Main reasons cars get scrapped these days? Not engine wear anymore (or was it ever)?

Sportacus

I've mostly run old cars so have been the last owner on many now, and my reasons for scrapping them has either been the head gasket going, or expensive exhaust or electronics replacement needed.  Never the piston rings which is what we're told we need to change the oil for.  In conclusion, any point changing the oil if not changing it won't be the thing that kills your car in the end?

daveyjp

"Never the piston rings which is what we're told we need to change the oil for." 

By who?  I assume Doris on facebook, because its not what anyone with mechanical knowldge will tell you.

AdrianC

Most cars die the death of a thousand papercuts.

They would be perfectly good for years to come, with a little bit of maintenance. Like the ones that you say you've scrapped.

Changing oil doesn't just protect the piston rings. It stops the bearings wearing, it stops the oilways clogging, it generally protects the entire engine. If you don't ever change the oil, then terminal engine death WILL be the thing that kills the car.

Stubod

..changing the oil is vastly over rated and a bit of a con so that garages can make money from unsuspecting car owners that know no better.

Most cars will benefit from never changing the oil as over time it gets thicker and therefor offers greater engine protection in the longer term.

tedted

that is just rubbish

ratrace

Stubod said:

Most cars will benefit from never changing the oil as over time it gets thicker and therefor offers greater engine protection in the longer term.

Have you been on the sauce?

Stubod

..the same is true with tyres. They will eventually wear down to canvass which actually gives better grip...

cattom

most cars sort of pre 90s model used to be scrapped because they failed the mot, needing repairs like extensive welding needed to the underside, suspension exhaust etc. 
These days they still fail the mot, but more because the emissions are to high, and the culprit is very expensive to replace, like a catalyst, egr valve or pef filter. these things are all designed to keep the car enviromentaly friendly, but when they go wrong, get your wallet out.

Blackjack_Davy

The reason they get scrapped is MOT failure and being uneconimical to pay for all the welding to keep it on the road. Engine failure is rarely a thing these days. At least on the cars I've disposed of at anyrate. The other reason is accident damage with cars designed to crumple like paper in the event of an impact these days anything more than a minor bump is liable to write a car off

motorguy

Sportacus said:

I've mostly run old cars so have been the last owner on many now, and my reasons for scrapping them has either been the head gasket going, or expensive exhaust or electronics replacement needed.  Never the piston rings which is what we're told we need to change the oil for.  In conclusion, any point changing the oil if not changing it won't be the thing that kills your car in the end?

When i was motor trading in recent years, a percentage of the trade ins did end up being scrapped because of engine wear caused by lack of servicing.  One i can recall was ran very low on oil (car had been using it and they never bothered topping it up or servicing it) and rattled like a bag of spanners, and another was burning oil significantly.

Also, BMWs in particular require a good servicing regime on their diesel (usually the 2.0 litre) variants in particular as they are prone to premature timing chain failure if the oil is contaminated and / or the car runs low on oil.  Quite a few cars scrapped because of that.

lemondrops69

AdrianC said:

It stops the bearings wearing, 

Bearings will always wear, you probably mean wear at a slower rate, but of course they will eventually fail. The L10 calculation gives an indication to how long they should last if installed and maintained correctly