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How many miles does the average car last before serious problems

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Original post by Drez999
Tricky question to answer but put it this way... I would never buy a car over 90k on the clock 😎


I would. So long as it has say a full service history - better if its an ex company car. Now that I've bought the car I have I'm thinking next time I may use the strategy of buy after the 100K mark, use for four years , and sell so buy a 10 year old car and sell it at 14. Therefore its unlikely you will have to do any major servicing. Better if you get an approved car I guess
Original post by ineedtorevise127
e.g. Vauxall Corsas, Polos. Golfs, BMW 1 series and Mercedez A class


I have a 2001 Toyota Hilux. It has around 600000+ miles, yet its going strong. I am thinking about overhauling the engine. I will be replacing the head, head gaskets, seals, valves, and mechanical parts this summer. I want it surpass the million mile mark; I love my truck :smile:.
Original post by JC.
Welding isn't a cheap thing to do unless you can do it yourself.


TBH even then it's still not really a cheap thing to do.
Reply 23
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JC.
19
Original post by SmashConcept
TBH even then it's still not really a cheap thing to do.


Depends where you source your gas I guess?
Original post by JC.
Depends where you source your gas I guess?


Gas isn't really that expensive tbh.. I'd say the machine itself is a bigger deal, and the materials. TBH I don't know a ton about welding on cars, but if we're talking bodywork then I'm guessing you need to either buy the part or use a load of other shaping machines to get a sheet of steel into the right shape.

Thinking about it it's probably not prohibitively expensive, and the skill required is pretty low. Time consuming tho.
Original post by SmashConcept
Gas isn't really that expensive tbh.. I'd say the machine itself is a bigger deal, and the materials. TBH I don't know a ton about welding on cars, but if we're talking bodywork then I'm guessing you need to either buy the part or use a load of other shaping machines to get a sheet of steel into the right shape.

Thinking about it it's probably not prohibitively expensive, and the skill required is pretty low. Time consuming tho.


Have you tried welding? It's not as easy as it looks, especially on thin stuff like car bodywork. Machines can be had for relatively little money, but as a rule of thumb the cheaper the machine the harder it is to us.
Original post by CurlyBen
Have you tried welding? It's not as easy as it looks, especially on thin stuff like car bodywork. Machines can be had for relatively little money, but as a rule of thumb the cheaper the machine the harder it is to us.


Yeah it's my job.

I might be underestimating the job here but I'm pretty sure car bodywork would be very easy because it's not structural and it doesn't have to look good since you grind it off anyway. So provided you set the machine on scrap and make sure you don't blow holes in it you basically can't screw it up no matter how dick fingered you are. Worst case scenario you just do like a million tacks all next to each other. And yeah that's why I said machines are usually more expensive than gas. Probably wouldn't buy a MIG welder for less than £500.
Reply 27
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HFBS
11
How long is a piece of string?

As well as maintenance, journey lengths and initial quality of the engine, bear in mind that:
- diesels are barely even run in properly at 100k
- the smaller the engine the harder it will need to work
- engines designed to rev fast will wear out quicker (think motorbikes)
- SMART apparently reckon on a life of 20,000 miles from their engines, so car price isn't a guide to longevity

Personally I think your choice of mechanic is even more important than your choice of car.
Reply 28
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JC.
19
Automotive metal is quite thin - usually 16 guage. Very easy to get good at making holes and not a right lot more.
Welding goes beyond a skill - it's an art.
Original post by SmashConcept
Yeah it's my job.

I might be underestimating the job here but I'm pretty sure car bodywork would be very easy because it's not structural and it doesn't have to look good since you grind it off anyway. So provided you set the machine on scrap and make sure you don't blow holes in it you basically can't screw it up no matter how dick fingered you are. Worst case scenario you just do like a million tacks all next to each other. And yeah that's why I said machines are usually more expensive than gas. Probably wouldn't buy a MIG welder for less than £500.


Those are pretty big ifs for an amateur welder in my experience!

