

For you though, I would get your mounts replaced if its idling rougher, as one of your mounts is probably broken in half. It will also cause the rest to fail even faster. Worst case scenario is your engine/transmission falls out while you're driving, but it will worse than 'a little rough' before that happens. Well, maybe not completely fall out since the crossmember will most likely keep it from hitting the ground, but it will still be really bad.

 

[Arrakis]

It's not the dealership quoting you is it? If it is take it somewhere else , I used to go to a dealership all the time until they misdiagnosed a fuel pump instead of a filter $40 vs $1000 I haven't been back to a dealership since

 

[Arrakis]

Double post

 

[onadesertedisland]

Does the vehicle drive without those repairs?

 

[turbobrick]

It's not the dealership quoting you is it? If it is take it somewhere else , I used to go to a dealership all the time until they misdiagnosed a fuel pump instead of a filter $40 vs $1000 I haven't been back to a dealership since

Click to shrink...

As someone who's worked at a dealership, misdiagnosing does happen, and generally they should give a discount when that happens. Though I'm wondering how they said it was a fuel pump instead of a filter. Though its possible it was both. Checking a fuel pump is really easy to do, so maybe it was both. Though it also depends on the exact issue you were having. Also $1k for a fuel pump is an insane price even if they have to drop the tank.

Does the vehicle drive without those repairs?

Click to shrink...

Not fixing issues is how you get even bigger problems.

 

[Illusion]

Sell the car at this point.

My parents made the same mistake of pouring thousands into a vehicle's repairs only to pay more out later.

Just get a car lease if your short on funds. Trust me it saves you money in the long run if you dont drive often.

 

[rokkerkory]

Dump it

 

[Arrakis]

As someone who's worked at a dealership, misdiagnosing does happen, and generally they should give a discount when that happens. Though I'm wondering how they said it was a fuel pump instead of a filter. Though its possible it was both. Checking a fuel pump is really easy to do, so maybe it was both. Though it also depends on the exact issue you were having. Also $1k for a fuel pump is an insane price even if they have to drop the tank.

Click to shrink...

Yeah they were fair up until then , I took it to a mechanic that specialized in German cars and he figured it was the filter within 5 mins , that was 8 years ago , the pump is still the same

 

[turbobrick]

Yeah they were fair up until then , I took it to a mechanic that specialized in German cars and he figured it was the filter within 5 mins , that was 8 years ago , the pump is still the same

Click to shrink...

Oh, its a German car. So the pump was probably half of your cost, and you probably paid a lot for labor.

Depending on your issue, it could have been both. You could have gotten bad gas that ruined the pump and also clogged the filter. Though if the filter was original, it could have been just that and been completely clogged.