Vehicle Cost Vs Servicing Costs
Discussion
I recently picked up a cheap car to last me till summertime by which point I plan to buy something more fun or comfortable, still undecided on which route to take. The car cost £360 and going by the service history it was last serviced around 2 years ago and has covered 12,000 miles since then.
Whilst pricing up the bits for a DIY service I noticed the cost for the air, fuel and oil filters plus oil, plugs, coolant, wipers and transmission fluid comes to half the cost of the car. This got me wondering, at what point do people stop using the good quality stuff to service a cheap motor and just use budget oil or even get sloppy and just delay servicing it? I can't see my car selling for a great deal more than what I paid for it when summer comes around.
I know it's somewhat of a daft question considering this is a forum for petrolheads, but this is cheapo snotters I am talking about and not peoples pride and joy. A lot of my previous cars have been in the sub £500 price bracket and they were all serviced by independants or specialists, usually at a cost of £150 each time. I will be spending a little bit over that to service this one myself but just wondering what fellow PHers do with their sheds.
Whilst pricing up the bits for a DIY service I noticed the cost for the air, fuel and oil filters plus oil, plugs, coolant, wipers and transmission fluid comes to half the cost of the car. This got me wondering, at what point do people stop using the good quality stuff to service a cheap motor and just use budget oil or even get sloppy and just delay servicing it? I can't see my car selling for a great deal more than what I paid for it when summer comes around.
I know it's somewhat of a daft question considering this is a forum for petrolheads, but this is cheapo snotters I am talking about and not peoples pride and joy. A lot of my previous cars have been in the sub £500 price bracket and they were all serviced by independants or specialists, usually at a cost of £150 each time. I will be spending a little bit over that to service this one myself but just wondering what fellow PHers do with their sheds.
If you want (need) it to run well, start first time over the winter, be a little more economical etc. then service it.
If it doesn't really matter that you rely on it then you can risk running it to the ground and forgetting servicing.
That's not to say servicing it = reliability but it will reduce the risk (however large/small) of it not working. Having to buy a replacement cheap car will also incur bills and cost X amount to purchase.
Check what history it does have, you may not need to do all the things on your list. At the price of the car, I would consider DIY if you're mechanically minded. Not worth spending a fortune at a MD, that's for sure!
Cue posts of people who haven't serviced their banger and it lasting for miles and miles and also posts of those that spend a bit servicing it and it breaking soon after
If it doesn't really matter that you rely on it then you can risk running it to the ground and forgetting servicing.
That's not to say servicing it = reliability but it will reduce the risk (however large/small) of it not working. Having to buy a replacement cheap car will also incur bills and cost X amount to purchase.
Check what history it does have, you may not need to do all the things on your list. At the price of the car, I would consider DIY if you're mechanically minded. Not worth spending a fortune at a MD, that's for sure!
Cue posts of people who haven't serviced their banger and it lasting for miles and miles and also posts of those that spend a bit servicing it and it breaking soon after
I'd just change the oil / filters and do a good saturday morning check over for as cheap as you can.
Nothing to do with onward value, more to do with keeping you going over the winter. Appreciate it's a cheap car, but standing on the hard shoulder is not much fun at this time of year.
Nothing to do with onward value, more to do with keeping you going over the winter. Appreciate it's a cheap car, but standing on the hard shoulder is not much fun at this time of year.
My £50 320i didn't get serviced in two years, but was amazingly reliable, even though it caught fire twice. MOT fixes were less than a tenner. I did buy it a new window from a scrappy, but I think windows getting broken don't count as a service item.
My £350 Nissan Silvia didn't get serviced either, sadly the MOT failures/damage would have cost more than the car, so I binned it.
My 535i was £600 and got new oil, new radiator, new coolant and new brakes. The plugs I took out and measured, and as they were clean and in spec they stayed in.
My £600 RX7 got a new battery. I was going to service it after a year, but it didn't last that long.
The tipping point for me is whether I love the car or not. The 535 I loved, and would have kept had it not been worth significantly more as scrap (thanks scrappage scheme), the RX7 I'd still have today if the entire floor hadn't rotted out (the plan was to keep it until the engine went pop).
My £350 Nissan Silvia didn't get serviced either, sadly the MOT failures/damage would have cost more than the car, so I binned it.
