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Post by racingteatray on Oct 11, 2021 10:51:30 GMT
Mrs RT's Fiat is due its MOT next month. It will be eight years old and has a whopping 21,200 miles on the clock.
Hitherto it's been religiously serviced on an annual basis irrespective of mileage because Fiat recommends this for the Twinair engine if you do less than 4k miles per year. We normally take it to a Fiat specialist in Stockwell that Jeff recommended.
This year, it's literally done only 350 miles since its last MoT and service.
Would you bother getting it serviced? Technically this year, being an even year, it's due the larger service. The year before it did 1,200, so it's only done just over 1,500 miles since its last major service, but that was two years ago and it has sat for long periods unused while we've been away/in lock-down etc.
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Post by chocy on Oct 11, 2021 11:10:54 GMT
We are quite spoilt with the quality of engine oils, it will easily last a couple of years with such low mileage.
I don't think I would, unless I really valued a full service history.
Mrs CR's Up is nearly 7 years old with 52k miles, just this year, I've started changing the engine oil ever six months. The difference is that she's stayed pretty consistently around the 8k miles per annum, even during Lockdown.
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Post by Boxer6 on Oct 11, 2021 11:14:31 GMT
I think a more appropriate question is, whether to sell or not?
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Post by PG on Oct 11, 2021 11:58:06 GMT
Without asking you to divulge too much, is Mrs Racing a calm, collected Italian (quite rare in my experience) or a fiery one? If the latter, imagine the scene. You don't get it serviced on schedule. It breaks down. Your life will be hell. A service is a small price to pay for a domestic insurance policy.
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Post by ChrisM on Oct 11, 2021 12:10:43 GMT
Absolutely without question get it serviced. With such low mileage a check on the brakes is essential to make sure they aren't rusting up and about to seize. Also a good idea for uj/cv boots to be checked although the MoT will do that, and an oil change would be a good idea too. Not necessarily a "menu" service but definitely a good going-over
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Post by johnc on Oct 11, 2021 12:13:44 GMT
I'm a bit anal about servicing so I would tend to bite the bullet and get it done.
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Post by garry on Oct 11, 2021 12:25:31 GMT
FSH would make it easier to sell. Which is what you should do when you average 7 miles per week!
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 11, 2021 12:42:31 GMT
No way I'd get it serviced. You'd be just as well setting fire to £20 notes.
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 11, 2021 14:23:42 GMT
FSH would make it easier to sell. Which is what you should do when you average 7 miles per week! From my wife's perspective, the small amount it costs her to run - just insurance (c.£160 pa), MoT, servicing and fuel - tax is nil, we have off-street parking, and it's pretty much stopped depreciating - is easily outweighed by the convenience of having it available should she need it. Plus she's probably about to start needing it for commuting again - she's got a new client assignment starting next week which is based near Heathrow and, having looked at the map, it's much easier and quicker by car from here than by public transport. |
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 11, 2021 14:25:51 GMT
No way I'd get it serviced. You'd be just as well setting fire to £20 notes. This is slightly where I'm at. Normally I'm a stickler for servicing, and since it's got to go in for an MoT anyway, for the sake of £200 or so, she might as well get it serviced. Particularly if she's going to start using it again more often. But it's never done this little between services before! |
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Post by Big Blue on Oct 11, 2021 14:52:01 GMT
I could’ve told you Chris’ and Bob’s respective responses before I read them. 😆
If you’re not comfortable just giving it the once over with your own eye an a bit of “feel” on a short drive then have it serviced for the reasons Chris gives. I used to take the Gorilla for a service if I just heard the slightest squeak so I’m probably not a great benchmark.
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Post by garry on Oct 11, 2021 14:56:52 GMT
FSH would make it easier to sell. Which is what you should do when you average 7 miles per week! From my wife's perspective, the small amount it costs her to run - just insurance (c.£160 pa), MoT, servicing and fuel - tax is nil, we have off-street parking, and it's pretty much stopped depreciating - is easily outweighed by the convenience of having it available should she need it. Plus she's probably about to start needing it for commuting again - she's got a new client assignment starting next week which is based near Heathrow and, having looked at the map, it's much easier and quicker by car from here than by public transport. That makes sense. I'd probably get the oil changed whist it's in for an MOT. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 11, 2021 15:09:49 GMT
A year? 350 miles on new oil? And you want to drain that out and put more oil in? You're all mad!  It's not very "green" for a start, wasting all that good oil. |
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Post by ChrisM on Oct 11, 2021 16:26:00 GMT
A year? 350 miles on new oil? And you want to drain that out and put more oil in? You're all mad! It's not very "green" for a start, wasting all that good oil. It's not wasted, it is recycled..... and with such little use there is a possibility of condensation from inside the sump contaminating the oil, hence I always have an oil change done on my cars every year irrespective of mileage..... in the "good old days" I even had interim oil changes done on my old Rover when I was doing a high annual mileage |
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Post by PG on Oct 11, 2021 16:30:28 GMT
A year? 350 miles on new oil? And you want to drain that out and put more oil in? You're all mad! It's not very "green" for a start, wasting all that good oil. It's not wasted, it is recycled..... and with such little use there is a possibility of condensation from inside the sump contaminating the oil, hence I always have an oil change done on my cars every year irrespective of mileage..... in the "good old days" I even had interim oil changes done on my old Rover when I was doing a high annual mileageIndeed. Oil changes every 6,000 miles was the norm, which meant for quite a few years, my cars were going into the garage at least four times a year. Has oil technology or engine technology moved that far in 20 years that oil can do 20,000 miles rather than 6,000? Answering my own question, probably manufacturing tolerances on engines have improved a great deal in that time. |
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Post by Roadsterstu on Oct 11, 2021 17:04:07 GMT
I'd do only oil and filter. The only other thing to be mindful of is the timing belt, on age rather than mileage.
