Independent · no dealer, no manufacturer

What your car actually costs to keep running.

Repair prices broken down line by line, oil and fluid specs explained properly, and used cars judged on what breaks rather than how they drive on a press launch.

5,852complaints Federal complaint records read line by line, not summarized from someone else 5documents Outside sources cited so far, across 5 publishers — each one linked where it is used, so you can check it yourself 0sponsored No article on this site was paid for by a dealer, a manufacturer or a brand. If that ever changes, it will say so on the page 11.04cents a mile The figure everyone quotes for upkeep — and where it quietly stops

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    Oil & Fluids

    All fluid guides →

    The cheapest part of your car, and the one that ends the most engines when it goes wrong.

    Why this site exists

    Most articles about repair costs are written by people who have never priced a part, and most used-car reviews are written by people who handed the keys back after a week. Neither is around when the bill arrives.

    This site is written from the parts trade, and from documents. That second half matters: it's written about American and European cars from outside those markets, so nothing here rests on a story from a workshop floor. It rests on recall notices, manufacturer schedules and the federal complaint database — sources anyone can open and check.

    Prices are ranges, not guesses dressed up as certainty. Where something depends on your engine, your mileage or your climate, that's said out loud instead of smoothed over.

    How the articles are put together →  ·  Who writes this →

    5,852 Owner complaints read directly from NHTSA's database, counted here rather than quoted from someone else's summary
    5 Outside documents cited across 5 publishers — recall PDFs, standards bodies, manufacturer press rooms, each linked where it is used
    Every Article names its own limits. Each one ends with what we couldn't check and what we didn't do
    0 Sponsored articles so far. No dealer, manufacturer or brand has paid for anything here. If one ever does, the page will say so at the top