Jump to content

Car Maintenance


Glasseye

Recommended Posts

I went on a car maintenance evening class at a local school back in 1974, trouble is I think engines and the associated bits that need to be maintained have changed quite a lot since then. I am not sure that there would be a distributor cap and rotor to look at these days.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/6/2022 at 9:12 PM, Golfingboy said:

Really down 2 Earth guy, gives great info,crazy amount of subscribers too

 

 

Great info. especially for those looking to buy a used car. Also newer cars to avoid, and what you can expect with maintenance costs.

 

There are so many cars that you think would be top quality but are actually shit.

 

He's really down on VW's, BMW's and Fiat's.

 

Amazing how computerized cars are now... Yet, they still come down to the basics.... good engine and change the oil.

 

Car prices are SO high now. The next car I purchase will be used, and I will research the hell out of it before I buy. Because the next vehicle I purchase will be my last, and I want that son of a bitch to last a long time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Glasseye said:

 

 

Amazing how computerized cars are now... Yet, they still come down to the basics.... good engine and change the oil.

 

Car prices are SO high now. The next car I purchase will be used, and I will research the hell out of it before I buy. Because the next vehicle I purchase will be my last, and I want that son of a bitch to last a long time.

I’m very biased due to my years driving cab, but IMO Toyota is the best out there. I drove probably 5 different Camrys and they were all bulletproof. Late 2015 my partner and I were renting a 2011 Hybrid, probably averaged just under 500 miles a day. In the 6 months we worked together, it was in the owner’s shop for oil changes and maybe one brake job. But trust me, those 6 months probably equaled the abuse a regular driver would put in 6-10 years. 
 

I took an UBER last year, the Indian driver told me it was an ex-cab, he had 675K KM, and still ran perfect. Told him he should go see Toyota when he reaches 1M, I’ve heard they often give a free vehicle as it is great advertising for them. Told me he changed his oil very often, no surprise eh? 
 

Something I read just once last year also rang out to me - apparently there is no such thing as amazing performance AND durability. You want long-lasting, low maintenance without being flashy? Go for a Toyota 

You want a 600 HP V12 and crazy acceleration and prestige? Get a Mercedes AMG or BMW M5…..just don’t be surprised when you have major repair bills after 4 years. 

Edited by Golfingboy
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, Golfingboy said:

I’m very biased due to my years driving cab, but IMO Toyota is the best out there. I drove probably 5 different Camrys and they were all bulletproof. Late 2015 my partner and I were renting a 2011 Hybrid, probably averaged just under 500 miles a day. In the 6 months we worked together, it was in the owner’s shop for oil changes and maybe one brake job. But trust me, those 6 months probably equaled the abuse a regular driver would put in 6-10 years. 
 

I took an UBER last year, the Indian driver told me it was an ex-cab, he had 675K KM, and still ran perfect. Told him he should go see Toyota when he reaches 1M, I’ve heard they often give a free vehicle as it is great advertising for them. Told me he changed his oil very often, no surprise eh? 
 

Something I read just once last year also rang out to me - apparently there is no such thing as amazing performance AND durability. You want long-lasting, low maintenance without being flashy? Go for a Toyota 

You want a 600 HP V12 and crazy acceleration and prestige? Get a Mercedes AMG or BMW M5…..just don’t be surprised when you have major repair bills after 4 years. 

 

Indeed. Great post.

 

I'll be looking at Mazda and/or Toyota.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Glasseye said:

 

Indeed. Great post.

 

I'll be looking at Mazda and/or Toyota.

In my 20’s I did a lot of favours that bit me in the ass, but hey I’m a nice guy. I had got my sister,who was bankrupt and a single Mom, a 2002 Kia Rio, crappy underpowered car. Then a few years later, I was kind enough to get her a 2005 MAZDA3 and take the shite KIA off her hands. I bought it in Calgary and she met me kind of halfway in Thunder Bay. I believe I did roughly 2100 km in 16 hours, was a very fun ride with the manual tranny, I think I had it up to 120 mph or so around Winnipeg. 
 

They still make them, and I’m sure if you shop around up you can get a real bargain. Very good value. Used to be a choice of 2 engines, my sister’s was the 2.3 and moved very well. Not sure what the choices are today, and I doubt a manual is even available anymore. It’s sad they are all being replaced by TipTronics and such, I loved rowing my own gears

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I always used to base my car choices on what I see being used by Cab drivers. In Manila, they're mostly Toyota Camrys (manual trans as well, for some reasons Filipino's don't like auto's, but that's changing). In Hong Kong they were Toyota corollas or Hyundai's, and in Seoul mostly Hyundai's as well, so any car that can rough it on the hard streets of a SE Asian Capital must be a good option.

