Just in case anyone cares. The car's still fine. Driven it several hundred miles since starting this thread. The overheating sign has come on a couple of times but that's probably more to do with coolant. Should top that up too.
Of course this could have been a fluke, or as some have said just a solid engine but from experts online (namely Scotty kilmer) I'd always believed it was essential to change oil every 10, or even 3 thousand miles for longevity. Perhaps not.
Thanks forall the replies anyway. It was an interesting discussion.
Do you want to risk an engine failure costing thousands to fix for the sake of not changing the oil on schedule, costing about £50 - £75pa? Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?
Seriously though, get the oil changed (and with the recommended grade/type), in fact, get a full service, including any fluids, filters etc that need replacing/topping up AS PER the manaufacturer's handbook. If you don't have one, as Skidpan says, go to your local main dealer, obtain one and get the service done. Servicing every 3k or 6k is rarely required for non-performance cars these days, but I personally would never follow the 'extended' service intervals recommened by mainly continental car manufacturers over the last 15-20 years.
Every year or 9-12.5k miles (whichever is first, and the lower if the handbook says so) will be fine, and shouldn't break the bank for most bog-standard cars.
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Just in case anyone cares. The car's still fine. Driven it several hundred miles since starting this thread. The overheating sign has come on a couple of times but that's probably more to do with coolant. Should top that up too.
Of course this could have been a fluke, or as some have said just a solid engine but from experts online (namely Scotty kilmer) I'd always believed it was essential to change oil every 10, or even 3 thousand miles for longevity. Perhaps not.
Thanks forall the replies anyway. It was an interesting discussion.
Do you want to risk an engine failure costing thousands to fix for the sake of not changing the oil on schedule, costing about £50 - £75pa? Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?
Seriously though, get the oil changed (and with the recommended grade/type), in fact, get a full service, including any fluids, filters etc that need replacing/topping up AS PER the manaufacturer's handbook. If you don't have one, as Skidpan says, go to your local main dealer, obtain one and get the service done. Servicing every 3k or 6k is rarely required for non-performance cars these days, but I personally would never follow the 'extended' service intervals recommened by mainly continental car manufacturers over the last 15-20 years.
Every year or 9-12.5k miles (whichever is first, and the lower if the handbook says so) will be fine, and shouldn't break the bank for most bog-standard cars.
The OP says in his OP that he changed the oil when he first got the car.
If you are going to preach to the choir, you should first check your text, since they probably know it.
Good point about the other fluids though. Probably needs brake juice and coolant done if the OP hasn't already.
Edited by edlithgow on 15/09/2019 at 00:41
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Just in case anyone cares. The car's still fine. Driven it several hundred miles since starting this thread. The overheating sign has come on a couple of times but that's probably more to do with coolant. Should top that up too.
Of course this could have been a fluke, or as some have said just a solid engine but from experts online (namely Scotty kilmer) I'd always believed it was essential to change oil every 10, or even 3 thousand miles for longevity. Perhaps not.
Thanks forall the replies anyway. It was an interesting discussion.
Do you want to risk an engine failure costing thousands to fix for the sake of not changing the oil on schedule, costing about £50 - £75pa? Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?
Seriously though, get the oil changed (and with the recommended grade/type), in fact, get a full service, including any fluids, filters etc that need replacing/topping up AS PER the manaufacturer's handbook. If you don't have one, as Skidpan says, go to your local main dealer, obtain one and get the service done. Servicing every 3k or 6k is rarely required for non-performance cars these days, but I personally would never follow the 'extended' service intervals recommened by mainly continental car manufacturers over the last 15-20 years.
Every year or 9-12.5k miles (whichever is first, and the lower if the handbook says so) will be fine, and shouldn't break the bank for most bog-standard cars.
The OP says in his OP that he changed the oil when he first got the car.
If you are going to preach to the choir, you should first check your text, since they probably know it.
Good point about the other fluids though. Probably needs brake juice and coolant done if the OP hasn't already.
Indeed, but why on earth would they buy a car that hadn't had an oil change for at least 5 years, unless they too believed it 'wasn't a problem'? My thinking was that if you do think it's a problem, then you would not buy the car in the first place (it's not as though it's a classic car which may not have been driven in that period and would like need a complete overhaul anyway, the price refelecting that), or it wouldn't matter.
In my view, there's a good reason why cars without a full service history normally get a lot less when sold secondhand. I wonder whether this was the case here - I have a suspicions that it was not.
