Maximum car milage

[Mark]

I'm about to come up to the 60,000 mile limit of my cars warranty (Ford Fiesta 1.6 diesel bought in Nov 2008), so now I'm responsible for the repair costs I wonder how long cars really last for and how much it's now going to cost me.

Certainly most of the 60,000 miles have been spent on cruise control on the motorway, so the likes of the clutch won't be too worn, I had my brakes replaced 10,000 miles ago. The engine drives the same (or better) now than the day I bought it, so I can't see why it can't do another 60,000 miles at the very least.

(I'm about to stop working 100 miles away from home so hopefully the miles won't be clocking up quite so fast from now on!)

[cali]

My '97 Benz has done about 500 000 kms and still going. If this car is maintained well, then I see no problems for another 500 000 kms.

[555-04Q2]

I have a '95 Mazda B1800 pick-up that has done 480,000 kms with no probems. Still got the original engine, gearbox etc. It holds sentimental value to me and I will never get rid of it. Cars that are looked after can last a very long time.

I have a customer with an Isuzu KB250D pick-up that passed 1,200,000 kms a few years back. It is still going, however, it is on its 3rd or 4th engine and gearbox combination if I remember correctly.

There are also a number of old 200 & 240 Mercs still running around here, some with well over 500,000 kms just like Cali's one. The catch is they are all cared for properly, not like the average car owner thinks he cares for their car.

[Daniel]

A car can go on indefinitely if properly maintained and well driven.

If you stick to the bare servicing requirements then this can impact upon the life of the car. If you want to do things like change oil more regularly then this will help in terms of the life of the engine. Spending money on good quality replacement bits can help as well. Fiat have found a way of making suspension parts out of cheese for their cars, now obviously cheese isn't very strong and when you hit potholes and the like it's not very good, so when it comes time to replace things I'm not going to replace suspension arms and dampers with genuine bits which, being made of cheese will just fail again in 2-3 years time and cost more money. If something like a damper goes then it's very much worth your while to buy something which is perhaps more expensive, but will last longer and cost less in the long term.

There really is no reason (other than rust, which Fords from the not too distant past seem to do well) that a car can't go on indefinitely, especially on a car so common as your Fester which is not going to be hard to get parts for at all.

As a guide, I'm expecting out 500 to go on for at least 150-200k miles. There are a few people with Panda's who've done 80k miles with few problems other than suspension issues as I've mentioned and the engines in the Panda's and 500's have been shown to go on for a long time if they're treated properly.

[Daniel]

There are also a number of old 200 & 240 Mercs still running around here, some with well over 500,000 kms just like Cali's one. The catch is they are all cared for properly, not like the average car owner thinks he cares for their car.

Yep, my dad changes the oil on all of his cars every 5000km's.

The 504 he has, has 310,000+ km's on it, the Saab 900 has something like 280,000 km's on it, they've got a Volvo 940 with I think about 200,000 miles on it and he has a Toyota Hiace which he's had since new (2000) which probably has something silly like 3-400,000 km's or hard driving (he's a courier) on the clock with very little issues.

If you want to spend a little bit of time, money and effort, a car owned from new can go on for a long long time and be much cheaper than buying multiple new cars in that time period.

[Rollo]

A car can go on indefinitely if properly maintained and well driven.


+12 This ^^^

The Pug 206 we have now has done 106,000km.
The Ka I had had gone 166,293km accoding to the last motor roadworthiness certificate I have.
The Skyline we had had gone 303,400km and was replaced because we didn't need a car that big anymore.

From the 1993 Guinness Book of Records p115:
The highest recorded mileage for a car is 2,180,279km, 1,354,800miles up to 31 Dec 1991, for a 1963 VW Beetle owned by Albert Klein, Pasedena CA, USA.

60,000 miles? Feh, it's a baby.

[Sonic]

It's incredible when you think about it; 60,000 miles is nothing for a car - but it's twice around the ruddy world!

I change my car frequently, so the biggest tally I've racked up personally was in my very first car which hit 80,000 before I had to sell it coz the kids came along - God I loved that Mini.

My old man hit 200,000 in a 1994 Merc E class.

[GridGirl]

Did you replace all your brakes at 50k? I replaced my fronts at 50k and the rears a month or so ago at 75k. Then again, you do go through tyres like they're going out of fashion. :p

[MrJan]

Mines currently at 122,000 miles or so, and rising by about 250 each week. The exhaust is blowing at the minute but that's pretty much the only mechanical issue that I've had in just over 2 years of ownership and 33k miles. I've been looking around recently and stuff like diesel VAG cars quite often have above 200k miles on and Mondeos under 2 grand are likely to be 120k upwards.

To question lifetime when it's only done 60,000 is madness :p : There's a car I'm looking at later in the week (hopefully) that has 69,000 on the clock and I consider that to be super low (possibly clocked) mileage. There's another with 103k that I'm considering too. All of these are with a view for me to be doing 15,000 miles a year for a good few years.