Years ago I had a Toyota Corona, I paid £650 for it and decided to run it into the ground, use and abuse it etc. The problem was it simply was so damn reliable, and only cost me £80 per year for a full service, if I wanted to run it into the ground, it would have outlived me. I ended up selling it, and it carried on for another 5 years.

I am not, however, a massive fan of Scotty Kilmer. He doesn't have much respect within the actual community because he's biased on some makes. his advice is pretty sound though.

Regarding servicing and maintenance, I do all of my own and change the oil in mine every 6 months as it does mostly urban driving. Everything else gets changed as per service schedule rather than service mileage, as my yearly mileage is only around 6k per annum, and the wife's spanking new Range Rover we got the other year has dropped to about 2k miles in the last 12 months, as she's now changed jobs and works from home, but that's still under dealer warranty and will be getting traded in for a new car for yours truly this summer, but I've yet to inform her about that.

Edited by Butch
  • Like 1
  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, Golfingboy said:

In my 20’s I did a lot of favours that bit me in the ass, but hey I’m a nice guy. I had got my sister,who was bankrupt and a single Mom, a 2002 Kia Rio, crappy underpowered car. Then a few years later, I was kind enough to get her a 2005 MAZDA3 and take the shite KIA off her hands. I bought it in Calgary and she met me kind of halfway in Thunder Bay. I believe I did roughly 2100 km in 16 hours, was a very fun ride with the manual tranny, I think I had it up to 120 mph or so around Winnipeg. 
 

They still make them, and I’m sure if you shop around up you can get a real bargain. Very good value. Used to be a choice of 2 engines, my sister’s was the 2.3 and moved very well. Not sure what the choices are today, and I doubt a manual is even available anymore. It’s sad they are all being replaced by TipTronics and such, I loved rowing my own gears

I previously owned a 2004 Mazda 3, bought new from the dealer. Surprisingly the purchase price I was able to negotiate was under what I thought I might pay. It had everything I wanted on it. Bought off the lot.

It was the best car I have ever had. Fun to drive, sharp looking and dependable.

Until a couple years ago..... Some old hag had stopped to get her mail and the near by condo mailbox. Got out of her car while forgetting to put her car in park. Her fucking Mercury rolled back, down an incline directly into the side of my 3. I was livid and slept through the whole event. I found the damage and a note from the cops the next day.

The insurance company "totaled" it, I got a decent amount for it but I was broken hearted. I loved that car,

I have a 2006 Jeep Cherokee that I still drive, but I will be letting that go when I head back to LOS. 

 

I will probably go a few years there without a car. But, if/when I do it will likely be a Mazda 3 in real good shape. I see a lot of them over there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Glasseye said:

The insurance company "totaled" it, I got a decent amount for it but I was broken hearted. I loved that car,

I have a 2006 Jeep Cherokee that I still drive, but I will be letting that go when I head back to LOS. I will probably go a few years there without a car. But, if/when I do it will likely be a Mazda 3 in real good shape. I see a lot of them over there.

Seems many expats on here drive in Thailand. Personally when I do retire over there, I think I’ll “pay as I go” and just cab it everywhere, but I guess if you’re outside of BKK it is not as feasible, and hey, we are all used to our freedom back home that comes with a vehicle. Just feel with how cheap taxis are, along with the upfront costs of a car and how crazy the Thais drive…….I don’t see myself shelling out ~ 1M baht for the privilege 

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, Golfingboy said:

Seems many expats on here drive in Thailand. Personally when I do retire over there, I think I’ll “pay as I go” and just cab it everywhere, but I guess if you’re outside of BKK it is not as feasible, and hey, we are all used to our freedom back home that comes with a vehicle. Just feel with how cheap taxis are, along with the upfront costs of a car and how crazy the Thais drive…….I don’t see myself shelling out ~ 1M baht for the privilege 

I have the same feeling regarding car ownership. I get along just fine on two wheels, with and without a motor.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep... Owning a car over there just doesn't make sense to me now. But things can change. Whether or not I still enjoy learning about cars. I sure did spend a lot of time in many different ones.

 

Here's a good one from Jay Leno..... 

 

Mustang is one of the few types of squads I never drove. They were big out on the West coast for a while though. Although I did own a '72 Mustang Convertible for many years (didn't drive it much).