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In my view, there's a good reason why cars without a full service history normally get a lot less when sold secondhand. I wonder whether this was the case here - I have a suspicions that it was not.
Depends on how knowledgeable the person is, how much they want the car in question, and what was said by the seller, also bearing in mind these are so popular that some will pay more than they should for one even if they have problems
I know someone that has bought 2 of these in 5 years where they were told not to buy them due to oil leaks and burning oil, the person said they didn't mind if there was an easy fix which a mechanic replied yes (I advised against these cars due to expensive repair costs) but wasn't listened to, as this person really wanted the car
so in some cases, IF, a person really wants a car they wont listen to anyone that knows about cars and shrugs off problems as trivial until the problem gets worse and then complains about it when its too late
seems to be a common thing now, people buy a car because they like it and not for its reliability or the knowledge that there are costly problems if they do go wrong?
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So in some cases, IF, a person really wants a car they wont listen to anyone that knows about cars and shrugs off problems as trivial until the problem gets worse and then complains about it when its too late
seems to be a common thing now, people buy a car because they like it and not for its reliability or the knowledge that there are costly problems if they do go wrong?
But a car's statistically-poor reliability doesn't guarantee that it will go wrong. Presumably the punters who 'won't listen' just feel lucky, but complain later that they weren't.
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But a car's statistically-poor reliability doesn't guarantee that it will go wrong. Presumably the punters who 'won't listen' just feel lucky, but complain later that they weren't.
My comment was about those people that were warned of problems that already exist with inspected second hand cars, not the advertised possible problems on new cars that may or may not occur over its lifetime
the attitude appears to be, I will worry about that when and if it happens
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Just in case anyone cares. The car's still fine. Driven it several hundred miles since starting this thread. The overheating sign has come on a couple of times but that's probably more to do with coolant. Should top that up too.
Of course this could have been a fluke, or as some have said just a solid engine but from experts online (namely Scotty kilmer) I'd always believed it was essential to change oil every 10, or even 3 thousand miles for longevity. Perhaps not.
Thanks forall the replies anyway. It was an interesting discussion.
Do you want to risk an engine failure costing thousands to fix for the sake of not changing the oil on schedule, costing about £50 - £75pa? Do you feel lucky? Well, do ya?
Seriously though, get the oil changed (and with the recommended grade/type), in fact, get a full service, including any fluids, filters etc that need replacing/topping up AS PER the manaufacturer's handbook. If you don't have one, as Skidpan says, go to your local main dealer, obtain one and get the service done. Servicing every 3k or 6k is rarely required for non-performance cars these days, but I personally would never follow the 'extended' service intervals recommened by mainly continental car manufacturers over the last 15-20 years.
Every year or 9-12.5k miles (whichever is first, and the lower if the handbook says so) will be fine, and shouldn't break the bank for most bog-standard cars.
The OP says in his OP that he changed the oil when he first got the car.
If you are going to preach to the choir, you should first check your text, since they probably know it.
Good point about the other fluids though. Probably needs brake juice and coolant done if the OP hasn't already.
Indeed, but why on earth would they buy a car that hadn't had an oil change for at least 5 years, unless they too believed it 'wasn't a problem'?
It was his girlfriends car. That complicates things a bit. He might be doing her a favor (getting rid), and/or she him (on price), and he knows the worst, which isn't the case buying from a stranger.
I personally wouldn't worry about the long change interval per se much (as above, my last change interval was about 6 years on a mineral mix ), but I would a bit on that mileage, which IIRC was above average.
Buying well used without a full service record is what I usually do anyway, so there's a good chance I'm buying a similarly abused car which has had its oil changed just before sale,
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Didn't he say he changed the oil as soon as he got the car?
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OOps sorry already mentioned
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Scotty Kilmer is in America where they have a tradition of very frequent oil changes and less of a tradition of company cars with fleet managers looking to cut even pennies off the running costs.
America is also home to the lube station where it is common for a customer to pop in and have an oil change whilst drinking a coffee. This is not the case in Europe.
Hence European engines are designed to run longer between oil changes. I remember buying a 72,000 miles three year old Honda Accord in about 1997 and it had had services every three months. These days the same car would probably go for 12 months without needed to be inspected.
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Scotty Kilmer is in America where they have a tradition of very frequent oil changes
I am not a fan of often absurd American thoughtless traditions which include selling machine guns to mentally ill people, male genital mutilation for no good reason.....and changing oil every 3000 miles as per 1950.
