Yea, I know the Ford escape likely does not have a good rating. I am thinking the transmission is the weak part.
Another problem is for the most part you need to disassemble parts of it to change the battery.
I might have an advantage in the repair area, in that my wife speaks Spanish, and tends to find people to ask for the least expensive shops, and things like that.
A little strange a shop that expects you to bring your own parts, and you just pay for the labor. But it works.
I like the first line of CRās Summary on 2024 Ford Escape, āThe Escape is a competitive small SUV, but only the hybrid version is reliable.ā It got a 1/5 on predicted owner satisfaction.
In other words, āDanger, Will Robinson, Danger!ā
Iāve become a big fan of truck rentals since I donāt need one very often and only around town. For basically $50 (insurance and some mileage/gas included), Uhaul will give me a pickup with a proper 8 foot bed and a 2" trailer ball for the day. All I have to do is sweep the bed out, fill the gas up, and drop it off, then all the maintenance is their problem. Considering how expensive pickups are these days, the savings from buying a sedan or small SUV will get you a lot of $50 rentals.
Also, donāt discount a minivan for home improvement stuff. They arenāt great for bulk materials like mulch, but theyāre great for hauling things like lumber, plywood, and drywall. Having all that stuff inside a weather tight cabin is pretty nice if youāre doing a Home Depot run in a downpour. They also handle brush pretty well if you arenāt too concerned with interior cleanliness (tarps help).
True, our Honda Odyssey has a lot of volume for hauling after laying the back seats down in the āwellā behind them, and taking the middle seats out. Iāve hauled a nice love seat with room to spare.
Which is the exact reason I keep my 1986 GMC S15 pickup. I donāt put a lot of miles on it, but for compost, lumber, mulch, and fire wood it is good.
But for groceryās it is not so good.
How different are the costs of maintenance between Japanese and German imports? I would think German would be way more expensive than Japanese. But Iāve not investigated thus donāt know beyond a hunch.
The tranny on Ford Escapes is the weak point per the NHTSAās website. Engine failure is #2. Iāve talked with people who spent $6k to fix the tranny then sold them. People donāt want those kinds of failures especially after 40k-60k miles. Some people think a carās just getting broken in at 150k miles.
The first time the battery went it cost $250 to put another one in at the Ford dealer. This last time, I did it and it was $130 for the battery, at Costco, and my time, which was well spent. That enabled me to see what the shop had not been doing over the years. They had to replace clips, insulation, etc. at a cost of about $330 in parts.
I may keep this one and turn it into a junker after the engine warranty runs out.
Iām thinking a truck would be good for everything else I do, too, like cycling, camping, etc. I like ground clearance, too, which you canāt get in a minivan. Although, I have thought about minivans over the years for the room.
I used my Honda Element for all kinds of stuff and it was great. It needed a larger engine and about a half foot of length to make the interior more functional. The rear seat headrests had to be removed to lay them out completely. The engine was a bit underpowered for the mountains here.
This is the engine bay of a 2008 Acura TSX.
The battery is on the front left of the car (right in the photo)
The oil cap and dipstick are top center.
The water pump and alternator are on the engine right.
Fluids to fill on the far right front (washer and steering) and far back left (brakes).
It is VERY easy to maintain myself. Battery change in 10 minutes. I spend longer looking for the 10mm wrench. This particular car (400,000 km) has never (NEVER) needed an extra drop of oil between 5000km oil changes, though I have another TSX that does (200,000 km) need topping up. Last year I changed the alternator myself, though I needed a āpersuasionā bar to keep the idler off of the belt.
Previous to the TSX, I had an Acura Integra. It died of a rear-end accident at 250,000 km. My driving put on 150,000km of that.
Previous to that, it was a 1991 Acura Legend. It died of a head-gasket leak at 320,000 km. My driving put on 200,000km of that.
All bought used. All gave me lots of trouble-free driving.
For a fair comparison with German makes, I can ask a co-worker of mine who drives an early 2000ās BMW X5 (or something like that).
My Honda Element had a similar arrangement and it was super easy to maintain.
Batteries on the Escapes are near the firewall. Iāll take a pic, when I have time and post it.
Similar experience to Sparās with Toyota. Honda and Toyota typically are top reliability brands on most/all of the vehicle categories in CR.
Corollas with manual transmissions, have lasted 20+ years with minimal issues. Just sold the '03 to a colleague, so that his kids have a manual to learn on. Wife drove a '05 Toyota Sequoia until about 5-6 years ago, when we downsized to a RAV4 (kids moved and we didnāt need the big rig anymore). Gas mileage on the '19 Rav4 has been in the 30ās, much better than the 17 mpg on the Sequoia.
No problems since the alternator and itās running good. I am unsure what I am going to do in the long run. Itās just good to have it running again. Put new tires on it and joked with MaryJo that I expected the water pump to go out next.
I am looking around at trucks, SUVs, etc. that get my attention. But thatās a few years offā¦
I just had the transmission rebuilt in my old pickup. It cost a little but less than a newer car.
The transmission is easer to repair for a manual than an automatic.
Fyi, I did discuss the eco-boost engine w/ local mechanic.
To summarize, a good engine provided it is not operated under loaded conditions, i.e. towing loads. in other words, driven only under ideal conditions. no jack-rabbit starts and stops, etc. the engine will need to have every gasket and seal replaced after about 120k miles. if 1 leak is repaired, others will develop soon thereafter and the process continues and costing the owner significant $. the recommendation is to spend $10-$12k, ouch!, and have every gasket and seal replaced. i asked about the price tag just to replace gaskets and seals, the engine needs removal.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but these are his astute observationsā¦
@boring108 - it is always more economical to repair existing vehicle than purchase a new one. i admire your means/method of purchasing vehicles. iāve only bought 2 used vehicles and there is continuous maintenance costs involved, but still less than a new vehicle.
my current '05 VW Jetta needs the automatic transmission to be rebuilt. the rebuild cost more than the vehicle is worth even though the remainder of vehicle is is good operating condition w/ minimal rust. when the tranny fails, i will need to decide, but i will keep your means/method in mind at that time.
boring108, I need to get my tranny serviced and hopefully keep it going. Itās the #1 failure on the Escapes. It costs $6k to replace.
pmover, thank you for passing along the information from your local mechanic. They are expensive now and I donāt think they should be. I still wonder how much money goes to the top people. But thatās another topic for another day. What do you think will be the basis of your decision, once your tranny fails? Just curious mostly because the 3-year warranty on the new engine in my Escape influences my thinking.
first and foremost, i have 100% confidence in the tranny mechanic to rebuild the tranny + he warranties his work. he did rebuild my Ram 2500 diesel tranny 150K miles ago, which needs a fluid and filter replacement ($-ouch!).
I will most likely have the tranny rebuilt from a cost perspective. One rebuilt, the vehicle should be good to go for another 100k miles - hopefully! the engine still starts on a cold morning here in AK.
The entire engine+tranny needs to be removed; hence, the high cost. I walked into his shop one day and saw them removing an engine+tranny. The vehicle just so happened to be a VW Jetta like mine. I asked why the removal with a tranny rebuilt being the response. They then told me this was what I would be looking at for my vehicle. They also conveyed how difficult it is to remove and reinstall - lots of mechanical/electrical connections. a lot of frustration . . .
Fyi, iām retired on fixed income. Both our vehicles are >20yrs old. I do often think of getting a replacement vehicle, but i see 5-10 yr old trucks still being sold at 70% of original sale price. I am patient and keep my eyes open for that replacement vehicle.
wishing you good luck!