Mother has had her Rover 111 (ok Metro) for about 6000 miles and refuses to service it or even change the oil because it is 'running fine.' Well it isn't. She doesn't know when it was last serviced, could have been 10000 miles before she bought it and its definately been a short run car because its only done 40000 in 5 years!
Point is, its now sounding tappety. Oil level is fine even though the oil is an interesting black goo. What has she broken and therefore should I say something to her again?
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should I say something to her again?
When it does go bang, you could tell her "Well I told you so" :o)
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This little story doesn't answer Dave's question but is very slightly related.
25 years ago, Champion Spark Plug Co went around the country with a roadshow where you could have your car ignition system analysed for free (obviously with the intention of selling spark plugs).
My boss, Jim, took his Morris 1100 along to the Peterborough roadshow even though it was running well, and I went along for the ride. At the end of the analysis Jim was told that his ignition timing was 20-something degrees out, the worst they had come across anywhere in the country.
"When was it last serviced?" he was asked.
"It hasn't been serviced since I bought it" was his honest reply.
"And when did you buy it?".
"Just over seven years ago" Jim said, again very honestly!
Note: Please do NOT try this at home!
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>>When it does go bang, you could tell her "Well I told you so" :o)
Only if you're very brave.....
If it already sounds tappety, then it is being starved of oil at the top end and wear is occuring. This will detoriate until it doesn't go very well anymore, and if the oil continues to get thicker the oil pump eventually won't and the engine will seize.
Do the decent thing and change the oil for her - or at least offer to book it in and take it for an oil change. Will be cheaper than a new engine!
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Would it be a good idea to use flushing oil in this case? Never sure with modern units (not that the Rover 111 engine could really be placed in this category :-) )
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Now you could let Toad get his mitts on it, enter it in a few 12 cars and should be good fo another 20000 miles ;-)
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{AP}
Yeeeeah, Baby!!!!! Do I make you horney? Do I???
{/AP}
I have experience of Toad Tune-up's in Rovers. Two and a half hours at 5.5k revs certainly stopped that big end rattle in the 414... [1]
Coming up to december I need to decide if it's worth fixing the washer pump switch for MOT or if it's ready for the scrappie.
[1] For values of stopped that include 'carried on'.
--
Parp, Parp!
Note: All Toad posts come with an implied smiley.
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If it was anyone else I'd wait until the "I told you so" moment arrives. Unfortunately it's your Mother - just who do you think she is going to ring on that cold wet winters night when the car has died on her in the middle of nowhere? You probably.
Be assertive, tell her it needs doing then either do it for her or get it serviced for her. Of course, she'll then never break down and will always insist it never needed doing, but you'll know better.
Use deisel semi synth for the first change - the extra detergents will help to clean it out more effectively. Change again after 2000 miles, then at least every 6 months.
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You do know of course that it will collapse in a heap two days after it's been serviced ;>) (well maybe without the smilie)
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Mothers always try to make their cars go bang. Mine used to have a Rover 2600 (the one with the inadequate oil feed to the cam bearings). Every morning she would fire it up and immediately rev it to about 5000 rpm to 'warm it up'. It never went bang, but it was sounding pretty rattly by the time she sold it. Its replacement (a Golf GTI) was treated the same way, with the same result.
Richard Hall
bangernomics.tripod.com
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This mother had a B reg Fiesta until maybe 5 years ago. She had it from 65k to 105k and serviced it erm twice in four years. When the fanbelt snapped in city traffic she carried on driving and wasn't concerned by the battery light because the battery was poor anyway. She stopped when steam came out the bonnet. She once drove the car from Holyhead to Liverpool at 90 with a child seat-fitted bike on the back (wind resistance - foot to floor), despite the oil light having come on temporarily when going slowly. That car was immortal but her next, an F reg Sunny, wasn't. She just drives cars to death and ignores people around her!
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Yep, it will go bang - it's probably only the varnish holding the thing together!
An old mate of mine had a Volvo that never got serviced - it ran for five years then 'surprise, surprise' one day the engine just gave up the ghost. I maintain that he was lucky it was only the engine and not something safety related like brake failure...
El Dingo (Martin).
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The saying "Don't fix it if it ain't broke" is one to be followed without exception.
There was a hydro-electric power station in Wales where the Station Manager had avoided the stipulated overhaul for 5 years beyond the due date. Eventually, he had the £ multi-million valued station overhauled. One month later the turbine smashed to bits because of an error made during re-assembly after the overhaul!
<0.1%
PS: All my posts come a really useful message.
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