PS TR7 engine is just fine at nearly 40yrs old, 71,000 miles and oil changes approx every 5 years since 1989.
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Scotty Kilmer is in America where they have a tradition of very frequent oil changes and less of a tradition of company cars with fleet managers looking to cut even pennies off the running costs.
America is also home to the lube station where it is common for a customer to pop in and have an oil change whilst drinking a coffee. This is not the case in Europe.
Hence European engines are designed to run longer between oil changes. I remember buying a 72,000 miles three year old Honda Accord in about 1997 and it had had services every three months. These days the same car would probably go for 12 months without needed to be inspected.
When I bought my first car, a mid 90s Micra, that had a 9k mile/12 months service interval. I also looked at a Honda Civic 1.3 built around the same time, and that had a 6k (cannot remember if that was also 12 months) service interval.
I suppose, like where HJ now resides, as well as in the US, oil changes (decent lube bays) are still very cheap compared with even indie garages in the UK, so they can afford to change oil more often, rather like making gas guzzlers because their fuel is much cheaper.
I suspect that the much larger annual mileages that the average North American car has to contend with also factors in - even the third-rate ones can end up doing well over 250k miles, something of a rarity in the UK unless a car is kept for a lifetime or used as a taxi.
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Just in case anyone cares. The car's still fine. Driven it several hundred miles since starting this thread.
I suppose a vehicle which can survive this kind of regime must either lose oil at a rate which demands frequent topping up (so the oil never gets worn out) or else loses none at all by leaking or burning. I wonder which it is ?
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Have you tried rape seed oil? It’s made in the uk and very good.
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Have you tried rape seed oil? It’s made in the uk and very good.
That'll gell and then the engine will seixe. Troll elsewhere.
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As far as I'm aware the oil wasn't topped up at all for 5 years when my gf owned it and the plow oil service light never came on....ill ask her for confirmation later
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Just in case anyone cares. The car's still fine. Driven it several hundred miles since starting this thread.
I suppose a vehicle which can survive this kind of regime must either lose oil at a rate which demands frequent topping up (so the oil never gets worn out) or else loses none at all by leaking or burning. I wonder which it is ?
Judging by the ones I have seen on the road the oil burns by leaking past the valve seals,stems which is nothing new, a lot do it, but the driver never sees it, like oil passing the rings, its not often -unless its really serious- the driver doesn't see it as it clears before it would come into view
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.double post
Edited by SteveLee on 16/09/2019 at 21:21
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I suppose a vehicle which can survive this kind of regime must either lose oil at a rate which demands frequent topping up (so the oil never gets worn out) or else loses none at all by leaking or burning. I wonder which it is ?
My old man's Austin Princess 1700 went round the clock twice on this principle, it was never serviced - not once - in its whole life - but had frequent oil top-ups. My mum wrote it off but it was still mechanically fine with over 240K miles on the clock.
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I suppose a vehicle which can survive this kind of regime must either lose oil at a rate which demands frequent topping up (so the oil never gets worn out) or else loses none at all by leaking or burning. I wonder which it is ?
My old man's Austin Princess 1700 went round the clock twice on this principle, it was never serviced - not once - in its whole life - but had frequent oil top-ups. My mum wrote it off but it was still mechanically fine with over 240K miles on the clock.
Yes, but other than the engine, how much gizmos did the car have? Probably not much. And you're telling me that not one part was ever greased/lubrictaed (outside of the engine), nothing ever wore out or degraded (e.g. the coolant, belts, pumps, etc) and was replaced in 240k miles? Sorry, but I don't believe that for a second, especially given the 'quality' of BL cars of that era. And topping up on oil does not get rid of the dirty oil.
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I suppose a vehicle which can survive this kind of regime must either lose oil at a rate which demands frequent topping up (so the oil never gets worn out) or else loses none at all by leaking or burning. I wonder which it is ?
My old man's Austin Princess 1700 went round the clock twice on this principle, it was never serviced - not once - in its whole life - but had frequent oil top-ups. My mum wrote it off but it was still mechanically fine with over 240K miles on the clock.
Yes, but other than the engine, how much gizmos did the car have? Probably not much. And you're telling me that not one part was ever greased/lubrictaed (outside of the engine), nothing ever wore out or degraded (e.g. the coolant, belts, pumps, etc) and was replaced in 240k miles? Sorry, but I don't believe that for a second, especially given the 'quality' of BL cars of that era. And topping up on oil does not get rid of the dirty oil.
