Car advice

[thistledo]

34 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

The 1.0 and 1.2 Dig-T engines had a batch with the wrong sized pistons ring fitted.

If you have one and its using oil then youre almost definitely going to need a new engine.

We had one at 20k miles burn out a valve and require a bottom end rebuild too because of it.

Ah ok Nissan engines, thought there was a general reason to avoid small engines there that wasn't "they are slow" etc

Thanks though. 

[101]

49 minutes ago, RandomGuy. said:

The 1.0 and 1.2 Dig-T engines had a batch with the wrong sized pistons ring fitted.

If you have one and its using oil then youre almost definitely going to need a new engine.

We had one at 20k miles burn out a valve and require a bottom end rebuild too because of it.

My mum managed to blow up the engine in her 1.0 Micra with less than 2000 miles on the clock.

Edited October 27, 2023 by 101

[TxRover]

4 hours ago, LuboMoravcik said:

Thoughts on a Honda Civic? I like the look of the modern ones and my Audi will be paid off by summer, so thinking about a change.

If you follow a proper maintenance schedule instead of the one Honda created to reduce advertised ownership costs, it can last a long time. Oil changes every 5,000 miles, 7,500 at most (if it’s not a performance model)…CVT fluid changes every 30k, or better, yet a manual. The junior Accord styling is much better than the old style, and it’s good value.

[strichener]

28 minutes ago, TxRover said:

If you follow a proper maintenance schedule instead of the one Honda created to reduce advertised ownership costs, it can last a long time. Oil changes every 5,000 miles, 7,500 at most (if it’s not a performance model)…CVT fluid changes every 30k, or better, yet a manual. The junior Accord styling is much better than the old style, and it’s good value.

Oil changes every 5000 miles. 

I'm not sure if you are American or just live there.  Regardless, you have certainly bought into the nonsense that the lube shops sell you about how much better your car will last if you change the oil 4 X more often than the people who actually designed the mechanical parts tell you is required.

[TxRover]

6 hours ago, strichener said:

Oil changes every 5000 miles. 

I'm not sure if you are American or just live there.  Regardless, you have certainly bought into the nonsense that the lube shops sell you about how much better your car will last if you change the oil 4 X more often than the people who actually designed the mechanical parts tell you is required.

OK, so the "recommendation" from Honda and Toyota (for example) varies between "per the maintenance minder", which is about every 7,500 miles on my Honda or every "10,000 miles" on my Corolla. Experienced mechanics recommend 5,000 mile oil changes over Toyota's recommended 10,000 mile changes. Here's an example: 

Here's the problem with "the people who actually designed the mechanical parts tell you is required", they are calling the lifetime of the vehicle as around 100,000 miles. Look at their "sealed transmissions" with "lifetime fill", and realize there ain't no such thing...its a lifetime as designated by the manufacturer. So go right ahead and follow those 10,000 mile oil change intervals and understand your car won't last as long. That's an extra 5,000 miles with all the gunk floating around in the oil, and todays cars have lots of little oil passages.

Any manufacturer has an incentive to make parts of sufficient quality to last the length of their warranty, and not a minute longer. Now, auto makers realize that having a car die at 36,001 miles (or perhaps 48,001/50,001) isn't good for business, but they also don't want to overengineer the product to last forever, so they've all kinda settled upon around 100,000 as a "lifetime". Some cars will last a little longer, some will last a little less, but overall, their "recommended maintenance schedule" is designed to make that happen. Given there is also now competition on "estimated maintenance costs", and some vehicles come with "free maintenance" for some period, they've cut those scheduled items back as well...not because the car won't do better with it, but because people look at those costs.

Ideally, you would do your first change at about 5,000 miles and send a sample off for oil analysis. That would then guide your next change interval, depending on the results. The oil analysis with report on contaminants and the condition of the oil (if it still meets viscosity standards, the loss of its additive package, etc) will enable you to chose a change schedule that protects the car AND reduces cost.

