At what point do you just stop servicing cars?
Discussion
I service my cars impeccably. Actually I don't, I take it to the garage and they do it. It's not cheap but my cars stay in good condition.
However. My Clio cup is now on 85k, it will be due it's second cambelt next year which is a 500 quid bill. On top of a few other little jobs I will need doing to keep in tip top condition.
The problem will be that this will all add up to over 50% of the cars value. There must come a time when it's just wiser to run a car down into the ground.
Previously this would come when mechanical expenses coincide with the body/chassis rusting through but as yet the Clio hasn't got a spec of rust anywhere at 9 years old. So it looks like the car will at least look good until the day the cambelt snaps, which could be in 5 years.
Stopping shelling out on servicing and replacing worn bits now would probably save me in the region of £400 a year. If it did limp on for 4 or 5 years you've already saved a decent amount towards its replacement.
Obviously I'll always change the oil every 6-10k and anything for the mot would have to get done up to a point, there's no point scrapping a decent car because it needs a set of discs. But there has to be a point when you just say, ok. This cars had its love from me. Your on your own pall!.
Anybody else do this? Surely we're not all w
es to the service stamps until the bitter end??
However. My Clio cup is now on 85k, it will be due it's second cambelt next year which is a 500 quid bill. On top of a few other little jobs I will need doing to keep in tip top condition.
The problem will be that this will all add up to over 50% of the cars value. There must come a time when it's just wiser to run a car down into the ground.
Previously this would come when mechanical expenses coincide with the body/chassis rusting through but as yet the Clio hasn't got a spec of rust anywhere at 9 years old. So it looks like the car will at least look good until the day the cambelt snaps, which could be in 5 years.
Stopping shelling out on servicing and replacing worn bits now would probably save me in the region of £400 a year. If it did limp on for 4 or 5 years you've already saved a decent amount towards its replacement.
Obviously I'll always change the oil every 6-10k and anything for the mot would have to get done up to a point, there's no point scrapping a decent car because it needs a set of discs. But there has to be a point when you just say, ok. This cars had its love from me. Your on your own pall!.
Anybody else do this? Surely we're not all w
es to the service stamps until the bitter end??The battered 206 I've bought for the commute had had a service and I'll replace the tired starter motor other than that I don't want to spend anything on it. It has 12 months MOT and depending on how much it costs to get through its next one will decide if it gets sold or kept for another year
I'd stop servicing a complete piece of crap car that was only worth scrap money - but running a (seemingly mint) Clio Cup into the ground seems like lunacy to me if I'm honest! Surely there's just as much value in looking after it and then selling it when you want something new whilst it still has value rather than scrapping it?
You do realise, being french, the moment you stop looking after it everything will break 
. On a serious note I don't think I could bring myself to stop properly looking after a car, even if I was paying more to service it than it was worth, it would just seem wrong to abuse a piece of precision engineering.
. On a serious note I don't think I could bring myself to stop properly looking after a car, even if I was paying more to service it than it was worth, it would just seem wrong to abuse a piece of precision engineering.Just debating whether to do the cambelt on my Cup, did the last oil & filters change myself. Blew the gearbox earlier this year & made the decision to have it rebuilt & change the clutch, that was a big bill! Do I stick with it & spend whatevers needed or even look for a tweeked motor & get a garage to do the swap?!!!
I ran the OH's Punto for five years without servicing it and it never showed any signs of suffering from it - the only things that went wrong were competely unrelated to anything in the service schedule. My parents have it now and it's still plodding along quite happily (although I did service it before I gave it to them).
I'm fairly convinced that service intervals are massively artificially shortened in order to drag buyers back into the dealers as soon as possible.
I'm fairly convinced that service intervals are massively artificially shortened in order to drag buyers back into the dealers as soon as possible.
Edited by kambites on Sunday 9th September 19:11
Depends on the car, condition, age, what it is worth or means to the individual.
If your Cup is mint, and you see no reason or have no plans to sell it, then get it done.
I had an immaculate old MGF, which got a massive service from me in the first year. I kept it 5 more years with only the basic oil, filter and safety items serviced. Sold it last year and I think it is still going strong on the cambelt I bought.
If its in banger territory, but you want to keep it, is there not a cheaper alternative, local retired mechanic, mate, bloke dwn the pub who could do it for the cost of parts and a curry?
Then again, plenty of cars never get belts changed and go on for years.
