We have only ourselves to blame. We don't want to be regularly servicing our cars like we used to. My 1926 Rolls need 1,000 mile services. The 63 mini 3,000 miles. Volvo 940 6.000 miles XC90 12,000 miles XC60 18,000.

Manufactures did surveys many years ago and asked what people wanted and extended servicing with reliability were the main ones. They given us what we wanted and buy.

There are simpler cars available from India, Russia, China. Not big sellers here though.

My D4 FWD manual put the light on last week at 7000 miles, just shy of its 1st birthday. Volvo Assistance said over the phone that as the light was orange and not red I could probably keep running the car. Bit of a risk that, diagnosing over the phone. No mention of EGR issues,

Volvo Assistance sent out a local garage who reset the light. Car booked in at Lloyd Volvo, Carlisle on Thursday 26th. I was told the light came on due to an exhaust sensor, that was what the diagnostic machine said on the screen anyway.

Will post outcome after the service

Don't think many car drivers would put up with a bike and its servicing requirements. My own bike needs a service every 4,500 miles. I had to replace the tyres at 3,200 miles and it now needs a battery at fewer than 3,500 miles. It's not 3 years old.

Imagine having to stop every 150 miles to fill the tank too (S/V60 Polestar driver exempt).

They're better than they used to be - despite the complexity
 

Mrs A's parents bought a new Morris Marina in the 1970s.....broke down on the way home from the dealership.

We bought a new Renault 21 from Caffyns Maidstone in 1990.....gearbox failed within three weeks.

Can't remember the last time I woke up to the sound of starter motors failing to kick an engine into life....before slowly dying as the battery expired.

And I am glad we no longer need to be bothered with manual chokes or those early auto-chokes from the mid-1980s.

Nevertheless, I want someone to adopt my tortoise and take him away forever.

Arianne

What year was your Ford?

Regards

Try 1926 tech. Double de clutching with a non syncro mesh gearbox was fun. Retarding the ignition and setting the choke for the starting handle risk of breaking your arm was really exiting as well. To say nothing of trying to stop 3 tons of Rolls with drum brakes.

Roy

Can't remember exactly, First generation around 2001.

No,just my father has one,and it has been the epitome of reliabilty for around a decade. No servicing,no tlc, no real washing, no cam belt changes, no nothing really bar a set of tyres, and it still motors on.

Regards

Gosh, I'd forgotten about manual chokes (showing your age there as the current younger generation would be saying 'wassat dad')

My dad used to get the car started and then as soon as we we going (like 20 yards) he's close it off and we'd either stall or kangaroo down the road until it warmed up. I remember saying to him even as a little kid to leave it on until the car warmed up but he'd just ignore me. Only when i got my own car I'm afraid I used to do exactly the same as him............

What a relief we don't still have to play chicken with the choke.....

I used to push it in a little at a time. Can't remember if I was told to do that or if I just made it up myself.