May 2004
Where do i draw the line on oil changes
Keeping in mind that cold starts do the most damage to car engines and to the deterioration of engine oil
Two scenarios for comparison, both VW Polo 1.4 TDI PD
Both bought new
Service Schedule and Cost
First Year /10000 miles (Oil change only) £85
Second Year/20000 miles (Oil change/service) £150
Third Year /30000 miles (Oil change only) £85
Forth Year /40000 miles (Oil change/service) £250
Mr Pensioner (me)
My car is garaged and is used on average three times a week for round trips of not less than 15 miles and two trips from Sheffield to Scarborough each year. This is the important part, I start my car up from cold three times a week we are very rarely out long enough for the engine to get cold so it does not get a second cold start. In a year I start my car from cold 52x3 = 156 times My total mileage is about 3500 per year
Mr Average Working Guy
Starts his car up from cold to go to work finishes work starts his car up from cold again to go home. This equates to 52 weeks x 5 days x 2 =520 cold starts (not counting weekends) I don?t know what mileage he will do but I should think it would be at least double my 3500 miles.
The service periods and charges are the same for both vehicles, but I have to ask myself whose oil will be in the better condition when service time comes. I may be wrong but I can not see any harm being done after the three year warranty has run out in stretching the yearly service to at least 18 months when I will have covered approximately 5000 Miles
I should point out that the £82 service is a oil change service only, no other work is done, the special oil and filter is £45 the rest is a labour charge. There is a long life option that I should have but was not informed of when I bought the car, that is 24 months or 30000 miles this service needs a long life oil that is probably synthetic .When I asked about this at the last service I was told it was for cars that did mostly long journeys
OK I accept this and the fact that the engine probably never cools down during the day but it does not alter the fact that one cold start a day during the two year period is 2 years x 52 weeks x 5days =252( plus any weekend use) cold starts, which would be about the same as I would do over a two year period but I would have done a lot less miles, so surely less deterioration of oil ..My first three compulsory oil changes (because of the warranty) will have cost me a total of £246. a little bit pricey for what will be a total of about 10000 miles.
Guess who wont be doing my oil change next year
I am taking my car to the dealers for its second service on Wednesday and I am going to ask them again why I should not change to the longer service schedule Am I paranoid about cold starts and oil changes or do I have a point. Your comments if you can understand my rambling rant would be most helpful when I go to see my local rip off merchant on Wednesday
Keeping in mind how I use the car and the mileage I do what would you consider my oil change intervals should be and what my main servicing intervals should be considering I am probably only going to clock up about 3500 miles a year and I am never going to do reach the service intervals of 10000 miles a year.
Thanks
Alan
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Someone has just told me that all four injectors in a rail fire at the same moment.
Can this be true? I had assumed that the reason for one injector per cylinder was so that each was timed precisely for the correct point on that cylinder\'s cycle.
I thought the whole point about fuel injection was that it replaced the inevitable hit and miss suck and dribble from a carburettor with a precisely timed and measured squirt to each cylinder.
Anybody care to comment on this? Read more
"Kugelfischer" was direct injection."K" was indirect injction;"KE" was trimmed by the Lambda sensor.
Sat in a Kalos sport at the motorshow and was pounced on by the wicked witch of the Daewoo stand (seen in the photo of the Kalos I uploaded minutes ago) as soon as I got out.
Stand Girl: What do you think?
PG: I want to like it because I like the way it looks, but it feels really cheap.
SG: Compared to..?
PG: The Polo I drive at the moment.
SG: Well it's only going to be £10,000
PG: I can get a polo for £10,000
SG: Yes but this one comes with air con, alloys, metallic paint etc etc
PG: Ok ok, what's it like for safety?
SG (starts talking to me like I'm a small child and she's sick of being there even though it's only the first public day): Well obviously it's a brand new car. Noone's driven it yet so we dont know what it's like for safety.
T'yeah right...! She then proceeded to stare at me (if looks could kill..) every time I walked past her stand. I wanted to take the Passat Driver to see the Kalos but she was practically growling by this time so I gave it a miss.
So if Daewoo is "part of the General Motors family", does that mean it's built on the platform of something else (like the polo/ibiza thing)?
Anyone driven a Kalos?
How easy is it to get a car de-badged? ;-)
Don't shout at me, HJ, I'm off to see if there's been a road test right now!
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It's actually called Chevrolet Kalos on majority of the continent. "Chevy girl" sounds better? ;)
I wonder whether somebody can suggest where I can buy or order some gear oil for my Mitsubishi Pajero truck ...
The rear differential needs special oil for limited slip differentials - there is a red sticker on the truck and I'm told the Japanese characters are a warning that this oil must be used.
Limslip or LS oil is made by just about every oil company and should be sold retail in 5-litre containers for about £20.
However no local motor factor or car parts shop stocks it and none is willing to order it.
I live near Gatwick airport and the nearest supplier I have found is at a place called Erith, in a remote industrial estate on the bleak marshes of the Thames estuary, where I can pick up a 20-litre drum for £32.
