Posted on 07/04/2023 2:37:57 PM PDT by nickcarraway
New cars and trucks are packed with sensors and technology that protect and pamper drivers and passengers. But those features are also raising the cost of repairs after accidents.
The average cost of making damaged cars good as new has soared 36% since 2018, and may top $5,000 by the end of this year, according to Mitchell, a company that provides data and software to insurance companies and auto repair businesses. That big increase is the main reason that insurance premiums have been soaring — up 17% in the 12 months through May.
New SUVs and pickup trucks, including a rapidly growing number of electric models, have become so complex and luxurious that seemingly simple repairs can cost a small fortune, auto experts said. Insurers are often on the hook for much of those costs, leading them to raise their rates.
Materials designed to crumple or deform in a crash to protect pedestrians or passengers, for example, can be hard or impossible to repair. Many bumpers must be replaced after low-speed dings because the safety sensors embedded in them may no longer work properly after repairs. Other systems, even some that do not appear to be damaged, must be inspected or recalibrated.
“The modern digital architecture is so advanced that systems beyond point of impact are being disrupted,” said Ryan Mandell, director of claims performance for Mitchell. “Getting a car back to pre-loss condition is harder than at any point in history, and will only become more challenging.”
Industry experts have been particularly focused on the cost of repairing electric cars and trucks, which aren’t built like gasoline cars and have different parts. In addition, many mechanics aren’t trained to work on them. In recent months, news reports and stories shared on social media about astronomical repair bills for electric
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And the price of oil is virtually the same. Let’s Go Brandon!
Don’t forget labor costs.
$600 is about right for brakes and rotors. Parts and labor have skyrocketed in the past year. Easily doubled. Goodyear does good work and stands by it (warranty) so the $600 is a deal.
Just chiming in cuz I recently (like today) did brakes and rotors on my truck. About $100 for parts from ebay and Amazon. I supplied the labor. Hardest part was putting the 125# on the caliper bolts and using thread sealer. Otherwise the pads wear quickly and unevenly. Brake piston failure, fire, etc. is not a good outcome.
I hope to replace the aged and worn out 350 in the project blazer later this year.
Fuel injection is the way I want to go.
My history of setting carbs and related isn’t that great.
I did put a 2 barrel Weber on my 65 Willys jeep and right out the box it was close enough for me not to mess with it. Converting to an electric fuel pump was also a plus. I had to put an in line regulator.
The first time I put power, the 25 dollar electric pump drenched the engine in fuel in a few seconds. The time it took me to flip the key.
He said “rotors ? $600”. He did not say complete one-axle brake job.
And I also put the cheap Chinese rotors and other parts on my light-duty vehicles. No way on the towing truck or sports car.
Get a battery.
Been using “cheap Chinese rotors” on my vehicles for decades. 3/4 million miles all told. Only problems I’ve had are with failing piston seals. I just buy a new caliper. I stay away from newer, computerized cars. As others have pointed out they’re too easy to get totaled for simple issues. I always buy used vehicles like 3 years back to get a good review of issues and what I can/will deal with. Get good deals that way and parts are plentiful and cheap.
I had cheap rotors warp on an E-350 under light-duty usage conditions.
In the ‘90s? I had a set that did that on my Silverado back then. Just had them turned. Then replaced them later.
New brakes , ball joint and shocks on 2003 class 1 rv just set me back $8000. Shop said they were Volvo. Not easy to find. Tires run $1000 per tire. But I sure like the pot holed open road. Addiction maybe.
The wiring insulation on newer vehicles is made from soybeans, great idea, rats and mice love it.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a21933466/does-your-car-have-wiring-that-rodents-think-is-tasty/#:~:text=Until%20roughly%20a%20decade%20ago%2C%20most%20car%20companies,of%20oil%2C%20it%20was%20better%20for%20the%20environment.
This is why I’m spending so much time rehabbing my ‘95 Ford truck.
It’s currently getting a new exhaust system (headers and a larger cat for more flow).
Part of the problem is that our auto manufacturers are not really manufacturing ICE vehicles anymore. You want a new vehicle? You have to buy an EV.
I hear that a lot from old fuddy duddys who pine for the days of hand cranked windows and 2/50 air conditioning. I've had a number of technology-laden vehicles and have never had a single issue with any of them. In the meantime, I enjoy all the benefits of all that technology on a daily basis.
All of our vehicles have push button start. I can't imagine ever wanting to go back to needing a key to start my vehicle.
I have looked at Scotty Kilmer videos and he thinks they are too complex for simple things. He was locked out of a Honda Accord because the car had only 1 key lock and it was electronic. The key lock did not have connecting rods so he could not get the key to work. He could not pop the hood or get in the trunk.
AAA had to come out and use a slim jim and then he replaced the car battery and now the key worked....
I saw another video from another youtuber and he needed to change the spark plugs. The things he had to remove off the top of the engine just to get to the spark plugs!
Scotty’s videos.
https://www.youtube.com/@scottykilmer/videos
And now it’s time to sell..
Like Bugs Bunny used to say, “You’ll be sorry.”
I bought some good quality rear rotors/pads for my 2008 Jeep.
They’re “factory blems”, meaning they have a couple bubbles in the paint on the rotors.😱 I think they were $75 for the set.
I haven’t installed them yet because the originals haven’t started sparking yet.
My Lincoln had a motor in the hvac system that would split the output shaft, making it default to defrost mode.
A simple 1/2” ferrule for soft copper pipe, slid over the broken piece, permanently fixed the issue, but I had to pull the entire dash apart in order to move the related components far enough to get that positioning motor out.
I spent nearly 7 hours to install a 35 cent part.
It’s not just the computer thing, it’s just how light, compact, and interlaced everything has to be in order to fit into the ever-smaller cars we are told to buy.
I had to pull the complete front bumper and grille assembly off a Mercedes yesterday to change a compound headlight assembly!
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