A Question for you with high mileage cars

[Chuck Jackson]

I have noticed alot of you have cars that run FOREVER. Can you give me 5 tips to maximize the life of my 2005 Hyundai Elantra? Thanks!!!

Chuck"whose father wasn't alive long enough to pass on any info"Jackson

[Todd S. Malicoate]

I'll give you one that's really all you need, Chuck:

Change your oil every 3 months (no matter what the mileage). Change the oil filter every other time. While changing the oil check/top off all your other fluids.

Other than that, follow the routine maintenance that came with the vehicle.

[The Big Ben]

As to Bloke's suggestion that you get a Toyota, I have no loyalty: their all nice when they run and they all suck when your pushing !

I've always had Toyotas and probably will continue to drive them. However, I have other friends who say the same about Hondas.

If possible, take your car to a good independent mechanic you trust. They will gladly change your oil because it's easy money for them. They can also make money of the repairs the cars need. That's where the "mechanic you trust" comes in. Recently, I took my car into my guy for an oil change and a "general checkout". He changed the oil and filter, checked all fluids and checked the antifreeze for temperature range, checked the brakes for wear, checked things like the CV boots on the front suspension and on and on. Pretty comprehensive inspection he performed with me watching. The car checked out as fine with no repairs needed in the near future except that the tires were worn more than he liked and he thought I should replace them right away. So I did. I went to a "well known local discount tire chain" (not Discount Tire) and left it for a set of new 80,000 mile tires with mounting and balancing. The price was right about what I wanted to pay and the tires I chose have a good reputation. When I came to pick it up, the salesman had a long list (about $500 worth) of things it needed "right now". The guy was a little shocked when I quickly said, "Thanks, but no thanks" to his offer. No need to get into a thing with the guy. I got my keys, paid for my tires and left.

The independent mechanic with nothing to sell you but his labor and knowledge and no axes to grind: That, plus a quality Japanese car, is the key to long, trouble free driving miles...

[Rev Rob]

Most vehicles my wife and I have ever owned have had over 100K miles on them. They all have been manual transmission vehicles. Sad to say car manufacturers are not making as many manual transmission vehicles anymore - they are no longer even standard

Change oil and oil filter every 3K miles; follow the maintenance guidelines in the owners manual. Take good care of your car. You payed for it, you own it, it will serve you a long time with proper care.

[tofu]

Anybody here gone more then 300,000 miles in a car you've owned from the start ?

yes - a 1980 Honda Prelude I bought just out of college and my first job covered a lot of territory. I even raced it in SCCA showroom stock. Wonderful car that took a lot of beating and just kept on ticking. I sold it at 302,000 miles.

Back to the original poster:

As others have said regular maintenance is key. It really doesn't take a lot to do your own maintenance to a large extent. Regular changing of air / gas / oil filters, pcv valves, anti freeze, spark plugs, radiator and air conditioner belts and spark plugs can be done pretty easily with a minimum of intelligence and tools. If you are going to have it done don't take it to the cheapest/quickest place. Don't be afraid to stand there and watch. I'm amazed at how few people watch. They sit their butts down and drink bad coffee in the lounge while watching a dumb show on TV. Meanwhile the 16 year old grease monkey just stripped out your aluminum oil pan bolt and puts a rubber insert in to get the bolt in and you don't know until a few hundred miles driving as the oil has slowly dribbled away and your check engine light comes on while the wife is driving which she ignores as that's your job as the man of the house. You then start it up only to find you now own a 3000 pound paper weight. I've heard this one happen to several friends. Check your air pressure regularly in your tires and pay attention to the tread wear which can often indicate a problem elsewhere. Shocks/struts get neglected a lot and don't wait till your brakes are squealing to replace the pads. If you delay you will pay the price with new rotors. Brake pads are cheap - rotors aren't. Don't wait for your battery to die out on the road. People grind their starter motors up with weak batteries. Batteries are cheap - starters aren't. Don't start your car to move it two feet just to get easier access to something in the garage . Most cars are easily pushable a few feet including my large SUV. Starting a car is really hard on it so try to minimize the number of starts. My brother in law for instance will back my sister's car out of the driveway and back his out to go to work. She then goes out to start her car and it won't start because the start/quick turn off has flooded it/fouled the plugs. I then get the call because as a hobby I restore/collect classic show cars of the thirties, so in her mind I of course know how to fix her car over the phone A lot of getting the max out of a car is common sense and listening/paying attention. Cars often telegraph that something is amiss and prompt attention usually avoids big bills/disaster. Parts are for the most part pretty inexpensive and the big cost is labor, so if you can learn to do some basic maintenance yourself it is not that expensive to give your car a long useful life. I've got a '90 Miata and a '92 Ford Explorer I bought new that still run extremely well as does my '04 Lincoln LS. I gave my one sibling my '92 Honda Accord with 206,000 miles on it a few years ago and he drives it every day although I don't know how many miles are now on it. Ill take a look when I change the oil next week.