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have been a gearhead for my whole life and have owned scores of vehicles but only two bought new - I find nowadays I am finally losing interest in cars/machinery as a hobby and if I ever decide to cash in and bugger off to some tropical shore, I will probably never own one again - as FBWU states, I'll make do with two wheels. I do all of my own maintenance and avoid "stealerships" like the plague - repairs that are too much for me to handle are farmed out to people who run their own little businesses out of their garages and are well known to me. My winter vehicle is a well-used '96 Ford Ranger single cab 4x4 pickup with the 4 liter pushrod  V6 "Cologne" motor and manual gearbox - it has 288K km on it and runs like a clock, with maybe one liter of oil used between oil changes. It is a pig on gas, like most big V6's, but has turned out to be stone reliable. It is equipped with a block heater, oil pan heater and battery blanket and fires up readily in -40 weather after being "plugged in" for three hours, and if I stop in the pub for an hour or two in this weather like I did this afternoon I just let it run in the parking lot to keep it warm - this may sound wasteful but then I am only putting a few hundred km on it every month anyway. 

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

17 hours ago, maipenrai said:

I have been a gearhead for my whole life and have owned scores of vehicles but only two bought new - I find nowadays I am finally losing interest in cars/machinery as a hobby and if I ever decide to cash in and bugger off to some tropical shore, I will probably never own one again - as FBWU states, I'll make do with two wheels. I do all of my own maintenance and avoid "stealerships" like the plague - repairs that are too much for me to handle are farmed out to people who run their own little businesses out of their garages and are well known to me. My winter vehicle is a well-used '96 Ford Ranger single cab 4x4 pickup with the 4 liter pushrod  V6 "Cologne" motor and manual gearbox - it has 288K km on it and runs like a clock, with maybe one liter of oil used between oil changes. It is a pig on gas, like most big V6's, but has turned out to be stone reliable. It is equipped with a block heater, oil pan heater and battery blanket and fires up readily in -40 weather after being "plugged in" for three hours, and if I stop in the pub for an hour or two in this weather like I did this afternoon I just let it run in the parking lot to keep it warm - this may sound wasteful but then I am only putting a few hundred km on it every month anyway. 

I had a "94 Ford Ranger (V-6) for years, bought it new, but got a great deal on it. It lasted for a long time, but the frame began to rust away. I was actually shocked on the extent of the rust. I had to junk it as it was too unsafe to drive in that condition.

I lived in an area that had a lot of snow during the winter..... So, a lot of salt. It was really vulnerable to rust (as are many of the old Ford"s), but I realized it too late.

Either way I am still pretty much a Ford guy - I've owned a Pinto, an LTD, Grand Torino, Mustang and finally the Ranger. Loved all of them.

 

-------------------------------------------------------------

 

My Dad used a mechanic who worked out his garage. He was fantastic. Sure is a gem when you find a guy like that. f**k the dealers. I detest them with a passion.

Edited by Glasseye
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

30 minutes ago, Glasseye said:

My Dad used a mechanic who worked out his garage. He was fantastic. Sure is a gem when you find a guy like that. f**k the dealers. I detest them with a passion.

This comment reminded me of the ongoing fight to allow owners the right to repair the vehicles they bought, rather than having to use a dealer.

Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act

Especially hard hit are farmers who have been denied the right to repair their own farm equipment.

Farmers Across America Are Suing for the Right to Repair Their John Deere Tractors

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

This comment reminded me of the ongoing fight to allow owners the right to repair the vehicles they bought, rather than having to use a dealer.

Motor Vehicle Owners' Right to Repair Act

Especially hard hit are farmers who have been denied the right to repair their own farm equipment.

Farmers Across America Are Suing for the Right to Repair Their John Deere Tractors

In the UK you can do your own maintenance and still keep the warranty valid. Just keep the receipts for all parts/consumables you buy. Read about it before, they can't force you to use a dealership. Or you can use an independent repairer if you don't want to do it yourself. 

Most people probably don't realise it. 

  • Thumbs Up 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 hours ago, galenkia said:

In the UK you can do your own maintenance and still keep the warranty valid. Just keep the receipts for all parts/consumables you buy. Read about it before, they can't force you to use a dealership. Or you can use an independent repairer if you don't want to do it yourself. 

Most people probably don't realise it. 

Yep, a change in the law came about a few years ago. You don't need to use genuine parts either, as long as they are of OEM standard (Original Equipment Manufacturer). Saved a lot of people a lot of money, the main dealers were crying in their beers. In a way though, unfortunately it has led to main dealers rinsing what they can out of every customer

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think that most of us in here have had a thought throughout their lives on what their "dream car" would be....

 

Of course this starts as young boys playing around with Hot Wheels, etc. and continues on until we one day drop dead.

 

I think as we get into out 50's and 60's that dream becomes even more  intense (for a number of different reasons), I suppose because we realize how quickly time is passing, and.... how little we may actually have left.

This Ford GT, Used to be called Bradley GT has always been my number 1. Who knows maybe one day.....

 

 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...