[strichener]

22 minutes ago, TxRover said:

OK, so the "recommendation" from Honda and Toyota (for example) varies between "per the maintenance minder", which is about every 7,500 miles on my Honda or every "10,000 miles" on my Corolla. Experienced mechanics recommend 5,000 mile oil changes over Toyota's recommended 10,000 mile changes. Here's an example: 

Here's the problem with "the people who actually designed the mechanical parts tell you is required", they are calling the lifetime of the vehicle as around 100,000 miles. Look at their "sealed transmissions" with "lifetime fill", and realize there ain't no such thing...its a lifetime as designated by the manufacturer. So go right ahead and follow those 10,000 mile oil change intervals and understand your car won't last as long. That's an extra 5,000 miles with all the gunk floating around in the oil, and todays cars have lots of little oil passages.

Any manufacturer has an incentive to make parts of sufficient quality to last the length of their warranty, and not a minute longer. Now, auto makers realize that having a car die at 36,001 miles (or perhaps 48,001/50,001) isn't good for business, but they also don't want to overengineer the product to last forever, so they've all kinda settled upon around 100,000 as a "lifetime". Some cars will last a little longer, some will last a little less, but overall, their "recommended maintenance schedule" is designed to make that happen. Given there is also now competition on "estimated maintenance costs", and some vehicles come with "free maintenance" for some period, they've cut those scheduled items back as well...not because the car won't do better with it, but because people look at those costs.

Ideally, you would do your first change at about 5,000 miles and send a sample off for oil analysis. That would then guide your next change interval, depending on the results. The oil analysis with report on contaminants and the condition of the oil (if it still meets viscosity standards, the loss of its additive package, etc) will enable you to chose a change schedule that protects the car AND reduces cost.

I am not sure if this is supposed to counter my point but it really doesn't.  I have had multiple vehicles cover 200k miles with no need to change the oil outside of the manufacturer's specified services.  Now I am sure that many others have had similar experiences in the same way as many will have suffered problems well before this.  Putting this down to oil changes over simplifies this especially given the improvements seen with synthetic oil. As for manufacturers classing a lifetime as 100k that is just making things up.

[TxRover]

4 minutes ago, strichener said:

I am not sure if this is supposed to counter my point but it really doesn't.  I have had multiple vehicles cover 200k miles with no need to change the oil outside of the manufacturer's specified services.  Now I am sure that many others have had similar experiences in the same way as many will have suffered problems well before this.  Putting this down to oil changes over simplifies this especially given the improvements seen with synthetic oil. As for manufacturers classing a lifetime as 100k that is just making things up.

You opinion is fine, I believe you are wrong, you believe I am…so be it. Do you really think an automobile transmission can run, sealed, for 200,000 miles, let alone 100,000 to 150,000.

Example, ZF says their popular 8-speed transmission should have its fluid changed every 50,000 miles. Most auto manufacturers say they are either lifetime fill or at 120,000 miles. The manufacturer doesn’t care, 50,000 is within their warranty period…ZF doesn’t care what the manufacturer says because it’s their job to warranty the transmission, and if the 50k doesn’t happen, ZF denies the claim from the manufacturer…

Example, Lexus offers extended factory warranties, up to (but not beyond) 100,000…

Example, Kia offers a standard 7 year, 100,000 mile warranty in the UK…but will not offer a factory extension…

Example, the 10th Gen Corolla was notorious for turning into an oil guzzling pig between 100k and 120k if the 10k interval was followed, those that changed at 5k or 7.5k had very few issues. The oil passages in the heads, and below the pistons, tended to gum up, resulting in bore scoring and oil consumption. 

We can go on like this, but almost the only way to get warranties that extend beyond 100,000 (sometimes excepting some hybrid components and some emissions equipment) is aftermarket insurance companies, not manufacturers.

[DumbartonBud]

On 26/10/2023 at 17:31, Derry Alli said:

Looking at a Juke or a Cactus. Which one of these beauty in the eye of the beholder cars should I avoid?