Our Captur needs a service but this year I'm doing it myself.
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 11, 2021 17:09:41 GMT
Thanks. I'll leave her to decide since it's her car and her money, but was just curious whether there was a consensus view.
It's in very tidy condition for its age, especially inside, and drives as well as ever, but if she does start using it regularly again it will be interesting to see whether she resurrects her occasionally expressed interest in changing it for something "bigger and safer".
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Post by Roadsterstu on Oct 11, 2021 17:10:48 GMT
Thanks. I'll leave her to decide since it's her car and her money, but was just curious whether there was a consensus view. It's in very tidy condition for its age, especially inside, and drives as well as ever, but if she does start using it regularly again it will be interesting to see whether she resurrects her occasionally expressed interest in changing it for something "bigger and safer". A 500L.... (nope) |
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 11, 2021 17:11:22 GMT
I'd do only oil and filter. The only other thing to be mindful of is the timing belt, on age rather than mileage. Being a Twinair, it has a timing chain so fortunately that's not a factor. |
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 11, 2021 17:15:51 GMT
Thanks. I'll leave her to decide since it's her car and her money, but was just curious whether there was a consensus view. It's in very tidy condition for its age, especially inside, and drives as well as ever, but if she does start using it regularly again it will be interesting to see whether she resurrects her occasionally expressed interest in changing it for something "bigger and safer". A 500L.... (nope) Nope indeed. She quite likes the 500X but TBH I'm not holding my breath. At the best of times, the list of things my wife would sooner spend money on than a car is long and now we've got a new flat to renovate and furnish... I'd forgotten what a mind-numbing and wallet-savaging experience picking bathroom fittings and beds is. |
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Post by LandieMark on Oct 11, 2021 17:39:23 GMT
I wouldn't bother. Any moisture in the oil will evaporate off after a long run.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 11, 2021 19:17:59 GMT
I wouldn't bother. Any moisture in the oil will evaporate off after a long run. Indeed, but some people are determined to have their leg lifted. The dealerships love mugs who do this. Easy money. Even BMW say service at a set mileage or every two years if you don’t do the miles. Take it for a spin round the M25 if you’re worried about condensation. |
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 11, 2021 20:23:27 GMT
I wouldn't bother. Any moisture in the oil will evaporate off after a long run. Even BMW say service at a set mileage or every two years if you don’t do the miles. Take it for a spin round the M25 if you’re worried about condensation. Although not following this does invalidate the warranty... On my BMW, for the first time ever I actually stand a fighting chance of covering the set miles before the two years are up. It's already done 9k miles since the last service 10 months ago and when you turn it on the dash says it has 10k miles (or December 2022) to go to the next one. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Oct 11, 2021 20:45:21 GMT
Even BMW say service at a set mileage or every two years if you don’t do the miles. Take it for a spin round the M25 if you’re worried about condensation. Although not following this does invalidate the warranty... I thought it was 8 years old? |
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 11, 2021 21:05:13 GMT
I was referring to the BMW on which I have the extended warranty.
Agreed that irrelevant for the Fiat which is years out of warranty. We never bothered extending that.
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Post by Tim on Oct 12, 2021 8:25:29 GMT
I was referring to the BMW on which I have the extended warranty. Agreed that irrelevant for the Fiat which is years out of warranty. We never bothered extending that.It's funny isn't it, expensive quality German product makes owner feel nervous about potential failures post-manufacturer warranty whereas cheap, low quality Italian car gives owner a feeling of mechanical (at least) reliability. Repeated across the whole world, not just Jonny. I know the 2 cars have different values but really, in my mind at least, all the black boxes that you can't see and which are likely to be the cause of financial angst probably come from the same sources. |
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Post by alf on Oct 12, 2021 10:55:45 GMT
The problem is, it's not had many "long runs" to burn off water in the oil, has it? If you intend to keep it it probably needs more long runs, and also getting the brakes fairly hot, from time to time to avoid additional maintenance.
On the one hand many modern oils are designed to last for 2-year service schedules. On the other hand is the cost of the service going to make any difference to you? The cheapest option is probably to buy the right oil yourself, and get a local garage just to do an oil and filter change.
Doing nothing for another year will probably be fine, but do check all the fluid levels, look it over, and drive it more!
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Post by racingteatray on Oct 12, 2021 11:06:09 GMT
I was referring to the BMW on which I have the extended warranty. Agreed that irrelevant for the Fiat which is years out of warranty. We never bothered extending that.It's funny isn't it, expensive quality German product makes owner feel nervous about potential failures post-manufacturer warranty whereas cheap, low quality Italian car gives owner a feeling of mechanical (at least) reliability. It's more that the risk of an expensive bill is much higher with a complicated car than with a simple one! |
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Post by Tim on Oct 12, 2021 13:10:30 GMT
My point in the 2nd sentence was that nowadays all cars are complicated underneath but we're more likely to buy an extended warranty on the BMW (or other premium marque) than something else.
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Post by johnc on Oct 12, 2021 13:19:50 GMT
My point in the 2nd sentence was that nowadays all cars are complicated underneath but we're more likely to buy an extended warranty on the BMW (or other premium marque) than something else. I think that's down to the ludicrous labour rates that the "premium marques" charge. I could have the services of a great joiner we know for a whole day for less than the cost of 2 hours for a 19 yr old mechanic working on my car, so the small price for the extended warranty suddenly appears good value. |
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