| another thing is that German cars tend to be a bit more complicated, since they want to screw people on maintenance costs. For example, I just bought a used Audi a month ago. 1-Bulbs - changing bulbs on regular cars, you just screw them out inside the engine bay and replace them with the new one. Not with Audi...you have to unbolt and remove the entire headlight assembly just to be able to change some bulbs. And the screws aren't normal, they use torx screws that you need a special adapter for(most tool kits don't come with these). 2-Wipers - for that generation, you are required to buy Audi wipers...since no aftermarket manufacturer sells that type of wiper. For that one, I ended up buying new wiper arms from a modern Audi and installing those, so that in the future I can buy aftermarket wiper blades. 3-Plastic bits, to access the engine there are a bunch of minor plastic bits that you need to take off. Sure it's not a big deal, but every minute a mechanic spends taking it off, and putting it on, is more money you are paying for the job at $100+/hr rates. Because you are paying high maintenance costs, it helps to look for a perfect car, since even minor things will cost you. i.e. I bought my Audi from an ex-audi mechanic, who spent the equivalent of $4,000 worth of maintenance before selling it. |
Where do you make the connection between German cars being more complicated and that they "want to screw people on maintenance"?