Reasonable in this context to take ""never serviced" to refer to the engine only.
Re "and topping up on oil does not get rid of the dirty oil." the need for topping up implies that some of the dirty oil is lost
It seems possible (though not very likely) that some particulates are too big to easily get past the piston rings, but these will likely get trapped by the filter (at least until it clogs).
Some might be heavy enough to settle out in the sump and not be readily re-suspended. They are then mostly harmless, but if, say, a rough road or fast driving re-suspended them they would become damaging.
Some sticky stuff like varnish seems also likely to stay behind on surfaces, (where it will be mostly harmless) but apart from these cass I'd think most (as in nearly all) of the contaminants will exit with the lost oil.
Edited by edlithgow on 17/09/2019 at 08:06
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Reasonable in this context to take ""never serviced" to refer to the engine only.
Re "and topping up on oil does not get rid of the dirty oil." the need for topping up implies that some of the dirty oil is lost
If people only top up they have no idea whats going on in the sump and if that is all they do I doubt they care or are interested
It seems possible (though not very likely) that some particulates are too big to easily get past the piston rings, but these will likely get trapped by the filter (at least until it clogs).
The engines first referred to had a habit of getting badly gummed up on the cylinder head and around the valve area, even the sump breather used to get badly clogged up but never cleaned out including the pipes to inlet manifold which often collapsed inside
Some might be heavy enough to settle out in the sump and not be readily re-suspended. They are then mostly harmless, but if, say, a rough road or fast driving re-suspended them they would become damaging.
Some sticky stuff like varnish seems also likely to stay behind on surfaces, (where it will be mostly harmless) but apart from these cass I'd think most (as in nearly all) of the contaminants will exit with the lost oil.
Plenty of gum and varnish in a ford cylinder head of this engine, always difficult to remove it though not many tried
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Plenty of gum and varnish in a ford cylinder head of this engine, always difficult to remove it though not many tried
Black death, caused entirely by neglect, leaving often poor quality oil in for far too long.
Didn't die out with Fords either, a few years ago my MB indy had two V12 engines stripped out with the rocker areas absolutely stuffed with carbonised gunge, neither serviced by him because he knows better through decades of experience.
In my own case, my Landcruiser had been maker's recommended serviced all of its 11 year before i bough it life, so 9k or annual whichever came first, when i first got it the oil would go dark within 200 miles of an oil change, after my much more frequent changes (with Diesel specific oil not the usual one size fits all stuff) its now covering 800 miles and rising before the engine oil starts to darken, this can only be the detergents in the clean oil breaking down caked on carbon, though the doses of Millers it gets in every fill up might be ensuring a better fuel burn as it keeps the injectors clean.
I take especial interest in the oil pick up strainer (inspecting through the sump plug at every service after several hours draining) due to this particular engine having the odd issue with leaking injector seals.
Whatever is happening is for the good, and to my mind proves you cannot beat good maintenance to make a vehicle not only last, but run at its best.
I've seen particularly German Diesels where within seconds of an oil change the oil is so dirty you would never know, of course this could be poor drainage, possibly from the rocker area where a sizeable quantity is being permanently marooned, but if this is the case what filth is being formed under those pools one wonders, and might dislodge for some reason years down the line.
Edited by gordonbennet on 17/09/2019 at 12:04
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I've seen particularly German Diesels where within seconds of an oil change the oil is so dirty you would never know, of course this could be poor drainage, possibly from the rocker area where a sizeable quantity is being permanently marooned, but if this is the case what filth is being formed under those pools one wonders, and might dislodge for some reason years down the line.
A year or two after purchase I took the oil pump on the Skywing apart, in case it was contributing to the metal in the oil.
Seemed OK, but the pedestal mounting had casting voids in it which were absolutely full of semi-solid sludge.
I wonder how unusual this is. It would seem it makes deducing the state of the engine from the state of the oil rather difficult, since anything (including metal) seen in the oil might be "historical", rather than being currently generated.
Edited by edlithgow on 17/09/2019 at 12:51
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Black death, caused entirely by neglect, leaving often poor quality oil in for far too long.
