...the other day I added it up, and I estimate that I've driven about 288,000 miles since the day I got my license and my Mom's old Malibu, 15 years ago this month.
At that rate, it'd take me 52 years fromwhen I started driving to hit a million miles! So I guess I'll be hitting a million miles right around the time I start drawing social security!
"So it's OK for kids on tricycles to hit Hyundais and Kias?"
Lance, I was presuming they would total them.
I don't think any car could go 1 mil on the original engine, but I do think a Mercedes diesel could make 1/2 million with fanatical care. A big truck or bus diesel could make a Mil I think if it didn't have to work too hard.
I think that I said that I recommended RedLine gear oil not their ATF. I have used Amsoil ATF exclusively in all my cars for the past 10years. On one with a 6 spd manual I tried the Amsoil gear oil and it made no diff in shifting. I tried the RedLine and it made a huge diff. So Amsoil ATF but redlIne gear oil.
The Amsoil foam filter lasted about 3 years. I tried a Purolator air filter once and got terrible silicon count so went back to OEM which appears to be the best for air on my Toyota. Other cars the Purolators seem okay. .
I have done analysis at least once per year on all of my cars, currently service 5 in family. So on my Camry I think I have 12 or so print outs since 92. They are very consistent except for the first 15,000 or so miles when you get a lot of break in material, especially silicon from gasket material that can be misleading. Overall, pretty consistent except the one time I tried to go 15,000 between oil changes, that showed some much higher wear number and I went back to 7,500. On other cars I can go 12,000 with no problems.
In terms of wanting road trip ideas... I genuinely love road travel. I think it is a wonderful way to see the countryside and explore our nations splendid offerings. I too enjoy spirited driving (I don't really do this type of driving in the Camry as it is counterproductive to my goal - not to mention the fact that a 4cy that weighs over 3k pounds with 136hp isn't much of a performance car). If and when I get a bad urge to do this type of driving I will rent a Porsche, or the like, so I can do it to the max. Please understand, I would never drive just to accumulate miles. The accumulation of miles while on a road trip that I'm enjoying is a good side benefit, and needed, in terms of my goal.
You make an excellent point - it is important to enjoy one's car, and I do very much!
I so far have only driven 10k miles in 6 months. This trend may be the case for another 6 months to a year max. After that point the nature of my business will change and I estimate that I will be driving around 50k miles per year.
I'm predicting it will take me no more than 25 years (barring something unforeseen) to drive 1,000,000 miles. Hopefully all on the Camry.
On a side note... I do plan to buy a Toyota Tacoma in another couple years. I will need a truck as I plan to build a house around that time. It will also be nice to have for severe weather and camping. I don't suspect to put to many miles on it though as the Camry will be the daily driver.
It's funny you mentioning that you think a Benz might have a shot of at least getting halfway to a million... I know you speak with expertise when it comes to MB's.
When deciding on what type of car to purchase, and what types I thought would be candidates for my challenge, I actually considered the MB diesel. The problem with this type of car is that the new E-Class was out of my price range and decent used ones aren't very prolific around Portland. There are of course many of the 70's abused ones advertised around for under 3k dollars - no good though.
In total, these were all the cars I considered before purchasing the Camry:
I drove each and everone of these cars. I realize that not all of these vehicles are in the same class (i.e. sport-ute, 4cy, 6cy, etc.) but they all held a type of appeal to me (can't beat the interior of the Passat by the way).
Based on my goals of longevity, safety, fuel economy, ease to work on, and gas mileage - the Camry 4cy ended up making the best sense.
Do you think of the aforementioned cars, I will get the closest to my goal with the vehicle I chose? I know you think the MB is probably better but keep in mind I was shopping used MB's when all the rest of my selections were new.
Thanks for the info. I plan to start doing analysis with this next oil change too. I will be using Amsoil 5w30 and an Amsoil oil filter. I will post my results as I get them.
Now you got me second guessing the Amsoil air filter. I'll let you know what I finally decide.
If anyone has any thoughts on good tires for the Camry let me know - I'm already researching them. So far I think the best 205/65R15's for my needs would be the Dunlop SP Sport AZ and, for winter, the Michelin Pilot-Alpin.