Cambelt Roulette. You could save a fortune, but then again if its going to go, sods law dictates it will be on a vital journey, pissing with rain, at night on a bank holiday, the week the Renault suppliers have only 1 left, and its for the later model year etc etc.
If your Cup is mint, and you see no reason or have no plans to sell it, then get it done.
I had an immaculate old MGF, which got a massive service from me in the first year. I kept it 5 more years with only the basic oil, filter and safety items serviced. Sold it last year and I think it is still going strong on the cambelt I bought.
If its in banger territory, but you want to keep it, is there not a cheaper alternative, local retired mechanic, mate, bloke dwn the pub who could do it for the cost of parts and a curry?
Then again, plenty of cars never get belts changed and go on for years.
Cambelt Roulette. You could save a fortune, but then again if its going to go, sods law dictates it will be on a vital journey, pissing with rain, at night on a bank holiday, the week the Renault suppliers have only 1 left, and its for the later model year etc etc.
I ran an Alfa 145 cloverleaf for 13000 miles until a little end bearing went.
It was on 130k almost, and 70k overdue for a service! It hadn't had oil changes in that time, if it had not in the past 30k...just topped up occasionally.
Bought it for 350, sold for 250, with a broken engine and 13000 miles of use. Id say if you buy cheaply (sub 500) - just keep the fluids topped up and run it, can always be sold for parts when its spent.
A clio cup though....no. That should be kept in shape. Give it 20 years and they'll be worth something.
It was on 130k almost, and 70k overdue for a service! It hadn't had oil changes in that time, if it had not in the past 30k...just topped up occasionally.
Bought it for 350, sold for 250, with a broken engine and 13000 miles of use. Id say if you buy cheaply (sub 500) - just keep the fluids topped up and run it, can always be sold for parts when its spent.
A clio cup though....no. That should be kept in shape. Give it 20 years and they'll be worth something.
Chicane-UK said:
I'd stop servicing a complete piece of crap car that was only worth scrap money - but running a (seemingly mint) Clio Cup into the ground seems like lunacy to me if I'm honest! Surely there's just as much value in looking after it and then selling it when you want something new whilst it still has value rather than scrapping it?
This is a good point. These clios seem to sell now for around 1500 quid. However, I believe a good one will always be worth that. So it's never going to be a 300 quid car. This does change things slightly. Also the fact that if i remained fussy for the next 5 years and kept it mint then it would possibly be worth more than it is now. Looking at other such hot hatches. I probably will end up doing the belts and other bits, but that's due to the car. I'm pretty sure if it was a mondo worth 1500 I wouldn't be spending a penny.
I've always serviced mine without fail tbh, and have never considered not doing so! However I've never had a shed/banger yet, so that is probably why.
My brother in law had an astravan that he had from new and literally never serviced it (never even changed the oil or anything!). That made it to just past 160000 miles IIRC!
My brother in law had an astravan that he had from new and literally never serviced it (never even changed the oil or anything!). That made it to just past 160000 miles IIRC!
rufusgti said:
This is a good point. These clios seem to sell now for around 1500 quid. However, I believe a good one will always be worth that. So it's never going to be a 300 quid car. This does change things slightly. Also the fact that if i remained fussy for the next 5 years and kept it mint then it would possibly be worth more than it is now. Looking at other such hot hatches.
I probably will end up doing the belts and other bits, but that's due to the car. I'm pretty sure if it was a mondo worth 1500 I wouldn't be spending a penny.
Yeah - the Clio Cup isn't common at all and I think will be pretty desirable (even more than it is) in another few years. I'm surprised you can get them for £1,500 to be honest! Hot hatch bargain! I probably will end up doing the belts and other bits, but that's due to the car. I'm pretty sure if it was a mondo worth 1500 I wouldn't be spending a penny.
I just scrapped my car because getting it useable for myself would have cost a over a grand and for that money there are cars I would rather have. I could have bodged it through the MOT with part worn linglongs, some 99p ebay suspension parts and not bothered with the cambelt. The reliability of the car too important so I didn't.
Cars are not investment so I have no problem spending more than they are worth in repairs & maintenance provided I want to keep a while
Cars are not investment so I have no problem spending more than they are worth in repairs & maintenance provided I want to keep a while
I've recently done this with a 205 gti! Bought by mistake, and have put many thousand miles on it with utter neglect. Now run out of time to get it ready for an MOT so being kept as a source of spares for the others. Think it's only needing drop links and maybe a patch welded on the inner wing but I now work 110 miles away from where it's stored so it's being left for now
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