Problem for some was they didn't know they had poor oil in it, and most didn't care, not until the engine wouldn't start one morning and didn't know why, you then get a person look at it and find the level is off the dipstick so they top it up so it starts
its then forgotten about until the next time, and then thoughts about a service come to mind but are soon forgotten about over time, and as and when it happens again the same thoughts go through the drivers mind but get forgotten about yet again
this is how some go on and wonder why they get problems, had it been a different engine they wouldn't be having these think abouts ....as the engine would be seized permanently
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...as my ex-colleague discovered to his cost, his BMW diesel expiring on his driveway, ruining the engine, depositing its content on the drive and ruining that too. You don't look after a car (especially a sports or modern car), then it'll bite you in the bum.
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Don't doubt any of that, just querying the original statement, which I think was misleading.
"Topping up" is essentially a partial oil change, which, as has already been mentioned now I think on't, probably explains why you may be able to get away with it long term on some engines..
This doesn't imply that its an optimal thing to do.
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<< .... and you're telling me that not one part was ever greased/lubrictaed (outside of the engine) ... >>
I've had cars whose engines have been properly attended to, while other occasional lubrication seems to have been forgotten: in particular hinges (doors, bonnet, tailgate) and check straps. So doors can creak horribly, and I had one car with a bonnet hinge which seized and had to be drilled out.
It only takes a couple of minutes a year with spray grease .....
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I suppose a vehicle which can survive this kind of regime must either lose oil at a rate which demands frequent topping up (so the oil never gets worn out) or else loses none at all by leaking or burning. I wonder which it is ?
My old man's Austin Princess 1700 went round the clock twice on this principle, it was never serviced - not once - in its whole life - but had frequent oil top-ups. My mum wrote it off but it was still mechanically fine with over 240K miles on the clock.
SO orginal disks and pads?
Bull excrement..
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I suppose a vehicle which can survive this kind of regime must either lose oil at a rate which demands frequent topping up (so the oil never gets worn out) or else loses none at all by leaking or burning. I wonder which it is ?
My old man's Austin Princess 1700 went round the clock twice on this principle, it was never serviced - not once - in its whole life - but had frequent oil top-ups. My mum wrote it off but it was still mechanically fine with over 240K miles on the clock.
SO orginal disks and pads?
Bull excrement..
I wouldn't have put it so bluntly, but that sort of thing was my question too - even me with my light right foot (though I'm no 'Captain Slow') could not manage 240k miles without changing the brake pads or discs (rather like mine about lubrication and other fluid changes).
I have managed around 65k though, when some were replaced, though I believe one or two are still originals, probably to be replaced over the next 20k miles. Maybe those old asbestos pads DID last longer, though I doubt if anyone is thanking the manufacturers for that.
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<< Maybe those old asbestos pads DID last longer, though I doubt if anyone is thanking the manufacturers for that. >>
IIRC asbestos pads were a lot softer than their replacements, which is why discs need replacing as well as pads these days. With asbestos I think discs very rarely wore out.
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Not too sure that a properly driven vehicle (completely ignoring that ''brakes to slow gears to go'' cobblers) can't go it's whole expected life on its original pads and discs, much will depend on where and how its driven.
My lorry, 3 axle tractor unit, displays serviceable brake pads on the dash menu, axle 1 steer 90%, axle 2 lifting axle only in use when loaded 95%, axle 3 drive axle 84% remaining, this @ 108000 kms, so roughly 70000 miles, it does have a proper dual retarder fitted which i make extensive use of, but if this wear rate continues it should be knocking on 400,000kms before the heaviest drive axle brakes need new pads.
Driven properly and maintained properly, in both cases probably best to ignore the latest advice from the usual experts :-), it is surprising what can be achieved, same goes for turbo failures, decent regular oil changes and allowed to warm and cool reasonably equals no turbo issues.
A properly driven car there is no reason could not achieve these sorts of figures by making use of terrain and correct use of gears and engine braking to maintain progress.
You can tell at a glance how a vehicle is driven simply by looking at the front wheels, covered in thick ingrained brake dust equals driven poorly, on the brakes.
Edited by gordonbennet on 17/09/2019 at 20:45
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ance how a vehicle is driven simply by looking at the front wheels, covered in thick ingrained brake dust equals driven poorly, on the brakes.
My car has that and am light on brakes...two sets of pads and one set of dics...discs and 2nd set of pad changed at 100,000 miles...it's because I don't clean them often.
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You can tell at a glance how a vehicle is driven simply by looking at the front wheels, covered in thick ingrained brake dust equals driven poorly, on the brakes.
