What car parts are the most expensive to replace?
Car troubles are among the most aggravating things to deal with. Even before you hear the final verdict, you’ll pay through the nose to fix parts you never knew existed. Hopefully, you haven’t damaged any of the most expensive car parts to replace.
The little engine that couldn’t
You won’t be going very far if your vehicle doesn’t have a working engine, making it the most expensive repair.
The price for repairs varies based on your make and model. If you drive a high-end vehicle and want to repair its engine, you might be looking at five figures!
On the other hand, a car that’s seen better days might have to go to the scrapyard because an engine overhaul could cost more than the car is worth. By repairing or replacing the cylinders, which requires taking the engine apart, you’re looking at a $7,500 job—more than likely closer to $10,000! At that rate, you’d be better off getting a new engine or a new vehicle.
If only you could rewind time and avoid the problem in the first place. For example, if your car has a diesel engine, learning factors that affect the life expectancy of a diesel engine will help you avoid mistakes that lead to costly repairs.
Transmission impossible
Even if you know little about cars, you know that transmission problems can cost thousands of dollars to fix. Your car couldn’t go anywhere without its transmission supplying power to the wheels. This intricate mechanism regulates energy flow from your engine to the wheels. However, due to its frequent usage, friction may build up and eventually damage the system.
Repairing the transmission is essential for your safety on the road; ignoring it might lead to costly and dangerous consequences. If you neglect your vehicle’s transmission, you may need to replace the entire unit, which can be expensive.
Dead battery (electric version)
If your vehicle’s battery fails, you might have to take the money you saved from fuel costs and put it into a new one. The battery supplies the energy necessary to run the car’s electronics. Because of this, replacement costs might vary greatly.
Battery replacements continue to be one of the costliest things hybrid car owners face, costing around $6,000 or more! As electric vehicles become the norm, that price could drop substantially. Until then, electrifying your car will cost a pretty penny.
Lifesavers cost money
One costly replacement many car owners may not consider is the airbags. While it may be a pain in the neck to replace deployed airbags—around $3,000 a pop—be thankful that you’re alive to agonize over the expense rather than doing fist bumps with the reaper. The primary reason why airbag expenses are unavoidable is because they aren’t reusable. Once deployed, they are as good as gone.
A brief glimpse at the car parts that are the most expensive to replace gives you a heads-up to what you may encounter. If your issue isn’t on this list, keep in mind that things could be much worse. So take your brake replacement as a small victory.