[Daniel]

+12 This ^^^

The Pug 206 we have now has done 106,000km.
The Ka I had had gone 166,293km accoding to the last motor roadworthiness certificate I have.
The Skyline we had had gone 303,400km and was replaced because we didn't need a car that big anymore.

From the 1993 Guinness Book of Records p115:
The highest recorded mileage for a car is 2,180,279km, 1,354,800miles up to 31 Dec 1991, for a 1963 VW Beetle owned by Albert Klein, Pasedena CA, USA.

60,000 miles? Feh, it's a baby.

Your cars are babies still too!

The 500 ticked over to 25,000 miles last Friday afternoon and the engine and box still feel nice and tight, I can feel that the suspension is perhaps not quite as tight as it once was, but that will get sorted with better quality bits.

There was an almost brand new engine from a crashed 500 on ebay for £400 and a box for £250 and I was tempted. Would be nice in 15 years to give the car a respray, a retrim and a new engine and gearbox.

[Daniel]

Mines currently at 122,000 miles or so, and rising by about 250 each week. The exhaust is blowing at the minute but that's pretty much the only mechanical issue that I've had in just over 2 years of ownership and 33k miles. I've been looking around recently and stuff like diesel VAG cars quite often have above 200k miles on and Mondeos under 2 grand are likely to be 120k upwards.

To question lifetime when it's only done 60,000 is madness :p : There's a car I'm looking at later in the week (hopefully) that has 69,000 on the clock and I consider that to be super low (possibly clocked) mileage. There's another with 103k that I'm considering too. All of these are with a view for me to be doing 15,000 miles a year for a good few years.

The only slight problem I have with older cars is how they've been maintained. A lot of people seem to put the cheapest tyres on their car, only service their car when it seems to be running rough or have a problem or they simply don't service it at all. My 406 was one of these cars and didn't last long after 100k miles before blowing its head gasket twice as well as having other problems. No one gave a **** about that car and sadly the car didn't last long because of it.

[schmenke]

The only reason we recently traded in our Mazda SUV for a minivan ( :uhoh: ) was because it was getting a tad small for the family. The Mazda had 105,000 kms with all original components, except of course for things like tires, brakes, etc.

The Hyundai POS I’m using as my current daily driver has 90k kms and has the original clutch, battery and rear brakes! :s hock:

A little bit of maintenance, and more importantly, regular fluid changes will go a long way to ensuring a long vehicle lifetime.

[Daniel]

The only reason we recently traded in our Mazda SUV for a minivan ( :uhoh: ) was because it was getting a tad small for the family. The Mazda had 105,000 kms with all original components, except of course for things like tires, brakes, etc.

The Hyundai POS I’m using as my current daily driver has 90k kms and has the original clutch, battery and rear brakes! :s hock:

A little bit of maintenance, and more importantly, regular fluid changes will go a long way to ensuring a long vehicle lifetime.

Why would the Hyundai need a clutch if you're driving? You're not a woman are you? :p

[schmenke]

Why would the Hyundai need a clutch if you're driving? You're not a woman are you? :p

:D
Indeed, Mrs. schmenke rarely drives the thing which may contribute to it's reasonable condition :D :uhoh:

[Daniel]

:D
Indeed, Mrs. schmenke rarely drives the thing which may contribute to it's reasonable condition :uhoh:

I think women naturally treat cars a little more like an appliance and don't think about the oily bits underneath.

Drove the Fiat home from work last friday after filling it up and it was saying 56 mpg when I got home, jumped back in on Saturday after Caroline had gone to someone's house on Friday for one of those tupperware type parties and it was saying 49. Worked out that she probably averaged about 30-35 mpg on the 6 or 7 miles she did on Friday night :confused:

My driving style
Accelerate
Lift
Accelerate
Lift
Accelerate
Lift

and so on :p

Woman
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!

and so on :p

[MrJan]

The only slight problem I have with older cars is how they've been maintained. A lot of people seem to put the cheapest tyres on their car, only service their car when it seems to be running rough or have a problem or they simply don't service it at all. My 406 was one of these cars and didn't last long after 100k miles before blowing its head gasket twice as well as having other problems. No one gave a **** about that car and sadly the car didn't last long because of it.

Yeah second hand car buying is always going to be minefield, but there are always decent clues as to how the car has been treated. I'm very tentative about actually spending my cash, my first car was a 'hand me down' from my brother that I paid peanuts for (it had a bit dent that would limit value in the real world, and he needed money fast). And my second car is what I have now and I sort of got lucky with it. Yes I gave it a good old inspection, looked at it 3 or 4 times and even ran it down to a mechanic to have a quick glance for anything obvious, but there was still a good risk, especially when I waived the 3 month warranty in order to get a better deal.