My 535i was £600 and got new oil, new radiator, new coolant and new brakes. The plugs I took out and measured, and as they were clean and in spec they stayed in.
My £600 RX7 got a new battery. I was going to service it after a year, but it didn't last that long.
The tipping point for me is whether I love the car or not. The 535 I loved, and would have kept had it not been worth significantly more as scrap (thanks scrappage scheme), the RX7 I'd still have today if the entire floor hadn't rotted out (the plan was to keep it until the engine went pop).
I ran the OH's old Punto for five years and about 40k miles without any kind of servicing beyond topping up fluids and it didn't seem to suffer from it in the slightest. Ended up giving it to my parents (having changed the belts, water pump and fluids) and it's still going strong without any obvious adverse effects - the only issues have been with the power steering which is unserviceable anyway.
Of course we might have been lucky but I'm slightly dubious of service schedules given that the people who say how often it should be done are those being paid by garages to be allowed to service them.
Of course we might have been lucky but I'm slightly dubious of service schedules given that the people who say how often it should be done are those being paid by garages to be allowed to service them.
I didn't hesitate to spend £186 MOTing and thoroughly servicing my £380 525i... It didn't even cross my mind to seek out particularly cheap parts. I'll probably spend more than the car's cost on servicing, improvements and consumables every year until I sell it/it dies.
The thing is the car is worth more to me than the price, and so long as that's the case I'll keep/maintain it.
The thing is the car is worth more to me than the price, and so long as that's the case I'll keep/maintain it.
Devil2575 said:
Captain Muppet said:
My £50 320i didn't get serviced in two years, but was amazingly reliable, even though it caught fire twice.
Only caught fire twice...Yeah, really reliable
I blame both fires on the idiot who parked the car on top of kindling, rather than blaming the car.
Poor car. I only bought it for a trackday, and planned to scrap it on the way home. It never failed to start or complete a journey.
HustleRussell said:
I didn't hesitate to spend £186 MOTing and thoroughly servicing my £380 525i... It didn't even cross my mind to seek out particularly cheap parts. I'll probably spend more than the car's cost on servicing, improvements and consumables every year until I sell it/it dies.
The thing is the car is worth more to me than the price, and so long as that's the case I'll keep/maintain it.
If the car was a long term keeper than I wouldn't hesitate on spending the cash. I spent a silly amount of money on the upkeep and repairs on my old Rover 416 Gti, even when it was stolen and then recovered I felt the need to replace the locks etc and still drive it. I don't feel anywhere near as attached to the current shed though.The thing is the car is worth more to me than the price, and so long as that's the case I'll keep/maintain it.
I think in that case I'd probably do the bare minimum- Oil and filter, blast the air filter with compressed air to get the worst of the crud out, and any work required for MOTs. The car can then easily be thoroughly serviced when you want to.
A balance must be struck though because a poorly serviced car is going to be slower, less economical, and less likely to pass it's MOT.
A balance must be struck though because a poorly serviced car is going to be slower, less economical, and less likely to pass it's MOT.
giblet said:
I recently picked up a cheap car to last me till summertime by which point I plan to buy something more fun or comfortable, still undecided on which route to take. The car cost £360 and going by the service history it was last serviced around 2 years ago and has covered 12,000 miles since then.
Whilst pricing up the bits for a DIY service I noticed the cost for the air, fuel and oil filters plus oil, plugs, coolant, wipers and transmission fluid comes to half the cost of the car. This got me wondering, at what point do people stop using the good quality stuff to service a cheap motor and just use budget oil or even get sloppy and just delay servicing it? I can't see my car selling for a great deal more than what I paid for it when summer comes around.
I know it's somewhat of a daft question considering this is a forum for petrolheads, but this is cheapo snotters I am talking about and not peoples pride and joy. A lot of my previous cars have been in the sub £500 price bracket and they were all serviced by independants or specialists, usually at a cost of £150 each time. I will be spending a little bit over that to service this one myself but just wondering what fellow PHers do with their sheds.
