Advice on keeping my car "healthy"

nolongerindenial

what you need to remember about the quoted figures, is they are quoted at a very specific mph, and they run the car on no hill at all (which sap energy / fuel) on a car which is run in very carefully using blueprinted parts to ensure they are all perfectly to specification. However a mass produced car is thrown together as quickly as they can do using whatever components they have to had within the specification + tolerence.

I have a friend who is a mechanic for mitsubishi - and sometimes drivers (typically older) come into the garage stating the car feels hesitant to accellerate. They usually take it for a 10-20 minute test drive (long enough to get it upto temperature properly and then give it some beans on the way back to the workshop.

They then perform a standard service on the car and not one owner has come back saying the car still feels hesitant. Without wanting to go to far into the reasons, the ECU (Engine Cotnrol Unit) has a storeof the state of the engine, (In older ECU's its caled KAMFR), this allows the ecu to adjust the pulse width of the injectors (Longer for a tight engine / highly used engine - shorter for an engine in optimal condition).

DomTom

thanks for all the tips, i'll make sure the oil is changed between services!

looks like there isn't a haynes manual for that car yet (only did a quick search though)

previous car was a peugeot 106 1.2l

babyshoes

I agree with the other posters - if you don't know enough to do the servicing yourself, then just try to keep up with the basics - POWER : Petrol, Oil, Water, Electrics, Rubber.

Petrol (or diesel) - try not to drive down to empty as this can cause any gunk in the bottom of the tank to get through to the engine
Oil - check your oil level around once a month, top up if necessary, and if it needs topping up often then get it checked to find out why. Also have oil and filter changed regularly.
Water - check level of coolant regularly, and if necessary find out what coolant is required then top up. If topping up is frequent, have it checked to find out why.
Electrics - check that lights function, that battery clamp is present and secure, and also that battery terminals are on tightly.
Rubber - in other words tyres. Check pressures weekly, preferably with a separate pressure gague as the ones in filling stations are abused and seldom calibrated. Also check monthly for low tread depth, funny tread wear patterns, bulges on sidewalls and any cuts, nicks, or perishing.

If you do these basics, and take it for regular servicing, then as long as your garage does the correct services when required, your car should stay as healthy as you would reasonably expect it to.

vaio

babyshoes wrote: »

I agree with the other posters - if you don't know enough to do the servicing yourself, then just try to keep up with the basics - POWER : Petrol, Oil, Water, Electrics, Rubber.

Petrol (or diesel) - try not to drive down to empty as this can cause any gunk in the bottom of the tank to get through to the engine.

Never understood this one, surely the fuel pick up is going to be at the bottom of the tank anyway so any gunk in the bottom of the tank is going to be the first thing sucked up?

babyshoes wrote: »

…….Oil - check your oil level around once a month, top up if necessary, and if it needs topping up often then get it checked to find out why. Also have oil and filter changed regularly. .

I’d check the oil way more often than once a month, far better to get in the habit of a quick once over under the bonnet every time you fill the fuel tank

LandyAndy

vaio wrote: »

Never understood this one, surely the fuel pick up is going to be at the bottom of the tank anyway so any gunk in the bottom of the tank is going to be the first thing sucked up?

On tanks I've seen (in classics, admiittedly) the outlet is low but not at the bottom to allow crud to accumulate below the pick up level. The advice on keeping the level up is to avoid the crud being picked up by the extra 'swirl' associated with low fuel levels.

focae

vaio wrote: »

If you are intending to keep it long term the only thing I might be tempted to do is give it an extra oil change between scheduled ones.

What a complete waste of money. Just change the oil at the regular service intervals.

The only time you need to think of unscheduled oil changes is if you tow a lot. For 'normal' driving, modern oils don't break down like they used to and your engine should last as long as the rest of the car.

Of course mechanical breakdowns can still happen but unnecessary oil changes won't affect that.

vaio

I disagree, the specified oil change interval is squarely aimed keeping servicing costs down to attract the fleet buyers but they don’t really care what happens after 3-4 years/50k miles.

Audi, Vauxhall and Saab to my knowledge have had significant engine problems caused by overly long oil change intervals.

Kilty_2

WRT a Haynes manual - an Astra H diesel manual should cover it - it's the same 1.3 CDTi engine.

cyclonebri1

DomTom wrote: »

I've bought a brand new corsa 2 weeks ago. the 1.3 diesel ecoflex model.

I plan on keeping this car for a long time, and while flicking through the warranty booklet i was quickly confused.

I don't want to fork out for a haynes manual, i was hoping someone here could advise me on things to do every so often, such as oil changes.

I was disapointed to find that the car also didn't do 62mpg, (i drive well, rarely accelerate sharply and don't do over 70).

on a 300 mile motorway run and 100 mile A-roads run (ie a tank) i found i did 52mpg.

i don't have a trip computer, i work out how many miles i do per full tank.

I too am gobsmacked that anyone who has bought a new car, plans to keep it a good while, and also plans to do there own maintenance, is too tight to buy a decent manual :eek: :eek: :eek:
What do they say? pound foolish, pennywise? Seriously proveded one is available get it, you can flog it when the car goes. :wall::wall:

Again as has been said you will not attain max efficiecy untill the engine has well and trully run in, probably at it's best somewhere btween 15-20k miles.

We bought an ex demo Clio 1.5 dci. 198 miles on the clock. Its first run was around Scotland and returned 63mpg, a similar length journey over the same route 2 years later gave almost 75mpg.

focae

vaio wrote: »

Audi, Vauxhall and Saab to my knowledge have had significant engine problems caused by overly long oil change intervals.

Oh.......did you read this in the Daily Mail or is it internet folklore?

I suspect if this was really the case then we would all have heard about it by now.