Old, Cheap Car Drivers - What Needs Attention, and What Can Slide for Maintenance?

mskeggs on 09/02/2016 - 22:26

I now have two cars in the family. A 1998 Toyota Prado we have log book serviced through 300,000km that is going strong, but has no re-sale value due to a few dings and an interior that is in poor condition thanks to kids, And a 1998 Peugeot 306 that we bought cheaply recently for my wife to commute a fairly long drive 5 days a week that has 150,000km but a patchy service history (we have some receipts for work, but no recent log book entries).

Both cars seem reliable, and are worth less than $4000, so we are reluctant to spend any serious money on them. My feeling is that we should aim for another 50k-100 thousand km from both with just oil changes and fluid checks, replacing things like tyres and sparks as necessary, but skip major service stuff like timing belts and water pumps that have substantial labour costs.

We have savings in place to deal with a catastrophic failure where we have to buy a replacement with zero notice, so I can literally run these cars till they die if that is best (I think it looks like a good deal!).

So my question is, what scheduled log book maintenance can i skip with this approach in mind? I figure it is reasonable to keep changing the oil, but maybe at a slightly longer schedule, but skip stuff like replacing spark plugs until there is a failure. Timing belts are a gamble, maybe they will last, maybe they will fail disastrously. but as they are expensive, likely a "no". What else should I skip? Should I leave off an oil change till the dipstick shows black oil? What can I do to make these last years for my cars as cheap and nasty as possible without completely jeopardising reliability?

Automotive

Comments

  • Findo on 09/02/2016 - 22:46
    +4

    Oil and hydraulic fluid should be changed regularly. That stuff, along with brake pads and tyres are the only things I change in my turd car. Like you I plan to run turd into the ground but unfortunately she has had a new radiator and timing belt put in 40000km ago.

  • michaelpls on 09/02/2016 - 22:54
    +1

    You've pretty much answered your own question there mate. Yes you can skip spark plugs, coil packs, injectors etc. until there is a failure. Timing belt, you are right, it is a gamble, however the Prado should be fine, because if it were log book serviced the Timing Belt would have been done at some point. The Peugeot…. I have no idea, do they even have a timing belt? some cars have a self adjusting chain. Anyway, here's a some things I wouldn't skimp on:

    -Oil changes. They cost almost nothing for older vehicles, you can pick up a bottle of oil and a filter for under $30, often less.

    -Tyres!!!! Cannot stress this enough. Quality tyres not only last longer, they increase the safety of those in your vehicle and those in the path of your vehicle.

    Also, from my own personal experiences, Fuel Doctor or similar is great for keeping your fuel system healthy and your economy high.
    Cars are thrown away too often these days, I like to see people keeping older cars running, as long as safety isn't compromised, which you have obviously thought about (y)

  • airzone on 10/02/2016 - 00:06

    You could learn some servicing yourself, and stick to things that you only need basic tools for.. e.g. oil and filter change, the basic checks and fluid top ups, etc. The only thing I would say about this though is to invest in axle stands or ramps.. Never put anything you value under a jacked up car.

  • Geewhizz on 10/02/2016 - 06:45

    Having owned a car that spat the dummy on the timing belt as soon as it was let go past the scheduled km interval, every time, it's not something I'd be prepared to take the risk on. We took to carrying a spare in the boot, and hubby became very proficient at changing the timing belt by the roadside.

    • Euphemistic on 10/02/2016 - 07:48
      +1

      Think you probably mean fan/alternator belt. The timing belt isn't something you change on the side of the road, it is usually inside the engine and if it lets go, the engine gets all out of whack and often destroys valves etc.

      • Geewhizz on 11/02/2016 - 07:15

        Actually NO, it was the timing belt.

        Yeah, not usually something one does by the roadside, but money was tight. It fortunately used to shred rather than burst, so didn't damage the motor when it went.

        'Inside the engine' you're thinking of a timing chain, not a belt.

        The process, as described by hubby for the benefit of the sceptics:

        "jack right side up and take off wheel
        take internal mudguard cover off
        remove fan belt and timing cover from the top
        remove lower fanbelt pulley to be able to remove stripped timing belt
        loosen timing belt tensioner
        align timing marks on crankshaft and camshaft
        fit new timing belt.

        First time this had to be done removing the crankshaft pulley was a challenge because as you know they the centre bolt is really tight at the factory
        Thankfully this was a non- interference motor"

    • blitz on 10/02/2016 - 10:07
      -1

      That's not a timing belt, that's a belt for the AC or alternator. They usually only need to be changed every 80-100 thousand kms, so unless you owned the car for much more than that, it's not likely that it was the timing belt that was snapping past the schedule.

