The 'Great Keep Your Car Tip Top For Less' Hunt

jonfev · 8 March 2007 at 9:58PM

pippppster wrote:

Nonsense. I drive 12000 miles a year, the vast majority of which is up and down the M1. I find that when I used to drive at 70mph to 75mph I was regularly tailgated by people who think that speed limits do not apply to them, making accidents much more likely, not less likely. Nobody is going to tailgate at 60mph in the inside lane. I arrive much more relaxed than previously. As for bog standard cars being designed to be driven continously at 80mph plus, the vibration levels are disproportionately higher at such speeds, causing much more rapid wear and tear. I do possess a degree in Engineering Vibration, and I used to work for Jaguar, whose cars are (not surprisingly) more robustly designed to be driven at high speeds for longer periods.[/QUO TE]

I also drive a similar mileage on mixed roads and I don't posses a degree of any kind but I do know I have faults as a driver and I constantly try to improve and learn from others. I still stand by what I said. I agree that for an awful lot of the time your driving at 60 will be fine but if you really are as inflexible as you appear to make out, then my point in my last post is valid, I see some subsequent posters are critical of your approach as well.

Whilst I think there is some room for debate over driving styles, you are 100% wrong about car design. All car engines vibrate. The typical mass produced 4 cylinder engine perhaps more than most. That said the vibration is isolated from the rest of the car through damping in the engine mounts. It is also reduced by using balancer technology in the engine mechanicals (I realise I am in sucking eggs territory here but I felt this needed pointing out). So vibration really isn't an issue for the driver because your engineering colleagues have designed around the problem. In terms of contemporary cars, I defy you to find a car on the market that can't do 80 mph and most comfortably exceed this.

I have a 2 litre Mondeo Diesel, which I think pretty much fits your description of a modern mass produced car. It does 8omph far too easily and will do so for long periods of time. Last year in France we averaged an indicated 85mph for nearly 500 miles on the excellent toll roads, indeed at one point I had to point out to my wife she was doing 95. Our Renault Clio will also easily cruise at 80. I like to think I have a degree of mechanical sympathy and I have no concerns for the car when travelling at these speeds. I should also mention these speeds are not my normal driving style but where appropriate ie the empty toll roads of France my cars are more than capable of sustained high speed. Have you driven any modern mass produced cars it seems to me that you can't have?

I know we will never agree but thanks for the chance to have an interesting debate on my favourite subject

Winter_Jasmine · 8 March 2007 at 10:39PM

Apologies if this has already been suggested (haven't read through every post):

We've got a Tesco credit card, which we put virtually everything on but pay off in full each month. We also do everything we can to get extra points. This means we end up with about £40 a quarter in points. We then swap these for deals tokens (at 4x the value - as you all know!) and use them at Nationwide Autocentres for our service & MOT - we also get 10% off for being AA members. Hope this is useful

Sim_2 · 9 March 2007 at 8:59AM

Buy a personalised plate !!

Here is the logic - Spend £250 on plate from the DVLA. Mrs Sim is a bit of a snob - could not possible drive a car over 3 years old. Now she has forgotten how old the car is so I can change at 4-5 years rather than 3. Saving considerably more than £250 by not changing!

Sim

charlieheard · 9 March 2007 at 1:03PM

pippppster wrote: »

I now drive at 60mph on the motorway. Saves a good 10% on fuel compared to 70mph, never mind the speedsters doing 90 or 100. Much kinder on the engine (mass produced cars are not designed to be driven at 80mph or more for extended periods). And much lower carbon emissions, so better for your carbon footprint.

Modern cars are designed (even optimised) to be driven on the motorway. Driving at slower speeds will put strain on the engine as it will be operating out of it's optimum range, and fuel consumption will go up
:eek:
Having said that, driving sensibly will save fuel. I had a Micra Diesel, and it would do over 60mpg on a long journey when keeping up with the traffic. One day I had a "terrible" journey - it was very busy and it was solid but moving steadily for over 100 miles. I got almost 80mpg! So I tried sticking religiously to 70mph max on the next journey and got 79.9mpg. I never managed to break 80mpg for a whole journey, only for parts of it :rolleyes:

A similar "problem" happened when CAR magazine drove a Porsche Turbo across Australia on a de-restricted road. They managed very high speeds for over 1500km, but had to refuel at least every hour and a half. The drivers noticed a normal saloon doing the same journey - it arrived only a few minutes after them on that huge journey because it had only had to stop for fuel every 4 hours.

charlieheard · 9 March 2007 at 1:24PM

marcustandy wrote: »

I'd seen the post to which you refer and have emailed the link to the 'oldies'. Just sewing the seed for now and then I'll take them shopping when next visiting.