[MrJan]

My driving style
Accelerate
Lift
Accelerate
Lift
Accelerate
Lift

My brother drives like that on the motorway, sends me mad. I have no idea why he finds it impossible to maintain a steady speed by just keeping his foot on the pedal, instead he presses down, lifts off, presses down, lift off etc. all to stay at the same speed....what a tosser ;)

[wedge]

Mark, you've got nothing to worry about.

Your car is being used properly ie. doing long runs.

Cars don't like short runs. You need to run the car up to temperature, help prevent rust eating the brakes, in diesels DPF is being used properly, etc.

Only thing to worry about is worn parts and rust appearing in the wrong places.

[555-04Q2]

Mark, you've got nothing to worry about.

Your car is being used properly ie. doing long runs.

Cars don't like short runs. You need to run the car up to temperature, help prevent rust eating the brakes, in diesels DPF is being used properly, etc.

Only thing to worry about is worn parts and rust appearing in the wrong places.

From what I learnt during my years of studying engine mechanics, car engines prefer a variable speed range not a fixed speed range like you would do on motorways. Variable speed puts more wear on the clutch, gearbox etc, but the engine is happier.

Engines such as generator engines are happy running constantly at one speed as that is what they are designed to do and have special cylinder liners, rings etc.

[555-04Q2]

^^^ Of course I could also be wrong as my memory can be cr@ppy sometimes :p :

[Daniel]

Yeah second hand car buying is always going to be minefield, but there are always decent clues as to how the car has been treated. I'm very tentative about actually spending my cash, my first car was a 'hand me down' from my brother that I paid peanuts for (it had a bit dent that would limit value in the real world, and he needed money fast). And my second car is what I have now and I sort of got lucky with it. Yes I gave it a good old inspection, looked at it 3 or 4 times and even ran it down to a mechanic to have a quick glance for anything obvious, but there was still a good risk, especially when I waived the 3 month warranty in order to get a better deal.

Yeah there are some good cars out there. I guess I'm just the sort of person who likes to treat their cars well and want something that's been treated with the same respect and care


My brother drives like that on the motorway, sends me mad. I have no idea why he finds it impossible to maintain a steady speed by just keeping his foot on the pedal, instead he presses down, lifts off, presses down, lift off etc. all to stay at the same speed....what a tosser ;)

I'm not necessarily talking about motorway driving but it does apply to that. I just think on roads you know you should never really have to brake unless there's a sharp corner or obviously traffic and even then you can usually manage your speed with a lift.

[Daniel]

I think you're both right. When running in, you couldn't do much worse to a car than to run it at a constant speed.

Personally I think the best used car would be one with average mileage. If a car has been driving on the motorway you don't know whether it's been doing it at 60 or 70, at 90 or with someone who just rags the absolute bejeezus out of it. On the other hand, driving short mileageas does nothing for cars either, exhausts get lots of condensation in them and rust, breather pipes gunk up and nasty stuff starts to happen to other bits.

One thing that people do that's daft is idle their cars in winter in the morning to warm up and then jump in and drive off as if the car is warmed up. 0 mileage but a lot of wear as the engine is ticking over and is bloody cold and isn't producing much heat and of course cold engines wear faster when it's cold, it's also not warming up wheel bearings, gearboxes and other moving parts. Engine warms up much quicker if you scrape the windows, jump in and drive off sedately till the car warms up. Sure it takes a little longer for the heater to start working, but it's better for the car and saves you fuel!

[GridGirl]

My driving style
Accelerate
Lift
Accelerate
Lift
Accelerate
Lift

and so on :p

Woman
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!

and so on :p

The driving style you quote as your own is similar to mine when I drive my own car. The driving style that you describe as a womens is like mine when I am driving the VRs that I only really drive if and when I have to. It always takes takes me ages to get used to driving a different car and is probably made worse when I swap from my petrol to driving a diesel where I always forget I need to be in much lower gears. You just can't be in 5th driving at 30mph is the VRs.

[Mark]

I need my parking sensors fixed. I have 100 miles until my warranty runs out. Getting home from York usually clocks up 100 miles! So instead tomorrow I'm going to follow TomTom's suggested 'shortest' route through the centres of York, Northallerton and Darlington. Wish me luck!

[Caroline]

I think women naturally treat cars a little more like an appliance and don't think about the oily bits underneath.

Drove the Fiat home from work last friday after filling it up and it was saying 56 mpg when I got home, jumped back in on Saturday after Caroline had gone to someone's house on Friday for one of those tupperware type parties and it was saying 49. Worked out that she probably averaged about 30-35 mpg on the 6 or 7 miles she did on Friday night :confused:

My driving style
Accelerate
Lift
Accelerate
Lift
Accelerate
Lift

and so on :p

Woman
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!
Accelerate
BRAKE!!!!!

and so on :p


Let me clarify that my entire 5 mile drive consisted of twisty turny country roads that required said braking and accelerating. There is more to driving than fuel economy - although important - I actually like to enjoy the drive without watching a readout on the dashboard.