Also car bodywork often is structural, especially in areas prone to rust, as virtually all cars are unibody/monocoque construction these days. If it's not structural then welding it up becomes a lot less important. I think as far as the MOT goes if non-structural areas are rotten it's fine as long as there are no sharp edges.
Reply 30
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HFBS
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Original post by CurlyBen
as far as the MOT goes if non-structural areas are rotten it's fine as long as there are no sharp edges.


Correct. And if there are sharp edges, duct tape is your friend. Legal, and acceptable in a pinch, but not truly advisable.
Original post by ineedtorevise127
e.g. Vauxall Corsas, Polos. Golfs, BMW 1 series and Mercedez A class


all the german stuff bmw, vw group etc all bomb proof- should last almost ever in theory if you are happy to jsut pay for gen maintenance. thats why those brands are expensive and also hold residual 2nd hand values the best

vauxhalls and the french makers, im not so sure about.

generally you get what you pay fir in terms of car makes
Original post by Nuffles
My car has 160,000 miles on it and still looks as fresh as new



It needs some maintenance, mainly the insane multi link front suspension and I need to keep an eye on the gearbox, but I reckon she's got at least another 40k miles left in her, probably a lot more.

those seats dont look like the original ones that were fitted 160,000 miles ago
Original post by CurlyBen
Those are pretty big ifs for an amateur welder in my experience!

Also car bodywork often is structural, especially in areas prone to rust, as virtually all cars are unibody/monocoque construction these days. If it's not structural then welding it up becomes a lot less important. I think as far as the MOT goes if non-structural areas are rotten it's fine as long as there are no sharp edges.


Well yeah but I assumed that someone who wants to attack their car with electricity would do some research first haha.

I'm not an expert on the engineering that goes into cars, but assuming the body work is ~2mm steel then pretty much any weld that seals up the entire joint and grinds flat with no pores will be strong enough. Because with steel that thin there's a pretty hard limit on how much of a structural role it can play.

I was told I failed an MOT because some non-structural bodywork was rotten and there was no way of telling the state of the part underneath but I don't know if the guy knew what he was on about. It was like a 99 Escort with a sky high clutch anyway so I just scrapped it and regretted spending £40 on someone telling me to.
Original post by SmashConcept


I'm not an expert on the engineering that goes into cars, but assuming the body work is ~2mm steel then pretty much any weld that seals up the entire joint and grinds flat with no pores will be strong enough. Because with steel that thin there's a pretty hard limit on how much of a structural role it can play.

Not really. Thickness actually isn't all that important compared to design. Bend and press thin steel and you can create a very stiff structure. I doubt you'll find many modern cars with any chassis component over 2mm thick (mounting lugs etc. excluded). You'd be amazed at what can be achieved with very thin components assembled into a honeycomb composite.


I was told I failed an MOT because some non-structural bodywork was rotten and there was no way of telling the state of the part underneath but I don't know if the guy knew what he was on about. It was like a 99 Escort with a sky high clutch anyway so I just scrapped it and regretted spending £40 on someone telling me to.


To quote the MOT tester's manual "excessive corrosion on non structural sections may have little or no effect on the vehicle’s safety". Full text is here but basically if it's not in a 'prescribed area' or a highly stressed part (brakes, suspension, steering etc.) it's not a reason for failure. It also says only a proper seam weld is acceptable for repair, or a spot weld if it's used to replace a panel that was originally spot welded in place.
Original post by ineedtorevise127
e.g. Vauxall Corsas, Polos. Golfs, BMW 1 series and Mercedez A class


A 1 series simply doesn't break I can tell you that as I had one it got to 90k before it was written off in a crash and it never had a part replaced except the brake pads and tyres of course :wink:


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Original post by Reformed
those seats dont look like the original ones that were fitted 160,000 miles ago


I'm 99% sure that they are original. Along with the leather steering wheel and the leather gear knob/gaiter. I'm pretty sure this car is almost all motorway miles cos unless the entire interior has been replaced then it's all in great condition. These definitely aren't city miles, the whole car is too tight.

They'd have had to source a whole sport interior if they'd replaced it. All the seats and interior trim match the original sport spec of the car.
(edited 8 years ago)
It’s a Lexus with 112000 miles on it, I live right by my school.
Take care of it well and you could get 250-300k out of it

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