2012 Enclave with 45,000 miles becoming a money pit... do I trade or repair

suejohn

We have a 2012 Buick Enclave we purchased new. It has 45,239 miles on it and has been a wonderful car....until a month ago! Four weeks ago the drivers side door latch failed and we had it repaired ($230.00). Last week the service air bag light came on and we had it repaired ($233.00); AND at the same time they tell us we have 2 oil leaks, one high pressure power steering and one in the oil pan; and to repair them it will be more than $3,900. Not sure what to do! We are at a loss and actually more sad than mad. If we trade it, we wont get much out of it .... and then what do we buy. We have driven Buick’s for 24 years. Our second car is a Buick, also bought new and now has 168,000 miles on it and has never had a major repair. Do we repair it with hopes that this is the last repair? Can We depend on it afterward? Any thoughts?

brian125

My advice Go to several dealers and take the highest Trade offer. Consider a extended warranty on your next Buick if you plan on keeping it past 5 years............. Good luck

PF_Flyer

$3,900 to repair 2 leaks seems pretty high, although they're the ones who looked at it and know what needs to be done. But if the repairs get things back to "normal", you have to weigh the cost versus how long you plan to keep the vehicle. If you get another 5 years out of it, that's only $65/month. That's pretty cheap compared to the payment on a new vehicle. True, you'll also have the normal cost of upkeep, but you'll have that with any vehicle.

Do you have the Enclave paid off? That would enter into my decision making as well

thecardoc3

Agree with PF. Do you really have to address both leaks right now? How fast is it losing either fluid, as in how often are you adding them?

suejohn

Yes, car is paid for and we are not seeing any evidence of the leaks.

thecardoc3

Then get another opinion about what needs done. There are a lot of plausible scenario's that could be in play right now not the least of which could be that seepage was noticed and reported just to keep from being blamed for causing it and someone else took that to a totally different level for some unknown reason. There may well be leaks, but if they are minor in nature and not causing any other issues then they may not need to be repaired at this time, if ever.

Needing to add a little engine oil and/or power steering fluid once in a while is a whole lot cheaper than another car.....