Maintaining an oldish diesel

[DanceswithUnix]

It's a Skoda with 432,000 miles on it.

That's the drives like a space hopper car we were talking about above.

Some interesting things I took from that video:

The mechanic clearly takes the head off lots of these engines, and from experience he expected this engine to look like a coal mine inside. That isn't experience of other engines, experience of VAG diesels. So why wasn't this one? There are two stand out features of the car history:

Very regular cross country runs (hence the high mileage).
The engine was "chipped" which gave it better economy.

So it has the ideal usage for a diesel, not the shopping trips and school runs that most get, and it has been remapped to inject less diesel. Both would help keep the carbon deposits down.

It is also an ancient design with almost nothing to go wrong: mechanical pumps, single point injecton, 8 valves, only one cam and I expect that isn't a variable geometry turbo. I wouldn't expect a modern diesel to last as long as that old tractor engine.

I suspect given the turbo is in good condition and the cam looked in pretty good nick that the engine has never been above 2000 rpm.

Edit: Oh, and I notice he was still climbing out of the passenger side door

[Butcher]

I had a quick watch last night. The engine is in good nick for such an old car (despite someone on the comments saying it had more carbon than an F1 team).

The suspension is goosed though. It rolls so much at one point the inner wheel almost lifts off the ground and he's not exactly ragging it. Unsurprising really, dampers are really not designed to do hundreds of thousands of miles. A car being still on original shocks at that age is like saying or has original brake discs or tyres. Not a good thing.

[scaryjim]

OK hive mind, thanks for all your input here. Please feel free to stick your heads into my new thread and tell me what you think of the cars we're considering now!

https://forums.hexus.net/automotive/...ns-please.html

[DanceswithUnix]

I had a quick watch last night. The engine is in good nick for such an old car (despite someone on the comments saying it had more carbon than an F1 team).

The suspension is goosed though. It rolls so much at one point the inner wheel almost lifts off the ground and he's not exactly ragging it. Unsurprising really, dampers are really not designed to do hundreds of thousands of miles. A car being still on original shocks at that age is like saying or has original brake discs or tyres. Not a good thing.

New episode is out, where Skoda give the car a new interior and it gets a respray.

When the door cards were taken off, the inside of the driver's door was full of wood, looked about 2x2 holding everything in place, which explains why he had to get out through the passenger door. Simply replacing stuff in the door didn't help, the car needs a new loom. As for the respray, the thing needed a ton of rust cut out. The series is saying to me that a Skoda *can't* get to 430000 miles

[Ttaskmaster]

The series is saying to me that a Skoda *can't* get to 430000 miles

It says the Škoda has cheap features, but the basic assembly is sound, so as long as you maintain it as per the schedule and replace the non-essential bits that wear out, it should do moon miles just fine.

Looking at all the Million Mile cars, Mercs especially - Each one of those is a 'no expense spared' example too, polished with the silk knickers of a Cuban virgin and bordering on Trigger's Broom when it comes to the non-engine parts....

[Butcher]

It says the Škoda has cheap features, but the basic assembly is sound, so as long as you maintain it as per the schedule and replace the non-essential bits that wear out, it should do moon miles just fine.

Looking at all the Million Mile cars, Mercs especially - Each one of those is a 'no expense spared' example too, polished with the silk knickers of a Cuban virgin and bordering on Trigger's Broom when it comes to the non-engine parts....

That Skoda is bit like Trigger's broom. At that point is it really down to the quality of the base car, or just the amount of cash you're willing to pour into it?

[Ttaskmaster]

That Skoda is bit like Trigger's broom. At that point is it really down to the quality of the base car, or just the amount of cash you're willing to pour into it?

That's my point - So are most of the Million Mile cars!

[DanceswithUnix]

so as long as you maintain it as per the schedule and replace the non-essential bits that wear out,

Some would consider bodywork, suspension, wiring loom to be essential. Tick off what is shot on that car and the only bit that is left is the dull as dishwater engine, one that frankly I wouldn't class as worth saving. Even then, I would love to know if the engine number is the same as on the V5 or if it is the "same engine" because insurance companies don't like an engine swap even for the same type and it would have pushed premiums up.

But yeah, any car can be kept going if you keep spending on it. My wife's car is 14 years old, probably gets about £1000 per year spent on maintenance but is in concourse condition for that. But then there are only about 400 cars like hers left in the UK and it is nice, so it is money well spent.