Reading my own post above (#66), does anyone know if Toyota do a diesel Yaris?? :rolleyes:

Toyota do a diesel Yaris - they supplied the same engine to BMW for the previous MINI diesel. A new Yaris model has come out fairly recently, but I'm fairly sure the diesel uses basically the same engine. They also do an even smaller car - the Aygo - which is petrol only but is very economical.

However, my reply was aimed at someone who plans to use the car regularly. 20,000 miles in 13 years is a little over 1500 miles a year. It would be much cheaper to use taxis and hire cars to get around rather than pay hundreds of pounds a year in servicing costs and depreciation. It would be slightly less convenient day-to-day, but would save the hassle of maintaining the car...

t8769 · 9 March 2007 at 4:57PM

I've owned many cars, around the world, and spent a lot on repairs.

There's only one rule I keep to, Just Buy Japanese.

Whatever trouble you get from a Renault, Ford or any other make, it is unlikely a Japanese car will give you.

Buy a Honda, Toyota or Nissan, and you are very unlikely to make repairs, they just don't bread down.

I've known people who've driven 130,000 without a single repair. I drove a Toyota for 4 years, no serious repairs, and it was 7 years old.

Japanese cars are expensive, and they're not flashy, but you'll save on repairs, stress and petrol...

t8769 · 9 March 2007 at 5:10PM

Never ever have the garage that does your MOT make the repairs.. the temptation is too great.

You may as well give them the keys to your house and invite them to come by when you're out and help themselves.

Always get an MOT done at one garage, telll them there and then that you have your own mechanic who will do repairs, and then have it done elsewhere.

I took my old car to Kwikfit who found about £400 worth of 'repairs', took it to an indipendant MOT place, they found £30 worth of repairs. I don't believe there was a thing wrong with my car in the first MOT.

I would also advise to get several estimates before doing work. Garages will usually let you know what they think for free.

I estimate 50% of estimates for repairs I've had for my cars, over the years, have been false. Twice I have been told that I need a new transmition. Once when the fuel was low, once when there was nothing wrong with it at all.

keith234 · 9 March 2007 at 5:41PM

great hints thanx

mrtg0525 · 9 March 2007 at 5:51PM

t8769 wrote: »

Never ever have the garage that does your MOT make the repairs.. the temptation is too great.

I completely agree with this. My local tyre place does MOTs and I'm kind of trying to cultivate a "relationship" with them inasmuch as I tend to buy tyres from them and have my cars[1] MOT'd there. They'd also to exhausts but as my cars are all fitted with stainless steel exhausts that's not going to be an earner for them.

But as I've got rather specialist cars they know that apart from the above, it'll get taken away for any kind of repair so they're not going to make money out of that. In turn, I'm not taking the Michael and present a clean car with the engine warmed up so they can start the test right away.

t8769 wrote: »

I took my old car to Kwikfit who found about £400 worth of 'repairs', took it to an indipendant MOT place, they found £30 worth of repairs. I don't believe there was a thing wrong with my car in the first MOT.

KwakFit is notorious for that. A mate of mine was advised that his car needed new shock absorbers pretty much immediately and was almost too dangerous to be driven away.

Supposedly, the conversation then took a slight turn for the worse, along the lines of "Your shock absorbers carry a 12 month warranty, right?" "Of course, sir" "So would you mind changing them free of charge because if you check on your computer, you'll find that you fitted those about nine months ago?"

Throbbe · 12 March 2007 at 4:43PM

Gilean wrote: »

I read in a magazine that one of the best things we can do to maintain our cars and save fuel and emissions is to keep the tyres pumped tot he correct pressure - easy, eh!
Gil

Yep. Another dead easy one is to empty your boot/interior regularly. I'm often amazed at the extra weight I'm lugging around, mostly work stuff I needed 3 weeks ago, or a pushchair.

The 'Great Keep Your Car Tip Top For Less' Hunt

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