Do you change your car engine oil yourself? 😊
26-30, M
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ArishMell · 70-79, M
I have done in years past, but I can perform only very simple servicing on my car now, and oil-changes are not practical for me.
So I have it serviced annually at the same time as its MoT test.
Years ago I owned a Series Two LandRover (A proper LandRover, not the costly but ordinary saloon car with the name stuck on, that masquerades as one now.) That had no less than six, possibly seven or eight, oil levels to maintain, plus various grease-nipples and simple oil points like hinges.
So I have it serviced annually at the same time as its MoT test.
Years ago I owned a Series Two LandRover (A proper LandRover, not the costly but ordinary saloon car with the name stuck on, that masquerades as one now.) That had no less than six, possibly seven or eight, oil levels to maintain, plus various grease-nipples and simple oil points like hinges.
DallasCowboysFan · 61-69, M
@ArishMell 6,7,8 ? Why so many? I understand the oil level, coolant, and differential, but what else was needed? Older cars required greasing the drive shaft, and a few places on the axle, but how did you come up with 8? British cars have always had a personality of their own.
BTW, I saw an Audi last week with grease points on its brake calipers, that was a first for me.
BTW, I saw an Audi last week with grease points on its brake calipers, that was a first for me.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@DallasCowboysFan The "Series- number" Landrovers are two-wheel / four-wheel drive, selectable so you normally use only rear-wheel drive, plus a high/low range gear. All these gears might be combined in one case - I can't really remember if some of the duties are performed in the "transfer gearbox".
The transfer gear-box carries the power take-off point, using a shaft that when fitted, emerges through a prominent hole through the chassis' rear cross-member, below the rear door or tailgate.
The oil-levels are the:-
Engine,
Gearbox,
Transfer Gearbox (unless combined with the main gearbox)
Rear Differential,
Front Differential,
The two steering-ball joint casings,
Steering gear-box, I think.
It's only the engine oil level that normally needs weekly attention.
Not sure what you mean about British cars having a personality of their own, but manufacturers selling vehicles in their own countries do have to follow national tastes and needs, and national / international laws covering vehicle safety and nowadays, environmental, concerns.
This affects imports too. For example the ordinary Tesla battery-electric cars built to meet British and European laws are fine, but that "Cybertruck" fails them, so is illegal for sales at commercial level.
(In the UK law, vehicles have to comply with the "Construction & Use Regulations", or any replacement equivalent - but years of EU membership brought a raft of extra, and tighter rules.)
A major difference between US and UK, indeed many European countries, is that even in the 1950s-60s most motorists never wanted the US-style, two-ton behemoths with huge, very thirsty engines, just to carry four or five people around.
Nor were many impressed by fancy fins and acres of chrome. In the late-1950s Ford's British operation modestly nodded to US styling, like negative-rake rear windows; but although the cars sold well enough the style did not catch on.
Instead, although there are plenty of big luxury cars like the Rolls-Royce, Range-Rover and large German saloon cars, most people drive smaller, lighter and much more fuel-efficient cars still capable of carrying four or five people at motorway-cruising speeds. Economics do play a part in this, of course: fuel is not cheap in many European countries. So we regard an ordinary car returning under 40mpg at steady cruising, as rather thirsty; and under 30mpg, extravagant. (UK Gallon - a bit bigger than the US gallon.)
The hatchback and estate versions seem more popular than the three-box body-shapes, too; as it is more versatile. The manufacturers' sales people advertise the load spaces of these in an odd way - not by dimensions in metres, nor by cubic metres of volume - but by the liquid measure, litres! Do think we will use the car as an aquarium?
Also, manual transmissions were a lot more popular than automatics in Britain at least; but this is slowly changing; and the battery-electric cars slowly gaining ground, are automatic anyway.
Car size fashion has changed a bit in Britain, lately.
Cars have become larger and fatter generally, partly I believe to accommodate "crumple zones" so a collision does more damage to the car in exchange for less to the occupants. This has led to the problem that parking in public car-parks is more difficult, and many cars now are too large for typical household garages built more than a few decades ago! You can drive the car into the garage... but then you'd be trapped in it!
Also it has become something of a fashion among those who can afford them, to buy bloated "SUV"s or over-size panel-vans, with no real reason to do so. Why buy a builder's wide-bodied pick-up just for day-to-day, ordinary motoring? I suspect mere vanity, including it being intimidating to other road users.
.......
I typed that penultimate sentence... then had to re-arrange the adjectives. It's the pick-up that's wide bodied, not the builder. Usually!
The transfer gear-box carries the power take-off point, using a shaft that when fitted, emerges through a prominent hole through the chassis' rear cross-member, below the rear door or tailgate.
