Do you drive higher mileage cars more gently?
Discussion
Or maybe the question is "should" you drive higher mileage cars more gently.
Our workhorse focus is nearing 120K, owned from new, fully serviced and maintained. It has never crossed my mind to change my driving habits when driving it as it has got older and it hasn't given us any bother. I drive it with mechanical sympathy, don't rev too much from cold etc, but once it's warm I'm quite happy to bounce it off the limiter in second gear now and then. It still runs smoothly and has had no major problems over and above the usual wear and tear items. Am I doing the car a disservice by driving it the same way now as when it was one year old with 10K on it?
I'm not worried about the car in particular, it's worth so little now that we'll either run it to death or give it to another family member, but I'm interested in people's opinions whether they drive all cars the same or baby the higher milers a bit more.
Our workhorse focus is nearing 120K, owned from new, fully serviced and maintained. It has never crossed my mind to change my driving habits when driving it as it has got older and it hasn't given us any bother. I drive it with mechanical sympathy, don't rev too much from cold etc, but once it's warm I'm quite happy to bounce it off the limiter in second gear now and then. It still runs smoothly and has had no major problems over and above the usual wear and tear items. Am I doing the car a disservice by driving it the same way now as when it was one year old with 10K on it?
I'm not worried about the car in particular, it's worth so little now that we'll either run it to death or give it to another family member, but I'm interested in people's opinions whether they drive all cars the same or baby the higher milers a bit more.
motorwaycruiser said:
I'm not worried about the car in particular, it's worth so little now that we'll either run it to death or give it to another family member, but I'm interested in people's opinions whether they drive all cars the same or baby the higher milers a bit more.
No & this is the reason why. Also, as mentioned, 120k isn't that high & as long as not hammered from cold, there's no reason to spare the rod once warmed (as you do). Mine isn't that far behind yours in mileage terms and that's how I view things. I treat it decently, keep it serviced and have fixed what's necessary and or sensible to do so. However, it is probably at the stage where I'm not going to fix things I don't have to and if anything major pops I'll just dispose of it as is.
No, drive it the same as any other car, my old e39 was on 150000 miles and it still managed 20 hard laps of the nurburgring and was perfect in every way, so long as you change the oil regularly a modern engine should outlast the rest of the car.
When I owned a garage a few years ago the cars with the worst rattling, smoking engines were the ones owned by old folks that never exercised the engine.
When I owned a garage a few years ago the cars with the worst rattling, smoking engines were the ones owned by old folks that never exercised the engine.
Paddy_N_Murphy said:
But your ears, nose, and senses as a whole are CONSTANTLY wondering what they heard, smelt, felt !!!!
Aint that the truth! I do this a lot due to my bangernomic passions and when I had my Alfa 155, I used to go past a small factory which used to emit various burning plastic type smells and I was about to buy a fire extinguisher before I realised 
rallycross said:
Yes
It's called mechanical sympathy and it's a rare skill.
No/Yes - Why? (Plus it isn't really that great a skill - usually just some common & often ignored as much out of a sense of it isn't mine or it isn't worth anything as much as anything else).It's called mechanical sympathy and it's a rare skill.
I've always obeyed the cold rule (well, almost always) and I've managed to get a Vauxhall
up to nigh on 200k without worthwhile issue (before it was killed for other reasons) & my Ford that is not all that far behind the OP's mileage hasn't even asked for oil outside of a service & has only had expected repairs given it's reasonably hard life. Also, it hasn't even seen the first cambelt change yet - praise be to Ferdinand Piech.Other bits, namely suspension and blast shot bodywork are creaking a little or a bit more - should I start to trundle like an 80 yo?
GuitarTech said:
As long as you warm it up properly and have enough relatively fresh oil in the engine, why not? 120K isn't really a lot for a modern car, providing it's been adequately serviced, so give it some beans if you feel like it.
^ For me this. Don't rag it from cold but once warm use it as hard as you likeMileage and age are a bit of a misnomer in my experience.
Besides, how many cars are scrapped because engine/transmission internals are knackered? My guess is not many. Usually its a combination of MOT failure points adding up to more than the car is worth- we have a very disposable attitude towards cars in Britain.
Besides, how many cars are scrapped because engine/transmission internals are knackered? My guess is not many. Usually its a combination of MOT failure points adding up to more than the car is worth- we have a very disposable attitude towards cars in Britain.
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