Short Journeys...a summary....

I don't get it. You're not a newsgroup newbie, you understand how things go, if you ask a question for X you'll get answers to X, Y and Z. The answers to Y and Z are related to question X.

The reason why the royal we question your _need_ to make short trips of a few hundred yards is because it's essentially unhealthy for the donk. And to be honest for your good self too, but lets face it, this is academic in a car newsgroup, right? Hmm.

Now you could have continued to argue the points, that's great, but _really_, don't expect to have the last word. You can accept what most of us have been saying to you. But why oh why did you can start a new thread?

I hope you're wearing a flame proof suit.

You could fit an engine block heater. You may believe you're too important to walk. You may be unable to manage your time. Whatever.

I use mine for short journeys all the time and always have done. It's my car I'll use it however I like, I don't care if some opinionated mouse jockey on the internet thinks I'm been lazy - I have my reasons. As for wear, maybe 50 years ago it might, but things, oils especially, are far more advanced than they used to be. Sure, if you only ever use it for short journeys and cover 200,000 miles of them, you might do it some wear, but it's more of a theory thing - in real life it just doesn't matter. If I were you, I'd do the exact same thing.

Yeah but it's easier to argue about it on t'internet... :)

I wish this were true. The primary problem is the formation of sludge, gums, varnishes and asphaltic-type compounds. The oil and petrol mixture may abruptly, without warning, turn (polymerize) into a mass of black treacle; a 'black death', a proper, recognized terminology, is the end result.

It is woolly exactly what constitutes a engine threatening short journey for want of publicly available research reports. Nevertheless, according to Amsoil, a Severe (oil) Service is classified in the following usage:

"(4) Turbo/supercharged vehicles, commercial or fleet vehicles, extensive engine idling, first and subsequent use of Amsoil in vehicles with over

100,000 miles, DAILY SHORT TRIP DRIVING LESS THAN 10 MILES (16 km), frequent towing, plowing, hauling or dusty condition driving." (3/4 down the page) Frequent change of oil has its own problem! Every oil change shows a upsurge of metallic fragments in the used oil analysis which returns slowly to its pre-change state in 2-3 months. This was from a paper delivered to the august API in 2004. (The paper is for subscription only)

Maybe, the best solution is an all electric vehicle.

But if I'm reading that right, it's over 100,000 miles?! Who cares - if you're doing that kinda mileage in the time you own a car you aren't doing short journeys - unless you're one of the

0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of people that buys a 'car for life'. (I accept the percentage may not be that small exactly.)

No, you have misread it! :) They are two separate conditions: if the synthetic oil is first used when ther car has already done 100 000 miles (that is, using the regular oil), and the other condition is if short journeys of less than 10 miles are made frequently.

You know, it so happens that I'm just one of the

0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of people! AND, I had a 'black death' once. The car failed to get fired up one fine morning. One cylinder had compression test of zero

You have a choice:

a) Continue to cause your engine more wear and tear than normal by making many short trips. b) Cause more wear and tear, and also waste more time by idling until the engine is warm and THEN making short trips. c) Use your car for less short trips.

Based on the information in your posts (c) is _probably_ the best choice, but certainly the least convenient. If it's impossible to do (c), then live with (a).

What you do is up to you. The advice you have been given, what ever aspersions it may cast on you, was mostly accurate.

Don't expect a free professional consultation on Usenet. You get what you pay for.

To be fair, you have a 'warrenty' on your car and will be swapping it before the 'warrenty' runs out.

As I recall, the general opinion in the Alfa group was you should have had a decent recon. engine fitted the first time it went wrong.

But, as you've done here, you ignored everything that didn't agree with your opinion.

I could not find anyone selling an engine. To totally recon my own engine was about £2500, which I cannot justify spending on this car, having already spent a grand on repairs.

I took on board and agreed with most of the comments made in both threads, if I go against opinion it doesn't mean I don't agree with it nor should it suggest that I have been ignorant.

You don't...you get yours reconditioned.

Fuck knows where you're going. Most places will do the engineering work and supply everything you need for 1/4 of that. Rebores are a standard charge per cylinder no matter what engine, same for crank journal regrinds, head skimming, valve seat cutting.

That sounds like the original problem, but since it ended up running on low oil to the point where internal components have already failed, you don't know what else might have been damaged.

You only know what's failed so far.

In theory no reason why not, and people do successfully fix engine internals, and there are specialists who recondition engines to I'm sure a high standard. But the vast majority of engines leave the cleanroom of the purpose-built factory and are never opened up. It's that majority that makes up the data and expectations about reliability. No disrespect to any of the mechanics on this group, but I'd always rather have an engine that hadn't ever needed to be fixed.

Having said that, IIRC you car is now fixed of all known problems apart from using a lot of oil? If it's just a leak, fix that and hope for the best, otherwise if it's drinking the stuff either something else has failed or the garage have put it back together wrong, or not noticed something, and I don't know what to suggest other than cut your losses.