For a car costing £360 I wouldn't bother. Changing the oil now isn't going to make the engine more reliable over the next 6 months. Air and fuel filter and coolant change dito. And changing the transmission fluid?Whilst pricing up the bits for a DIY service I noticed the cost for the air, fuel and oil filters plus oil, plugs, coolant, wipers and transmission fluid comes to half the cost of the car. This got me wondering, at what point do people stop using the good quality stuff to service a cheap motor and just use budget oil or even get sloppy and just delay servicing it? I can't see my car selling for a great deal more than what I paid for it when summer comes around.
I know it's somewhat of a daft question considering this is a forum for petrolheads, but this is cheapo snotters I am talking about and not peoples pride and joy. A lot of my previous cars have been in the sub £500 price bracket and they were all serviced by independants or specialists, usually at a cost of £150 each time. I will be spending a little bit over that to service this one myself but just wondering what fellow PHers do with their sheds.
If you are buying a car for £360 you have to expect that it may not be the most reliable of cars. That's not to say you will have any problems with it. You have already taken the gamble of buying a banger to save you money. Don't bottle it now.
HustleRussell said:
I think in that case I'd probably do the bare minimum- Oil and filter, blast the air filter with compressed air to get the worst of the crud out, and any work required for MOTs. The car can then easily be thoroughly serviced when you want to.
A balance must be struck though because a poorly serviced car is going to be slower, less economical, and less likely to pass it's MOT.
It came with a recent test so won't need a MOT for another 10 months. Air filter looks clean so that can be removed from the list.A balance must be struck though because a poorly serviced car is going to be slower, less economical, and less likely to pass it's MOT.
xstian said:
For a car costing £360 I wouldn't bother. Changing the oil now isn't going to make the engine more reliable over the next 6 months. Air and fuel filter and coolant change dito. And changing the transmission fluid?
If you are buying a car for £360 you have to expect that it may not be the most reliable of cars. That's not to say you will have any problems with it. You have already taken the gamble of buying a banger to save you money. Don't bottle it now.
Transmission fluid is on the to do list as the change from 2nd to 3rd is starting to get a little lumpy, that being said it is a fairly basic 4 speed autobox so it will always feel a little tripe. I was looking at servicing it for piece of mind, that and making it more presentable when I come to sell it. Then again will anyone buying a car for so little really expect full service history? I have owned the same spec Prelude before and that one was pretty solid aside from needing an alternator (second hand, £30 job done) hell it did the drive from Leeds to Norwich and back in a day without skipping a beat.If you are buying a car for £360 you have to expect that it may not be the most reliable of cars. That's not to say you will have any problems with it. You have already taken the gamble of buying a banger to save you money. Don't bottle it now.
I wouldn't bother changing the fuel filter, air filter or coolant.
I you plan to scrap the car or flog it in 6 months you might not want to change the oil and filter either.
If you need new wiper blades then do them.
My little diesel Saxo was a stop gap 6 month car, it did 2 years and 55,000 miles before I chopped it in for £200 more than I paid for it, not so much as a bulb changed in that time. The oil changed itself due to a persistant leak though.
I you plan to scrap the car or flog it in 6 months you might not want to change the oil and filter either.
If you need new wiper blades then do them.
My little diesel Saxo was a stop gap 6 month car, it did 2 years and 55,000 miles before I chopped it in for £200 more than I paid for it, not so much as a bulb changed in that time. The oil changed itself due to a persistant leak though.
3 - 4 years is when dealers see a more sudden decline in genuine parts purchases and almost zero by the time the car is 7 years old.
Servicing it may cause problems as you disturb stuff.
Change of oil helps as if its cruddy it will get very stiff when cold and can even cause cambelts to fail on start up.
Check cam belt if it has one and when it was last changed.
In fairness if its a prelude which I think I read then pretty good all round
Check radiator level and antifreeze (only change antifreeze if the cooling system looks okay as the antifreeze will find leaks)
Check battery and alternator output
Check tyres but other than that wouldnt do anything until it fails.
Servicing it may cause problems as you disturb stuff.
Change of oil helps as if its cruddy it will get very stiff when cold and can even cause cambelts to fail on start up.
Check cam belt if it has one and when it was last changed.
In fairness if its a prelude which I think I read then pretty good all round
Check radiator level and antifreeze (only change antifreeze if the cooling system looks okay as the antifreeze will find leaks)
Check battery and alternator output
Check tyres but other than that wouldnt do anything until it fails.
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