Cost of Maintaining your 2002-2005 Thunderbird

cdbintex

cdbintex

Passed away 11/09/2020
Last seen
Joined
Aug 4, 2018
Thunderbird Year
2004
OK guys you have no basis to complain about the cost of maintenance. My wife's car is a perfect 2015 Honda CR-V. The battery died last month but when replaced the radio touch screen refused to work. It is necessary to control many functions on the Car. Since I had some experience changing radio on my PCR, I thought I would just buy the part and swap it out. The Honda Parts manager apologized when he told me a new radio was $6200.00! Coming around the counter so he could talk to me collapsed on the floor, he helpfully suggested a factory rebuilt radio for only $1050.00.
I bought that and an hour later had replaced the unit ( and all 10 cable plugs ). After typing in the serial number it was up and working. Moral: Thunderbirds are not expensive to maintain when compared to any modern car.
 
Strange All the electrical connections,

I have a Lexus SUV still under warranty. GPS was locking up. Dealer said it's the radio.
fortunately they're paying for it all.
 
OK guys you have no basis to complain about the cost of maintenance. My wife's car is a perfect 2015 Honda CR-V. The battery died last month but when replaced the radio touch screen refused to work. It is necessary to control many functions on the Car. Since I had some experience changing radio on my PCR, I thought I would just buy the part and swap it out. The Honda Parts manager apologized when he told me a new radio was $6200.00! Coming around the counter so he could talk to me collapsed on the floor, he helpfully suggested a factory rebuilt radio for only $1050.00.
I bought that and an hour later had replaced the unit ( and all 10 cable plugs ). After typing in the serial number it was up and working. Moral: Thunderbirds are not expensive to maintain when compared to any modern car.
That's a 2015 vehicle. What is going to happen when that car is 8 or ten years old. I bet it's going to be near impossible to replace these infotainment systems they are putting in today's cars. Look how hard it is to get a FEM for our cars now. They are making cars disposable like phones. But unlike phones these are thousands of dollars.
 
In my humble opinion, a great number of FEM s are replaced un necessarily. If, heaven forbid, I ever have problems with mine, I will be making a list of rebuilders and compare prices to used ones available at that time. Good Luck to those who can not search the internet.
 
friend of mine did an entire Masters Thesis on this, and proved that you will always, always spend less with a Ford/GM/Chrysler vehicle over a foreign make. Cheaper to own, hands down





QUOTE="cdbintex, post: 59517, member: 11031"]
OK guys you have no basis to complain about the cost of maintenance. My wife's car is a perfect 2015 Honda CR-V. The battery died last month but when replaced the radio touch screen refused to work. It is necessary to control many functions on the Car. Since I had some experience changing radio on my PCR, I thought I would just buy the part and swap it out. The Honda Parts manager apologized when he told me a new radio was $6200.00! Coming around the counter so he could talk to me collapsed on the floor, he helpfully suggested a factory rebuilt radio for only $1050.00.
I bought that and an hour later had replaced the unit ( and all 10 cable plugs ). After typing in the serial number it was up and working. Moral: Thunderbirds are not expensive to maintain when compared to any modern car.
[/QUOTE]
 
Awh, thats just mean. :cool: I have owned Henry J, Hillman Minx,Ford Fairlane 500, Plymouth, MGA,Couger, VW, LandRover, Firebird, Chevy Caprice, Honda CCV, Volvo, Datsun 280Z, Datsun Maxima, Honda Accords, A Cessna, A Piper, A Katana, Lincoln, and now the Thunderbird. This just means I am experienced to have opinions.
 
talked to a customer today, his Accord blew the transmission and only 8 years old...minimum $3000... Love my Fords...had to giggle.
 
The FEMs are clearly a weak point, mine FUBAR'ed and a prior owner (or somebody) rewired the instrument cluster internally to make the gauge lights work. I fixed the instrument cluster, put in a used FEM (about $400) and had the original repaired ($150) and put it on the shelf - other than that I had an A/C evaporator discharge sensor go out and the dealer wanted $1,500 to repair it (they thought the WHOLE dash had to come out). Turns out it was a $29 part replaced in 10 minutes from UNDER the dash. That's it in 10,000 mile since I bought it 16 months ago; other money spent was for "goodies" like a new radio and nose bra. These cars don't have to be nightmares if you can do some things yourself.
Some things you can NOT do yourself - like reprogramming an instrument cluster if you can find one. Most dealers won't mess with them and if you can't get it done your car becomes a shiny boat anchor.

But yes, modern cars are "throwaways" after a few years; the "center stack" (radio/GPS/computer system) in the wife's 2016 Durango went out and that would have been a $,1600 repair but the warranty covered it...
 
If you do the work yourself very cheap. I have had no issues except suspension,
none of the problems some have experienced. Am I lucky, don’t think so, maybe
car made on the right day.... Want expensive parts try an air plane, had to replace
the battery, over $6,000.00.
 
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