Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: What do you do to keep your cars running?

  1. #1
    Moderator Eggman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2015
    Location
    Cleveland, Ohio
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    10,159
    Thanks
    4,039
    Thanked 2,788 Times in 2,107 Posts

    What do you do to keep your cars running?

    Some folks just get a new car every so many years - say, when the lease is up. Some folks buy and hold.

    If you are in the buy and hold camp, what do you do for vehicle longevity? Everyone has their own take on vehicle maintenance, and even that can be influenced by local climate (think road salt.)

    I try to minimize my vehicle use. I live near where I work and thus have a short commute. If I have errands to run, I try to combine trips. After over three years of ownership I have a Mirage with low miles on the odometer. Heck, sometimes lack of use can cause problems with a car.

    So what's your approach? Just get another car (there's a lot of cars out there to drive - why stick to just one?) Or buy and hold? Drive it til the wheels fall off? Follow the book on maintenance or step up the schedule for more frequent intervals? Anything over and above the manufacturer's recommendations?

    Something like this can bring out lots of good ideas and a few Sticky candidates. Looking forward to everyone's input.


        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2015 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 49.6 mpg (US) ... 21.1 km/L ... 4.7 L/100 km ... 59.5 mpg (Imp)


  2. #2
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    The Armpit of America
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    382
    Thanks
    66
    Thanked 139 Times in 97 Posts
    I buy and hold at least until 200k if possible. I want cheap transportation but it has to be reliable.

    In the northeast it is important with the salt to wash and do undercarriage coatings. To me this seems to be the best investment for vehicle longevity... whatever they put on the highways of CT last year is causing rust like never before.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2019 Mirage ES 1.2 automatic: 38.8 mpg (US) ... 16.5 km/L ... 6.1 L/100 km ... 46.5 mpg (Imp)


  3. #3
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Country
    Canada
    Posts
    3,022
    Thanks
    1,810
    Thanked 692 Times in 564 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Mirageman38 View Post
    I buy and hold at least until 200k if possible. I want cheap transportation but it has to be reliable.

    In the northeast it is important with the salt to wash and do undercarriage coatings. To me this seems to be the best investment for vehicle longevity... whatever they put on the highways of CT last year is causing rust like never before.
    I use Krown rust control, and they spray undercarriage AND inside the doors, engine bay etc. so it saves your electrical from fraying, as well as typical anti-rust effectiveness for everything else underneath.

    The stuff works. I drive my Mirage driving daily in ONtario winter and summer, and my Mirage is pretty mint, when normally cars rust out from the salt. And my Miragès is almost 7 years old now, a 2013 build, and I have had more than one person remark that my Mirage looks new, but its not.

    Besides a funky e-brake and a terrible faulty starter, my Mirage has been reliable. I hope to drive it forever, but likely will end up a summer cruiser and secondary car just being realistic.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


  4. #4
    Senior Member Wallythacker's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Niagara region
    Country
    Canada
    Posts
    2,459
    Thanks
    57
    Thanked 547 Times in 438 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by dspace9 View Post
    I use Krown rust control, and they spray undercarriage AND inside the doors, engine bay etc. so it saves your electrical from fraying, as well as typical anti-rust effectiveness for everything else underneath.
    I second Krown. Only problem is if your car rots they have $5k repair limit or Present Value of the car, whichever is less. In reality it means your car isn't going to get fixed once it hits 5-6 years of age which is not quite middle age for a modern auto.

    As for myself, I buy a wash pass for $120/winter season and wash my car every single day it's driven during the winter. I use Nufinish 2x a year and have weather tech mats front and rear. The car gets detailed every spring to remove any traces of salt or grit from the cabin. I change the oil every 10k (modern synths don't more frequent changes) and change the air in my tires quarterly










    (ha ha, j/k, got you, right?)
    Zero, 2014 ES Plus 5MT, written off but not forgotten.
    Zero II, 2014 SE, 5MT, climate She's HOME now!
    Shelby AKA "Cute", 2017 ES 5MT, A/C.

    Mirage owners look at the world differently than everyone else, but in a better way
    We're driving the Beetle of the 21st century, the greatest small car now available!

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2017 Mirage ES PLus 1.2 manual: 39.0 mpg (US) ... 16.6 km/L ... 6.0 L/100 km ... 46.8 mpg (Imp)


  5. #5
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    FL
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    36
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post
    Ask a taxi driver and they'll tell you the secret to a car running 400000 miles is changing all the fluids very regularly. And I do mean every fluid.

  6. #6
    Member
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    FL
    Country
    United States
    Posts
    36
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post
    By the way, I'm exaggerating the four hundred thousand miles but you get my point

  7. #7
    Senior Member dspace9's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Canada
    Country
    Canada
    Posts
    3,022
    Thanks
    1,810
    Thanked 692 Times in 564 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Wallythacker View Post
    I second Krown. Only problem is if your car rots they have $5k repair limit or Present Value of the car, whichever is less. In reality it means your car isn't going to get fixed once it hits 5-6 years of age which is not quite middle age for a modern auto.)
    I'm sure washing your car helps, and i do the same thing once a week during bad commute weeks in the winter.

    But I feel washing off the salt is only half the battle in a car's aging. Krown also prevents your electrical from getting old, by keeping that too lubricated.

    According to the Krown video, this works 'inside' your doors, etc . As in, Krown's spray works from the inside-out.


    Last edited by dspace9; 09-30-2019 at 01:38 AM.

        __________________________________________

        click to view fuel log View my fuel log 2014 Mirage ES 1.2 manual: 42.2 mpg (US) ... 17.9 km/L ... 5.6 L/100 km ... 50.7 mpg (Imp)


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •