What I did today thread...

[stuart bowes]

ouch! presumably low mileage and excellent condition though? if it does another good number of years at least I suppose that's how I always think about it, cost over estimated time = value

[Simmy]

wow that is pricey. this info should get folk running for an early gearbox fluid service I change 3 ltrs at every yearly service and have done since i got the car 8 years ago .now on 245k on the original auto box

[ectoplasmosis]

Originally Posted by stuart bowes

ouch! presumably low mileage and excellent condition though? if it does another good number of years at least I suppose that's how I always think about it, cost over estimated time = value

The car is in very good nick otherwise, yes. On 148K, which is about right for an 18 year old.

After a couple of years of the gearbox slowly deteriorating and having to increasingly baby it, I just wanted it fixed for good, so chucked money at it.

I was always planning to pull and recondition the valve body myself by replacing the solenoids, which isn’t a terribly difficult procedure, nor are the solenoids expensive. But realistically I’d never find the time to do something like that these days, so the £1300 became good value for me right now.

[TLPower]

Realistically what is available and worthwhile at £1300? It probably relates to a couple of months lease/PCP payments on something you'd never own.
I personally think it's very reasonable and wouldn't baulk at twice the price for a repair on a car that in all probability will just go on and and on.

We have a one year old Kia Xceed in our household and my eighteen year old Volvo. The refinement and ease of use on the Kia is of course on several levels above the Volvo but it lacks any kind of excitement or personality, it is just an appliance. A very well put together appliance.

Ironically the Kia was purchased to replace a festering turd of a V50 2.0D which contained waay too much Ford cost-cutting and associated reliability issues. It had done 160,000 and corrosion had already taken a grip in the front wings.

My V70 has just past it's last MOT and will be staying for the foreseeable future.

[4x4]

When you consider the cost of a clutch replacement for a manual gearbox then £1.300 isn't that expensive for an auto box. I was quoted £1,750 to have the clutch done on my XC90 by my local Volvo indie.

[stuart bowes]

Originally Posted by stuart bowes

Took a punt on engine carbon cleaning..

140 quid for a home visit, injector clean, chemical clean and carbon clean

In all honesty still slightly sceptical as to whether it will improve economy which is the main purpose for me but still if it helps to prolong the life of the engine and keep emissions to a minimum that can't be a bad thing..

quick update to confirm that after a decent period of time this made no substantial difference to the mpg (maybe +1mpg? but I also pumped my tires up at that point so who knows)

it was hard to say at first because I've done some long runs, I've had the AC on, variety makes it difficult to compare. but the cumulative mpg over that time has not budged yet (bear in mind that includes 2 years of readings so will take time to start changing) and weekly seems to vary around more or less the same point for similar types of useage

so basically I'm set with the 21 urban with AC / 22 Urban with no AC / 26-28+ long runs (depending how long exactly) which pretty much agrees with all the reviews / parkers / autotrader etc. I just wish I could improve it a little somehow but I've done all I can I think

people occasionally pop up saying oh I get mid 30's but I honestly can't see how, it must be either wishful thinking, inaccurate record keeping or just that they do nothing but motorways 100%

[Georgeandkira]

"....little people occasionally pop up saying oh I get mid 30's"

We all know air circulates clockwise around a high pressure zone and anticlockwise around a low.

Once I traveled due north, up the 6-3-12 o'clock side of a low. I returned home (a due south trip, obviously) down the 12-9-6 o'clock side of the same system.
That gave me tailwinds both ways.

I saw 36 mpg on that trip alone....and that's with our US gallon (~20% smaller than yours).

Otherwise my monthly tallies average 26-27 mpg. I have kissed 29 twice.

Petrol 2.4l non-turbo.

[stuart bowes]

See then that falls into the last category 'nothing but motorways' and being in America I can only assume that was some noteworthy distance not just a short hop

Still though you can't really call it an 'average' if you're only looking at one trip I'm talking about a weekly readout and therefore your 26-27(-29) is the answer I'm interested in.. and again when we factor in length of your journeys to length of UK journeys that pretty much adds up doesn't it

I know for sure I've had a 28 on one long day out (Inc a long drive and a bit of local at the other end)

I think you added the word 'little' at the start there as well lol it changes the tone somewhat

[CbrDave]

Not today but last few days since purchase,
full oil flush and change, oil filter, air filter, fuel filter, got a pollen filter on it's way, new battery, new starter motor, new Egr valve, cleared some old codes, put some cleaning stuff in tank to try and help with fuel system, Egr, Turbo and Dpf,
Just got another warning up about DSTC needs servicing and a code about Egr not right and a rear wheel speed sensor.

Will investigate later when it cools down out there.

[Georgeandkira]

Ha
"...in America I can only assume that was some noteworthy distance not just a short hop"
Actually, it wasn't. I make ~500 mile (return) highway runs twice a month.
Errands and sightseeing can swell the total to 700 miles but as I've aged, I've perfected packing supplies.
Gone are the emergency runs to the hardware store etc.

The goal is to keep total door-to-door time to <4 hours.
2.5 hrs. of solid driving. Drain the dog in Albany, then another 1.5 hrs.
The roads are so familiar to me, I have the cracks memorized.

I'm confident my steady highway runs have contributed to the overall health of my vehicles.
No out-of-balance wheels if you live at highway speeds.
I've never had a bad wheel bearing for more than a week because any drone is immediately evident aside the familiar "white noise of the open road".
Am I a bloody poet or what?

I add premium fuel to allow as much spark advance as possible and follow the "+10% tire pressure" rule for highway driving.