[Dan Schultz]

Time to hijack the thread !

Anybody here gone more then 300,000 miles in a car you've owned from the start ?

No. But that Volvo station wagon I referred to earlier in this thread had over 450,000 on it when I sold it and it was still going strong. I was the 2nd owner and bought it from the fellow who bought it new when he was stationed in Germany.

[oldbandnerd]

My work vehicle is a 2006 Chevrolet Express 3500 Van . It is just over 4 years old and will flip 200,000 in about 3 weeks or so ......
Yeah .... loads of road miles . I change the oil every 5k and the transmission fluid and filter every 65k ( the owners manuals reccomendations ) and air filters as needed. Still has the original brakes and has never had a major break down. Still get the original gas mileage and has plenty of power to spare ( think no loss of compression ) .

Oil changes are cheaper than a new motor or replacement of the vehicle. I highly reccomend it .

[djwesp]

I have noticed alot of you have cars that run FOREVER. Can you give me 5 tips to maximize the life of my 2005 Hyundai Elantra? Thanks!!!

Chuck"whose father wasn't alive long enough to pass on any info"Jackson

Chuck, I own a car with the exact same engine as yours. I have 200,000 on it and it is still going strong! (knock on some serious wood).

Just some observations...

1. Some of these cars came out with only a 90 or 75 amp alternator. This is something prone to going out on this car/engine setup. If it does make sure you step up to the 110, which comes on the sante fe with the same engine (they fit perfectly). These alternators run about 200 and should only be about 100 to replace. Only a few bolts and comes right out of the wheel well, not much work involved in the change. When the alternator dies or is going out on these the parking brake and battery light will come on simultaneously.

2. Get your oil changed regularly! No brainer. Buy the expensive stuff (i'm a royal purple guy, and yes, I can tell the difference), get the good air filters, get the good oil filters. Make sure everything your car eats is goooood.

3. If it is a manual, baby it! These puppies are notorious for eating clutches. If you have the 5/6 speed auto, the tranny is probably doing just fine and will for a long time.

4. Rear wheel hub assemblies are prone to go out on these cars. They are not very expensive, not hard to replace; don't let someone charge you an arm and a leg to replace them. They will make a whining sound/motorcycle sound/ or bike with a baseball card sound when they start to go bad.

5. Hyundai's biggest weakness is electronics. This car is notorious for electronic problems involving the BCM or Body Control Module. It will be more of nuisance in the short term and can be seriously damaging in the long run. The car will go thru headlights faster than it should, some lights won't work sometimes, some gauges won't work sometimes, you will get error codes when you shouldn't, etc. These things are frustrating. A wire also runs under the seat that can wear over time and when it does you will get an air bag light that comes on and will refuse to go away, it will also cause other things to start to go out on the car from a dead ground. The ground cable on the battery is also extremely small and becomes a liablilty over time. Get it replaced or reinforced to the frame.

[tubatooter1940]

Find a mechanic who works cheap and do whatever it takes to make him or her love you.
Do timely routine maintenence but never clean the engine. Sometimes the crud is the only thing keeping fluids inside the engine.
Trade the car when garage bills approach the level of car payments.

[Rev Rob]

I have noticed alot of you have cars that run FOREVER. Can you give me 5 tips to maximize the life of my 2005 Hyundai Elantra? Thanks!!!

Chuck"whose father wasn't alive long enough to pass on any info"Jackson

Chuck, I own a car with the exact same engine as yours. I have 200,000 on it and it is still going strong! (knock on some serious wood).

2. Get your oil changed regularly! No brainer. Buy the expensive stuff (i'm a royal purple guy, and yes, I can tell the difference), get the good air filters, get the good oil filters. Make sure everything your car eats is goooood.

I use Royal Purple in my Chevy Duramax Diesel pickup. This is synthetic oil. This stuff is pricey - I paid $110 for a 5 gallon pail of the last time I made a purchase. I use 13 quarts at each oil change. But I will travel from 6 to 10 K before I change oil and filter. This stuff maintains its viscosity and does not break down. My pickup is easier to start in cold weather, like -25 below or so. I highly recommend it.

[Rick Denney]

Immediately repair things when they break, no matter how minor. Stuff that doesn't work is what makes cars seem old and it's what makes you hate owning them.

Change the oil routinely. 2500 miles is no longer the key to long life. 4000 or 5000 is fine, if you...

...Use a full synthetic oil. Not a blend, but a full synthetic, like Mobil 1, Valvoline Synpower, etc. Royal Purple if that makes you feel good. But it won't make the car last any longer than Mobil 1. If you insist on using mineral oil, then change it every 2000 miles. Use a good filter (friends don't let friends buy Fram).

Follow the maintenance manual meticulously, even including such things as applying dressing to the weatherstripping.

Park it in a garage, under a cover, or commute >50 miles a day.

