QuestionMy car is a 1999 Eclipse RS with a 2.0 engine. When I purchased it, it only had 8 miles on it. I have had to replace the speed sensors in the transmission, struts, tire rods, valve cover gasket, water pump, had engine work done, door handle and name I'm told the cattalytic (unsure of spelling) along with the oxygen sensors need to be replaced. Why do I have so many problems with this car?
AnswerAngel,
I haven't owned a car yet that has not needed those items to be replaced at some point. There are many, many, many factors which cause the items you mentioned to be replaced. I'll give you a brief run down of the major ones.
One: Environment. If you live in a region that sees extreme temperatures (very hot summers and freezing winters) that will cause car parts to age quicker. Winter areas that require salting of the roads on snowy days are probably the worst. Salt and cars do not mix. The salt accelerates corrosion and causes many items to fail very quickly.
Two: Driving style. If you are someone that drives your car rough (fast acceleration on a cold engine, lots of stop-n-go traffic, etc), that too will wear out the parts you mentioned. Driving too fast on rough road conditions will cause lots of problems with steering and suspension parts. Pot holes, train tracks, dirt roads, etc, will all wear out car parts over time.
Three: Regular maintenance. This is one of the most common things that can keep your car running smoothly for a long, or cause your car to see major repair bills every year. Your owners manual tells of what items that should be cleaned, checked, and replaced in a certain time or mileage interval. Not following these scheduled maintenace procedures can lead to serious problems with all aspects of any car.
Fourth: Time & Mileage. Everyday you drive your car, some part of your car is slowly wearing out. No matter how much maintenance you put into it, eventually every moving part of your car will need to be replaced. It may be after 1 year or 15 years. The rubber on your tires can wear out from age even if you're not driving on them. This is why it's so important to keep up with maintenance.
If your car is near or over 100,000 miles, the items you've listed that you already replaced probably needed to be replaced anyway. Those are regular maintenance items. Items like your catalytic converter and oxygen sensors can wear out over a long period of time or do due severe driving conditions. Running your car with dirty or under-rated gasoline will also cause them to fail. All cars will need the items you listed replaced eventually. Relatively speaking, you have not replaced anything that major.
I personally own a 1990 Eclipse with nearly 200,000 miles on it. I never drive it in the winter or even when it's raining. But still, I've replaced everything you've mentioned (at least once) and many, many more items. But the more you take care of your car and watch your driving, your car will last you much longer than you may want to keep it ;-)
Good luck!