The oil-levels are the:-
Engine,
Gearbox,
Transfer Gearbox (unless combined with the main gearbox)
Rear Differential,
Front Differential,
The two steering-ball joint casings,
Steering gear-box, I think.
It's only the engine oil level that normally needs weekly attention.
Not sure what you mean about British cars having a personality of their own, but manufacturers selling vehicles in their own countries do have to follow national tastes and needs, and national / international laws covering vehicle safety and nowadays, environmental, concerns.
This affects imports too. For example the ordinary Tesla battery-electric cars built to meet British and European laws are fine, but that "Cybertruck" fails them, so is illegal for sales at commercial level.
(In the UK law, vehicles have to comply with the "Construction & Use Regulations", or any replacement equivalent - but years of EU membership brought a raft of extra, and tighter rules.)
A major difference between US and UK, indeed many European countries, is that even in the 1950s-60s most motorists never wanted the US-style, two-ton behemoths with huge, very thirsty engines, just to carry four or five people around.
Nor were many impressed by fancy fins and acres of chrome. In the late-1950s Ford's British operation modestly nodded to US styling, like negative-rake rear windows; but although the cars sold well enough the style did not catch on.
Instead, although there are plenty of big luxury cars like the Rolls-Royce, Range-Rover and large German saloon cars, most people drive smaller, lighter and much more fuel-efficient cars still capable of carrying four or five people at motorway-cruising speeds. Economics do play a part in this, of course: fuel is not cheap in many European countries. So we regard an ordinary car returning under 40mpg at steady cruising, as rather thirsty; and under 30mpg, extravagant. (UK Gallon - a bit bigger than the US gallon.)
The hatchback and estate versions seem more popular than the three-box body-shapes, too; as it is more versatile. The manufacturers' sales people advertise the load spaces of these in an odd way - not by dimensions in metres, nor by cubic metres of volume - but by the liquid measure, litres! Do think we will use the car as an aquarium?
Also, manual transmissions were a lot more popular than automatics in Britain at least; but this is slowly changing; and the battery-electric cars slowly gaining ground, are automatic anyway.
Car size fashion has changed a bit in Britain, lately.
Cars have become larger and fatter generally, partly I believe to accommodate "crumple zones" so a collision does more damage to the car in exchange for less to the occupants. This has led to the problem that parking in public car-parks is more difficult, and many cars now are too large for typical household garages built more than a few decades ago! You can drive the car into the garage... but then you'd be trapped in it!
Also it has become something of a fashion among those who can afford them, to buy bloated "SUV"s or over-size panel-vans, with no real reason to do so. Why buy a builder's wide-bodied pick-up just for day-to-day, ordinary motoring? I suspect mere vanity, including it being intimidating to other road users.
.......
I typed that penultimate sentence... then had to re-arrange the adjectives. It's the pick-up that's wide bodied, not the builder. Usually!
DallasCowboysFan · 61-69, M
@ArishMell The Land Rover has a sophisticated 4WD system with a good reputation, but otherwise, they are regarded as unreliable. They have one of the highest rates of depreciation among all the cars. And I think it was Queen Elizabeth that said that dealers should provide a mechanic with every Rolls Royce that was sold.
American cars have also had their fair share of bad apples as well. Ford and GM build a lot of cars and trucks. Some of them are bad, and others are quite excellent. It's a good idea to research the model number of the engine and transmission in a car before you buy one, new or used.
The reason people drive SUV's and Crossovers in the U.S. is because their mileage is about as good as a car of a comparable size, and they cost the same, too much. But an SUV is much more functional that a car, so people gravitate to them. The best selling cars in the U.S. are the Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV and even the Subaru Cross trek.
But full size Ford and Chevy trucks outsell both of them.
Mercedes and BMW are admired here, but Lexus outsells both of them. BMW's are not as reliable as they once were and Mercedes as well. Both of them are over engineered.
I have a Corolla now. I bough it in '22 during Covid, when they were in short supply. My next car will be a RAV4. They are suppose to released a new model before the end of this year.
I have always liked the Toyota 4Runner, but they have become too expensive for what you get. An average 4Runner, the new 25 version, is about 50K, but if you get one with a few bells and whistles they are 65-70k. That is Land Cruiser territory.
By the way I paid $2.42 for a gallon of gas last week at Costco. It's a large retail store.
Much cheaper than Europe or other nations.
My favorite cars were a Camaro with T-tops, a Jeep Cherokee with 4WD, and a 3 series BMW. They were all fun, for different reasons. But the most reliable cars have been the Toyotas I have owned.
