Fastidious maintenance, versus, drive it till it stops

Submitted: Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:33
ThreadID: 43048 Views:5949 Replies:7 FollowUps:9
This Thread has been Archived
Its a funny thing sometimes, you can look after a vehicle like a baby" or abuse it service wise and still end up having a good run!. Over the years i have always changed oils on time kept a eye on things etc.. etc, but have still had my share of troubles from time to time. On the other hand my brother (,mechanical nightmare)
does buggerall servicing , to any of his cars or 4by and still clocks up high ks without to many dramas!, it is starting to give me the chats as regular servicing as every one knows is quiet expensive. Just luck i surpose, something that seems to bypass me i think.

Axle.

Back Expand Un-Read 0 Moderator

Reply By: Member - Phil G (SA) - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:43

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:43
I do my own servicing so it gets done properly and when its due. But theres certainly a huge number of cars out there that rarely or never get serviced.

In days gone by, you'd get prompted because it needed a "tune-up" - like the points were pitted and the plugs were dirty, or the ignition timing was out. But these days there are no points, the timing is controlled electronically and plugs are platinum tipped and go for 100k. So apart from the windscreen sticker and a friendly call from the dollybird at the dealer, theres not a lot of reason to head off to get the oils and filters changed. And when it comes to trade-in time, a bit of scribble in the book seems to help.

AnswerID: 226190

Follow Up By: Member - Axle - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:49

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:49
Mate, thats it in a nut shell!!.

Cheers.
0
FollowupID: 487047

Reply By: Member - Pedro the One (QLD) - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:44

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:44
Yo Axle ........

Remind him about the 'Frog that crossed the road every day !!!'

Been doin' it for years and nothin' ever happened to him ................. UNTIL that last semi came a'roarin' down the track ...................

Like most things in life ......... it's just a numbers game !
I think it is called the Theory of Eventualities.
AnswerID: 226191

Reply By: steve&anja - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:50

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:50
Hi Axle.
Yep know what you mean, owning a tour business I do most of my own servicing, and you do your best only to have things fail occasionally.
Yet I see so many vehicles on the road that wouldn't have seen a mechanic since Noah played fullback for Jerusalem, that seem to go forever.
My trucks have to go over the pits every 6 months, and not only do they have to be mechanically sound, they have to be detailed as well.
Yet most states (correct me if im wrong) you don't need a vehicle check unless you buy or sell them, scary I think.
AnswerID: 226193

Follow Up By: Max - Sydney - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:59

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 21:59
NSW you have to get a pink slip every year - basic check of lights etc, bearings, rust and a mechanical brake test. NSW older cars are visibly less rusted but road safety rates not much different from other states.

Max
0
FollowupID: 487055

Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:05

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:05
So true Steve. I think tour operators like us have an obligation to keep their cars in good condition - unfortunately many don't - seems NT has more of them that class than elsewhere, and I won't name names but you probably know.

I know that if you have your car serviced by your regular passenger vehicle shop, they will largely service it by the book. For me, I like to regularly (5-10 ks) change the oil, and filters because it is easy and inexpensive, and gives me opportunity to see first hand what is going on.

Interestingly, when I take it to a Diesel specialist working mainly on commercial vehicles, their approach is much more analytical - they assess the sort of work the vehicle is doing, have the oil analysed, and are much more aware of what the real duty cycles are of key components, rather than the manufacturer's worst case, humping the kids to school and back each day, toorak taxis or whatever, schedule suggests.

I think this could be a major part of the OP's observations - manufacturer schedules are ultra conservative for many long distance biased vehicles which have far fewer cold starts, short runs, stop/start traffic etcetera - except at Uluru at sunset ;-)

Cheers
Andrew.

0
FollowupID: 487059

Follow Up By: Member - Axle - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:07

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:07
The whole shamozzle is scary!, To much variation with inspection stations in NSW. .But thats a post on its own if anyones game!!.
0
FollowupID: 487060

Follow Up By: steve&anja - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:25

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:25
Not sure were your coming from Andrew,as I said all tour vehicles taxis bus's have to go over motor vehicle registry every 6 months for a full safety inspection not just any vehicle safety inspection.
NT rules New cars every year after its 3rd year any car over 3 years and as above for passenger vehicles.
0
FollowupID: 487067

Follow Up By: Andrew from Vivid Adventures - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:43

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:43
Hi Steve,

On the NT note - putting aside regulation, I am commenting on what I notice. I noticed at least two backpacker style fast and furious operators with troopies (mostly) that may well have passed safety inspection in the 6 months before, but which still break down and leave their passengers stranded. I came across 4 examples in one season, and I am not in Kakadu that often (all were there).

The rest of the post was more on topic and not directly related. I was saying that I service my vehicle to a typical passenger vehicle schedule, but diesel specialists who I trust tell me that what I do is overboard for the long distance touring I do. This may be why Axle's brother has few problems - Axle might not really need to service his vehicle as frequently, although it is not hurting him that he is.

Cheers
Andrew.
0
FollowupID: 487074

Follow Up By: steve&anja - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:54

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:54
Yeah Andrew know what you mean now, Young drivers that drive them like they stole them and till they stop.
Good thing is I know how they are and I employ them to wash my truck let alone drive them.
0
FollowupID: 487079

Follow Up By: Member - Oldplodder (QLD) - Friday, Mar 09, 2007 at 09:03

Friday, Mar 09, 2007 at 09:03
Steve has it in one.

"Yep know what you mean, owning a tour business I do most of my own servicing, and you do your best only to have things fail occasionally.
Yet I see so many vehicles on the road that wouldn't have seen a mechanic since Noah played fullback for Jerusalem, that seem to go forever. "

Yep, it is the ones that don't go on for ever that you don't see, because they are off the road or at the wreckers due to a mjor failure.
0
FollowupID: 487130

Reply By: nowimnumberone - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:08

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 22:08
lol remins me of the old days with my old xd
if the motor hadnt stopped ratling bye the time i got to the end of the street i knew i had to put some oil in her
thats about all i done had my pees new car no money and no time to get it serviced.it went that way for years with no problems at all.
but on a more serious note todays cars are a wee bit more fussier when it comes to servicing ect.
i dont know how often we get a car in for a repair after the owner has done there own servicing (oil and filter) and things like front ends falling apart wheel bearings siezed ect.
cheers
AnswerID: 226202

Reply By: Footloose - Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 23:28

Thursday, Mar 08, 2007 at 23:28
When I was a young bloke at Uni, I had an EH station waggon..very second hand. After a year of driving it around..and around...it developed a very nasty metal to metal sound, not good on a limited income. Took it to the mechanic and he took me aside and explained that it needed to be GREASED once in a while. Oh, thought I, I didn't know that LOL
AnswerID: 226228

Reply By: _gmd_pps - Friday, Mar 09, 2007 at 18:21

Friday, Mar 09, 2007 at 18:21
yeah .. some people drink, smoke and have fast food every day and still make it to 70 or 80 ....
and some are lean, athletic and eat their vegies and only get to 40

go figure
gmd
AnswerID: 226412

Follow Up By: kiwicol - Friday, Mar 09, 2007 at 21:33

Friday, Mar 09, 2007 at 21:33
couldnt be said any better, but i think my GQ gets looked after better than me. Col
0
FollowupID: 487272

Reply By: Alloy c/t - Friday, Mar 09, 2007 at 18:54

Friday, Mar 09, 2007 at 18:54
Trouble is that there is no such thing as driving the vehicle into the ground by NOT doing the regular maintenance , ,,, oops shes out of oil ,just filler . 1 tyre bald ,,just replace ect ect ect ,bloody heaps of junk just keep goiing ,nothing regular at all, just $$$ in dribs and drabs.
AnswerID: 226415

Sponsored Links