Indeed - another former colleague of mine (who was quite young at the time) managed to get through a set of pads in less than one year and about 9k miles. He was the last of the late brakers though!
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You can tell at a glance how a vehicle is driven simply by looking at the front wheels, covered in thick ingrained brake dust equals driven poorly, on the brakes.
Indeed - another former colleague of mine (who was quite young at the time) managed to get through a set of pads in less than one year and about 9k miles. He was the last of the late brakers though!
you cant if you live and drive around town, I can understand that statement in rural areas where there is time to use gears to slow down, but in town you cant, also the pads of today dust more easily than the asbestos pads of years ago so smother the wheels quicker
I get through front pads in around 15k and rears around 25k miles, not far away from my tyre wear but I don't drive mad, certainly have a problem doing that where I am, but as fast as I clean my motor the front wheels are back to dust in a couple of days
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<< the pads of today dust more easily than the asbestos pads of years ago so smother the wheels quicker >>
Today's front wheels quickly start to look dark brown, because the gunge they collect contains more disc material (cast iron) than they used to - which naturally starts to look rusty in the wet. And take some effort to remove properly.
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Next time you're out and about, note the car still doing often well in excess of 50mph charging up to every junction leaving braking, heavily, to the very last second in order to gain a few yards.
I'm doing 53 most of the time in the lorry, the number of cars who undertake me at high and increasing speed as they take the deceleration lane, often to a downhill motorway junction slip road is amazing, no doubt angered that they had to brake hard from 80+ to that 53 because they were unable to cut said lorry up and get onto the slip road at the last moment for some reason before he passed the point of their no chance, no off pedal momentum whatsoever, going from acceleration to immediate hard braking, gained what? 2 or 3 seconds at most.
by the way this isn't just cars, lots of people behind the wheel of lorries are no better, but you seldom see this type of aggressive driving from coaches carrying passengers, odd that
I can absolutely guarantee in almost all of these cases if the vehicle has to come to a hard halt, which they usually do because such driving lack of skill often goes hand in hand with being unable to make smooth flowing progress without actually stopping at all, that the front wheels will be covered in thick brake dust.
Strange how some of us can make our daily commutes, reaching high speeds when appropriate, journey times just as quick but infinitely more comfortable for weeks on end and not have this wheel discolouration problem.
Most drivers don't even know they are doing this, watch the heads of their passengers rocking forwards and backwards to the violence of the drive, i'd not want to be driven by them.
Edited by gordonbennet on 18/09/2019 at 11:40
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I get through front pads in around 15k and rears around 25k miles, not far away from my tyre wear but I don't drive mad, certainly have a problem doing that where I am, but as fast as I clean my motor the front wheels are back to dust in a couple of days
Is it a heavy car? 15,0000 miles on a set of pads seems extreme.
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I get through front pads in around 15k and rears around 25k miles, not far away from my tyre wear but I don't drive mad, certainly have a problem doing that where I am, but as fast as I clean my motor the front wheels are back to dust in a couple of days
Is it a heavy car? 15,0000 miles on a set of pads seems extreme.
Not where I live it isn't, 2016 Civic estate, bought new -but all my cars were the same, that's town driving for you, I know 2 other owners of the tourer, both do motorway driving to work and they last double the miles to mine, tyres last longer as well.
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Bolt, have those brake calipers been serviced since new?, i don't mean the dealer's laughable idea either, ie peering at them and squirting brake cleaner about, i mean proper stripping and lubing up, wouldn't be at all surprised if the pads are not pulling away from the discs as well as they should.
Even my daughter gets better mileage on both her Civic's brakes, even her flying type R horrid thing, and she drives like the devil himself.
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Bolt, have those brake calipers been serviced since new?, i don't mean the dealer's laughable idea either, ie peering at them and squirting brake cleaner about, i mean proper stripping and lubing up, wouldn't be at all surprised if the pads are not pulling away from the discs as well as they should.
Even my daughter gets better mileage on both her Civic's brakes, even her flying type R horrid thing, and she drives like the devil himself.
GB, I get my mate to do that every year if not before under my supervision(though I don't tell him that) as I know sometimes the Honda calipers do stick sometimes, I used to do it myself like most work on the car but cant bend down now without struggling to get up
he does know what he's doing and is the only one I trust apart from one garage about 5 miles from me who will be doing my servicing from January, 5 year servicing free ends then from Honda, but even Honda are better than I thought they would be and I watch them like a hawk
I forgot to mention I don't use the gears to slow on the many hills around my area I use the brakes on and off to help keep the discs cool and apart from pad wear I haven't as yet had any problems so far
I`ve never liked using the gears to slow down so use brakes instead, full of bad habits I am but never mind...