American cars have also had their fair share of bad apples as well. Ford and GM build a lot of cars and trucks. Some of them are bad, and others are quite excellent. It's a good idea to research the model number of the engine and transmission in a car before you buy one, new or used.
The reason people drive SUV's and Crossovers in the U.S. is because their mileage is about as good as a car of a comparable size, and they cost the same, too much. But an SUV is much more functional that a car, so people gravitate to them. The best selling cars in the U.S. are the Toyota RAV4, Honda CRV and even the Subaru Cross trek.
But full size Ford and Chevy trucks outsell both of them.
Mercedes and BMW are admired here, but Lexus outsells both of them. BMW's are not as reliable as they once were and Mercedes as well. Both of them are over engineered.
I have a Corolla now. I bough it in '22 during Covid, when they were in short supply. My next car will be a RAV4. They are suppose to released a new model before the end of this year.
I have always liked the Toyota 4Runner, but they have become too expensive for what you get. An average 4Runner, the new 25 version, is about 50K, but if you get one with a few bells and whistles they are 65-70k. That is Land Cruiser territory.
By the way I paid $2.42 for a gallon of gas last week at Costco. It's a large retail store.
Much cheaper than Europe or other nations.
My favorite cars were a Camaro with T-tops, a Jeep Cherokee with 4WD, and a 3 series BMW. They were all fun, for different reasons. But the most reliable cars have been the Toyotas I have owned.
ArishMell · 70-79, M
@DallasCowboysFan The earlier Landrovers, the "Series" ones, were no less reliable than any other car of the time, but suffered from the Discovery onwards. They were also a lot easier to service and repair anyway - but so most cars generally, without all the electronics not only necessary but also "nice-to-have" used now.
They are now quite sought-after, which I can't see what Jaguar-Landrover build now, becoming. They were intended as working vehicles. Although the present models of Landrover and Rangerover may be able to tow heavy trailers, and might be better in bad driving conditions that other cars, they are merely saloon-cars no use for off-road duties around farms, in quarries and the like.
On the other hand, all cars in that era needed a lot more routine servicing than now, and lack of that will not help keep a evhicle reliable.
I think much of the problem now comes from the motor industry shrinking to a few, gigantic international corporations; with their products basically a few range of the same things with detail differences, using parts made almost anywhere in the world; and formidably over-complicated by a combination of safety and environmental laws and sheer customer "wants".
Fuel is expensive in much of Europe by a combination of most countries having to import it, and high taxes. It varied a lot, though. I don't know the present position but relatively to Britain, petrol and Diesel fuel was cheap in France but costly in Norway, for examples I know. Over the years, Norway's costs stayed fairly stable while Britain's crept up to match.
In the UK, Diesel fuel used to be significantly cheaper than petrol, and a Diesel car uses less fuel anyway then a petrol equivalent for the same journeys. Indeed, this led the Government to encourage Diesel over petrol, and the manufacturers responded by making compression-ignition engines even better.
Then someone said Diesel engines emit soot and nitrous-oxides. Yes - we all recall lorries and buses throwing out black exhaust, mainly by poor servicing not replacing worn injectors. ALL internal-combustion engines emit nitrous oxides,even using hydrogen would, but the anti-Diesel brigade kept quiet about that! So the manufacturers made their engines better still, and added particulate filters and nitrous-oxide reducers. The latter using urea solution and catalysers to split the NOx back to nitrogen and oxygen.
Unfortunately most politicians are as technically illiterate as most environmental campaigners, so we now have a lot of absurd fear, and higher retail cost and "Road Fund Licence" (a tax on the vehicle), of the environmentally-better Diesel fuel!
British petrol and Diesel retail proces are stiff. They have long been subject to a tax called a "Duty"; then along came Value Added Tax - an incredibly over-complicated, accountants' dream wheeze invented in the EU, now used widely around the world.
So with VAT presently at 20% in the UK, we pay a compound price for fuel: [(retail + Duty) X 1.2].
It is also subject to the vagaries of the petroleum industry and international politics. Naturally, while the oil firms are quick to raise the fuel price when the OPEC price rises, they are slow to bring it back down unless their competitors get in quick with that!
The profit per gallon to the retailer is very low and faced with (loss-leading?) competition form supermarkets and in some areas, traffic lost to the motorways, a lot of filling-stations have stopped selling fuel. Some concentrate on servicing and second-hand car sales, many have closed completely. This is especially so in rural areas but around towns as well.
Petrol is presently around £1.40 a litre for petrol*, usually around 10p / litre higher for Diesel. The fuel is sold in litres though distances, speeds and fuel consumption all use the Statute Mile.)