1,000,000 miles for any [non-permissible content removed] car may set a record for the Asian cars. I'm guessing you'll be replacing the auto-tranny four or five times (at $2,500 a pop) and will be popping the head every
225,000 miles.
Below, is a link to a late model, gas engine Chevy pick up that went over 1,000,000 miles hauling a 1,000 pound load everyday. The lab guys tore it down for inspection, noted 80,000 miles of wear, put it back together, and its still running under a second owner.
I don't think the Asian aluminum block and heads will go the distance with out major maintance and repair expences...Just an opion like so many others...:)
On my 92 I have had two sets of Bridestones, OEM and one replacement (about 25,000-30,000 miles only) . Both were crap for long term wear Michelins were great, handling and wear, cannot remember which model/series, think I got them at Costco. Current ones rival the Michelins, they are Goodyear Eagles HP, great handling and wear so far. No need for snow tires in this part of country. So, fourth set including OEM at 140,000 miles. Full sized spare still new as I could never find the Bridgestone series that matched the one in the trunk or OEM tire. So, it has sat there all these years.
By the way, I have been purchasing genuine Toyota parts from this wholesale dealer in MI for a few years now and my independent mechanic will put them on if I cannot, great savings even after shipping. Never had a problem. Price is like 50% of what you pay at dealer. http://www.toyotapart.com/
During World War II there were thousands of taxis in New York City DeSoto's I beleive that went several million miles since no new cars were being built. I've heard of several Toyota and Fords that have aleast a half million miles.
How many miles per year does the average taxi log, anyway? I wish I could find the article, but I remember reading about a Canadian cabbie who was driving a '62 Mopar...one of those "plucked chickens" as they were called, like a Dodge Dart or something. It had a slant six engine. Well, it got totaled in an accident, and the cabbie didn't even pay any attention to the mileage, which was actually in metric (kilometerage? ;-)
Supposedly, once the conversion was done, it was found out that he had over a million miles on it. Chrysler gave him a new Intrepid to use, and he said it was a piece of crap compared to that '62!
Of course, I heard all this on the 'net, so take it with a grain of salt!
I think a manual tranny would have a better chance of making the distance. Much better control over engine revs, and the tranny is more durable. - you may need a new clutch ever couple hundred thou.
I think it would be cake to drive 1,000,000 miles on a car if it was done as follows.
Start the car once every day and drive it 1-200 miles at 40 mph in 5th gear on level roads. Drive in back into the garage (heated so there are no real cold starts) and leave it there until the next day.
1M on a heavy truck isn't that big of a deal. Client has a trucking company and his trucks hit that in about 4-5 years. Usually somewhere around that point it starts needing major components rebuilt, but the chassis is good for alot more. During that first Million, it might be common to rebuild a rear-end, couple alternators, couple fuel pumps, clutch etc. Pretty much needs regular attention but he has his own shop to keep the trucks on the road.
I think I'd say beethoven would have a better chance if he just put the miles on as quickly as possible (like 100k per year). I would put my money more on a diesel truck, but even then it's typical to see things go to pot once you exceed 300K. A typical gas engine with good maintenance should hit 200K before things get questionable. Extending the odds for 5X that mileage is just probably beyond reach. And an automatic tranny, whewww. 150K on a lot of cars is doing good, but I've seen lots of Toys into the 200K range with no tranny problems but between 200K to 300K is when things normally go. I'm not saying the Camry can't make 1M, but with it's original engine/tranny I'd put the odds better to win the powerball. I've personaly seen little difference in vehicles that have been maticulously (anally) maintained and those that were just serviced as required.
Does anybody know how long heavier-duty engines, like what would be in a motorhome, are usually good for? About a year ago, I almost bought a 1974 Travco motorhome that had a rebuilt 440 in it. I think it was what's known as a 440-3, which is the heaviest duty of the 440's.
I would think the thing that kills most motorhomes would be that they usually sit for most of the year, and then only get used for a few weeks or months. And then sit again.
I see a lot of beat up taxi cabs here in NYC. I engaged a taxi driver in a conversation once and asked him how many miles he had on his car, or shall I say jalopy, as it felt like the car was falling apart, and it turned out he had just over 300,000. Don't remember the exact number. He said, though, that they regularly rebuild the transmissions on their cars, so it wasn't on the original tranny. Possibly, it wasn't even on the original engine. He had a Crown Victoria, by the way.
