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Engine condition on high mileage cars

170k+ on mine now, with no engine work... I just drive it and fix things when they break.
 
It's funny, we used to get threads like this on the Range Rover forum when I had one of those cars. Someone would say "my car has done 20 billion miles and never missed a beat......." which would then be countered by "my three month old FFRR has had five new engines..." or something.

In other words, there's so many variables in play [factory assembly defects, quality of servicing, mechanical sympathy for example] that you may not get a consensus about engine reliability.

GMG, what say you? Hartech's opinion?

That said, it's always nice to hear of the high mileage "good news" stories, happy motoring chaps. :thumb:
 
Alex I think that you have put your finger on a possible source of the engine problems and that is not properly warming the engine before driving. My son who has a current 911 gets in and drives off as if the hounds of hell are at his heels. The concept of warming up never enters his head, or to be fair, any of his friends.
 
alfazagato said:
Alex I think that you have put your finger on a possible source of the engine problems and that is not properly warming the engine before driving. My son who has a current 911 gets in and drives off as if the hounds of hell are at his heels. The concept of warming up never enters his head, or to be fair, any of his friends.

In a 'modern' car, theres debate over whether doing this actually causes more harm than good. I know I've heard similar debate aout the 996/7's too - do you start up and leave it 15 minutes till its at 80deg before even lifting the handbrake, or do you get in and drive gently to ensure the oil fills all the engine and only start hooning at 80deg?
 
The principle (I think) is that its best to start and immediately drive off as the car warms up quicker under a bit of load... rich mixture washing the bores for a shorter period, oil warms up and circulates quicker through not only the engine, but transmission.

But, engine revs should be limited, gentle driving etc until the oil is warm.

It interested me that the BMW M cars which had the 'segments' on the rev counter that would gradually extinguish seemed to allow 4k rpm from the get-go. I was always surprised that it was not around 3k.
 
I do the latter and have done for years with no problems. All cars with aluminium blocks and wet liners.
 
Good observations.

We have also found - over the years - that thinking about the choices of owners when the cars we new, say 3 years old and extremely expensive also gives a clue to how they were probably driven (obviously there will always be exceptions). These owners can afford almost any type of fast sports car they fancy - so why do some pick different models to others.

For example we find someone spending the new price on a cabriolet is unlikely to want to thrash it everywhere, but drive it little differently to a saloon car and is often older.

Someone who choses a 3.6 instead of a 3.8 from new - probably isn't so interested in the performance as the guy who bought the 3.8 (and is probably younger).

Of those buying tips or PDK's - the are probably more of them commuting than those buying manuals etc.

But the original tolerances and variations in quality of some internal components also adds a variable outside of owners control (unfortunately).

Oil pressures are relatively low at low engine revs (which is why the Gen 2 has a variable oil pressure control system relating to engine load) and torque (engine loads) are often high when booting from low revs (or in 2nd in a tip) - so sometimes revving up (but not on too much load) is good.

Overall I think owners with a natural mechanic sympathy can usually squeeze more miles out of an engine (on average) than those without and tend also to make sure maintenance is not compromised.

But by most 3rd (4th or more) buyers - they do not know how the first 3 (or more) drove the car but specialists jumping in such a car usually can "feel" how it has been looked after.

A one owner car from one owner might therefore be great yet from another - worn out already.

A multiple owned car can be good if only because it spreads the type of owner and they tend to get a "birthday" each time a new owner buys them either from the new owner after picking it up or by the specialists selling it.

This is why specialists with good reputations tend to sell better quality cars - because they get used to weighing up a "good car" from a "poor one" which someone new to the marque cannot do as well.


Baz
 
warming the engine is always important, particularly with a TIP, cold oil, low rpm, low fling up bores, and high torque, that OIL coating will break and you get metal to metal.
 
Any views on the usefulness of oil analysis Baz?

I imagine that you need a few done over a period to get an idea of 'trend' plus as said above, less miles between oil changes may reveal less useful results.
 
Millers assured me that analysis is still worth it on a low mileage sample and that it would definitely still show up anything important.

At the same time I'd expect a series of samples over several services to be the best monitor for an engine but again any glaringly high amounts of copper or Ali would show up with even one analysis.
 
How much is a high amount?
 
I just drive mine without worry and if it goes bang then so be it. :thumbs:
 
Mine always ran well, no noises, regular oil changes with nothing obvious in the oil coming out.

I'm not a boy racer, I get my kicks with the TR3a. Drive off sensibly etc.
I had hoped as it was over 110k miles that I was going to in the 'safe' majority.


Just got unlucky, it doesn't run at all currently!

It to picked up by Hartech today...
 

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