Voetstoots. It has to be one of the greatest Afrikaans words of all time. It has become such a part of our everyday language in South Africa that there is even a legal term called the “Voetstoots Clause”.

Legalities aside, you will often see vehicles advertised as Voetstoots. In many cases, the vehicle has known problems and the seller has decided to call it a day. Perhaps you were the owner, and you wish to sell it because the car repair costs for your vehicle exceed the value of the car.

Whether buying or selling, you need to be informed about what parts of your car are "deal-breakers”, and you need to do the maths whether the cost of repairs is justified relative to the value of the vehicle.

In this article, we explore 15 of the most expensive auto parts that can be damaged or worn out on your car. If your trusted mechanic says one of these is on its last legs, it may be time to consider other options. (Sizeable sections of this article have been taken from Carbrain.com)

The injectors provide the specified amount of fuel to your combustible engine. If they are not working right, fuel is leaking, being over supplied and burning up, creating nasty exhaust. Depending on the size of your engine, you probably have 4, 6 or even 8. Fortunately for you, they rarely go out all at once. But you can expect 2-3 at a time. The range of costs depends on a number of factors.

14. Replacing an Air Conditioning Compressor

If you live in the North, West of SA and many places between, you know the summers can be brutal. Being without an air conditioner is simply not an option. The AC Compressor is responsible for separating high- and low-pressure air so that the freon or refrigerant can cool your car.

13. Timing Belt

The timing belt is responsible helping your engine keep its rhythm. Without it, the moving parts would collide with each other, dent, break and become an even more costly car repair. The belt itself is not an expensive part, but the labour costs can give you heart palpitations, as in many cars, it is difficult to access. That said, it is still essential to replace the belt as per manufacturer recommendations, because neglecting to will cost you far more; if it snaps, you will be in the market for a new engine or a full rebuild.

12. Fuel Pump

The fuel pump supplies the fuel to the injector at the correct pressure. It can be easily damaged through poor driving and maintenance habits, and you'll pay the price. We have written extensively about this before, but in summary The three most common causes of fuel pump failure include: fuel contamination, clogged filters, and overheating. Driving with less than a quarter of a tank of fuel can cause both of the last two causes of failure.

11. Brake Line Repair Cost

We have all seen those action movies where someone has their brake line cut. It results inevitably in a not so happy ending. Because you cannot stop your car without a properly functioning brake line, your mechanic is likely to push you to replace rather than repair for your own safety. Because of this, rather than facing a brake line repair cost, you will pay for a brake line replacement.

10. Turbocharger

We all love having that ‘va va voom’ which the turbocharger provides. What we do not love is when it starts billowing smoke and your mechanic advises you need to replace it. Once again, a blown turbo is usually your penance for using sinfully. The sins include hard acceleration and sudden shutdown. Primarily though, turbo’s fail due to oil starvation, oil contamination and foreign object damage.

9. Head Gasket Repair

When your car "blows a gasket" it spews smoke, oil and coolant into the air. You definitely cannot drive on a blown one -- particularly if you like to be able to see in front of you. The part itself is not that expensive, but it is very hard to replace so the labour more than makes up for it.

8. Camshaft Price

If you do not change your oil regularly and have it cleaned periodically it fills with dirt and debris and can no longer effectively draw outside air into the engine so that it can function. This car part is right at the heart of everything. Replacing could be equated to getting a lung transplant. It is very labour intensive, so again the labour is what will eat away at your wallet.

7. Engine Control Unit

You have undoubtedly heard car service techs lament that cars are so hard to repair now, because of so many computer components. This is one of those auto parts. And when it goes "kaput", there is not much you can do but replace it.

6. Suspension

It is one of those auto parts that you do not appreciate until it is gone. Without the suspension, driving your car would be like driving a go-cart on gravel road. You would feel everything. It is not the shock absorber/struts we are talking about here – those are modestly priced. It is when you hit a pothole at such speed that you land up replacing the whole bang shoot which makes up your suspension. We are talking control arms and stabiliser links, and rod ends etc etc. You will need take your seat before the mechanic tells you the cost.

5. Air Bags

Most people are shocked when they have been in a minor collision in which the airbag deployed, to find out how much it costs to have it reinstalled. You will often wish your car was written-off when you see the cost of airbag replacement.

4. Diesel Particulate Filter

The article has been bad news for diesel engine owners, and it only gets worse. We have mentioned injectors, the diesel pump, the turbo and now we have the DPF! Most diesel engines have DPF to help reduce pollution. But saving the environment does not come cheap!

3. Transmission

Put simply, a car transmission is a vehicle’s gearbox. But that is the only simple thing about it. Transmission systems are complex technological marvels. A manual box is the least complex and therefore the cheapest to maintain and replace. Sometimes, its individual components which need replacing and the cost is tolerable, say the seals or selectors. But, with auto boxes and all the more so CVT’s, it is often not financially viable or even prudent to try fix. A replacement gearbox will often cost tens of thousands of rand.

2. Hybrid Car Battery

We all saw the video on YouTube a few weeks back, when a Finnish bloke blew up his Tesla when faced with a $22000 repair bill. The reason? His batteries needed replacement. When you bought your new hybrid, the last thing you were thinking about was having to shovel out for a new hybrid battery replacement after a handful of years. If you have a relationship with a hybrid car, you may also come to the conclusion that 30kg of dynamite is the easiest way out of it!

1. Engine and Cylinders

"Your engine is blown" -- even if you know nothing about cars, you know this is serious. And until you get it fixed, you own the world’s heaviest paper weight imaginable. It is rarely worth your while to replace or rebuild an engine when you can get a decent "new" car for about the same price. Even if you go used, anything will be better than the one you have.

Car Repair Cost Vs Value of Your Car

Before undertaking or signing off on any major auto repair, you should always evaluate the value of your car. Once major auto parts like those listed above start to go out, it is only a matter of time before the domino effect begins and you end up investing more in car repair than you would have spent on a new car.

But then again, not all but most of the problems above are self-inflicted! Many of the components listed fail prematurely due to negligence or poor maintenance. And in the end, was it worth it? 

And lastly, if you are in the market for a used car, and you know that it has any of the above issues, say, a Dekra report which says Engine Smoking or Turbo Leaking, think very long and hard if the ‘deal’ you are getting is really a ‘deal’.