Now I am not an expert here, but I think diesel is the way to go if you want to go the most number of miles on the same engine. I remember about ten years ago when I lived in Guildford - a small town in England not far from London - I used to take cabs all the time. Back then they used a lot of Peugeot diesels for cabs, and I remember seeing over 300,000 miles on cabs that looked in great shape. One cab driver once told me he had all these miles on the same engine and transmission. Of course all used manual transmissions.
...they'd work great in taxi cab applications, where the engine is running all the time. Or if you do a lot of driving. But don't they lose that advantage if you take mainly short trips or don't rack up a lot of miles?
I've heard that stopping and restarting, and short trips, are actually bad for a diesel. Never owned one though, so I can't speak from experience!
Note the above test was done in the lab and the car was only shut down once every 7,500 miles for oil and filter change...approximately every 100 hours.
All other fluids were changed at 30k and valves adjusted every 18 days and oxygen sensors and bets were replaced every 36 days [60k]
The catayltic convertors were changed every 200,000 miles or every 120 days!
If you follow the same proceedure [always keep the car at constant 55-85 mph and only shut it off every 4 days for oil changes you might have a chance.
PS the gasoline used was a special blend for the test since the car was kept at a constant temperature [no cold starts]!!!!!!!!
My bet is the 4 cylinder with FWD will crash and burn around 300,000 at best
FYI: own a 90 228k Q45 and a 90 LS400 with 307,000 miles
Check for articles by this name under Ownership. The second one is especially interesting. I was surprized that the vast majority of the suggestions were considered to be good ones.
I certainly think our composer can do 500k without any problem. Heck I'm almost to 200K with a Dodge and a Mitsubishi engine. And, we all know that the quality of a new Toyota is much better than those old late 80's Chryslers.
They mentioned an engine flush. I've done the fuel injector flush with a machine and really loved it, but has anyone done an engine flush?
I suspect they could have achieved similar results with any motor oil. Real world driving with cold starts, etc. will kill the engine long before the 1M mark.
Beethoven--well, a Toyota engine is as good a choice as any. Theoretically, you should pick the engine with the least piston travel per RPM of highway speed in 5th gear. So this would favor larger engines rather than 4 cylinder.
I think most taxicabs that aren't real death traps are actually sold off at a certain mileage, maybe 150K-200K, since maintenance costs go way up past that.
Thanks for the post - I couldn't get your link to work Though. Mr_Shiftright indicated it is dead. Could you give me a couple highlights from the article if you have a copy?
I've had better wear luck with Michelin tires on some of my past vehicles over Bridgestones as well. I've been doing a lot of research on TireRack.com Very informative site - I'm sure you've probably checked it out?
I've read a lot of information on high mileage taxi's. I'm going to try and and track down a few web pages so I can post links to them. From my research, Mr_Shiftright is correct, a lot of high mileage taxi's are sold off due to safety and maintenance rather than kept in fleets for too long.
I agree that a manual transmission inherently is more durable as it is much simpler. After driving a manual for years in the city though, I finally have grown tired. It's funny I swore to myself when I was around 18-20 years old that I'd never buy an automatic. I guess things change huh?
Your driving habit example is funny - Just can't quite figure out how to bring it to fruition for my circumstances.
Thanks for the post. You are probably right that large truck engines would have been a better choice to hit 1,000,000 miles - obviously not practical for me though. I think the reason trucks can assume these types of mileages is due to the driving habits they are subjected to - long hauls, freeways, etc.
Do you think if I make it to 1,000,000 miles on the Camry I should by a Power Ball ticket?
I do agree with sgrd0q though, the test was so constant that most engines with most types of oil would have a decent shot of hitting 1,000,000 miles.
It would have been more interesting if they would have changed loads, temperatures, etc.
BTW, impressive mileages on your two luxo cars. Have you had automatic transmission problems on the Q45. I've heard they are notorious for problems after 100k miles. For that matter how's the Lexus's transmission holding up?
The highest motor home mileage I've ever seen is 148k miles. I don't think people drive them to many miles since they get 4-7 mpg, just guessing though.