      • Geewhizz on 11/02/2016 - 07:20
        -1

        lol A timing belt is a bit big to fit the alternator. And yeah, we had it a while, and we do a lot of k's.

  • Euphemistic on 10/02/2016 - 07:53

    I've got a 2003 forester. In the time I've owned it I have had the timing belt replaced, it was due. I've also repaired a couple of worn out things. I've only changed the oil once though in 4years. It's only done 22000k in the 4 years though, so it's roughly every 10k. Maybe I should do it again! If I was doing lots of km in it and needed it for a long commute I would change more frequently, but my commute is kiddie drop off and 6km to work 3days per week.

    I would only pay for stuff that is difficult to do, not worry about stuff like a timing belt etc. if it is going to cost $2k in a $4k car it's hardly worth it.

    Having said that I am fairly aware of my car and what it's noises are so can investigate if something sounds wrong, it also gets a pink slip inspection annually as part of rego (NSW) so a mechanic looks at it and takes it for a short drive every year.

    • Duff5000 on 10/02/2016 - 13:38

      If I was doing lots of km in it and needed it for a long commute I would change more frequently, but my commute is kiddie drop off and 6km to work 3days per week.

      Short trips are much worse for the car (per km) than long trips. If most of your KM were freeway driving then extending the oil change interval isnt a big deal. If only doing short trips all the time you really should be changing the oil more often than if the car was used in a more 'normal' manner.

      • Euphemistic on 10/02/2016 - 13:40

        Maybe true, but old car - not worried.

        • Duff5000 on 10/02/2016 - 13:43

          True, when we had an old magna we never changed the oil at all. Just topped it up every 6 months or so as it gradually burnt or leaked oil.

    • [Deactivated] on 11/02/2016 - 14:27

      With Subaru's I'd be changing the oil at least every 6 months. They can be fragile. I've had experience with a customer not servicing them at all and the engine seized at 28k, so $12k later they had a new motor. Also had experience with customers just topping up the oil and the engine making it to 45k before intercepting this behaviour.

      Back to OT, just buy $15 oil and cheap filter, change every 5k, do it yourself to save money. Make sure run proper coolant and keep an eye on the brake pads. Most other stuff should be OK. Things like drive belts are easy to replace and cheap. Recently did one on a 20 year old Falcon, belt was about $30~$40 and it took 5 mins to fit, easy maintenance! Also change your air filter if its a bit cruddy or blow out the crap with compressed air. As mentioned elsewhere, good tyres are worth the coin. Keep an eye out for 3 for 4 deals and the like. My $1k heap has Pirelli's on it, but there are only $120 each and last for 50~60k.

  • oscargamer on 10/02/2016 - 09:08

    keep the rate of servicing the same - don't skimp on a $50 oil & filter change - that's cheap enough already

    on top of the oil and oil filter changes i would…
    …change brake fluid every 2-3 years
    …lubricate hinges every year or so
    …brake pads/shoes/discs/drums - inspect every year or so
    …cabin filter - take out and clean every year
    …air filter - take out and clean every 6 months - when disgusting, replace
    …you haven't said if they are auto or manual gearboxes - change those fluids as per schedule
    …transaxle oil, sparks plugs, fuel filter - as per schedule

    both petrol engines?

    when something goes bang, replace it, if it's worth it

    i totally hear what you are saying about keeping costs down, but if you skimp on the minimum (above) you are likely going to get a quicker failure

    but it's your money

    doing all the above is very simple and you can do it yourself. lots of videos on youtube about how to do pretty much everything-and it's very rewarding to DIY also

    • Duff5000 on 10/02/2016 - 13:41

      In ~ 16 years of owning cars i havent ever serviced the gearbox. No repairs, no oil changes ect.

      We have done about 80k on our current car over 7 years. I probably should get onto that :)

  • oscargamer on 10/02/2016 - 14:05

    when you consider that fuel for say 80000k's will be about $10000, servicing is almost nothing !

  • doctordv8 on 01/03/2016 - 10:55
    +1

    How long is a piece of string? Seriously, this question has no truly correct or relevant answer.
    I am in the trade, and I could write what if thoughts for hours, and then it could all be for naught.
    You could plan for a 1000 scenarios and not see any one of them occur, or #1001 pops up and you are left wondering….and stranded.

    Regardless of body/trim condition, a mechanical failure is surely to come if you do NOT maintain your vehicle. I have stories on failures at only 10000k and engines lasting 300000 untouched by a spanner. Go figure.

    And no, we do not have crystal balls to see the vehicles past or future to make that call. Even how you drive and where you drive can make a huge difference.

    Can only advise, service it as much as you want to keep it reasonably reliable.

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