That's in filling-stations on the ordinary roads. Most of the motorway service-areas rip us motorists off by charging typically 10p / litre more still, on both fuels, and I have seen it more than that. (Their cafeteria prices are steep, too.)
One 300 mile journey I make occasionally involves 200 miles of motorway driving (not nice!) My petrol car has a rather small tank, so I start with that full, replenish it at a filling-station I know about a mile off the M-way, at about 130 miles out; and that should take me to an ordinary garage on the final, non-motorway, 30 miles.
...
* Equals £6.36 per UK Gallon, about £5.30 / US Gallon - presently about US $6.90 for 1 US Gallon? So nearly 3 times as high as the cheapest you can find locally!
Though we have to be careful. Straight international comparisons of any price neglects a lot of other factors such as the relative incomes and costs-of-living, tax and insurance differences, etc. - even so, motoring in Britain is not cheap for we Britons!
They are now quite sought-after, which I can't see what Jaguar-Landrover build now, becoming. They were intended as working vehicles. Although the present models of Landrover and Rangerover may be able to tow heavy trailers, and might be better in bad driving conditions that other cars, they are merely saloon-cars no use for off-road duties around farms, in quarries and the like.
On the other hand, all cars in that era needed a lot more routine servicing than now, and lack of that will not help keep a evhicle reliable.
I think much of the problem now comes from the motor industry shrinking to a few, gigantic international corporations; with their products basically a few range of the same things with detail differences, using parts made almost anywhere in the world; and formidably over-complicated by a combination of safety and environmental laws and sheer customer "wants".
Fuel is expensive in much of Europe by a combination of most countries having to import it, and high taxes. It varied a lot, though. I don't know the present position but relatively to Britain, petrol and Diesel fuel was cheap in France but costly in Norway, for examples I know. Over the years, Norway's costs stayed fairly stable while Britain's crept up to match.
In the UK, Diesel fuel used to be significantly cheaper than petrol, and a Diesel car uses less fuel anyway then a petrol equivalent for the same journeys. Indeed, this led the Government to encourage Diesel over petrol, and the manufacturers responded by making compression-ignition engines even better.
Then someone said Diesel engines emit soot and nitrous-oxides. Yes - we all recall lorries and buses throwing out black exhaust, mainly by poor servicing not replacing worn injectors. ALL internal-combustion engines emit nitrous oxides,even using hydrogen would, but the anti-Diesel brigade kept quiet about that! So the manufacturers made their engines better still, and added particulate filters and nitrous-oxide reducers. The latter using urea solution and catalysers to split the NOx back to nitrogen and oxygen.
Unfortunately most politicians are as technically illiterate as most environmental campaigners, so we now have a lot of absurd fear, and higher retail cost and "Road Fund Licence" (a tax on the vehicle), of the environmentally-better Diesel fuel!
British petrol and Diesel retail proces are stiff. They have long been subject to a tax called a "Duty"; then along came Value Added Tax - an incredibly over-complicated, accountants' dream wheeze invented in the EU, now used widely around the world.
So with VAT presently at 20% in the UK, we pay a compound price for fuel: [(retail + Duty) X 1.2].
It is also subject to the vagaries of the petroleum industry and international politics. Naturally, while the oil firms are quick to raise the fuel price when the OPEC price rises, they are slow to bring it back down unless their competitors get in quick with that!
The profit per gallon to the retailer is very low and faced with (loss-leading?) competition form supermarkets and in some areas, traffic lost to the motorways, a lot of filling-stations have stopped selling fuel. Some concentrate on servicing and second-hand car sales, many have closed completely. This is especially so in rural areas but around towns as well.
Petrol is presently around £1.40 a litre for petrol*, usually around 10p / litre higher for Diesel. The fuel is sold in litres though distances, speeds and fuel consumption all use the Statute Mile.)
That's in filling-stations on the ordinary roads. Most of the motorway service-areas rip us motorists off by charging typically 10p / litre more still, on both fuels, and I have seen it more than that. (Their cafeteria prices are steep, too.)
One 300 mile journey I make occasionally involves 200 miles of motorway driving (not nice!) My petrol car has a rather small tank, so I start with that full, replenish it at a filling-station I know about a mile off the M-way, at about 130 miles out; and that should take me to an ordinary garage on the final, non-motorway, 30 miles.
...
* Equals £6.36 per UK Gallon, about £5.30 / US Gallon - presently about US $6.90 for 1 US Gallon? So nearly 3 times as high as the cheapest you can find locally!
Though we have to be careful. Straight international comparisons of any price neglects a lot of other factors such as the relative incomes and costs-of-living, tax and insurance differences, etc. - even so, motoring in Britain is not cheap for we Britons!