Hey can anyone help me? I’m doing a statistical project for my class. Comparing the number of hours spent on car maintenance a year. Those were driving a manual vehicle. Can y’all help me out?

[u/Robby-98]

[u/InfiniteCabinet9637]

4

[u/Mustardly]

Do you want straight maintenance or 'I should learn to quit while I'm ahead' work?

[u/Robby-98 → u/Mustardly]

Straight maintenance

[u/Mustardly → u/Robby-98]

4 hrs in that case. Maybe add another for general checks etc. Tire change obviously adds the time to gonto a tire place etc but that's not every year

[u/Temporary-Tie-233]

Five hours this year but only because I'm driving 6 hours into the mountains next weekend and my husband is being a big baby about my car being 14 years old (it's a Mazda, some post apocalyptic person is going to find it abandoned 100 years from now and it will start right up on hopes and prayers). Years without road trips, more like 2.5 hours.

[u/Gotrek6]

2009 Honda Civic, manual everything (except brakes) but it's so Manual even the radio has a hand crank...

770 000km (80/20 highway) I've changed the front brakes twice rear are still original, shocks/struts once all around(including front springs). The clutch is going to need to be replaced this/next year I think I'll get another season out of it though. It just started leaking a bit of oil from a sensor just above the oil pain. And the Clutch cylinder brakets is pretty rusty I might have to replace it soon.

Oil changes with good synthetic once per season (It's my winter only car)

There is no clearcoat left on it and the paint is cracked to hell But it starts and runs withou any fanfare.

Manual = less things to break. And less computer systems to monitor.

editL Oh I just remembered I did tie rods on both sides this summer and one axle. I do do regular maintenance on things that are not meant to get maintenance like I regrease my axles and balljoints, I add grease fittings to things that don't have them etc.

[u/Robby-98 → u/Gotrek6]

OK, thanks but how many hours of maintenance do you have to do on it with the oil changes with the tire rotation things of that nature

[u/Gotrek6 → u/Robby-98]

Oil changes are about 15-30 mins (enough to justify one beer) I usually do tires at the same time so 1-2 hour a year maybe for those two chores?
Axles/tie rods/Ball Joins and shocks whatever required removing suspension I'd say 2-6 hours depending on rust (I live in the rust belt). I normally don't unbolt things anymore I just cut them off. Unless I plan on reusing and I never do.

Brakes 30 mins per side, 1 hour if it's rusted. I have front disks and rear drums I don't brake a lot (Live in country)

Fun fact the car came with one of those electronic rust prevention devices and the car did not start rusting until that thing died so I think they work.

[u/Robby-98 → u/Gotrek6]

So like in total 12-15 hours

[u/Gotrek6 → u/Robby-98]

A year sounds about right

[u/Gotrek6 → u/Robby-98]

My Wifes car is an Audi A4 and also manual. I'd say hers is 4 times that. But it has a lot more things to go wrong on it :D

[u/Specific_Molasses730]

2025 - 5 hours, 2026 - so far 3

[u/Reasonable_Till_3569]

Are you theorizing manuals require more or less maintenance? I'm not sure how being a manual has anything to do with it?

[u/Robby-98 → u/Reasonable_Till_3569]

It’s just a typical survey for my class comparing the hours, whether or not it takes longer or shorter times for maintenance between an automatic and a manual

[u/Reasonable_Till_3569 → u/Robby-98]

Most manual transmissions require a fluid change during the sane interval as that of an automatic transmission requiring a filter & fluid change in my experience owning several of both. (30-50K). Dropping the pan and swapping filter do take longer in an auto that drain & fill in a manual. Maybe an extra half hour? All other maintenance is the same.

[u/Lordofpineapples]

I would think for a true stats project you need to setup a survey and some sort of polling methodology to get any results worth trusting