are irish people looking after their cars more nowadays ?

goochy

in the past one of the big reasons for importing a car from the uk was that they were in much better condition than irish cars . however with the celtic tiger era (where we had money to buy better and more expensive cars ) did irish plp become more into looking after their cars ?

the nct means that bangers are rare nowadays but are also cars in shabby condition ? there seems to be alot more valeting companies and car washes around these days so that must mean something ?

while i would say uk car owners have more of a ritual of washing their cars at the weekends , i am sure not all uk cars are in mint condition . if someone is going to the trouble of importing a car from the uk they are not going to bring back a shabby car .

toastedpickles

In short, no

Bpmull

I know so many people who during boom times never really had to look after their cars they bought new and traded every 2 years or so and sure if it got dirty it was valeted every few weeks. The sad thing is so many of these people are still going around in 2007 / 2008 cars they bought new but when the recession hit they couldn't change and still can't afford to. So some of these cars are in sh!t condition now simply because the owners never done any serious maintenance and we're use to the cars never been old enough to need it. However a lot have copped on and had a bit of mechanical sympathy now and look after their cars.

So I think people have gotten a small bit more into cars and learning how they work and what they need simply because in many cases they had to. My view on car maintenance is to just keep on top of it and as things need doing so them. Rather than leaving this big long list to pile up.

goochy

goochy wrote: »

in the past one of the big reasons for importing a car from the uk was that they were in much better condition than irish cars ......

By and large a myth imo.
No doubt the ones that people bring in are generally good example but there is a huge amount of neglected crap in the UK too.

Dartz

I get weird looks even mooting the idea of a 'service', or a concept of preventative maintenance such as clearing out oil lines and the like. "Sure, it's still running grand"

I've gotten a bit into maintenance, solely because I can't afford not to. Which means tackling **** I know needs to be done, even though I can't afford to pay for it to be done.

I don't know anyone who does not get their car serviced. I will admit to never cleaning oil lines, regular oil and filter changes make that unnecessary in the normal run of events.

*Kol*

Dartz wrote: »

I get weird looks even mooting the idea of a 'service', or a concept of preventative maintenance such as clearing out oil lines and the like. "Sure, it's still running grand"

I've gotten a bit into maintenance, solely because I can't afford not to. Which means tackling **** I know needs to be done, even though I can't afford to pay for it to be done.

If things like that needed to be done then would they not be in the manufacturers maintenace program in addition to the normal servicing requirements? Who clears out their oil lines?

cerastes

*Kol* wrote: »

If things like that needed to be done then would they not be in the manufacturers maintenace program in addition to the normal servicing requirements? Who clears out their oil lines?

manufacturers also specified long oil change intervals (suprise suprise) that either ditn work or suit peoples driving usage.
Regular oil changes solves a lot.

*Kol*

*Kol* wrote: »

....Who clears out their oil lines?

Aside from after issues with a turbo / HG etc I imagine no one.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

constant and regular tweaking seems to be the the ticket to keep older cars on the straight and narrow ,
keep an eye on the usuals like the oil water / coolant / tyres bulbs

then the brake pads / disks / fluids / wipers

throttle body clean / maf clean / air filter every year

oil up door hinges / bonnet clasps boot clasps etc once a year

wash when grubby including the wheels brake pad area
two buckets and good cloths / mits only takes 30 mins and you can you top notch stuff dont use a car wash
polish / seal the car once every three - four months /

on things like the suspension / joints / boots etc
you can spot things that could be going , and you stop it in its tracks
or you get to plan and budget ahead if its out of your skill level

driving with no radio once a week to spot new noises if any

half hour a week keeps it sweet really

i prefer my old car and its familar history , and i learn alot from looking after and tweaking it .

and if you get into it you will save a lot of money - but you have to balance it with how valuable your time is and if you like doing it.

*Kol*

cerastes wrote: »

manufacturers also specified long oil change intervals (suprise suprise) that either ditn work or suit peoples driving usage.
Regular oil changes solves a lot.

Changing oil is always a good thing. I guess manufacturers spend a lot of time and money looking into these things. Not much use to anyone who owns a car that's out of warranty though. I'll stick to the oil change interval at least until my cars warranty expires. Saying that though with advances in oils and engine materials technology there may be a case for longer oil change intervals. I am not an expert in metallurgy or oils. I have one car that doesn't need an oil change for 30k Km and another that I change the oil every year because it only does 8k per year! Who knows!!??

Edit: the 8k per year car is 15 years old.

Jesus.

I've never done most things Tish has on his list. I just keep an eye on the fluids and put some air in the tyres every month or two. Add a service every year or so and she's sweet as a nut

*Kol*

Jesus. wrote: »

I've never done most things Tish has on his list. I just keep an eye on the fluids and put some air in the tyres every month or two. Add a service every year or so and she's sweet as a nut

I knew I was close to Jesus!!!

i57dwun4yb1pt8

he he , its a bit of a list alright , but i went through 3 months of mayhem with the car ,
and decided thats f**king it , i'm learning all about it .

never had the slightest interest before .
now i'm also addicted to wheeler dealers .

the wife thinks i've been replaced by some kind of garage loving alien

Jesus.

Fair play Tish. Sounds like the proper way to keep on top of things alright

Kevin McCloud

What is ironic now is the uk car with an mot would likely not pass an nct.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

eventually you will be failed just for having car older than 5 years

ShaunieVW

I was speaking to a "car enthusiast" a while back and in conversation I said I'm going to drop my sump to clean the pick up pipe, a well known cause of of oil starvation in the VAG 1.8t engines, he says sure it's not clogged now leave it till it needs to be done :0

RandomAccess

DaDumTish wrote: »

eventually you will be failed just for having car older than 5 years

NCT is in melt down anyway.
Its 1 month + 7 days now since I requested a test.
If I need a re-test for a mis-aligned headlight or whatever :rolleyes:

seamusk84

Yeah I got into servicing my car a few months back. My old one got crashed into and I didnt want to spend much on a new one.
So I got a 7 year old focus on the cheap. It was cheap because the lad who owned it I reckon hadn't had it serviced in years. Since then I have changed the oil twice as it took two cycles to clean all the s**t out of the engine, also did all the filters and plugs.
It is very easy to service a car and regular services really improve performance, fuel consumption and power delivery. I'd recommend everyone to get into basic car maintance, you really do appreciate the machine more.

p.s. The website micks garage is great for service parts. All you need is your registration.

jim-mcdee

Sadly, and this occurred to me three times, just after polishing my car somebody keyed it. Three different cars, in different location. I love having my car shiny and polished, but its not worth it when some jealous c**t decides to show you whats what and destroy yous paintwork. I will do it again if I have my own garage, as we have cameras now at work. I just try to keep the mechanical tip top now, and wash the car about once every two months. I suspect this is why many do not wash their cars too much. Attracts attention from the wrong sort.

Dartz

*Kol* wrote: »

If things like that needed to be done then would they not be in the manufacturers maintenace program in addition to the normal servicing requirements? Who clears out their oil lines?

Car injects a little oil into the combustion chambers as it's running. At least, it's supposed to. Mine's stopped doing that. So if I don't clean 'em out or add 2-stroke to the fuel, it eats its own seals.