[Daniel]

Let me clarify that my entire 5 mile drive consisted of twisty turny country roads that required said braking and accelerating. There is more to driving than fuel economy - although important - I actually like to enjoy the drive without watching a readout on the dashboard.

Maximum attack ffs!!!!! :p

[airshifter]

Let me clarify that my entire 5 mile drive consisted of twisty turny country roads that required said braking and accelerating. There is more to driving than fuel economy - although important - I actually like to enjoy the drive without watching a readout on the dashboard.

Having now read that several times, I think some proper rewording is in order. I was thinking something more to the point such as: "I'm not scared to take a corner at above posted speed, unlike my eco MPG nerd other half."

:laugh:

[Daniel]

Having now read that several times, I think some proper rewording is in order. I was thinking something more to the point such as: "I'm not scared to take a corner at above posted speed, unlike my eco MPG nerd other half."

:laugh:

The thing is airshifter, I just wouldn't have braked to go around the corners :p I would have lifted before them and gone around the corner at the same speed or faster ;)

[Mark]

The thing is airshifter, I just wouldn't have braked to go around the corners :p I would have lifted before them and gone around the corner at the same speed or faster ;)

Your apex speed would have been faster, but as you were spending time off the throttle going into the corner you'd be losing a few tenths there.

[Daniel]

Your apex speed would have been faster, but as you were spending time off the throttle going into the corner you'd be losing a few tenths there.

Yes, but keeping my speed up I'd get more downforce. Amateur! :p

[Mark]

But we're talking about keeping on the throttle followed by hard braking down to the corner entry speed, vs lifting to coast down to speed, the first method produces the same apex speed but you're accelerating for longer hence it will be quicker.

[Daniel]

I'm faster overall though :p

[MrJan]

How much downforce does a FIAT 500 generate at <60mph? ;)

Daniel you're turning into that loony toon that came on here saying that he'd invented the perfect racing line and was responsible for rethinking how we drill for oil :p :

[Daniel]

How much downforce does a FIAT 500 generate at <60mph?
Mine developes slim to nil and probably generates lift. See if I had an Abarth with a rear wing and diffuser it would generate muchos downforce :p On a serious note, I find diffusers on roadcars hilarious :D Unless it's something like an exige, the car will never be close enough to the ground for the diffuser to do anything at all. ONe guy who owns a 500 Abarth tried to argue that the diffuser gives the car some downforce :crazy:

http://images.paultan.org/images/New_Fiat_500_Abarth_3_Large.jpg



Daniel you're turning into that loony toon that came on here saying that he'd invented the perfect racing line and was responsible for rethinking how we drill for oil

At least I'm only joking! :D

[MrJan]

At least I'm only joking! :D

Can you remember the name of the website or the chap? I've spent the last 20 minutes trying to find that thread.

[Daniel]

Can you remember the name of the website or the chap? I've spent the last 20 minutes trying to find that thread.

flracing :) http://www.motorsportforum.com/forums/member.php?233307-flracing&

[MrJan]

Ah yes, what a legend!

[wedge]

I'm not necessarily talking about motorway driving but it does apply to that. I just think on roads you know you should never really have to brake unless there's a sharp corner or obviously traffic and even then you can usually manage your speed with a lift.

Only do it after you have made an effort to 'clean' the brakes with hard braking otherwise you'll never shake off the rust.

There is a tip for doing short runs and that is to occasionally run the car to about 4000rpm.

[Mark]

I have heard that, especially with Diesels that are used in city centres most of the time, that running it up to high revs occasionally will clear out some of the muck, just redlining it when joining the motorway should be sufficient.

[MrJan]

I have heard that, especially with Diesels that are used in city centres most of the time, that running it up to high revs occasionally will clear out some of the muck, just redlining it when joining the motorway should be sufficient.

Yeah my boss had an engine management light come on in his Dizzle Golf and the bloke at the VW garage told him to give it a thrashing. Something to do with a filter that's supposed to limit the black smoke

[Daniel]

Yeah my boss had an engine management light come on in his Dizzle Golf and the bloke at the VW garage told him to give it a thrashing. Something to do with a filter that's supposed to limit the black smoke

Otherwise known as an Italian tuneup ;)

For a DPF to regenerate it needs an extended run above 1800rpm in a Fiat for instance, I can imagine other manufacturers have similar requirements.

[Daniel]

Only do it after you have made an effort to 'clean' the brakes with hard braking otherwise you'll never shake off the rust.

