Time and time again, most recently in this thread over at VWVortex, I’ve come across the claim that caring properly for a car makes all the difference. Care for a car, and it’ll be reliable. Don’t care for it, and it won’t be.
While there’s some truth to this, it’s far from the whole truth.
No doubt proper maintenance can help avoid problems with major mechanical components. But most of the problems people have are not with these components.
Let’s look at the ten successful repairs most recently reported on TrueDelta’s vehicle reliability survey:
- Axle broke while driving
- Air bag light turned on
- Weather stripping on driver’s door frayed
- Window wiper motor burnt out
- Auto-dimming mirror not properly dimming
- Replace HID igniter control box
- EGR Valve replacement
- Replaced valve cover gasket as the engine had an oil leak
- The third gear quit on the transmission…
- Rear windshield sprayer not working
This is a typical list, and I think it’s safe to say that, at most, a couple of these problems could have been prevented through additional maintenance. Most repairs these days involve sensors and power accessory motors. Neither is part of any maintenance schedule I’ve ever seen.