Favor buying a Toyota, Subaru, or Honda, in that order, if durability is your objective.

Rick "who owns five vehicles, and the '73 GMC Motorhome with the Antique Vehicle tags is the only one with less than 100,000 miles" Denney

[tofu]

If you seek durability check this out as old notions of which brands are most reliable aren't always reliable.

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/cars/2 ... akers.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

[Shockwave]

The highest mileage car Ive ever had was an 89 Ford Probe my step mother bought new and gave to me when she got a new car. It had 470,000 miles and ran great until my sister borrowed it and continued driving when a radiator hose failed. I now have a 1989 RTS city bus with 704,000 miles, but everything on that bus is rebuildable and the entire structure is made of stainless steel so it could last for centuries.

I did an experiment with my last car. I wanted to know what would happen to a car if I never changed the oil. I bought a 1992 Geo Metro with 62k miles that had been meticulously maintained. I then drove it without performing any fluid changes, just topping up the levels on occasion. The car made it to 178k before it finally blew a head gasket because the radiator had become too plugged up and I was not watching the temperature gauge. It even passed a California smog check shortly before its demise. So there you have it, 116k miles without an oil change, and nobody would ever buy a metro with 178k so the car was worthless. So by the "common wisdom" of having oil changed every 3000 miles at $25 per oil change, I saved almost a grand. That's enough for two good used Geo metro engines. At that time I decided I needed a larger car that could tow a trailer, so I got a 96 Buick Roadmaster wagon. What a piece of garbage that car is. If I added up all the time Ive spent stranded or waiting for impossible to find overpriced parts, I probably would have saved time if I had never gotten that car and had simply walked instead.
-Eric

[Rick F]

116k miles without an oil change? I bet the engine looked something like this:

[Donn]

116k miles without an oil change? I bet the engine looked something like this

Beauty contests rarely get inside the motor. That was interesting! I wonder if the story would be different with an air cooled engine (like my motorcycle.)

[Bob Kolada]

...sell it and get something without a bunch of computer crap in it.

[Rick Denney]

...sell it and get something without a bunch of computer crap in it.

If the objective is easier user maintainability, then I would agree. But if the objective is longevity, I don't. I have owned many vehicles over the years. The cars that run the best with high mileage and that have lasted the longest are those that had computerized engine management and fault reporting.

Rick "a former professional mechanic" Denney

[Lew]

My daughter is still driving my 1997 Honda CRV, which currently has about 140,000 miles on it. All that's ever been done to it is changing the oil and rotating the tires every 5000 miles and an alignment every 6 months or so. I think that the big "secret" to a car lasting a long time is starting with a well made car to begin with. Regular preventative maintenance does help, but I suspect that a 1997 Hyundai would not be in the same condition as the Honda even if treated exactly the same way.

[tofu]

I think that the big "secret" to a car lasting a long time is starting with a well made car to begin with.

I don't disagree that good design and initial build quality goes a long way. The problem today is folks don't pay attention AT ALL to their car. Part of that is because they lease them or don't plan to keep em past the warranty. Part of it is manufacturers claiming long service intervals like GM and it's 100,000 mile interval so the owners don't even bother to check fluid levels/air pressure etc. Some of it is they read in Consumer Reports (the yuppie bible) that Toyota for example has excellent durability so they buy one of those with the expectation that they can just sit back and drive with no further responsibility to monitor/service on their part.

I'll give you an example. I had a business associate drive me the office. I notice an idiot light on the dash of his Toyota Camry is lit. I asked how long has that been on and he says awhile. Oh - when did you last change the oil - never - how long have you owned it - 7 years and 78,000 miles. Well he ignored my advice to immediately check the oil level and to change it . A week later it seized and the engine was toast.

[steve_decker]

It seems like the biggest difference between people with high mileage vehicles and those without is a willingness to spend $$$ for maintenance and repairs. Many people balk at laying out any cash for repairs and decide their 60k-100k+ mile vehicle is nickle and diming them and needs replacement. Seemingly, these are the same folks that assume a $300/mo car payment is the norm. On the other hand, folks with high mileage vehicles recognize that a couple hundred bucks for a given repair is better than being strapped to a car note.

I typically will buy a car that someone has decided they're no longer willing to pay for repairs/maintenance and run the wheels off the thing. About 4 years ago, I sold my 1996 Chevy van (with 240k miles) and bought a 1997 Olds (with 58k miles). The Olds needed a set of tires, brakes, and a water pump. I'll likely own the thing another 10 years. My most recent purchase was a 1995 F150 with 39k miles on it... and that had nothing wrong with it. It will probably hang around for at least 20 years.

As far as "real" advice (other than what's already been mentioned)... keep up on fuel filter replacement. As a mechanic, I made a lot of money replacing fuel pumps that likely wouldn't have failed with proper fuel filter replacement. I change mine ever 2 years or 30k miles and have never replaced a fuel pump in my own vehicles.