It's not like I never brake at all though :p having alloys you can see when the friction surface of the disc is rusty and unless the car has been stood for a couple of days and it's been damp or rainy then there's never any serious rust on the discs. When I stop to join the main road the rust is most likely gone. At 25k miles there's a little bit of a lip on the discs and plenty of meat on the pads so I imagine they'll last a fair while longer. Bought myself a set of brembo pads and discs for the front for under £60 because I'm sure as hell not paying the £120 that Fiat dealers seem to want for parts as well as the £70 they'll want for the hours labour! :D

[Mark]

My DPF has never been an issue for me. Could be because I don't have one, of course.

[MrJan]

My DPF has never been an issue for me. Could be because I don't have one, of course.

Could be because your car is just a pup :p : TBH by the sounds of it you do enough mileage to give the engine a fair workout through the ranges, so it's unlikely to be too much of an issue :)

[Daniel]

Could be because your car is just a pup :p : TBH by the sounds of it you do enough mileage to give the engine a fair workout through the ranges, so it's unlikely to be too much of an issue :)

Also depends on what sort of driving you do. When the car attempts to regenerate there is nothing on the dash to tell the driver not to stop, if you stop a certain amount of regenerations the car will say that the DPF is clogged and go into limp mode and force you to see a dealer who will force a regen. Regenerations involve a bit of extra fuel being injected into the cylinders which is then burnt in the dpf. This can sometimes make its way into the sump and if the oil level gets high enough, being a diesel the engine can go into runaway mode and run on the oil in the sump which is fun :D Not something limited to DPF equipped cars, but something which they have a slightly higher risk of.

Personally I'm happy enough with my petrol engined car, a lot less fuss and less to go wrong.

[Rollo]

How much downforce does a FIAT 500 generate at <60mph? ;)


F = 0.5 * A * cd * 1bar * v^2
F = 0.5 * A * 0.325 * 1 * (96560m/h)²
F = 0.5 * A * 0.325 * 1 * 26.82222
F = 4.3586 * A

If someone could give me the area of the available "wing" in m² then if you multiply that by 4.3586 you'll have the downforce in Newtons under Standard Laboratory Conditions.

[Daniel]

F = 0.5 * A * cd * 1bar * v^2
F = 0.5 * A * 0.325 * 1 * (96560m/h)²
F = 0.5 * A * 0.325 * 1 * 26.82222
F = 4.3586 * A

If someone could give me the area of the available "wing" in m² then if you multiply that by 4.3586 you'll have the downforce in Newtons under Standard Laboratory Conditions.

What is 4.3586 * 0?

[Iain]

My DPF has never been an issue for me. Could be because I don't have one, of course.

You're giving your car a decent run though, so that should help. It's people who only do short low speed journeys that get problems with the DPF mainly. There's a load of people on the Seat forum complaining of DPF issues on their 170bhp Leon diesels, but I've never had any problems in 11 months of ownership because I have a fairly fast run to work where the car is able to get up to the national speed limit and there's very little town driving.

Are you not able to get an extended warranty for the Fiesta from Ford or does the high mileage negate that? Just wondering as I've had a letter in this morning telling me about my extended warranty options, as my topped up warranty (they gave me another 6 months when I bought it) runs out next month.

[Daniel]

You're giving your car a decent run though, so that should help. It's people who only do short low speed journeys that get problems with the DPF mainly. There's a load of people on the Seat forum complaining of DPF issues on their 170bhp Leon diesels, but I've never had any problems in 11 months of ownership because I have a fairly fast run to work where the car is able to get up to the national speed limit and there's very little town driving.

Are you not able to get an extended warranty for the Fiesta from Ford or does the high mileage negate that? Just wondering as I've had a letter in this morning telling me about my extended warranty options, as my topped up warranty (they gave me another 6 months when I bought it) runs out next month.

Personally I wouldn't bother with an extended warranty. By and large the manufacturing standards in cars today is bloody good.

I think DPF's are going to be a big problem in the future (I think wedge said it previously) it's an issue on the dismal engined 500 for people who do mainly short journeys and some dealers actually come out and say "Do you do mainly short journeys? If so then we don't recommend this engine for you" at the point of sale.

I think we should have the motoring section of the forum back, it's far too much fun talking about cars and car ownership.

[555-04Q2]

I think we should have the motoring section of the forum back, it's far too much fun talking about cars and car ownership.

I agree :up:

[wedge]

I have heard that, especially with Diesels that are used in city centres most of the time, that running it up to high revs occasionally will clear out some of the muck, just redlining it when joining the motorway should be sufficient.

Not just diesels, cars in general. You need the oil to circulate and not have the crap clinging inside.

[wedge]

I think DPF's are going to be a big problem in the future (I think wedge said it previously) it's an issue on the dismal engined 500 for people who do mainly short journeys and some dealers actually come out and say "Do you do mainly short journeys? If so then we don't recommend this engine for you" at the point of sale.

It's a problem already.

I get the Telegraph every Saturday. There's always a moan about DMFs every other week in the Honest John/Motoring section.

