Costly Car Repairs

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Story Published: Nov 17, 2009 at 8:00 PM PST

By Jackie Watanabe

In his 35 years working as a mechanic, Domenic DiSiena has seen a lot of car repairs that could have been avoided . One Volkswagen Beetle he looked at major issues.

"The young lady was driving the car with a check-engine light on for approximately a week," said DiSiena. "Now if she would have had the check engine-light diagnosed it would have told her, it's coolant."

Instead, the car overheated, and the motor blew. The cost to replace it was $4,000.

Consumer Reports talked to automotive mechanics across the country Who have had the same costly stories.

"Routine maintenance and early fixes when something starts to go wrong can save you plenty," said, Jon Linkov of Consumer Reports.

A transmission rebuild can cost you about $3,000.

"If your transmission fluid is too low, it's probably because of a leak. If you do have to add fluid, don't overfill.
said Linkov. "That'll make it worse."

And an engine replacement can cost between $3,000 to $6,000.

"To prevent this, check your oil level once per month, and remember to change your oil and the timing belt according to the maintenance schedule in your owner's manual," Linkov said.

A new catalytic converter can cost $900.

"A catalytic converter can become overtaxed if your engine isn't tuned and starts to malfunction. So don't ignore that 'check engine' light when it comes on, and make sure you get regular tune-ups," Linkov said.

Catching car trouble early will spare you expensive repair bills down the road.

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