Edited by bolt on 18/09/2019 at 17:04
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I had a car serviced at a main dealer because it was under warranty. The car was a 108 and a brief check revealed that it had a Toyota oil filter. I appreciate that the oil filter fitted from new is a Toyota one for obvious reasons but contrary to the opinion of others every time that I have brought oil filters from the main dealers (I have more than one Peugeot with this engine) the box has always contained a filter marked in the Peugeot / Citroen livery and never Toyota. The dealership in question (now Skoda) did not have any Toyota franchises in its network so I am not 100% convinced that the filter was changed. The oil was clean when presented to the garage and clean in appearance when I collected the car.
As an aside the next time that the car was serviced also at a main dealer I was advised about the moisture content of the brake fluid. Strange as I had been given an assurance that this had also been replaced at my request.
Wonder how many people are driving around under the misplaced assumption that their oil has been replaced.
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GB, I get my mate to do that every year if not before under my supervision(though I don't tell him that) as I know sometimes the Honda calipers do stick sometimes, I used to do it myself like most work on the car but cant bend down now without struggling to get up
he does know what he's doing and is the only one I trust apart from one garage about 5 miles from me who will be doing my servicing from January, 5 year servicing free ends then from Honda, but even Honda are better than I thought they would be and I watch them like a hawk
Glad you get the brakes serviced properly, just out of interest for the next time you change pads or discs i've been experimenting with Brembo pads and discs (usually found at ECP when they have a sale on at very good prices) on the family fleet, not only are they proving to have a lovely progressive feel to the brakes, like Ferodos of yore if you recall, but
on the family Aygo which has always covered the same sort of mileage and usage where it previously ate through the Toyota items, since i fitted Brembos they are lasting much much longer (i bought a spare set of pads in a sale two years ago expecting the standard wear rate, but they just aren't wearing out like the OE materials), both pads and discs, same results on my Landcruiser which is at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, the effortless stopping power now is quite an eye opener, might be a thought for you when the time comes.
To be fair this isn't the first time i've made improvements to OE spec on the brakes, my previous Hilux the brakes were nowt to write home about on OE Sumitomo pads, fitted MIntex which was all i could get at the time cos new model made a noticeable improvement.
which examples pale compared to the outlaws Golf mk2 Diesel when it was still almost new, you had to be Charles Atlas to stop (or steer) the thing, OE pads would not wear but were ripping the discs to shreds, i fitted Ferodos to the front which changed the car completely, lovely soft pedal and good stopping needing probably half the previous pedal pressure, but it imbalanced the brakes making it prone to locking the front wheels, so had to fit the corresponding Ferodo rear shoes to make it right, made the car a much nicer drive overall for the MiL of the day, for the steering it was a case of upping the front tyres by nearly 10psi because she could barely steer the thing at all, power steering being rare in 1984 build hatchbacks.
tell me about the aches and pains surrounding getting up, a while ago i invested in some gel knee pads which has helped, but i spent a couple of hours under the LC on Sunday, i think, topping up the rustproofing with ACF50 for the coming winter, spray painting the exhaust with zinc etc, could barely stand afterwards, getting old is such fun :-)
glad you have lots of bad habits, me too...or has me too been patented by some group or other ?
Edited by gordonbennet on 18/09/2019 at 17:27
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GB, i was under the impression that the reason MK2 Golf (and probably MK1 aswell) brakes required so much force to operate is that they were not servo assisted.
I`ve never liked using the gears to slow down so use brakes instead, full of bad habits I am but never mind...
I'm not sure this would qualify as a 'bad habit', i believe driving instructors these days do not advocate even changing down till you come to a stop, never mind using the gears. Correctly pointing out that replacing brakes and brake components cost a lot less than replacing a gearbox!. Having said that, i do think that new drivers should be taught how to slow the car down using the brakes too. Even if the practice is only used coming down a hill on icy roads, it could potentially save lives!.
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GB, i was under the impression that the reason MK2 Golf (and probably MK1 aswell) brakes required so much force to operate is that they were not servo assisted.
