So, my car is approaching 100,000 miles...
Discussion
Last November, I bought a 2007 Audi S6 which showed 88,000 miles. It's currently on 91,000 and the computer shows around 6 months or 4,000 miles until the next service.
As soon as I got the car, I got the oil, oil filter and air filters changed. More recently, I've had a Milltek exhaust fitted more for vanity for anything else as the standard exhaust is woefully quiet.
I'm going to keep this car for a while so at the next service, I'm plannning on having the works done. Oil, oil filter, air filters, pollen filter, fuel filter, spark plugs changed (a place selling all ten for £86 on Ebay). The gearbox oil has been changed recently as the last MOT identified a slight leak so the previous owner had the gasket changed together with fresh ATF in.
So, is there anything else which you guys would consider having done to improve the longevity of the engine. Perhaps whip the head off the engine and have it de coked and cleaned up? Have a look at the cam chain tensioners?
As soon as I got the car, I got the oil, oil filter and air filters changed. More recently, I've had a Milltek exhaust fitted more for vanity for anything else as the standard exhaust is woefully quiet.
I'm going to keep this car for a while so at the next service, I'm plannning on having the works done. Oil, oil filter, air filters, pollen filter, fuel filter, spark plugs changed (a place selling all ten for £86 on Ebay). The gearbox oil has been changed recently as the last MOT identified a slight leak so the previous owner had the gasket changed together with fresh ATF in.
So, is there anything else which you guys would consider having done to improve the longevity of the engine. Perhaps whip the head off the engine and have it de coked and cleaned up? Have a look at the cam chain tensioners?
Owned by me at some time or another...
Audi A8 (4.2) - 250k
Bunch of 4.0l Jags (6pot) - ranging from 130 to 180k
Jag 3.2 6 Pot- 150ish
BMW 740 - 140
and a whole bunch more.
Engine problems include 1 coil pack, one split cooling hose and thats it!
Work above routine servicing - none other than one of the jags that had a new engine in it about 5k prior to me purchasing it.
True I didn't put all those miles on, those are the miles on the cars at purchase. Some had full history, some partial and some none at all! All purchased on nothing more than a test drive and a general check over.
Any half way decent, fairly modern engine, kept topped up with oil and water, warmed up reasonably and with some decent runs to keep everything running happily seems to work just fine :-) Milage would not bother me a jot if the car looks honest.
Audi A8 (4.2) - 250k
Bunch of 4.0l Jags (6pot) - ranging from 130 to 180k
Jag 3.2 6 Pot- 150ish
BMW 740 - 140
and a whole bunch more.
Engine problems include 1 coil pack, one split cooling hose and thats it!
Work above routine servicing - none other than one of the jags that had a new engine in it about 5k prior to me purchasing it.
True I didn't put all those miles on, those are the miles on the cars at purchase. Some had full history, some partial and some none at all! All purchased on nothing more than a test drive and a general check over.
Any half way decent, fairly modern engine, kept topped up with oil and water, warmed up reasonably and with some decent runs to keep everything running happily seems to work just fine :-) Milage would not bother me a jot if the car looks honest.
Be kind to a cold engine.
Check fluids regularly.
Service properly.
I'm not sure there's any more to it than that, beyond a touch of luck. Most engines will take miles without sweat if treated correctly & some seem to shrug it off with the kind of disdain normally the preserve of one Naomi Campbell.
I took my Astra to 200k with no more care than the above and it didn't die due to engine or any other knack. Current car is over 100k without so much as an oil top-up (outside of service). Had a new rad & some pipe in the cooling system, but made of stern stuff and not even had a cam belt change yet. Can't beat under-stressed old tech with modern tarting.
So, terminal eruption on the cards tomorrow
Check fluids regularly.
Service properly.
I'm not sure there's any more to it than that, beyond a touch of luck. Most engines will take miles without sweat if treated correctly & some seem to shrug it off with the kind of disdain normally the preserve of one Naomi Campbell.
I took my Astra to 200k with no more care than the above and it didn't die due to engine or any other knack. Current car is over 100k without so much as an oil top-up (outside of service). Had a new rad & some pipe in the cooling system, but made of stern stuff and not even had a cam belt change yet. Can't beat under-stressed old tech with modern tarting.
