According to research done by the AAA, about 1 in 3 Americans can’t afford to pay their car repair bill without going into debt. Buying a car can be expensive, but if you have to constantly take it to the shop for repairs, you’re going to end sinking even more money into your vehicle. Most car repairs are cheap and easy to fix, but some can run your account dry. Here are some of the most expensive car repairs.
1. Cylinders
Your car won’t work without an engine, and your engine won’t work without working cylinders.
Engines are extremely expensive to repair, but the cylinders in the engine may be even more expensive. This replacement can cost you anywhere from $7,000 to $10,000.
If your car has a really powerful engine, like in a sports car, you may end up paying even more.
If your cylinders give out, you may want to consider selling your car and getting a new one.
2. Engine
If you are going to sell a car that needs work, you may want to wait until the engine is dead.
The engine replacement can cost anywhere between $4,500 and $7,000. Again, at that point, it may be cheaper to just get a new car. Chances are, the engine will break down again sometime soon after fixing it.
If your engine has broken down, it’s probably because the car is so old and the engine has excessive wair. If you haven’t maintained your car either, this could also cause it to break down.
However, engines aren’t meant to last a long time so it’s natural for them to break eventually.
3. Transmission
Aside from the engine, the transmission is also a really important part to your car. The transmission converts the power from the engine and turns into torque so that you can use and control your car.
When your transmission breaks, it’s normally due to broken gears or burnt clutches inside the car. The transmission normally breaks more than other parts of your car because it’s exposed to much more heat and friction generated by the moving parts.
If you have a broken transition, you may notice a burning smell, humming sounds when the car isn’t moving, and maybe even a dragging clutch.
Sometimes it’s able to be rebuilt, but normally you will have to pay to replace the entire transmission. This will normally cost anywhere between $3,000 and $5,000.
However, this cost could be higher depending on what type of car you have.
4. Head Gasket
A head gasket could cost you anywhere from $1,000 to $1,300 to repair. A large portion of that payment will be in labor costs as well.
The head gasket fits between the cylinder block and head. They work to keep the combustion chambers and the cooling systems separate and sealed. That is until they stop working.
A blown head gasket may be one of the messiest problems that could happen in your car, which could end up costing you some money.
If you get water or oil in the cylinders, a lot of smoke will start coming out of your exhaust. It may be worse if the water gets in it because the water doesn’t compress.
Sometimes when your engine overheats, it could also cause a head gasket failure.
This problem happens frequently in older, used cars.
To try and prevent this, you can make sure that you do routine maintenance to your cooling system to make sure that it doesn’t fail.
5. Camshaft
You may not have even heard of the camshaft in your car, but you will definitely not forget it if you have to pay to replace it.
Your car’s camshaft will help control how your vehicle takes in air, which is extremely important for your car.
As time goes on, the camshaft can start to get clogged with dirt and debris. To help keep this from happening, you should make sure that you are taking your car in for routine oil changes.
Make sure that the mechanic also cleans the valves as well. If you don’t do this, your camshaft will break.
And they aren’t cheap to replace. This could cost you anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000. Like the gasket, the part itself is cheap; however, the labor is not.
6. Suspension
A few repairs to your car’s suspension system may not cost you a lot at first, but normally all the repairs need to happen at once.
Some of these repairs may include:
- Front strut
- Rear shock absorber
- Ball joint
- Tie rod end replacement
- Four-wheel alignment
All of these repairs (among others) may end up ranging anywhere from $350 to $3,000. This will largely depend on what repairs you need and what kind of car you have.
You may not even give the suspension a second thought, but without it, you would feel every bump, crack, and dip in the road. Your car’s suspension system helps absorb all of those shocks to make sure that you have a smooth ride.
7. Brake Line
Lastly, you want to make sure that your brakes are working perfectly to ensure that your vehicle is safe to drive.
They can be expensive to repair, but a brake line is more expensive.
You can end up paying up to $1,000 to repair it depending on what vehicle you have.
When it comes to the brakes, make sure you take the advice of the mechanic so that you aren’t putting yourself or anyone at risk when you’re driving.
Avoid These Most Expensive Car Repairs
These are some of the most expensive car repairs, but if you take your car in for regular maintenance, you may be able to avoid them.
If you think something is broken in your car, make sure that you don’t drive it because it may be unsafe. Take it to get looked at as soon as possible.
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