Anyone with a 200k+ miles petrol car
Discussion
My 1999 VW Passat 1.8t made it to 285,000 when I sold it on. Original turbo too. The only major issue was a gearbox refurb at 180,000 at which point I thought it would make sense to have the original clutch done.
It was using a small amount of oil about a pint every 1,000 miles which never bothered me as it always used oil.
It was using a small amount of oil about a pint every 1,000 miles which never bothered me as it always used oil.
Put 238,000 on a 1999 728i Sport E38 converted to LPG, it was our family pool car, sold it a few years back for £800, was still on the road the last time I checked the MOT.
It still had the original 5 speed auto box and nothing but the usual maintenance on the car, nothing major ever broke. Most reliable non-EV car we ever owned.
It still had the original 5 speed auto box and nothing but the usual maintenance on the car, nothing major ever broke. Most reliable non-EV car we ever owned.
Limpet said:
It’s all about proper servicing and avoiding constant short journeys.
Not necessarily - my wifes MK4 Golf 2.0 had no love in it's life. Sold at 235k.IMO the engines are one of the more reliable parts of modern cars - especially in the above as it was an old, understressed design (that's not a good thing - 105HP does not a GTI make!)
The reality is that the Golf was worth £400. All it takes is an MOT failure at something other than a backstreet garage and it's easy to see why it'd get junked for something newer.
A mate had a Volvo V40 petrol which went to about 220000 miles with very little work beyond routine servicing and nothing other than oil/filter/plug changes on the engine. It was finished off by an errant deer rather than any problem with the car.
The number of miles is also not the only factor in how long the engine will last. If the car spends most of its time on the motorway, it gets a lot of miles on it for a surprisingly low number of engine hours. Pre covid, my wife had a 45-50 minute commute each way most days, a fairly normal amount of time to spend in a car to get to/from work. This was a journey of nearly 50 miles though as we live out in the sticks a few minutes from the motoway junction and her office in a similar location at the other end. The car is now 5 years old and done nearly 100k miles. Other than the stone chips, I'd guess it's probably in better mechanical condition than a similarly aged car which has done a 45 minute 10 mile commute in London traffic twice a day and with about 30k miles on the clock.
The number of miles is also not the only factor in how long the engine will last. If the car spends most of its time on the motorway, it gets a lot of miles on it for a surprisingly low number of engine hours. Pre covid, my wife had a 45-50 minute commute each way most days, a fairly normal amount of time to spend in a car to get to/from work. This was a journey of nearly 50 miles though as we live out in the sticks a few minutes from the motoway junction and her office in a similar location at the other end. The car is now 5 years old and done nearly 100k miles. Other than the stone chips, I'd guess it's probably in better mechanical condition than a similarly aged car which has done a 45 minute 10 mile commute in London traffic twice a day and with about 30k miles on the clock.
V6todayEVmanana said:
Having a chat with a mechanic and he mentioned that if my petrol engine made it to 200K miles that would be exceptional and I am very lucky.
He expected the big end or piston seals to fail on a petrol car by then.
So was curious if anyone has reached this milestone and if so what major engine work was required.
I know in other threads there are mega mile diesel hence the focus on petrol.
Please stop going to him. He expected the big end or piston seals to fail on a petrol car by then.
So was curious if anyone has reached this milestone and if so what major engine work was required.
I know in other threads there are mega mile diesel hence the focus on petrol.
My dad used to be a cab driver started in 1991.
Mostly petrol.
3 x Sierra 2.0l 300k miles, 350k miles, 180k miles
Mondeo 2.0l 380k miles
Mondeo 1.8 Diesel 230k miles
My Saab 9-3 2.0T took it from 120-170k miles
Got rid of it because shocks needed doing and the chain. Car ran fine, used a bit of oil 1 litre over 8k miles. Would have got to 200k I reckon no worries.
1999 E38 BMW 740 i drove to 205k miles by 2010, used no oil, no big bills, but needed tyres all round + abs sensor + water pump.
Replaced with 650i and ran that from 38k miles to 201k in 2019. Apart from valve oil stem seals at 160k miles, no significant bills.
Neither car used any oil between services and got properly exercised on a regular basis. Both drove beautifully when I sold them. The 650 was particularly impressive with how quickly it would hit the speed limiter with 200k under it's belt.
Properly maintained high mileage cars with oem parts and proper tyres are wonderful.
Replaced with 650i and ran that from 38k miles to 201k in 2019. Apart from valve oil stem seals at 160k miles, no significant bills.
Neither car used any oil between services and got properly exercised on a regular basis. Both drove beautifully when I sold them. The 650 was particularly impressive with how quickly it would hit the speed limiter with 200k under it's belt.
Properly maintained high mileage cars with oem parts and proper tyres are wonderful.
Aiminghigh123 said:
Please stop going to him.
My dad used to be a cab driver started in 1991.
Mostly petrol.
3 x Sierra 2.0l 300k miles, 350k miles, 180k miles
Mondeo 2.0l 380k miles
Mondeo 1.8 Diesel 230k miles
My Saab 9-3 2.0T took it from 120-170k miles
Got rid of it because shocks needed doing and the chain. Car ran fine, used a bit of oil 1 litre over 8k miles. Would have got to 200k I reckon no worries.
Coincidentally he did mention that caveat, cabs My dad used to be a cab driver started in 1991.
Mostly petrol.
3 x Sierra 2.0l 300k miles, 350k miles, 180k miles
Mondeo 2.0l 380k miles
Mondeo 1.8 Diesel 230k miles
My Saab 9-3 2.0T took it from 120-170k miles
Got rid of it because shocks needed doing and the chain. Car ran fine, used a bit of oil 1 litre over 8k miles. Would have got to 200k I reckon no worries.
Some mighty impressive millages and with little expenditure of on this thread
stogbandard said:
My 1999 VW Passat 1.8t made it to 285,000 when I sold it on. Original turbo too. The only major issue was a gearbox refurb at 180,000 at which point I thought it would make sense to have the original clutch done.
It was using a small amount of oil about a pint every 1,000 miles which never bothered me as it always used oil.
Good solid cars those 1.8t passats. I often wished I had persevered with mine (2003 version), but a few niggling faults meant I moved it on at 130K miles. It soldiered onto 161K with its new owner but seems to have disappeared from the MOT history register now. I think I would rather have one of these older 1.8 turbos than the newer TFSI ones which are renowned for excessive oil consumption!It was using a small amount of oil about a pint every 1,000 miles which never bothered me as it always used oil.
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