So, terminal eruption on the cards tomorrow
Echo the above really, don't lift the lid on it unless you need to fix anything that is failing. Regular servicing with good quality oil is all you should need on that V8 lump, it should outlast the rest of the car easily. If you really want to look after it just change the oil on shorter intervals, this is what I plan to do with my Subaru Outback and the flat 6 on these are well documented to do over 300k.
I have one car over 160k all it's needed is coil packs once and a secondary exhaust pump - original item failed after 10 years and that milage.
My daily driver is very similar milage to yours. Nothing apart from the routine servicing has been needed - and really that should be all.
What you could do is
Change all the bushes
Change all the wheel bearings
Change the engine mountings
Replace the springs and shock absorbers
Then you could treat her to new pads and discs all round (though I'd only replace if they needed doing but you could)
Aircon regas
New wiper blades
New wiper motor and it will have wear ...
And for those with a bit too much cash a brand new windscreen yours will have chips and scratches on it so a new one will do you anther 100k. Most people don't consider this a service item others do?
My daily driver is very similar milage to yours. Nothing apart from the routine servicing has been needed - and really that should be all.
What you could do is
Change all the bushes
Change all the wheel bearings
Change the engine mountings
Replace the springs and shock absorbers
Then you could treat her to new pads and discs all round (though I'd only replace if they needed doing but you could)
Aircon regas
New wiper blades
New wiper motor and it will have wear ...
And for those with a bit too much cash a brand new windscreen yours will have chips and scratches on it so a new one will do you anther 100k. Most people don't consider this a service item others do?
I disagree. Most quality cars go on for years of use and abuse with no replacement stuff needed. My Merc is on 230,000 and apart from usual servicing has had front springs (one snapped), a new aircon compressor and two injectors. Changing bushes and all the rest of the gubbins is going completely agains the "if it ain't broke don't fix it" principle. Oh, I forgot; I did have the gearbx and axle oils changed at 150,000.Wipers etc. I consider consumables, but springs, dampers, wheel bearings - no.
Good quality filters & fluids are the key to engine longevity. Check the brand of filters bought on ebay - a lot are rubbish.
Change oil & filter regularly, coolant every couple of years to the correct concentration.
Belts & tensioners at the recommended intervals or sooner if the tensioners get noisy
Check things like breather pipes as these can break down with age
Apart from that just drive the thing - no point replacing things that arent definately worn just for the sake of it.
Change oil & filter regularly, coolant every couple of years to the correct concentration.
Belts & tensioners at the recommended intervals or sooner if the tensioners get noisy
Check things like breather pipes as these can break down with age
Apart from that just drive the thing - no point replacing things that arent definately worn just for the sake of it.
On a 100k car changing the bushes all round would sharpen the handling to a noticeable level. Plus if you intend to keep the car for many years then it's a sensible upgrade to do now rather than later on during your ownership thus the next owner gets more benefit than you.
Will I do it? Not sure depends on the cost and if I test a new one to judge how the handling is.
Will I do it? Not sure depends on the cost and if I test a new one to judge how the handling is.
KungFuPanda said:
So, is there anything else which you guys would consider having done to improve the longevity of the engine.
Coolant flush and change is one that often gets overlooked. Maybe put a thermostat in while you have it drained. KungFuPanda said:
Perhaps whip the head off the engine and have it de coked and cleaned up? Have a look at the cam chain tensioners?
No way would I 'whip the head off' (It probably has 2??) on something that complex absolutely no need. De coking is not really needed anymore. You could look at having the injectors sonically cleaned if you wanted to be really anal about things. 100k miles still seems to strike fear into some people, its not some mystical number that cars get to and just implode.
Edited by Leptons on Saturday 24th March 07:43
My Volvo V70 T5 is approaching 170,000 with nothing major failing. I use Valvoline Syn Power 5/40 oil, genuine filters (oil, pollen, fuel etc), and have changed all the fluids at around 120,000 (gearbox, coolant, brake fluid etc).
The only preventative thing was to change the rear main seal when the clutch was done.
Modern engineering!
The only preventative thing was to change the rear main seal when the clutch was done.
Modern engineering!
You only changed the brake fluid at 120k......
I change mine every two years makes a noticeable difference an improvement. The fluid degrades overtime water ingress causes it to lose some of it's compression characteristics ie water compresses more than brake fluid. Plus leaving that in there for that distance well your potentially corroding brake pipes calipers etc more so than if you had changed it every two years.
