Dear Tom and Ray: I was looking for a second car. I wanted a classic. For some reason, I said something about a 1992 car with 180,000 miles on it. My stepbrother said, “You know that engine has been rebuilt, don’t you?” That started the debate. He claims most engines are ready for the junkyard after 100,000 miles. I tell him that since 1990, I’m guessing, engines are made so much better than in the ’50s and ’60s, and it’s not so surprising to see a car get 200,000 miles or more. He claims that would be rare. He also claims that he will NEVER lose this argument, because if new cars were good for 200,000 miles, a dealership would give you a warranty for that long. I know I’m right. How can I prove him wrong, though? — Josh
Tom: Well, you’re more right than he is, Josh. The only flaw in your argument is your use of the term “classic” and “1992” in the same sentence.
Ray: Here’s the story. Back in the 1950s, if someone got 100,000 miles out of a car, it was cause for celebration.
Tom: And today, everybody gets 100,000 miles out of a car.
Ray: And while your stepbrother is right that 200,000 miles is rare, it’s a lot less rare than it used to be. And 100,000 to 150,000 miles is not rare at all. It’s pretty much expected.
Tom: And warranties ARE longer. Back in the ’50s, you typically got a 12-month warranty on a new car. Now, Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi offer 10-year power-train warranties, and Chrysler recently announced a limited LIFETIME power-train warranty.
Ray: So there IS more confidence in the longevity of engines and transmissions. And I would attribute it to several factors. Better manufacturing is certainly one. But I think the biggest factor is better lubricants. Detergent oils came on the scene back in the ’60s, and they’ve been improved continuously ever since. That means metal parts run longer without grinding each other to death. And that’s really the key to long engine life.
Dear Tom and Ray: What are shop supplies? I always thought it was old rags and sprays to clean or lube. My recent visit to a dealer’s garage cost me $22.56 for shop supplies. My total bill was $297.81. If I take my car to the dealer for repairs three times in a month, that will cost me a lot for supplies. Do I have to pay it? Is it a tip? — Carol
Ray: The term “shop supplies” generally refers to things like solvents, cleaners, small quantities of fluids, rags, the servicing of the parts-cleaning machine, and the disposal of waste oil and other environmentally toxic materials.
Tom: It’s all stuff that does have to be paid for. But shops have different ways of dealing with it.
Ray: In our shop, we actually track the shop supplies that were used for a particular job and itemize them on the customer’s bill.
Tom: The problem is, we have a relatively small shop. And when you have a dealership, with 20 bays going, it’s very difficult to keep track of that stuff on a job-by-job basis.
Ray: So in many cases, a shop will simply bury that stuff in the labor rate, and charge $90 an hour instead of $85. And that’s fair.
They tell you up front that this is the cost of doing business with them.
Tom: But other shops choose not to do that, probably for competitive reasons: They don’t want their labor rate to be higher than other shops in the area. So in those cases, they often charge a percentage of the repair cost for “shop supplies.” That’s what happened in your case.
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