A new study finds Maine has the second-lowest car repair costs in the nation, when it comes to vehicle problems associated with the “check engine” light.
According to a study released Thursday by CarMD.com, the average cost for such car repairs in Maine was $289.56 per transaction in 2011. That was 13 percent below the national average of $333.93. And, according to the study, it was a 16 percent decrease in Maine from 2010, when the average cost was $344.68.
The CarMD.com database analyzed more than 160,000 repairs with “check engine” problems from repair shops around the country. Repairs flagged with the “check engine” light cover about 80 percent of the systems on all vehicles, according to the study.
The ranking doesn’t figure in many of the wear-and-tear maintenance costs that motorists in Maine face thanks to potholes, frost heaves and road salt — including replacing parts on the suspension system, brakes, tires, bodywork, belts, hoses and other pieces that wear out.
“Bad roads can do a number on your suspension, on your car’s alignment, things like bent wheel rims and tire damage,” said Maria Fuentes, executive director of the Maine Better Transportation Association. “There’s not much correlation between the types of issues with roads that create expensive car repairs and the things they looked at.”
She noted a 2010 Council of State Governments report that looked at average annual per-vehicle costs that poor road conditions exact; in Maine it was $250.
The only state less expensive than Maine was Indiana, at an average of $283.95. Wisconsin came in third, Iowa fourth and New Hampshire fifth.
The most expensive states for such repair work included Wyoming at $389.18; Utah, $378.54; California, $367.86; Montana, $364.29; and Arizona, $362.65.
The study breaks down costs into parts and labor. Mainers, according to the study, paid the lowest average price for parts, at $175.91. Labor averaged $113.65 per transaction in Maine.
“It seems the folks who repair cars in Maine are charging some pretty fair labor costs,” Fuentes noted. “You wonder if this is one area where we’re getting a deal.”
Kristen Brocoff, director of corporate communications for CarMD.com, said this is the second year the company has put out the report. But its data goes back 15 years, she said, and it has more than 2.5 million repairs in its database. In addition to maintaining the database, CarMD.com makes and sells diagnostic technology that vehicle owners can use to interpret various warnings that their vehicles’ electronics systems send up.
She noted the low cost for car parts, as compared to other states.
“Part of that is just simply that you have very competitive, fair repair shops there,” she said. “Part of it is they were less catastrophic repairs — there were more oxygen sensors and gas caps, simple fixes being done. If you ignore those little things, you get into the catalytic converters, mass air flow sensors.”
Bill Duncanson, the mechanic at D&M Auto Repair in Portland, said he thought the study’s findings might reflect the trend of people doing the bare minimum to keep their vehicles on the road — a product of the tough economic times.
“When you’ve got the majority of our population in the state barely making it by — they’ve got to pay the heating oil or the car repairs — the heating oil’s going to win every time,” said Duncanson. “We’re seeing more and more of it. People just don’t have the money to do repairs and maintenance.”
Duncanson said he’s been a mechanic for 25 years, and he’s seen a steady decline in the routine maintenance of vehicles. So a repair job that may have cost $225, but is ignored, suddenly balloons to a $900 job, he said.
Brocoff said that trend is a problem nationwide.
“We’re not seeing that necessarily predominantly in Maine. I’m seeing people be a little more proactive with smaller repairs, but overall across the country it is a problem,” said Brocoff.
She agreed with Duncanson that ignoring the smaller problems often can lead to bigger problems.
There’s other costs, as well, she noted. For example, the No. 1 reason nationwide for the check engine light to go on is a faulty oxygen sensor, she said. That problem can affect fuel economy by as much as a 40 percent decrease in miles per gallon. Over a year, that can add up to more than $1,000 extra spent on gas, she noted.
And after all’s said and done, she said, the motorist still has to replace that sensor, or it could snowball into something more catastrophic, like a bad catalytic converter.
According to the study, the most common “check engine” light repairs, parts and labor, in Maine in 2011 included:
1. Inspect for loose fuel cap, average cost of $1.93
2. Replace oxygen sensors, $222.91
3. Replace catalytic converters, $1,003.06
4. Replace mass air flow sensor, $427.67
5. Replace evaporative emissions purge solenoid, $157.44
6. Replace positive crankcase ventilation valve, tube and grommet, $90.52
7. Replace spark plug wires and plugs, $291.31
8. Replace evaporative emissions purge control valve, $151.36
9. Replace ignition coils, $202.92
10. Replace intake manifold gaskets, $301.92
“Check Engine” repairs are a SCAM! When you pay for a car, YOU should have the say when and if it needs repair.
And we do have the say; last I checked my charge card was in my possession, not my car’s…
But I also know it is smart to be proactive, and in the end I save more money on gas and on future, much more expensive repairs, ones that I could not do myself.
So get a gadget to read the codes, and do it yourself–sooner, rather than later–or find an honest repair shop –many are!– and get it taken care of now.
Duncanson has it right, IMHO. Maine’s average income is one of the lowest in the country (not sure what the current rank is) so why shouldn’t our check engine repair costs be lower? Most of us can’t afford more, especially with rising fuel costs, lack of economic development that brings in higher paying jobs, high social welfare costs, and a failure to tax hospitality industry customers at rates competitive with other destination locations. There are many and complex reasons why we are not doing so well. But I am glad that car repair costs are lower given the situation we’re in. We need a break somewhere because the cost of living is sky high here compared to many rural states like us and our wages are stagnant.
Repair cost are not lower…Mainers just don’t have the money to repair stupid things like check engine lights so we place a piece of black tape over the light and drive on!
SCAM SCAM SCAM
My check light engine is always on so when i get it inspected of course they say we need to fix that so thaey do reset it with there money making computer and light just comes back until I get it inspected again I believe they have no idea what causes this or they they supposely did find an issue usually a sensor (60 bucks!! ) they replace 2 days later what a shock engine light is back on so now i just learn to to ride with it car runs fine!
My check engine light has been on for the most part of the past several years. I ignore it. My Subaru is over 200,000 miles, it is probably just saying “Hey! I’m old!”
My van has had a check engine light for over 3 years, I borrowed a friends code reader, it come back “too much lean” Once I realized my van still runs good 2 years later, I got nothing to worry about, I got almost 190,000 on it.
Some of those things on the list you could do yourself with a book or know someone who could do it for you at a cheaper cost
I think another thing that may play into the low cost is that Maine doesn’t require mandatory emissions tests on vehicles (emissions issues are a prime cause of check engine lights) prior to issuing inspection and registration stickers. Many states do require emissions compliance, which would boost cars in the garages as well as prices.
Good point…
Some of the Chain garages have a hidden policy to never issue a sticker unless you sell them a $250. repair job first… it should be illegal.. I had a 650.00 fuel pump put in once only to return to find out it was a $350 alternater problem. I asked for the fuel pump so it could be tested and they said it had been discarded and hauled away already.. 1 grand because the digital signal was bad.
Who needs a light! Steam comes up when its to hot, engine raps when the oil is low!
Drivher, Mcguiver!