Car Treatment

Drive Time

From Reader GT3Ted:

  1. How many miles do you drive a year? — less than 100 miles per week, about 4,000 per annum.  Some weeks I don’t go out at all, other than a quick trip to the grocery store (about half a mile from the house).
  2. Primary trip type ? I’m assuming you don’t have a daily 30 mile comment to the city in stop & go heavy traffic 5 days a week — my only “regular” commute is to the range (4 miles), and that only once or twice / week.
  3. Short forays into the Texas Heat? Or more weekly 100 mile adventures? — the furthest I ever drive, and that maybe once a month, is to visit the Son&Heir or the Sooper-Seekrit Mailbox place, a 40-mile round trip.  Longer trips, maybe once a year.
  4. How religious are you about fluid changes? Not just occasional trips to Jiffy-lubes. When if ever did you have the transmission oil flushed and renewed. Engine coolant flushed and renewed? — I do a major fluid change every 25,000 miles, oil changed and fluids checked every 3,500 miles.  My transmission belt(s) will be due a change at the next major service (150,000 miles), which is going to cost me quite a bit.

I take car maintenance seriously, ever since my dad (an engineer) once said, “Look after a car engine properly, and it will last just about indefinitely.”

And I drive a car gently (nowadays;  not as a youngin of course, because hormones/testosterone):  no heavy acceleration, no speeding, none of that stuff.

5 comments

  1. We have 2 vehicles and together drive less than 2k a year. This inactivity causes the batteries to go dead after a week or so. Couple years ago I got small “Battery Tender”s and installed them semi-permanently under the hood with the plug sticking out by the side of the passenger side turn signal. We keep them plugged to contractor grade extension cords all the time. We also have Jump Starters in each ride just in case – and yes, they work well as long as you keep them charged up (twice a year). Available on amazon for less than $100 each.

    1. Wife and I are in much the same boat. 2001 Chevy Silverado and 2003 Chrysler Town and Country, both bought new. Drive the T&C more than the pickup, about 5K miles/year combined. I have been using one of these little chargers for about a year now —

      https://www.amazon.com/1-75A-Battery-Charger-Maintainer-Trickle/dp/B0H8S2BZRJ?

      So far, so good. I have been running NAPA batteries, bought at NAPA stores. Got six years out of each of the prior two.

  3. Keep your current car. The way you drive and maintain, it will last a very long time.

    If you are forced to get something newer, either a slightly new VW or Subaru maybe.

  4. Based on that kind of use, and you fathers wise counsel l will repeat my opinion that the Tiguan will last you another 100k before you see a major failure. Just continue the regular maintenance and replacement of the consumable items. Fluids, pads and rotors, tires, a new battery. Or a battery maintainer, if you have access to power in a reserved space in the apartments garage..

    I would not be overly concerned that VW will bother to update your long out of warentee Tiguan with some Orwellian mandated spy on control software. Your car is not really setup to receive and install updates that target the Cars ECU in any case. It would have to done in a service bay at a VW dealer after you received a recall notice. Just don’t repond to the recall notice.

    My much newer Cayenne ( similar platform ) can do small over-the-air updated to the entertainment system and peripherals but anything that impacts the ECU requires a few hours connected to the Dealers Specialized Network thru the OBD2 plug. But my Car is still under Warrantee. Your Tiguan is no longer their problem or concern or liability ( so another vote to keep driving it until there’s a major problem or Son and Hier takes the keys away.

    ……. Or put the tin foil hat on the shark fin on the roof.

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