Tips for an old car

Chickabiddybex

Hi guys, I have a 1998 Fiesta 1.3 it's pretty sound apart from a hole in the exhaust that I'm gonna get patched up and an oil leak (that doesn't seem too bad but I'm not 100% sure until I get it to a garage)

Oh and the stereo doesn't work - but I don't really care.

Anywho, I digress. It's all fine apart from that but with some signs of ageing as you'd expect. Only done 50k miles.

I have seen people advise that only doing short journeys (short daily commute of 3.5 miles each way to work) with maybe one 10 mile journey a fortnight is a bad idea. However, I have spoken to someone who is very good with cars and he has advised me not to take it on long journeys. He suggested not taking it further than 10 miles or half an hour in one go.

So... my question is why? Why should I take it on long journeys. OR why should I not take it on long journeys? What actually happens to the car in both circumstances?

Stooby2

I have seen people advise that only doing short journeys (short daily commute of 3.5 miles each way to work) with maybe one 10 mile journey a fortnight is a bad idea. However, I have spoken to someone who is very good with cars and he has advised me not to take it on long journeys. He suggested not taking it further than 10 miles or half an hour in one go.

That sounds like nonsense to me - if you can't trust a car for more than ten miles why on earth would you buy it?

Most cars (and motorbikes) benefit from a good run, giving the engine a good rev to blow all the c r a p out. If you regularly change the oil & filters (at least yearly minimum) and keep on top of the maintenance you should be OK with it and trust it for reasonably long journeys.

Like any car, test drive it first. If it sounds like a bucket of bolts in a washing machine then walk away.

ilikewatch

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

He suggested not taking it further than 10 miles or half an hour in one go.

Other than the obvious question of reliability and not wanting to break down far from home in a 15 year old car, I have no idea why your friend suggested this.

It seems to be the accepted wisdom that a lifetime of short stop/start journeys tends to result in faster component wear, and various engine parts failing/performing poorly due to residues building up as the engine never gets up to temperature to burn them off. Personally I've noticed that exhausts seem to rust more quickly on cars that are only used for very short journeys - possible because they never get properly heated up, and so are always damp?

Chickabiddybex

How would I change the oil filter? Is it a fiver job in a garage? I only know how to fill up the oil but not how to change the filter.

mcjordi

the 1.3 endura fiesta is almost bullet proof. if you have breakdown cover drive it where you want..ive had several 1.3 fiestas and none have broken down, i had one on 156k and it never missed a beat .
as for the oil leak the most common place for the leak is the sump plug washer perishing..

maninthestreet

Join the AA, RAC, etc...

Dukesy

The advice not to take a car on long trips occasionally is absolute rubbish. All cars benefit from a blummin' good, long drive every now and then. Both of my 'daily drivers' are more than twenty years old and I wouldn't hesitate to drive them long distance.

On a 'modern' car, until the damage done by only ever driving short distance sets in, you don't really tend to notice the problems it can cause. I have a 1934 Austin 7 though, and when I take that for a long drive (100 miles plus), you REALLY notice how much good it's done the car - it drives better for weeks afterwards.

Stooby2

How would I change the oil filter? Is it a fiver job in a garage? I only know how to fill up the oil but not how to change the filter.

It's not a difficult job and well worth learning how to do. Some colleges do night school classes aimed at teaching basic maintenance or perhaps you have a friend who could show/help you the first couple of times? Have a look on ebay for a Haynes manual as they give good guides on basic stuff.

hartcjhart

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

How would I change the oil filter? Is it a fiver job in a garage? I only know how to fill up the oil but not how to change the filter.

http://www.fiestaguides.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=4417&sid=6f417e6abad9dd65f1225593173a3c8d


or try these peeps

http://www.national.co.uk/oil-vehicle-search.aspx

Chickabiddybex

Thanks for the info guys!

Unfortunately it already has a lot of damage from only being driven short distances.

This might be a dumb question: I just topped it up with oil... will I have to drain it all to change the filter? Should I wait til it's on minimum?

OldFartPlumber

Chickabiddybex wrote: »

Thanks for the info guys!

Unfortunately it already has a lot of damage from only being driven short distances.

This might be a dumb question: I just topped it up with oil... will I have to drain it all to change the filter? Should I wait til it's on minimum?

What damage ? I think you`re getting a bit paranoid;) If you`ve just topped it up then leave it for a month then change the oil and filter