Does towing caravans still break cars??
Discussion
Went to look at an 8 year old forester today. All was well, comprehensive service history, only real issues are the recently fitted dodgy brand tyres. I did spot a detachable tow bar and the dealer said the previous owner towed a caravan with it.
Is it likely that towing causes much in the way of premature wear and tear these days. for what its worth the rear end didnt show any obvious sag and it drove nicely - no knocks, bangs or creaks.
I'm thinking about using the towing issue as a bargaining tool
cheers for tips
Is it likely that towing causes much in the way of premature wear and tear these days. for what its worth the rear end didnt show any obvious sag and it drove nicely - no knocks, bangs or creaks.
I'm thinking about using the towing issue as a bargaining tool
cheers for tips
Towing is extra weight, so still puts extra strain onto the engine and drivetrain.
All depends on how many miles. If its an 8 year old car with 100k miles, but feels nice and tight to drive, I wouldn't worry that much.
If it has only done 40k, it might be rather hard to tell how much towing it's done, and how much wear that may have put on it.
I used my old Mondeo to tow for probably about 5k out of the 92k it had when I sold it, and you wouldn't have noticed anything odd in the way it drove. Clutch was original and seemed as new.
I guess I'd say try a few examples. Once you have an idea of how one should drive, it may be easier to tell how much of a kicking it has taken.
All depends on how many miles. If its an 8 year old car with 100k miles, but feels nice and tight to drive, I wouldn't worry that much.
If it has only done 40k, it might be rather hard to tell how much towing it's done, and how much wear that may have put on it.
I used my old Mondeo to tow for probably about 5k out of the 92k it had when I sold it, and you wouldn't have noticed anything odd in the way it drove. Clutch was original and seemed as new.
I guess I'd say try a few examples. Once you have an idea of how one should drive, it may be easier to tell how much of a kicking it has taken.
Guess it also depends on how often it was used to tow.
Might have been once a year a couple of miles down the road, you never know.
You could if very interested in the car ask the garage to find out or if appropriate get in touch with the previous owner and ask in person.
Will allay any fears then?
Might have been once a year a couple of miles down the road, you never know.
You could if very interested in the car ask the garage to find out or if appropriate get in touch with the previous owner and ask in person.
Will allay any fears then?
Wacky Racer said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wh_bifwDoQ
Edited by Matt UK on Tuesday 23 November 23:17
How much does the average caravan weigh? Just thinking that a friend of mine drives to work and back every day with 4 large girls in her car (and she's not on the small side either), so that's probably nearly 400 kilos extra in a little 206 - she's done the journey for almost a year now and the car doesn't seem to have any major problems (apart from her complaining the brakes don't feel as good - try getting your friends to go on a diet sweetie) so I'm assuming a robust car like a Forester should be able to tow a bit more than that without too many problems.
From what I can tell the previous owner was a retired gent, who has traded up to an xtrail as it will tow his new bigger'van. I'm guessing it hasnt been thrashed which is probably helpful.
the service folder seems to be complete - even down to the brochure details his choice of options!
tbh it drove better than the audi TT i also tested today.
the service folder seems to be complete - even down to the brochure details his choice of options!
tbh it drove better than the audi TT i also tested today.
I'm sure it wears things out quicker. Brakes, clutch, dampers for a start.
A few years back I used to regularly give 2 or 3 colleagues a lift to work. In that period I wore out a set of discs and pads in 18K miles.
Now travelling alone I'm certainly getting more MPG and the most recent discs and pads have lasted a lot longer than 18K miles.
I certainly noticed the extra 250kgs I was dragging about every day. What does your average caravan weight? At least 3 times that?
A few years back I used to regularly give 2 or 3 colleagues a lift to work. In that period I wore out a set of discs and pads in 18K miles.
Now travelling alone I'm certainly getting more MPG and the most recent discs and pads have lasted a lot longer than 18K miles.
I certainly noticed the extra 250kgs I was dragging about every day. What does your average caravan weight? At least 3 times that?
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