[Daniel]

Not just diesels, cars in general. You need the oil to circulate and not have the crap clinging inside.

Yup. Hence why "One lady owner, low mileage" is not necessarily a good thing!!!!!

[Daniel]

It's a problem already.

I get the Telegraph every Saturday. There's always a moan about DMFs every other week in the Honest John/Motoring section.

God I ****ing hate Honest Mail Order Bride Marrying John, he is only one step above What?!?!?! Car? in terms of automotive journalism dreariness! But yes you're right, DPF's can be troublesome. A lot of manufacturers do have a section in the manual discussing the DPF, what it does and how you need to drive to ensure correct operation, but do you think people actually read the owners manual?

[BleAivano]

here is a story about a Volvo who have done almost 100'000 Swedish miles (x10 for KM)
http://mobil.aftonbladet.se/kampanj/volvo/article7440771.ab;jsessionid=9DF0ADF607B5005465724 8C84EE03E34.mobilb
and more Volvos: http://forum.svenska200klubben.se/viewtopic.php?t=15767&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0&sid=123246dc6494c0b412a65f2a240e2952

[GridGirl]

We've had DPF issues twice in our Octavia VRs. The first time it developed maybe a day or so after we'd returned back from the Lake District last bank holiday Monday using A roads and had been in slowish traffic stuck behind caravans etc and it was regenerated by the other half after the light came on. The second time we had issues in the first week of last December after we'd had all that snow. It had been driven as best you can drive in snow conditions for a week before the engine management light came on as we were just getting to the Lake District driving via the M6 where it had been really sluggish and quite jerky to drive. We tried to regenerate the next day and the engine went into limp home mode. The AA were still recovering break downs from a week earlier due to the snow and because we weren't stranded it took 4 days for the special VAG AA van (the silver ones) to turn up. Turns out some sensor had broke and it would never have been able to regenerate itself. If we have prolonged bad weather or snowy conditions again it really wouldn't surprise me if we see the DPF light again.

We've returned home from the supermarket before when it's been regenerating. It stinks quite slot when it does it, or so we noticed while we were unloading the shopping.

[Mark]

You're giving your car a decent run though, so that should help. It's people who only do short low speed journeys that get problems with the DPF mainly. There's a load of people on the Seat forum complaining of DPF issues on their 170bhp Leon diesels, but I've never had any problems in 11 months of ownership because I have a fairly fast run to work where the car is able to get up to the national speed limit and there's very little town driving.

Are you not able to get an extended warranty for the Fiesta from Ford or does the high mileage negate that? Just wondering as I've had a letter in this morning telling me about my extended warranty options, as my topped up warranty (they gave me another 6 months when I bought it) runs out next month.

I could have had one but you have to buy them before 20k miles, I only found they existed this week!

[Bob Riebe]

I was wondering, do they still turn drums and discs over there?

Over here it has become pretty much a scam that more than not will not do it, giving lame excuses from " the disc/drum will be too thin." to (this one really pisses me off) "it put too much wear on the machine.

It is a job that can be done at, and this is a slowwww pace, one-half hour per wheel, with removal and replacement being less labour than replacing the unit.

I have done it and it is a simply process, One can actually do it on a standard lathe if one really wanted to.

[Mark]

Can't say I've heard of that before. When your brakes wear down you get new ones.

[Daniel]

I was wondering, do they still turn drums and discs over there?

Over here it has become pretty much a scam that more than not will not do it, giving lame excuses from " the disc/drum will be too thin." to (this one really pisses me off) "it put too much wear on the machine.

It is a job that can be done at, and this is a slowwww pace, one-half hour per wheel, with removal and replacement being less labour than replacing the unit.

I have done it and it is a simply process, One can actually do it on a standard lathe if one really wanted to.

With most small modern cars, the price for replacements is cheaper than machining them.

The brakes for our Fiat 500 for instance are only £25-30 for discs so to machine them probably wouldn't be economical. Also, most modern cars use fairly hard pads which tend to wear the discs quicker and the pads and discs tend to last the same length of time.

On my dads cars which are older, he does tend to get the discs machined :)

[Daniel]

Can't say I've heard of that before. When your brakes wear down you get new ones.

the point is that in ye olde days discs were discs and pads were far softer than they were today so your discs might last for quite a few pad changes and when you put new pads onto old discs you really should machine them flat for the best braking performance as you get grooves in discs.

[driveace]

Ford Fiesta 2001,1.8td full time used for driving tuition,had 2 clutches at 96K and190K,two cam belts at the same time.
Very little spent on it ,passes more MOTs than it fails and 247thousand miles.All short distances ,all learner drivers,uses NO oil,and will still catch pidgeons!!!!
So your Fiesta is good for many more years and miles !

[schmenke]

With most small modern cars, the price for replacements is cheaper than machining them. ...