I would imagine, if well maintained, they would go as long as a truck carrying a similar load to the weight of the motor home would go (300-350k perhaps)
Yeah, the Edmunds articles on maintenence in the ownership section are interesting. Much less claim of snake oils, or pooh, poohing the dealers extra recommendations than expected. I now follow a strict schedule after having a number of extra labor charges for idler arms, tensioner wheels, and water pump after I had changed a timing belt. Good maintenence also saved at least 1 of my current transmissions.
Michelins are wonderful tires if you keep the car in alignment. I do it every 10,000 miles on my subaru since the 4WD requires even wear on tires. Others get it at least every 15,000.
You could save some wear and tear on your suspensions by replacing the struts/shocks every 100K.
Annual checkups will also allow you to anticipate future problems.
I guess I didn't read you post about "composer" carefully enough. It of course makes sense, sorry you had to explain the pun.
I've never tried an engine flush machine before. I've heard mixed results. I'm sure you may have heard the same - can work great, can also cause oil canal clogs, etc. I think if my engine was badly sludged, I'd stay away from it. If it was only somewhat sludged I may try it.
Did you notice a muchly appreciable difference after doing the fuel injector flush? I may have to incorporate this in my preventative maintenance plan - Portland area gas isn't very good.
Thanks again for the links back in post 71 regarding pre-oilers. I've done some research on these now, and I'm leaning toward not getting one based on the fact that they are loud and susceptible to leaking. Is anyone using a pre-oiler right now and having good results with it? I want to make sure I'm making a good decision to seer clear of one.
As you noted, a great site. I have purchased 10 tires from them over past year for various cars. Great savings over local shops and much better selection. The test results and write ups are so much better then one could get at any tire dealer. Shipping is minimal compared to savings and no sales tax either.
It was a '63 Plymouth (not a '62). There was a brief article about it in Automobile magazine, maybe a year or so ago.
Why were the '62 Mopars called "plucked chickens"? Is that because they were downsized and stripped of their fins from earlier years? Never heard that term before, but it's appropriate.
Virgil Exner referred to those things as "plucked chickens" himself, because he was forced to remove the taifins from them for '62. Supposedly he had these really wild designs in the works, but with the corporate shakeup at Chrysler at the time, his plans got scrapped. He still kind of had his way with the smaller Dodges and Plymouths, which is why they looked so obnoxious for '62, while the Chryslers, for the most part, escaped major styling damage.
I heard about that high mileage taxi myself in one of my Mopar clubs. Did I at least get the other facts right, more or less?
It was posted on Edmunds news about 3 months ago. I tried looking for an Edmunds news archive and I had no luck.
The link detailed a 95 Chevy pickup bought new and clicked off over 1,000,000 miles on gas motor. It went though two auto trannies, but the engine was never touched.
The first owner used it for hauling a four state magazine route that he had to run daily. He had used Dino oil Pennz/Quaker State every 3,000 miles or four days of driving.
If anyone knows how to look up just expired Edmunds News postings, might have a clue on how to help Beetoven with his research on 1,000,000 plus miles project, could post the info? Stumpy
I don't recall if you were going to be changing your own oil or not but I have installed a Fumoto drain valve in all of the cars I service. Replaces the drain plug and it is spring loaded and a simple push and flip of the lever starts the oil flowing. (cannot be released without human intervention) No more messy plugs, stripped threads, gaskets, etc. Works just great.
Their web site seemed down early today but it is www.fumotovalve.com
It was an amazing difference for me. They recommended every 30 - 50 thousand miles, depending on the driving conditions. My 1988 Dodge was dying on hills and just wasn't fun to drive. I believe that it had a 10 to 15% increase in power. The engine is definitely smoother, quieter, and quicker. It's winter so I can't give any real mileage increases. But it's now a regular part of my maintenence schedule for all my cars.
As for engine clean, I can tell you that I won't be doing it on the Mazda that just had 3 seals replaced. When they changed a seal on my Subaru they said that what they saw looked very clean on the inside. I suspect that syn runs much cleaner any way.
maybe on older cars, pre 90s, but fuel injection is pretty good today and rarely gets dirty. I would suggest a container of Chevron Techron every 5000 miles to keep clean rather they pay $50-$100 to force feed my injectors. Never, in all my cars had injectors get dirty, replace one in an old VW rabbit once but that was it.