I'm not sure this would qualify as a 'bad habit', i believe driving instructors these days do not advocate even changing down till you come to a stop, never mind using the gears. Correctly pointing out that replacing brakes and brake components cost a lot less than replacing a gearbox!. Having said that, i do think that new drivers should be taught how to slow the car down using the brakes too. Even if the practice is only used coming down a hill on icy roads, it could potentially save lives!.
Quite likely, but can't recall for sure, being a Diesel it would have had a vacuum pump anyway, which my square Granada of the same year manufacture sported....just out of interest it had the same pads as the GTi on the Diesel mk2 but with solid discs where the GTi had vented.
I wasn't advocating drivers of cars should adopt proper lorry/bus driving techniques of using gears and auxilliary, whether engine or exhaust and/or purpose made retarder, just this increasing practice of accelerating right up till the last second requiring heavy braking will not only shorten brake life considerably but does not aid progress other than to make it non flowing and very uncomfortable.
The reason i raised this was the disbelief voiced over any supposed claim of extra long brake life, that i dispute because the difference i've seen over the years in my work has shown me that 4 or more times the accepted life of such things can be gained, same as the life and economy of vehicles as whole.
Driving instructors have one job only, to get their pupils through the most basic of tests via robotic driving, after the test is passed people start to learn to drive competently.
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<< I do think that new drivers should be taught how to slow the car down using the brakes too. >>
They should also be taught that a car will slow down gradually by itself if you just lift off the accelerator. As long as nothing sudden happens, and you keep a sensible distance from the vehicle in front, you will probably be able to get along with only gears and throttle - maybe even negotiating roundabouts if they aren't too crowded.
Many years ago (about 30 I think) I was driving a pool car (Pug 309) which I soon realised was nearly through the pad material to the metal backing. I drove about 100 miles home almost without touching the brakes.
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I don't do engine braking (apart from on long hill descents), but I'm not hard on brakes either, and I've never done very high miles.
In Scotland, this meant that I often had to replace the brake disks for successive MOT's, due to "visble rust", so it's not clear to me that I'd get any benefit from being even easier on the brakes.
I also doubt I'd get any benefit from "higher performance" brake components. Every car I've had has apparently been capable of locking up its wheels when emergency braking, at any speed that I had the nerve to test it at, and presumably well beyond.
Wheel lock seems to be as much brake force as you can use.
I understand performance brakes resist heat better, but that is really only relevant in sustained hard use.
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tell me about the aches and pains surrounding getting up, a while ago i invested in some gel knee pads which has helped, but i spent a couple of hours under the LC on Sunday, i think, topping up the rustproofing with ACF50 for the coming winter, spray painting the exhaust with zinc etc, could barely stand afterwards, getting old is such fun :-)
I know a grizzled lorry driver probably doesn't want to hear this and the above goes with your job but try some yoga stretching moves. I've had muscle imbalance for some years due to repetitive strain injuries which results in stiffness and weakness on one side, and the stretching and strengthening exercises keep me going. But only the easiest and basic moves to start with.
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tell me about the aches and pains surrounding getting up, a while ago i invested in some gel knee pads which has helped, but i spent a couple of hours under the LC on Sunday, i think, topping up the rustproofing with ACF50 for the coming winter, spray painting the exhaust with zinc etc, could barely stand afterwards, getting old is such fun :-)
I know a grizzled lorry driver probably doesn't want to hear this and the above goes with your job but try some yoga stretching moves. I've had muscle imbalance for some years due to repetitive strain injuries which results in stiffness and weakness on one side, and the stretching and strengthening exercises keep me going. But only the easiest and basic moves to start with.
+1 for yoga..
I started daily yoga exercises ## about 5 years ago (on top of two x 1hour sessions) and healed my sciatica (I used to cry with pain getting out of bed in the mornings). Only very mild attacks now.
And still do car maintenance and carry beehives and garden and go up ladders to paint windows..and I won't see 70 again..
## six days a week. adter getting up. It's a struggle some mornings but it has made my back far more flexible and stronger .I used to weighlift 50 years ago and my lower spinal discs were partially fused and I was very stiff- not now..
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Thankyou chaps, something i shall have a look at, my joint damage is mainly the result of 20 years on car transporters, thankfully out that game for some 10/11 years now, scrabbling round especially during the last few years on hands and knees on hard stamped-for-grip knee unfriendly steel decks chocking and strapping wheels.
Edited by gordonbennet on 20/09/2019 at 11:09
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