Yeah dude, please be careful about the oil filter gasket! That sounds a bit scary, but once you do it right the first time, all should be okay.
Lemme think about what has gone wrong with the cars we have owned....
?1984? Mitsubishi Gallant
Too young/was not born to remember. Before I developed memories.........
-Plagued with oil leaks and severe transmission problems says my dad..
1990 Plymoth Voyager Minivan
I was kinda young when we had this van.... lemme try to think.
We used this van on very long family road trips.
We owned it from new to about 130K.
I remember that the radiator had to be replaced at 100K.
I also remember the muffler needed work at like 80K.
Other than that, I cannot remember too much.... I think it was a very reliable car! My dad agrees, he misses it dearly!
1993 Ford Taurus
Bought new.. driven to 95K miles.
-Ate through water pumps every 5,000 miles... thermostats broke every 10K to 15K
-Blew a coolant hose at like 60K... no severe overheating occured thanks to my brother's quick response time!
-Lost drive belt on off ramp.. once again saved by my brother's ability to steer the car without power.....
-At about 94K the drive shaft/transmission started to grind when going uphill... reason for dumping the car...
-Car smelt like it was burning after stopping engine...
(This is why we stopped driving America made cars... but looks like nowadays they are much better.)
1997 Volvo S90
Bought at 16K now has 104K
-Alternator started overcharging at about 70K, had to be replaced.
-Radiator developed slight but possibly very dangerous leak at plastic neck (typical at 90K)
-Washer nozzle lines developed leaks, all lines had to be replaced.
-right headlight wiper currently inoperative..
-Radio started to make a loud buzzing sound.. cosmetic piece on inside of car came loose around antenna area..
-Steering has become progressively loose due to worn bushings... need to replace soon!
-CD player stopped playing (this is where my interest in cars sparked... I removed unit and took apart... found a pretzel chunk blocking disc motor.. do not ask me how THAT go there!)
-Other than that, so far, so good!!!!
1999 Mercedes E320 V-6
-Bought at 40K now has 55K
-Rear left side window fell,... (covered by warrenty)
-Left driver's dash speaker stopped working... still have to fix that....
-Harmonic balancer broke... scratched timing cover... got lucky that time.. thanks to mom's quick reaction time and good decision to not drive the car.
-passenger side window started to move by itself randomly on the highway... resolved itself so far...
1998 Acura CL 3.0
Bought at 30K now 58K...
-Throttle body recalled... replaced
-driver's window fell... repaired ($$$OUCH!!)
-wheel bearing failed in rear forgot which side... replaced.
-front right spring shattered on speed bump.... replaced.. (very slow when going over it...! ????
)
-right signal light stuck on... something was replaced under warrenty/good will of dealership
-recall on gas filler part..... replaced by dealership for freeeeeee!
Albeit all the recalls and problems... still seems like a nice car...
2000 Volkswagon New Beetle
Bought at 8K now 78K
-door handles flaking since 5K.....
-fabric stains with the slightest amount of moisture...
So far, very good!
1989 Mercedes 300E
Bought at 38K now 188K
-OVP relay bad (discovered and repaired at like 185K lol) been stalling for like 2 years... finally pinpointed the problem thanks to this forum!
-(50K~)dealership did not secure coolant bottle cap... overheated severly on highway very suddenly... engine survived... or so it seemed... refilled with coolant and water mixture and driven home like nothing happened....
dealership forced to pay for repairs... after a few letters sent to MBUSA...
WE GOT LUCKY!
engine pulled, piston rings replaced..., water pump replaced.... head reconditioned and gaskets seals replaced... all new hoses ....
Still sucks that they would be so careless... I know the engine will no longer last to 500K even if I tried....
maybe 300K will do....
-other than that, all still good....
1982 BMW 733i
-bought at 138K sold at 145K
-was supposed to be my first car... but it needed a new hvac system and paintjob. blew hot air all the time, even in 100F summer heat! sold since it would need too much....
-engine however still had factory new compression specs! very impressive
Lately we have had only German and Japanese cars... both do pretty good... I really enjoy old cars... old german cars are the most fun for me.
It seems that old German cars get plagued with electrical and a few cosmetic and minor mechanical issues...
American cars can make it into the high mile ranges.. but they are too expensive to keep replacing parts that keep failing one after another... usually fall apart too quickly (at least in my experience)
Japanese cars last forever but when they get up in the high mile ranges they loose alot of the class and quality... door panels start shaking, parts everywhere feel really old and loose... looses all the fun!