The wife had the choice between a Juke and. C-HR a couple of years ago, the Juke rode like it didn’t have any rubber in the suspension. 
So got the C-HR, spaceship noises in town and very little poke on the motorway, about to be replaced by a Merc CLA. 

[hk blues]

9 hours ago, DumbartonBud said:

The wife had the choice between a Juke and. C-HR a couple of years ago, the Juke rode like it didn’t have any rubber in the suspension. 
So got the C-HR, spaceship noises in town and very little poke on the motorway, about to be replaced by a Merc CLA. 

[RandomGuy.]

Oil changes are 10k miles or 12 months IMO, under that is fine but likely wasting money, over that is an ever increasing risk of damage. If your cars chain driven than you should go with caution. A lot of it comes to down to how you drive it tbh, motorway miles are great for engines tbh, most of the high mileage ones ive seen are due to that, and barely have any problems.

Far too many people seem to think ignoring servicing your car is worth it. £200 could save you from thousands of pounds worth of damage and insurance companies here wont help you if your car blows up and youve no service record.

[RH33]

1 hour ago, RandomGuy. said:

Oil changes are 10k miles or 12 months IMO, under that is fine but likely wasting money, over that is an ever increasing risk of damage. If your cars chain driven than you should go with caution. A lot of it comes to down to how you drive it tbh, motorway miles are great for engines tbh, most of the high mileage ones ive seen are due to that, and barely have any problems.

Far too many people seem to think ignoring servicing your car is worth it. £200 could save you from thousands of pounds worth of damage and insurance companies here wont help you if your car blows up and youve no service record.

What if your car blows up and the service record is in the burning vehicle?!

[TxRover]

5 hours ago, RH33 said:

What if your car blows up and the service record is in the burning vehicle?!

Then it's yours...

[Loonytoons]

On 20/10/2023 at 11:04, Loonytoons said:

It's my young lads car.  No issues with the dust covers though, need a fair bit of pressure to get them off.

Update, no local breakers yards have them.  

Arnold Clark in Dundee were decent but stated that it's part of the headlight unit and can't be bought separately!

Universal clips are miles away from fitting correctly, going to have to make one myself.

Success.  Not perfect but it's holding the bulb securely.

[Hedgecutter]

14 minutes ago, Loonytoons said:

Success.  Not perfect but it's holding the bulb securely.

Bring on the skiing season

[Loonytoons]

18 minutes ago, Hedgecutter said:

Bring on the skiing season

[Wacky]

On 26/10/2023 at 17:31, Derry Alli said:

Looking at a Juke or a Cactus. Which one of these beauty in the eye of the beholder cars should I avoid?

Have you ever sat in a Juke? I feel there’s not much space between the door and the driver. It’s like driving a Land Rover, my arm has no space to move, the other one is called a cactus ffs. 

[scottsdad]

16 hours ago, Wacky said:

Have you ever sat in a Juke? I feel there’s not much space between the door and the driver. It’s like driving a Land Rover, my arm has no space to move, the other one is called a cactus ffs. 

When I bought my car I looked at a Juke. Looked big on the outside but I could barely fit in it. 

Got a duster instead - great car. 

[Guest]

Pretty sure I already know the answer to this but I've just bought and installed a set of second hand wheels, went for a drive in the car and the steering wheel was shaking, when I got out I realised that 3 of the wheels were 225/40/R18 and 1 was 235/40/R18 is this the issue here?

[RH33]

Yes.

[alta-pete]

34 minutes ago, Empty It said:

Pretty sure I already know the answer to this but I've just bought and installed a set of second hand wheels, went for a drive in the car and the steering wheel was shaking, when I got out I realised that 3 of the wheels were 225/40/R18 and 1 was 235/40/R18 is this the issue here?

No. Balancing.

But if you’ve bought second hand wheels with part worn tyres of differing sizes (mixed brands too I’ll wager?) I suspect you’ve just bought some scrap.