General Life Span Of A Car (mileage Wise)

[rangerover]

Guys,

What is the life span of a car under general sri lankan road conditions? I know odometer readings are the least reliable thing in this country, but assuming that it is true and correct, what would be the maximum life span of a car without it needing an engine overhaul. (mileage wise). Beyond what level of mileage would you consider a car a risky investment

If maintained well is 100,000Km a huge amount for a 6 year old car?

[terrabytetango]

I don't think that's a huge amount, it means less than 20K a year which is pretty good. Get a compression test done on your engine, that should tell you instantly whether you need an overhaul or not.

[rangerover]

I just bought the car, and did a engine tune up, injector cleaning, trottle body cleaning etc. Was told by the mechanic the engine was in good condition. Would getting a second opinion from toyota lanka be better? any idea how much it costs to get an engine scan done?

[tharindu6]

Guys,

What is the life span of a car under general sri lankan road conditions? I know odometer readings are the least reliable thing in this country, but assuming that it is true and correct, what would be the maximum life span of a car without it needing an engine overhaul. (mileage wise). Beyond what level of mileage would you consider a car a risky investment

If maintained well is 100,000Km a huge amount for a 6 year old car?

Well the Genaral life span can vary upon a number of reasons.

road conditionsDriving style/pattern of the diverProper regular maintatance and oil change

and many more

As you have mentioned u cannot trust the ODO meters in Sri Lanka 100% ( Land like no other ) but then again what if the car was used as daily runner in colombo ? ( Even if you travel 20KMs daily, when your car is stuck in traffic for hours, still your engine will be running rite ? and that time does not get reflected on ODO rite ? )

Most important you have not mentioned wthr your car is diesel or petrol . usually deisel engines tend to wear quickely compared with their petrol counter parts.Best thing is to get a compression test done as terrabytetango has mentioned.

I guess changing all belts in the engine ( including the timing belt will be a worthy investment for you ) .. Good luck with your new ride

[Ruslan]

Guys,

What is the life span of a car under general sri lankan road conditions? I know odometer readings are the least reliable thing in this country, but assuming that it is true and correct, what would be the maximum life span of a car without it needing an engine overhaul. (mileage wise). Beyond what level of mileage would you consider a car a risky investment

If maintained well is 100,000Km a huge amount for a 6 year old car?

Driving a Corolla Luxel (Manufactured 2002) and ODO clocked at 136,000 K s. no hiccups nothing. still going strong. if the maintenance done properly (Oil changes , filters, recommended replacements etc) you can extract some good k s out from a petrol car.

Edited November 22, 2009 by Ruslan

[harshansenadhir]

Driving a Corolla Luxel (Manufactured 2002) and ODO clocked at 136,000 K s. no hiccups nothing. still going strong. if the maintenance done properly (Oil changes , filters, recommended replacements etc) you can extract some good k s out from a petrol car.

it's not just about the figure indicated in the odo meter, as ruslan very correctly said it's all about how you drive and maintain. I know of this japan used hiace brought to sl by it's current owner and used very carefully. Now the odo reads something in excess of 500k and still the originat setup except time belt changes. Not even a slightest oil leak is visible. Secret is he never allow sl grease monkeys to touch the thing, not even service center guys as he changes oil by himself. Even the sump nut is intact like new. Seriously guys, we got to open some knowledge sharing on diy stuff as us as owners tend to be extra carefull in doing stuff on our vehicles.

[rangerover]

My car odo metre say 67K.. But i found a green test certificate in the car taken in mid this year where the mileage is 94K. Just saw it yesterday

My car is 2003/4 manufactured 121 VVTi petrol engine. Since the tune ups etc and full service the car engine is almost inaudible.. Smooth etc. I am planning to use the car for the next 3 - 4 years where the max mileage i will put on is around 20K - 25K.

I went to matara garage in nugegoda, which has a good reputation etc, and they did all the tunning up (injector cleaning, trottle body cleaning, spark plug changing, air filter changing) and replaced ball joints, tie rods ends and checked suspension and gave the green light saying the engine is in good condition. Engine sounds very smooth with minimal sound. Since this model comes with a timing chain, replacement is not necessary

I just want to get a second opinion from toyota lanka. Any idea how much they will charge for a full diagnostics and if their usually reliable? any alternatives?

The reason for me to be a bit nervous, is the other cars i have used, especially the vehicles my parents used have has done only 27K and 50k repectively. Brand new toyota imports

[Devinda_Z]

There was a Volvo P-1800 with over two million miles on the clock i think!

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2002/02/21/036086.html

[rangerover]

Wow! Generally in the sri lankan context, do japanese cars tend to last longer than some of the eurpoean rivals? (exception of mercedes and few bmw models). Because most cars i see on the road having registration numbers 17-XXX or older are japanese (Except mercedes models and some bmw e36s, e34s and E30s). Hardly find any audis, volvos, jaguars, opels etc...(I may be wrong, but just my observation)

[SeanD]

Depends on so many things, like where the car was driven, driving style, surface driven, etc. In SL, a car has pretty much come of age after 100k KM, and often time for a overhaul, after which it's good to go several years more. As I said, all down to the driving style. In US and some parts of Europe, a car is still considered young at 100K km, (a 2000/2001 Honda in the US will be considered low mileage if it has about 120k miles at this point - thats almost 200 thousand KM). And still sell for substantial part of the original price. No way with our dusty conditions in SL can we expect this, but just do the recommended tests on this thread and do the necessary maintenance.