I could go to Mitsubishi, of course - but I am too mean to pay them -- I think they demand something like £60 for a 5-litre can. Please, does anybody know of a motor factor or a servicing outfit that is likely to sell me the oil I need in a manageable quantity and at a realistic price?
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Yes, Tartanraider, there is a huge price difference for this stuff depending where you buy it. But I think I will do as Pastyman suggests and trek over to Chapter Oils at Erith. It's annoying, there used to be a supplier in Crawley called Senator Oils - but they moved their stock out and only have an admin office now. What did surprise me was that places like Halfords refused point blank to order me up a can.
Oh yes, and the people who import the Isuzu Trooper are the same, I think, as those who bring in Mitsubishi -- so I would probably be robbed just as badly, by another tentacle of the same beast.
Oh well, I guess Erith can't be so very dreadful ...
Missus took a run in a new Mazda MPV 2.3 Turbo Diesel yesterday and quite liked it. Access to the last row of seats is a bit tight but she says it goes well, stops well and has loadsa toys. Its to replace an indifferent 2002 Galaxy Tdi 115 which is well designed but badly built. Has anyone actually run a Mazda MPV or are sales akin to the famous (or infamous) Honda Legend? Thanks Read more
Well I don't know about anywhere else but there are a few around here. I bought a 53 plate 2.0 litre turbo diesel MPV a few months ago and am very pleased with it so far. I know the car has had a faclift for 2004 which includes the 2.3 litre engine and apparently traction control is now standard (although I don't think I'd ever need it in an MPV). Given its size I find mine a nice car to drive. It accelerates well and will fairly race up steep hills with little effort. MPG is excellent although I've yet to work it out exactly and due to my low annual mileage I'm not that bothered anyway. Can't offer any real comparsions with other MPV's except the Hyundai Trajet which wasn't anywhere near as well made/finished and seemed underpowered. I bought mine because I wanted Japanese and I liked it. I quite like the fact that there aren't too many on the roads but couldn't really give a fig what other people think about it. What matters most is whether you and your wife like it - if so, buy it, if not....
Good luck.
The central locking on the front passenger door has packed in which is so inconvenient (especially for my wife!).
I'm guessing I will need a new motor? which I also guess is not cheap. Does anyone have any ideas on cause and also how to remove interior door panel without damaging eg where to prise off / which way to lift? Last resort is a trip to VW dealer but not sure wallet is big enough.
Thanks
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If you\'re lucky, it *could* just be a wire come loose, or a multisocket connector parted, but I can\'t advise on how you remove the door card.
Have you tried seeing if the C/L will work if you move the door into different positions whilst it\'s open - this might reveal a broken wire(s) between the A pilar and door.
Hi there i've got a w plate mondeo 1.8 TD Ghia X Estate (For my sins) I've started gettin a problem when i turn on the air con. The engine starts surging and dipping, noticeable both whilst stood and when cruising along.This is disconcerting when on a long run.
Is there anything i can do or do i need to take it to a main dealer, or will/are there local specialist that may be able to deal with it. I had a quick look under the bonnet, you can hear an occasional clicking noise and then you can see the an auxilliary throttle cable move in and out, this seems to come from some kind of unit on the bottom right, as you look at it, of the engine bay.
If i switch the A/c off then i have no problems whatsoever.
any help/direction would be appreciated.
Cheers
Carl
btw i'm in the chesterfield area Read more
Hi Dave thanks for the reply,
it is doing it every few seconds, but what i cant understand that it is still cooling in fact its veritably freezing in the car would this still signify the same problems.
Who are the best to diagnose and rectify this local specialist or main dealers and what sort of costs should i be looking at for just diagnosing it ??
Thanks
Carl
Just seen some new signs on the M25, I saw them between j11 - j10 anti clock. Blue and white
M25
B
75.8
M25
B
75.3
They are counting down, in .5's (tho there was a .4 gap)
New kilometre markings? they are very visible and quite large.
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Yep, they've been on the M6 for about a year now. I asked the question as to their purpose here many months ago and no one knew.
Spotted on the side of a tarted-up and slightly short-of-stature Peugeot 106 today: "Praise the Lowered". Not bad, as these things go. Read more
I am looking at a 12 month old Mondeo Ghia TDCi 130, and ford direct seems pretty cheap (£12164 for the hatchback). I understand negotiating for a new car, as its easy to check discounts via brokers or what car mag. The used market seems a bit less transparent in this regard. As it would be a cash sale,is the ford direct price the best they will do, or can it be negotiated with? All of my local dealers cars are ford direct.
Ta
David Read more
None showing in Auction View today, but if you're really talking cash, or have the finance in place, you'd save a few £$£$£ buying a DIRECT vehicle in branded sale.
Which auction centres are you close to? Certainly worth a look.
VB
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Alan,
In your first post you haven't factored in the requirement for a MOT after 3 years and then annually. Meaning it is a hassle taking the car in for an MOT and then 6 months later if you go for the 18 month service interval.
My daughter is in much the same position with her Feb 1998 Polo. It was taken to the VW garage for 3 years and the last 3 annual visits have been for 2 x £49 oil change with 'free' MOT and a £99 full service, again with MOT thrown in. This at the local Peugeot garage.
C