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#1
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Getting 200K+ miles out of a car
When I bought the 1992 Isuzu Trooper in 1996 with 45K miles
on it, I decided that this was the one I would try to drive "into the ground," that is, see how many miles I could get out of it. A daily 60-mile commute for the last six years has advanced this project big time! From my careful records, and here are some of the particulars. At about 198K miles now, the engine doesn't burn much more oil than it did when I bought it. A quart every 2000 miles now vs. every 2500 miles then. (I remember being dismayed to discover the car's oil consumption only after I had bought it.) I've just had to replace the (manual) transmission because the front-wheel drive transfer case suddenly started rattling. (According to my mechanic, the design prevented the transfer case alone from being replaced.) When I replaced the clutch a few of months ago, at 185K, he showed me how I had gotten every last mile out of it -- the disc was worn down exactly to the rivets. I have new front brakes, but the rear brakes can wait a while longer because I had replaced their pads around mile 75K. The things that have failed that aren't supposed to wear out are these: A hose in the power steering system, the fuel pump, and the radiator, all within the last two years. (The replacement fuel pump failed too, but at least it had a lifetime warranty.) I'm on my second Meineke muffler -- they seem to last about two years -- and so I'll find out soon if their lifetime warranty means just that. -- (Charles Packer) http://cpacker.org/whatnews |
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#2
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You really should be doing regular maintenance on the parts that
normally wear out, such as belts, hoses, etc. Rubber goes bad after a period of time whether you have 0 miles or 200,000. They are usually cheap to replace, and if they break while you're driving, you're SOL. I don't know why you think these other parts such as the radiator don't wear out. EVERYTHING wears out eventually; some just aren't regular maintenance items. |
#3
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You really should be doing regular maintenance on the parts that
normally wear out, such as belts, hoses, etc. Rubber goes bad after a period of time whether you have 0 miles or 200,000. They are usually cheap to replace, and if they break while you're driving, you're SOL. I don't know why you think these other parts such as the radiator don't wear out. EVERYTHING wears out eventually; some just aren't regular maintenance items. |
#4
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"Charles Packer" > wrote in message om... > When I bought the 1992 Isuzu Trooper in 1996 with 45K miles > on it, I decided that this was the one I would try to drive > "into the ground," that is, see how many miles I could get > out of it. A daily 60-mile commute for the last six years > has advanced this project big time! Take proper care of the vehicle (which it sounds like you are doing) and it may never "drive into the ground." Of course, things will wear out and need to be replaced, but that goes with the territory with any car, not just a high mileage one. > From my careful records, and here are some of the particulars. > At about 198K miles now, the engine doesn't burn much more > oil than it did when I bought it. A quart every 2000 miles > now vs. every 2500 miles then. (I remember being dismayed to > discover the car's oil consumption only after I had bought it.) The oil consumption is not really a major issue, IMO. I have heard some say that using up to a quart of oil between oil changes is actually good for the engine. Maybe some techies around here can enlighten us on that. > I've just had to replace the (manual) transmission because the > front-wheel drive transfer case suddenly started > rattling. (According to my mechanic, the design prevented > the transfer case alone from being replaced.) When I replaced > the clutch a few of months ago, at 185K, he showed > me how I had gotten every last mile out of it -- the disc was > worn down exactly to the rivets. I have new front brakes, but > the rear brakes can wait a while longer because I had replaced > their pads around mile 75K. > > The things that have failed that aren't supposed to wear out > are these: A hose in the power steering system, the fuel pump, > and the radiator, all within the last two years. (The replacement > fuel pump failed too, but at least it had a lifetime warranty.) Sounds like you are really getting your money's worth from the vehicle. Also, the parts you mention that shouldn't fail can and do fail and need replacing. > I'm on my second Meineke muffler -- they seem to last about > two years -- and so I'll find out soon if their lifetime > warranty means just that. I have not had the opportunity to deal with Meineke - no store in my town - so please do let us know how it turns out if you get the opportunity to test their warranty claim. -- Friends don't let friends shop at wal-mart or circuit city. |
#5
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"Charles Packer" > wrote in message om... > When I bought the 1992 Isuzu Trooper in 1996 with 45K miles > on it, I decided that this was the one I would try to drive > "into the ground," that is, see how many miles I could get > out of it. A daily 60-mile commute for the last six years > has advanced this project big time! Take proper care of the vehicle (which it sounds like you are doing) and it may never "drive into the ground." Of course, things will wear out and need to be replaced, but that goes with the territory with any car, not just a high mileage one. > From my careful records, and here are some of the particulars. > At about 198K miles now, the engine doesn't burn much more > oil than it did when I bought it. A quart every 2000 miles > now vs. every 2500 miles then. (I remember being dismayed to > discover the car's oil consumption only after I had bought it.) The oil consumption is not really a major issue, IMO. I have heard some say that using up to a quart of oil between oil changes is actually good for the engine. Maybe some techies around here can enlighten us on that. > I've just had to replace the (manual) transmission because the > front-wheel drive transfer case suddenly started > rattling. (According to my mechanic, the design prevented > the transfer case alone from being replaced.) When I replaced > the clutch a few of months ago, at 185K, he showed > me how I had gotten every last mile out of it -- the disc was > worn down exactly to the rivets. I have new front brakes, but > the rear brakes can wait a while longer because I had replaced > their pads around mile 75K. > > The things that have failed that aren't supposed to wear out > are these: A hose in the power steering system, the fuel pump, > and the radiator, all within the last two years. (The replacement > fuel pump failed too, but at least it had a lifetime warranty.) Sounds like you are really getting your money's worth from the vehicle. Also, the parts you mention that shouldn't fail can and do fail and need replacing. > I'm on my second Meineke muffler -- they seem to last about > two years -- and so I'll find out soon if their lifetime > warranty means just that. I have not had the opportunity to deal with Meineke - no store in my town - so please do let us know how it turns out if you get the opportunity to test their warranty claim. -- Friends don't let friends shop at wal-mart or circuit city. |
#7
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wrote: > You really should be doing regular maintenance on the parts that > normally wear out, such as belts, hoses, etc. Rubber goes bad after a > period of time whether you have 0 miles or 200,000. They are usually > cheap to replace, and if they break while you're driving, you're SOL. > Indeed, I did have the belts and hoses replaced at about 150K miles. At that time, I asked my mechanic what else might fail such that the car would be inoperable, and he suggested the alternator, so I had him replace that too. -- (Charles Packer) http://cpacker.org/whatnews |
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