US car longevity

In news:41ded26b$0$14605$ snipped-for-privacy@ptn-nntp-reader01.plus.net, Doctor D decided to enlighten our sheltered souls with a rant as follows

Um, I've worked for most of the large car hire companies.

The only company that actually services them reliably, from my experience, is Avis. Mainly because they get rid of them when the first service is due. They all miss the "first inspection" though.

There are certain companies out there that will keep sending a car out until it breaks, not small companies either. I've known Vectras with a real 160k miles [1], 3 years old, still on fleet, which have in their lives had maybe two oil changes a few sets of brake pads and one cambelt. Utterly shagged out, knackered shocks, oil like treacle but still on hire to the public.

Have just remembered that back in the '70s, company owned / provided cars were very rare in the USA. If that's still the case now, could that have a bearing on how the majority of cars are cared for in early life ?

The message from snipped-for-privacy@totalise.co.uk contains these words:

Really? I'd not expect major trouble in a modern car at that sort of mileage.

The message from snipped-for-privacy@totalise.co.uk contains these words:

Big wide slow roads with long journeys.

Not really. However, US cars are not particularly well built and some regard Japanese cars to of far higher quality and longer lasting. Those same Japanese cars are sold here in the UK and they last just as long. Most cars are scrapped long before their potential is realised because of low value and the cost of minor body damage or mechanical repair being more than they are worth. In other words a replacement running car can be bought for less cost than a repair so a perfectly good car with a repairable problem is scrapped prematurely.

There is no difference just a lack of dedication to a vehicle, age, annual milage, value and easy availability of good cars for very little money all work against a huge milage. Remember that 300,000 miles at even 20,000 miles per year takes 15 years. Also at an average between 30 and 35mph takes maybe more than 9200 hours of driving or 4.5 years of 40 hour weeks of continuous driving. It takes a lot of stamina and dedication to run a car for this length of time. Also the damn thing becomes extremely tatty due to all kinds of cosmetic wear. My old Land Rover has exceeded 10,000 hours of very short journeys, but is extremely tatty though still mechanically sound. Like I mentioned previously, plenty of vehicles exceed 200,000 miles but 400,000 miles is rather pushing it for any vehicle if you think of the figures involved.

There is always an element of luck and of course no one is saying that these cars do not have a spanner laid on them. A lot of people give up on vehicles as soon as a few relatively trivial [though possibly expensive] transient problems rear their head.

Huw

No. The American's at work flat refused to beleive any Ford would run at all with a 12,500 service interval until I showed them my handbooks.

They use fully synth oil in the quicklubes and charge accordingly. Mind you I doubt it is - they could use distillate and call it fully synth if it were swapped at 3k intervals.

I got 330k out of my Rover afore it was pinched. I want 500k out of the Focus and I expect to get it. Fully synth oil and regular filter swaps with sympathic driving will get you a long long way.....

Having Austin on the back is all you really need - or a BL badge on the rad.....:-)

Because you couldn't be sure they're using good quality oil and filters, and that they replace the drain plug correctly and don't overtighten it etc? And fill to the correct level?

I'd rather have the correct oil and filter, and change at the recommended intervals. I consider the people who actually designed and built the car know more about this than I do - and certainly any Kwik Change oil place...

I don't do that either. It scratches the paint.

Then you are wasting money. A good oil should last 6k even with severe usage conditions.

You'd get that out of Corolla mechanics here, except the body would have rusted off it.

: snipped-for-privacy@totalise.co.uk wrote: : : > about 6 years old, 115k .... '50k more out of this, tops'

: Well, to be honest, I would expect a lot more than 50k out of most : cars.

What, like 165k?

Ian

Heck I normally buy them at that mileage.

: Heck I normally buy them at that mileage.

The last car I bought was a Volvo 240 at 120,000 miles. I think it's just about run in.

Ian

Ah, but you're supposed to change the oil more often if you do short journeys - which I guess he is doing if he's doing less than 6000 miles a year.

What do you mean by Ford Zetec? I have a Fiesta Zetec but I doubt the engine is any different to the other 1.4 Fiestas.

Not USA but I have a few friends in Australia and they say cars over there last for ages. One of them has a Peugeot from 1977 and another a Nissan Sunny (equivalent) from 1983. Both of which are running just fine. They reckon cars of that sort of age are not uncommon at all on Australian roads. They put it down to it never freezing there and not needing any salt on the roads.

Confusion here between trim level and engine spec.

"Zetec" is the code-name given by Ford to their 16v engines.

"Zetec" is also the "sporty" trim level in their cars.

HTH

Pete.

Yep, 6000 miles or once per year. If it is a modern car then it could be

Huw