It Is Getting More Expensive to Fix Your Car in MA

Monday, June 20, 2016

GoLocalWorcester News Team

For drivers in Massachusetts it is getting more expensive to fix their car for the most basics repair.

When a vehicle’s check engine light comes on, the cost for Massachusetts drivers has increased dramatically jumping five spots in the state rankings. Massachusetts' average labor cost are now $140.25 and average parts costs are $260.39 for the most basic check engine light repair now totals $400.64. Massachusetts ranking is now the 20th most expensive in the U.S. -- up from no. 25.

For drivers in Massachusetts, the cost increase is not positive news. Gas prices have begun to icrease in the past few months according to AAA's price tracking data.

Drivers in California now pay the most ($435) on average, while vehicle owners in Michigan pay the least ($354) to have it fixed, according to CarMD, which analyzed data from more than 1 million vehicles needing repairs in 2015.

Rounding out the five most expensive states for auto repairs are Wyoming (no. 2), Maryland (no. 3), North Dakota (no. 4) and New Jersey (no. 5). After Michigan, the most affordable states for car repairs are Indiana (no. 50), Ohio (no. 49), Wisconsin (no. 48) and Iowa (no. 47). When vehicles have check engine light problems, the leading culprit is a faulty oxygen sensor, the most frequently diagnosed repair in 25 states. Properly operating oxygen sensors are important to a car’s performance and to the environment; if left unfixed, a faulty O2 sensor can negatively impact a car’s fuel economy and cause damage to other parts of the car.

CarMD’s state ranking of repair costs was derived from analysis of 1,019,904 repairs identified for model year 1996 to 2015 vehicles from Jan. 1, 2015 through Dec. 31, 2015 reported to and analyzed by CarMD’s nationwide team of ASE-certified technicians. All 51 U.S. states/districts, including the District of Columbia, are represented in this Index. The repairs are related to a vehicle’s on-board diagnostic (OBD2) system, which is standard on all vehicles manufactured since 1996. It monitors emissions-related systems within a vehicle, triggering the check engine light when a problem occurs. CarMD does not report on problems that are outside the scope of a vehicle’s OBD2 computer monitoring such as tires, and mechanical parts like belts and hoses.

Related Slideshow: 60 Most Dangerous Intersections in New England - 2014

Using the most recent available data, GoLocalWorcester has compiled a list of the Most Dangerous Intersections in New England.

See the methodology here

Since different states chose different time spans in which to accumulate their data (3-10 years), GoLocal standardized the tallies to a 3-year sum.

It Is Getting More Expensive to Fix Your Car in MA

Related Slideshow: 60 Most Dangerous Intersections in New England - 2014

#60

Seymour, CT

#59

Wethersfield, CT

#58

Vernon, CT

#57

Hudson, NH

#56

Tilton, NH

#55

Nashua, NH

#54

Nashua, NH

#53

Salem, NH

#52

Bridgeport, CT

#51

Concord, NH

#50

Williston, VT

#49

Manchester, NH

#48

Concord, NH

#47

Berlin, VT

#46

Bridgeport, CT

#45

Nashua, NH

#44

Burlington, VT

#43

Waterbury, CT

#42

Portland, ME

#41

Portland, ME

#40

Manchester, NH

#39

Portland, ME

#38

Westbrook, ME

#37

Wallingford, CT

#36

Berkshire, VT

#35

Williston, VT

#34

Augusta, ME

#33

Burlington, VT

#32

Hartford, VT

#31

Burlington, VT

#30

Augusta, ME

#29

Winooski City, VT

#28

Augusta, ME

#27

Lowell, MA

#26

Hartford, CT

#25

Holyoke, MA

#24

Lowell, MA

#23

Lewiston, ME

#22

Bangor, ME