Coolant should be every two years too
Gearbox oil I believe should be changed around the 100-120k mark. But it only really needs one change as that first change tales away the bedding in milage wear shards of metal.
I change mine every two years makes a noticeable difference an improvement. The fluid degrades overtime water ingress causes it to lose some of it's compression characteristics ie water compresses more than brake fluid. Plus leaving that in there for that distance well your potentially corroding brake pipes calipers etc more so than if you had changed it every two years.
Coolant should be every two years too
Gearbox oil I believe should be changed around the 100-120k mark. But it only really needs one change as that first change tales away the bedding in milage wear shards of metal.
Pappa Lurve said:
Owned by me at some time or another...
Audi A8 (4.2) - 250k
Bunch of 4.0l Jags (6pot) - ranging from 130 to 180k
Jag 3.2 6 Pot- 150ish
BMW 740 - 140
and a whole bunch more.
Engine problems include 1 coil pack, one split cooling hose and thats it!
Work above routine servicing - none other than one of the jags that had a new engine in it about 5k prior to me purchasing it.
True I didn't put all those miles on, those are the miles on the cars at purchase. Some had full history, some partial and some none at all! All purchased on nothing more than a test drive and a general check over.
Any half way decent, fairly modern engine, kept topped up with oil and water, warmed up reasonably and with some decent runs to keep everything running happily seems to work just fine :-) Milage would not bother me a jot if the car looks honest.
I love that you got 250k in the A8 4.2 - hopefully bodes well for my S4 with, I think, the same(ish) engine???Audi A8 (4.2) - 250k
Bunch of 4.0l Jags (6pot) - ranging from 130 to 180k
Jag 3.2 6 Pot- 150ish
BMW 740 - 140
and a whole bunch more.
Engine problems include 1 coil pack, one split cooling hose and thats it!
Work above routine servicing - none other than one of the jags that had a new engine in it about 5k prior to me purchasing it.
True I didn't put all those miles on, those are the miles on the cars at purchase. Some had full history, some partial and some none at all! All purchased on nothing more than a test drive and a general check over.
Any half way decent, fairly modern engine, kept topped up with oil and water, warmed up reasonably and with some decent runs to keep everything running happily seems to work just fine :-) Milage would not bother me a jot if the car looks honest.
Did you do tensioners on it, get any chain rattle or use a lot of oil - The V8 S4s are renowned for using oil, like the V8 E39 M5s.
Big Audis need to be thrashed. I've regularly sold then after 3 years and up to 250000km on the clock. Still see them running around here....
Look after the engines with the correct food and water and they're virtually indestructible. DO NOT use them only for the short runs, they need Autobahns and long journeys!
Look after the engines with the correct food and water and they're virtually indestructible. DO NOT use them only for the short runs, they need Autobahns and long journeys!
I wouldnt get the head taken off, if its working it will probably have the potential to introduce more problems than it solves, de-coking is something from the fifties.
I dont understand why people buy a quality car and panic when it gets near 100k, my brother in law does this, but usually at 40k he starts worrying and at 60 its down the road.
I dont understand why people buy a quality car and panic when it gets near 100k, my brother in law does this, but usually at 40k he starts worrying and at 60 its down the road.
100K...
Well I've never had an engine last much longer except for one car which I scraped for other reasons. I always had the maintenance done, always warmed them up properly, but they didn't last.
Perhaps smaller engines (mine have all been 1.6 or 1.3) work harder and so fail earlier, perhaps I've just been unlucky, but if anyone knows the secret of not having to do a major engine repair at circa 100K I'd like to know!
1.3 Skoda, liner failed, HGF
1.3 Ford pushrod, camshaft wear, manifold cracked
1.6 Ford Zetec, bores worn out (apparently a common fault, so much for the "reliability" of modern engines)
Well I've never had an engine last much longer except for one car which I scraped for other reasons. I always had the maintenance done, always warmed them up properly, but they didn't last.
Perhaps smaller engines (mine have all been 1.6 or 1.3) work harder and so fail earlier, perhaps I've just been unlucky, but if anyone knows the secret of not having to do a major engine repair at circa 100K I'd like to know!
1.3 Skoda, liner failed, HGF
1.3 Ford pushrod, camshaft wear, manifold cracked
1.6 Ford Zetec, bores worn out (apparently a common fault, so much for the "reliability" of modern engines)
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