Not mine. I had the front disks machined once and the mechanic didn't even charge me the labour. I only paid for the new pads :) .

[Rollo]

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/Search/Details/Highest-vehicle-mileage/43579.htm

A 1966 Volvo P-1800S owned by Irvin Gordon of East Patchogue, New York, USA, had covered in excess of 4,379,033.78 km (2,721,000 miles ) by August 2009. The car is still driven on a daily basis and covers over 160,000 km (100,000 miles) per year, thanks in part to being driven to numerous car shows and events in Europe and the USA.

Augh :eek:

[555-04Q2]

Holy cr@p that's a lot of driving :s hock:

[J4MIE]

My mum had a lovely Saxo that lasted three years and 45,000 miles of extremely enjoyable driving, after we got it when it was three years old. That was until the engine cried enough doing a long uphill stretch on a motorway. I loved that car :bigcry: But then to be fair the fact that I discovered there was no oil in it suggests this hadn't been checked in some time :dozey: My dad gets a bit on edge when a car he has hits 100,000 miles and then he gets rid of it asap.

Myself as a non car owner, I need not worry about such things :p :

[Daniel]

the point is that in ye olde days discs were discs and pads were far softer than they were today so your discs might last for quite a few pad changes and when you put new pads onto old discs you really should machine them flat for the best braking performance as you get grooves in discs.

Just thought I'd post in here.

Took the 500 in for a service yesterday after doing a touch over 26,000 miles and they said that the discs are starting to wear on the friction surface and the pads don't have much life left in them and there's probably about 3k miles left in them.

That might sound crap, but they're only little 240mm discs which are much smaller than even the rear discs on Caroline's Subaru (266mm ones) and the pads are tiny so the brakes have to do a lot more work.

They're an easy DIY job though (I think I'll do it myself) and the £50 or so for the discs and pads means it's hardly going to break the bank :)

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Just thought I'd post in here.

Took the 500 in for a service yesterday after doing a touch over 26,000 miles and they said that the discs are starting to wear on the friction surface and the pads don't have much life left in them and there's probably about 3k miles left in them.

That might sound crap, but they're only little 240mm discs which are much smaller than even the rear discs on Caroline's Subaru (266mm ones) and the pads are tiny so the brakes have to do a lot more work.

They're an easy DIY job though (I think I'll do it myself) and the £50 or so for the discs and pads means it's hardly going to break the bank :)

I got almost exactly the same milage out of my Punto brake pads/discs.

[Daniel]

I got almost exactly the same milage out of my Punto brake pads/discs.

How much did the stealer sting you for to replace them? :D

[schmenke]

...They're an easy DIY job though (I think I'll do it myself) and the £50 or so for the discs and pads means it's hardly going to break the bank :)

Holy cow that’s cheap.
I recently replaced the front pads & disks on the POS and they set me back $200.00 :s hock: .

Also, this past w/end I replaced the MAF sensor and that cost another $200.00 :s hock: . I only found out afterwards that the sensor can actually be cleaned with solvent :dozey: .

[Daniel]

Holy cow that’s cheap.
I recently replaced the front pads & disks on the POS and they set me back $200.00 :s hock: .

Also, this past w/end I replaced the MAF sensor and that cost another $200.00 :s hock: . I only found out afterwards that the sensor can actually be cleaned with solvent :dozey: .

Well that's if I DIY. If I take it in They'll probably charge me an hours labour at £45+ VAT.

Yeah MAF's can be cleaned but they're very fragile so often they can be damaged if you're not careful when cleaning. It's a little sad these days that mechanics generally don't repair components or service them, but instead replace bits as this is easier to do.

[schmenke]

The $200.00 each for the brakes and MAF were parts only!
I think I’ll start ordering my car bits from the U.K. :dozey: .

[Daniel]

The $200.00 each for the brakes and MAF were parts only!
I think I’ll start ordering my car bits from the U.K. :dozey: .

Well the MAF I can understand! But 200 dollareydoos for front brake parts only????? You're going to love me for this, but I got the front AND rear discs and pads for Caroline's car for what probably worked out at about 200 dollars :p They're bigger discs too, at 276mm for the front and 266mm at the back, both ventilated too! :p

I tried to search on ebay.ca for pos front brake discs but found nothing :p
Don't know if your pos is one of the models listed in here?
Hyundai Accent Excel & Mits Precis Front Brake Discs | eBay (http://cgi.ebay.ca/Hyundai-Accent-Excel-Mits-Precis-Front-Brake-Discs-/270577746354?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessorie s&hash=item3effb0c1b2)

or (http://cgi.ebay.ca/Hyundai-Accent-Excel-Mits-Precis-Front-Brake-Discs-/270577746354?pt=Vintage_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessorie s&hash=item3effb0c1b2) here

hyundai accent brake discs | eBay (http://shop.ebay.ca/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570&_nkw=hyundai+accent+brake+discs)

Call me crazy, but having a set of discs and pads on the shelf in the shed or garage seems a sensible idea and one that saves you money compared to paying for what your mechanic can get in on the day.

