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Thread ID: 136733	2014-04-08 05:27:00	Essentials of car maintenance ...	Nomad (952)	PC World Chat

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1372266	2014-04-10 07:08:00	Having a brand new car would be nice, but doubt it will ever happen. A big expense can be saved by doing regular preventive maintenance. If a cam belt breaks ( example) there will certainly be more damage done and cost a lot more to fix than replacing it before the event.	wainuitech (129)
1372267	2014-04-10 11:33:00	@Mzee yep. New car never. Think about the depreciation out the door, not even the 15-20yrs I get to use it. I've never had a new laptop myself, from 1997 all been used ones for uni and then the last was 2010 purchase a 2007 one (Thinkpad) would be the last, am happy with a desktop PC and if others want a tablet for casual stuff, linked to TV, reading etc. My 5.5yr PC might survive 10 or 11yrs when Win7 ends service :D I know that people will always say, preventative maintenance means that. Maybe we are just too lucky or we only drive $10-15k (as of last year more like 8k as they are retired) per year around town thru the 5km urban motorway I dunno. The other one Camry does 20k per year now more like 15k. Our experience: Apart from tyres, brake pads, bulbs, oil and oil filter each 6 months. Battery as required. 1992-2006 Ford Telstar prob 8yr old at purchase (?). Crap from the dealer first week ignition issues and we got blamed they said we didn't know how to start the car, they just did roadside assitance they didn't fix or substantially replace parts, and they delayed it (3 months?) and when we didn't take it in for service they said b/c of that it was our fault we neglected the car wo we just paid for labour and parts to fix the same ignition issue $1000-1500 (?). They delayed for some months and said that. With repair that was used up to 2006 when the alternator broke down, not worth to repair was quoted about $800 I think. Prob some belts, CV joints etc. Not even air/fuel filter was done. Prob the odd sparks. I recall a raidator replacement. So no more dealers. auction. 1995-2010. Mazda Familia 1.3 1992. Same as the Ford but it had no issues. No muffler replacement. Did fix the gap or whatever at Pit Stop. Same not even a air filter. No fuel filter. Some water leak to the back seat and boot, did some panel beating for $1,000 and again $1,500 and then sold it wasn't worth it. Engine and aircon was tip top shape though. No radiator needed. Present: (auction) 2006 to present. Camry 1998. No maintenance schedule. 2013 drive belt / power steering belt replacement, I put in a air filter just for the heck of it, a few days ago mechanic installed our OEM Toyota fuel filter. A few year ago shock absorber. Set of sparks done the recommended long life as recommended. Odometer 208,000. Bought at at 100,000. (auction) 2010 to present. VW Bora 2004. No schedule either. 1x set of new tyres. Still on old battery. No belts done yet. No brake pads done yet as I recall. 2013 I put in a air filter, cabin (pollen filter) for the heck of it. Oil and oil filter every 6 months. Odometer 93,000. Bought at 58,000. Other than a flat tyre, bad batery never breaked down. Excl the crappy Ford's ignition a week or two within purchase which the dealer didn't care. And excl the Toyota after we took a working car to a mechanic when ours was on holiday over one of the Xmas. He said new belts needed. He installed. Then it fell off and we had to tow it back to him. I would do the air filter, might save some fuel costs, due to the amount of driving maybe not each year maybe 2 or 3yrs. Not sure about the fuel filter thou. Some say 2 or 4yrs. We have done one now for the 2 present vehicles.	Nomad (952)
1372268	2014-04-10 20:30:00	That was sourced out? I have the bill here . Camry 1998 . $430 . $180 crank pulley , $24 drive belt, $15 freight, $19 power steering belt and then GST . 2hr labour $140 . Crank pulley? Power steering belt? So you had other bits done too . I had cambelt, water pump and crank seals replaced . Parts were purchased at trade cost . Labour was the rest, plus a box of beer . Sons friend did it, he is a qualified mechanic but works from home . Well, actually, he came here and did it, bought his tools over . . . . .	pctek (84)
1372269	2014-04-10 20:31:00	Been buying new cars about every 5 years. I run them with no servicing at all and I mean none at all other than tyres, battery and front brake pads after the 3 year service runs out, then trade them in.	prefect (6291)
1372270	2014-04-11 01:54:00	Crank pulley? Power steering belt? So you had other bits done too. I had cambelt, water pump and crank seals replaced. Parts were purchased at trade cost. Labour was the rest, plus a box of beer. Sons friend did it, he is a qualified mechanic but works from home. Well, actually, he came here and did it, bought his tools over..... Yep. If this was just us walkin to a "good" mechanic. The cam belt and water pump would probably be $800-1200 right .. depending on vehicle. Yep the work I quoted was not the cam belt. It was the cheaper/easier drive belt and stuff ... that's that 50,000km service interval type. I think that's the first belt we did on the Camry. Cam belt not done yet afaik. It does get looked over by our mechanic. If it was done in Japan before Turners Auctions I don't know. And as for new cars, cannot afford that. :D Thinkign of all the other stuff we could spend the funds on. $8k cars for us from auctions are a nice 8yr old Japanese. Or $6k for the Camry which was 9 or 10yrs. We get 10yrs out of them usually, the Camry is now 16yrs (from new) and still strong. Probabluy eclipse the previous cars. From memory our Mazda did 18yrs (from new) before we sold it. The Ford was maybe 15 or 16yrs, I do recall it was slightly shorter than the Mazda.	Nomad (952)
1372271	2014-04-11 02:18:00	Been buying new cars about every 5 years. I run them with no servicing at all and I mean none at all other than tyres, battery and front brake pads after the 3 year service runs out, then trade them in. Out of interest, could you give an example of two cars and how much it cost you to upgrade?	wratterus (105)
1372272	2014-04-11 05:19:00	Last 3 cars bought new Ford Laser, Kia Sportage, Mazda 2 lose about 2/3rds of its new purchase price, but who cares its some other clowns problem for maintenance. Long time dead looking at the potatoes from underneath so **** it buy a new car.	prefect (6291)
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