2025 engines won't last

testerdahl

testerdahl

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I normally like Getty's videos but I wonder about this one:


My response was what has changed in 2025 vs say a 2019 or even a 2015 engine that makes them not last. We have seen time and time again those engines last.

He makes 5 main points:

1. Plastic parts

(nothing wrong there, just go look at an airplane. Composite technology has come a LOONG way and isn't a red solo cup)

2. High power figures

(the engine can't handle it argument. People worry about warranties not realizing the Feds can make automakers recall engines beyond the warranty period)

3. Lightweight oils

(this isn't anything new. Google says 0W-20 oil began gaining traction and becoming recommended for cars in the late 2000s and early 2010s. So, it has been well over 15 to 25 years of these oil and 10k intervals are used world-wide.)

4. Weak piston rings

(Really? Engines are pretty well designed these days and I'm sure I can find 5 different mechanics who would disagree with this one.)

5. Electronics

(Yup, things are more advanced. Consumers love it. They email me all the time wanting more features.)

-----

I know many mechanics and they all want simple. Simple to work on, simple to fix and no interior comfort, features or hell any luxury at all. Just go watch Eric the Car guy. He's a mechanic and he drives the ugliest car on the planet. Why? It is simple to work on. That's how mechanics think.

People are clamoring on in the comments about bad things are and how everything is junk with comments like, "my 2019 is doing great." Sigh. Nothing has changed since 2019 to 2025 for their particular model.

Maybe I woke up in a mood, but c'mon. SMH. 64k views so far regurgitating the same BS that's been said a million times and the fact I don't join the parade I'll get comments about I've sold out.
 
I think you both can be right. Alex usually does his pros and cons separately, I'm not saying he'll put out a video of how new engines are built to last but he brings up fair points in the video and mentions known issues.

Some of the things he points out are based in fact:
  1. There have been known failures of plastic components across multiple manufacturers (Not going to list them but the list is very long and widespread)
  2. Oil usage is a growing concern, you've done a video on this topic yourself I think or discussed it at length if I remember
    1. My 6.2 eats oil, I add a quart between each oil change and wasn't aware of this until my truck threw an oil level light around 15k miles. Then, I started checking it and found it consistently consumes oil.
    2. Ford, GM and RAM have all added text to owners manuals with "normal" oil consumption text. Ford allows 1qt per 1k miles as normal in the 5.0 coyote.... GM is 1qt-2k miles. If you're trusting the oil change interval in your truck there's a really good chance you're running 1-2 quarts low, or more, between oil changes. But hey, take the dipstick away too!
    3. GM didn't do this topic any favors when initially they recommended 0w40 oil as a fix for the 6.2 having issues on 0w20.
  3. Light weight piston rings are a known component that increases oil consumption and has caused issues in other areas. More and more data is available about this CAFE choice for efficiency that fail as they wear.... AND reducses lifepan of an engine.
  4. Electronics are the slit your own wrist of the modern vehicle manufacturer. People want them, and more, but they seem to be one of the main drivers in recalls and initial quality, reliability, concerns and rankings.
  5. As for small displacement high HP/Torque... I think that's more of a philosophical concern from a mechanical standpoint. You know mechanics, cool. I know mechanics too and Getty is a mechanic. Nobody is going to win this topic, but everybody is allowed to have an opinion on it as there are stories on both sides of the aisle to support the claim.
My point is, much of what Alex said is rooted in fact, even if the conclusions are debatable. If you dismiss it all as “regurgitating bullshit” you risk the same type of criticism you’re throwing out, people accusing you of being a sellout or having bias. I don’t think you’re a sellout, but just as you have an emotional response to their content, some people will have an emotional response to yours.
 
I think both points of view are valid. We need to remember that we are all enthusiasts in our own angles.

The mechanic does want it to be simple. Why not? It's easier to repair and maintain. That is why they're still driving around in Grandpa's Grand Marquis.

The sport enthusiast wants all the power and strength. That's why they buy the raptors and RHOs.

The office worker wants that C-suite vibe so they lease the Limited, Lariat, or that Tundra with the white seats.

A majority of modern buyers get one for the image. Remember that lady interviewed in the same news clip that featured Tim.
"What do you like about the truck that makes you want to buy it?"
"It's blue ".

Those are the people that want the features and will turn it in after their lease is over or they want the next new thing.

We're the ten percenters.
 
And about the plastic. My 2011 Ford Ranger has a plastic intake manifold. It's original to the truck. It's lasted so far at 130,000 miles. In Florida. dealing with 14 summers in Florida. Including a sixty-mile drive with no coolant in the engine. (I did he old trick of blasting the heat into the cabin and making sure the air flowed. The needle never rose into the danger zone.) That was back when the mileage was in the 70,000 range.

What caused the engine to lose its coolant? Me changing the thermostat without changing the gasket in the housing.
 
Saddle Tramp said:
And about the plastic. My 2011 Ford Ranger has a plastic intake manifold. It's original to the truck. It's lasted so far at 130,000 miles. In Florida. dealing with 14 summers in Florida. Including a sixty-mile drive with no coolant in the engine. (I did he old trick of blasting the heat into the cabin and making sure the air flowed. The needle never rose into the danger zone.) That was back when the mileage was in the 70,000 range.

What caused the engine to lose its coolant? Me changing the thermostat without changing the gasket in the housing.
Click to expand...

When I bought my sons 2000 Ranger I spent way too much time reading about them...I think the plastic intake is prone to causing a lot of problems from warping and breaking. Good your's hasn't.
 
I don't understand this whole rationale of modern engines being reliable, Toyota is basically replacing every 22 up Tundra engine, GM is getting raked over the coals for the 6.2 engine, GM trucks have a underwear destroyer mode on the ten speed transmissions due to locking up while driving.
The six cylinder duramax is an oil guzzler with a rubber oil pump belt that conveniently enough requires removing the transmission to replace.
Owning any modern vehicle outside of warranty takes ball of steel at this point.
 
Hilux said:
I don't understand this whole rationale of modern engines being reliable, Toyota is basically replacing every 22 up Tundra engine, GM is getting raked over the coals for the 6.2 engine, GM trucks have a underwear destroyer mode on the ten speed transmissions due to locking up while driving.
The six cylinder duramax is an oil guzzler with a rubber oil pump belt that conveniently enough requires removing the transmission to replace.
Owning any modern vehicle outside of warranty takes ball of steel at this point.
Click to expand...

You left Ford and RAM out, those stalwarts of reliability and that hurts my feelings!! LOL
 
I get both sides of this and most of what you guys have been saying is how I feel on it. The only thing id add is repair costs are crazy high these days. I'd like to see warranties go even longer to account for that. I worry more about these transmissions than the engines myself. I'm pretty sure I could pull and rebuild a hurricane, id be pissed along the way don't get me wrong. But I got no shot with the 10 or 8 speed transmissions.
 
So... naturally, I got fired up and fired from the hip. You know what that means. TIME TO SHOOT A DAMN VIDEO!

The response has been a good mixture IMO and really has people talking. As usual @Fightnfire nails what I should have expected from a few of the comments. I should have read this forum before I got going, but was a bit stressed for time. Yesterday, was my birthday, and my phone was blowing up all day with well wishers.

It was a mixture of the fire in my belly to do this video along with the distractions of the day. Such is life.

I was hoping, and I think I somewhat succeeded to a degree, to focus this more on where the conversation on engine reliability is today online vs declaring I know all. Some people got that in the comments, others didn't. I'll always get that for sure. It is interesting how the conversation on reliability has changed over the past 15 years and continues to evolve.

 
Happy Birthday Tim. No matter how old you get remember that I’ll still be older..lol
On our topic, I agree that there have been too many engine issues recently from many manufacturers. Everyone struggling to be cutting edge.
As a person who has been driving cars since the 70’s all I can say is the reliability has gotten better each decade(with some bumps).
My wife had a Chevrolet years ago that blew it’s engine as soon as it ticked passed warranty. When I shopped around for a replacement everyone I talked to in the biz knew exactly what cylinder blew and how. At that time we never heard about things like this unless we worked in parts supply. Now everything is reported like crazy.
Long winded but my point is over the years I’ve personally seen GM, Toyota and jeep engines blow up but for the most part all other vehicles my family has owned have been increasingly more reliable.
I’m still cautiously on the side of new vehicles being more reliable. Maybe that’s just because I don’t want to sound like an old guy who hearkens back to the good old days. I still remember carrying a full set of tools in the trunk of my cars because of on the road repairs in the good old days(now it’s just a few emergency items).
It’s like the old joke. How many country singers does it take to buy a new truck? Four, one to buy the new truck and 3 to write songs about how much they miss the old one.
 
This is fascinating for me to watch play out. I'm getting a mixture of hate and praise in the comments. I know my mechanic friends are shaking their heads at the haters.

On the analytics side, I picked up 40 subs and the video is skyrocketing with 98% approval rate with already 12k views and climbing quickly. I've never picked up that many subs so quickly on a video.

Just thought I'd share.
 
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