[rangerover]

Any idea how much toyota lanka would charge for a diagnostic? since i have done an engine tune up, injector cleaning, fuel system cleaning and change of spark plugs i just want to get a diagnostic done.

[tharindu6]

There was a Volvo P-1800 with over two million miles on the clock i think!

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2002/02/21/036086.html

I have heard a smilar story where a Toyota Starlet has completed 1000K on ODO .. without any major maintanance. Owner changes the engine oil and filter every 3500km

[rangerover]

HAha given the mileage i do for a year, it will take me 150 years to go from where i am now to 1,000,000Kms.

[DevakaC]

My car odo metre say 67K.. But i found a green test certificate in the car taken in mid this year where the mileage is 94K. Just saw it yesterday

Which means the ODO was turned back? Or could it be a typo by the mechanics at the testing center? (which happens quite often) I believe your car has a digital ODO, in that case do you think our dudes will have the electronic equipment necessary to adjust it? If you bought the car from a car sale, its a different story.

And I see your kind of over worried about the engine of your new car, which is highly normal for anyone with a new set of wheels I guess. But I dont think you need to go to Toyota Lanka for any testing because given the fact your car is under 100K, your pretty much good with a new set of filters (air/oil/fuel) Spark plugs, spark plug wires and a basic tune up as you have got done. The car should run like a baby with regular oil change. Its up to you end of the day if you need a second opinion.

[rangerover]

This is what i hope as well.. Because the rear tyres in the car are the original set it came with and only the front tyres have being replaced (with a larger size). Also just being extremely optimistic and assuming its a typo of 64K typed as 94K, which is realistic for the car to have done around 3K since the green test 5 months make.. But better be safe than sorry! lol

[lakshank]

Most important you have not mentioned wthr your car is diesel or petrol . usually deisel engines tend to wear quickely compared with their petrol counter parts.Best thing is to get a compression test done as terrabytetango has mentioned.

I guess changing all belts in the engine ( including the timing belt will be a worthy investment for you ) .. Good luck with your new ride

From what i have seen in uk, diesels do last longer than petrols. We in srilanka usually see the otherway around. i wonder why. I have used few diesels(rover/peugeot/ford) and they all were above 200k and didnt have any oil burning or under compression problems.

I still cant figure out why. Did some search in the internet and found this.

http://jayant7k.blogspot.com/2006/10/petro...sel-engine.html

[rangerover]

From what i have seen in uk, diesels do last longer than petrols. We in srilanka usually see the otherway around. i wonder why. I have used few diesels(rover/peugeot/ford) and they all were above 200k and didnt have any oil burning or under compression problems.

I still cant figure out why. Did some search in the internet and found this.

http://jayant7k.blogspot.com/2006/10/petro...sel-engine.html

We have a 2001, model prado and a 2008 model montero at home and they both seem to work just fine. obviously the latter is too new to notice but the prado had done 161K and will still take on any newer petrol or diesel jeep in its class with a good fight!

In sri lanka is there a reason why japanese cars tend to last longer than european cars? is the availability of parts or just the condition of the engines?

[terrabytetango]

it's not just about the figure indicated in the odo meter, as ruslan very correctly said it's all about how you drive and maintain. I know of this japan used hiace brought to sl by it's current owner and used very carefully. Now the odo reads something in excess of 500k and still the originat setup except time belt changes. Not even a slightest oil leak is visible. Secret is he never allow sl grease monkeys to touch the thing, not even service center guys as he changes oil by himself. Even the sump nut is intact like new. Seriously guys, we got to open some knowledge sharing on diy stuff as us as owners tend to be extra carefull in doing stuff on our vehicles.

He hasn't even overhauled the engine after 500ks?

Our Townace ticked over 300Ks last week. 11 years and 0 breakdowns, overhauled at 260ks.

[harshansenadhir]

He hasn't even overhauled the engine after 500ks?

Our Townace ticked over 300Ks last week. 11 years and 0 breakdowns, overhauled at 260ks.

nope, as i told engine runs like new, no oil burns no leaks or whatsoever.

[harshansenadhir]

From what i have seen in uk, diesels do last longer than petrols. We in srilanka usually see the otherway around. i wonder why. I have used few diesels(rover/peugeot/ford) and they all were above 200k and didnt have any oil burning or under compression problems.

I still cant figure out why. Did some search in the internet and found this.

http://jayant7k.blogspot.com/2006/10/petro...sel-engine.html

something to do with the quality of oils and usage i would say. We tend to use vehicles for short runs mostly. Average trip at one go would be 30-40kms max where wear and tear is high.