How much I've spent on running maintenance of my Vento in 10 years

This car has been a dream in the first 7 years of ownership - maintenance costs just over a rupee per km/15K km a year.

BHPian noopster recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Since the car is being used quite regularly now, the usual share of regular wear and tear problems have started popping up. Pune has been cool of late as winter finally sets in, but the last time I drove the car, I noticed the AC wasn't cooling at all.

Took it for a check-up at Mechanix and turned out the compressor was the issue. But they said they could fix it with some valve replacements and topping up the AC gas. Note that VW ASS would typically recommend the entire compressor be replaced which is a huge expense. This cost about 12K to fix.

My bonnet opening handle has become tough to open and has broken off twice now (attributable to a faulty cable that somehow they can't seem to fix) so got that replaced too. Need to be really gentle with it now.

They also cleaned up the car nicely and it felt good to ride in a shiny white car that doesn't- touch wood- show its age. Odo is almost touching 140,000 clicks as of today.

I had some free time this evening, so I put together the running cost of maintaining my Vento. This includes only routine maintenance, annual servicing, parts replacement and tyre changes. I've excluded all elective expenses like cosmetic upgrades, light upgrades, detailing/touch-ups, accidental repairs etc.

The numbers are telling: this car has been a dream in the first 7 years of ownership (maintenance cost just over a rupee per km/15K a year). Between years 8 and 12 (current age) that running cost has nearly doubled to nearly 2/- per km/ 22K a year.

The specific line items contributing to the increased maintenance costs are clear from the table. However, my reasoning is that a well-maintained car translates to a hassle-free driving experience albeit at a cost.

The car looks good enough for a few more years of running. Was joking with the elder after today's AC repair that it will probably be the car she learns on in another year and some. She didn't look too perturbed at the thought!

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