[schmenke]

What I found on those ebay links: $106 + $97 for shipping = $203.
No difference from what I paid (from NAPA) :mark: .

I try to avoid mechanics as much as possible and purchase elsewhere then DIY what I can :mark: .

[Daniel]

What I found on those ebay links: $106 + $97 for shipping = $203.
No difference from what I paid (from NAPA) :mark: .

I try to avoid mechanics as much as possible and purchase elsewhere then DIY what I can :mark: .

Ah fair enough :)

It's one of the advantages of having a car which shares parts with millions of other cars on the road I guess :D

[Shifter]

Out of curiosity, for you manual-transmission owners, how many miles on a clutch? I've got an '04 Dodge SRT-4...88,000 miles now, original clutch. I do 65/35 City/Highway and did 2 track days and never felt the clutch change, but then I did an autocross recently and accidently rode the clutch a bit in second gear during one of my runs, and for the first time it's lost a bit of 'feel' on takeup from a standstill.

[Mark]

Depends on usage of course. I've done a lot of motorway miles so at 60k I wouldn't expect my clutch is any more worn than a car that's done 20k around town.

[driveace]

Well pads AND discs for my Renault Twingo classic from Europarts were £19 only,and i can get them for thr Fiesta for about the same price.I have a trade account,but so do many others too.Clutch Disc, Pressure plate ,and release bearing (Complete) for my 2001 fiesta 1800 TD is £50,from same parts company,AND 95000 on a clutch,thats on constant driving tuition !!!
The other thing about pads,is that in the "Olden days",pads and clutch discs were made out of "ASBESTOS",with brass filings etc.Now that asbestos is banned,an alternate composition is used,that affects the wear rate,as does the "nut behind the wheel",but again Fiesta pads on tuition will last 50K at least.

[markabilly]

there was a time with a gas engine, that to make it past 70 to 100k, was a miracle. But now, thanks to computer engineering and manufacturing with tighter tolerance, engines should last 200k plus miles.....
unfortunately that means that other things will break on the car before then, like power steering, air conditioning, et al......

Got a 2000 7.3 turbo ford diesel. 200k plus miles. Engine and transmission is still a monster, and I know others pushing 500,000 plus miles. Unfortunately, there are other problems, like wheel bearings going out or getting too worn, needing replacement at the 150K to 200k point, ac and so forth.

The way I look at it, is that the truck is paid for. What those repeirs costs have been over the last four years, came to a total of less than $2,000 (including new brakes pads). Car payments for the same time, for a similar vehicle (that are shotty engines, that have reliability issues)-would be about $25 to $40 k.

And none of them have the 7.3 liter engine, the last great diesel engine made by ford, for a combo of power and engine life up to 750k miles.

[Mark]

Just worked out that I've done 20,000 miles in the past year. So expect to do about the same next year.

[wedge]

Depends on the engine and if the owner looks after the car properly (eg. changing oil & filter regularly, car serviced to schedule, knowing when to cool down the turbo, driving needs matches DPF requirements) but I'd expect 200,000 miles/20 odd years.

[ChristianArp]

My little addition:
The old Ford Mondeo (MY2000) that my parents bought used in 2002 ended up doing 503.000 km before we scrapped it. All DIY maintained by myself and my dad (former mechanic), so it had its fair share of work done to it - brake discs, brake lines (PIA-job, runs between the fuel tank and the floorpan), some rust and other basic wear-and-tear jobs.
When we took it to the breakers, it could probably have kept going for another 2 or 3 years, but we had just bought a Golf Stationwagon to replace it, so there was no real need for it and we didn't want the hassle of selling and risking that the moron showed up complaining about something.. It was getting up there in miles and age, so it needed a bit of TLC, but overall by far the best car the family's ever had, and it was a momentous occasion when we left it.

By the way, engine internals were never touched, only belts etc were ever changed on it - something the breaker was massively impressed with (and didn't believe to begin with..).

2.0 Zetec engine, given at 125bhp by Ford at the time, ran very smoothly and I even did a club iceracing event in it on a frozen lake once. :D

[Gregor-y]

My 2005 Subaru (bought in June 2004) is nearly at 127,000 miles, with only the timing belt and water pump changed at 99,000 and the brake pads and rotors replaced at 110,000. Other than a plastic tension pulley on the air conditioner disintegrating at 30,000 miles it's been ridiculously reliable with regular fluid and spark plug changes.
http://imageshack.us/a/img715/396/100aw02.jpg
It survived an ice storm in Quebec two weeks ago and I'm in Denver this week visiting family. This month I'm going to have added 5,000 miles to it.
http://imageshack.us/a/img543/3288/icev.jpg