On a few cars I run the Amsoil PI concentrate pretty often but who knows if it makes any difference.
I did that too for many years. It helped, but the machine clean was superior. Just try it at about 50,000 miles and I'll bet you'll notice a difference.
Beethoven, I applaud you for trying this. I'd be bored to death driving the same car that long. I have to say this, though: Camry's are good, maybe even great cars, but if you look at how they are doing after 10 years, they aren't any better than any other make. If they were really so indestructible, they'd be all over the streets in the form of taxicabs. Instead, you see old Dodge Diplomats, Ford Vics, and Chevy Impalas. Maybe that says something, maybe not; you be the judge.
armtdm - I've never actually purchased tires from Tirerack but have used their site for research. I know they are generally the cheapest source for tires even after factoring in shipping and paying for mounting and balancing.
I've always supported this regional tire chain in the NW called Les Schwab. I doubt you've heard of them out in VA. It is an excellent company in terms of customer service and efficiency. The company also serves as an excellent business model. I believe the owner shares something like 50% of the profits with everyone in the company clear down to the tire mounters. I think these guys get several thousand dollar bonuses multiple times a year for slinging tires.
In the event that Les Schwab doesn't carry the tires I decide to get I will most definitely order from Tirerack. Have you had good luck finding shops that will mount them for you?
Regarding older Mopars... Again I'm learning something new, I never realized they were as reliable as I'm hearing stories about. Perhaps I should have bought an old Dart instead of the Camry...
armtdm - I have been looking at getting the type of drain valve you spoke of for the oil pan. I was a little concerned about leaking, but it sounds like you have had great luck. I think I will get one real soon here.
regarding fuel flushing... I actually agree with both of your takes on injector cleaning. I think that the machine is probably superior if there are true clogs and I will probably still have this done every 75k miles or so as Portland area gas is not nearly as good as some of the gases other areas in the US (it is oxygenated in the winter and has a different additive package than the same type of gas had when I lived in AZ). I also think though, as you pointed out armtdm, that most modern fuels systems run pretty clean and could probably get by with just Techron. I guess it largely depends on how dirty your fuel system is...
Comments
At that rate, it'd take me 52 years fromwhen I started driving to hit a million miles! So I guess I'll be hitting a million miles right around the time I start drawing social security!
"So it's OK for kids on tricycles to hit Hyundais and Kias?"
Lance, I was presuming they would total them.
I don't think any car could go 1 mil on the original engine, but I do think a Mercedes diesel could make 1/2 million with fanatical care. A big truck or bus diesel could make a Mil I think if it didn't have to work too hard.
The Amsoil foam filter lasted about 3 years. I tried a Purolator air filter once and got terrible silicon count so went back to OEM which appears to be the best for air on my Toyota. Other cars the Purolators seem okay. .
I have done analysis at least once per year on all of my cars, currently service 5 in family. So on my Camry I think I have 12 or so print outs since 92. They are very consistent except for the first 15,000 or so miles when you get a lot of break in material, especially silicon from gasket material that can be misleading. Overall, pretty consistent except the one time I tried to go 15,000 between oil changes, that showed some much higher wear number and I went back to 7,500. On other cars I can go 12,000 with no problems.
You make an excellent point - it is important to enjoy one's car, and I do very much!
I'm predicting it will take me no more than 25 years (barring something unforeseen) to drive 1,000,000 miles. Hopefully all on the Camry.
On a side note... I do plan to buy a Toyota Tacoma in another couple years. I will need a truck as I plan to build a house around that time. It will also be nice to have for severe weather and camping. I don't suspect to put to many miles on it though as the Camry will be the daily driver.
Don't worry, by the time I make my goal (if I do) I will be collecting S.S. right along with you.
I hope he has as good of luck with this one too. Just don't show him the crash test pictures.
When deciding on what type of car to purchase, and what types I thought would be candidates for my challenge, I actually considered the MB diesel. The problem with this type of car is that the new E-Class was out of my price range and decent used ones aren't very prolific around Portland. There are of course many of the 70's abused ones advertised around for under 3k dollars - no good though.
In total, these were all the cars I considered before purchasing the Camry:
1. Toyota Camry 4cy
2. Toyota Camry 6cy
3. Toyota 4-runner
4. Honda Accord 4cy
5. Honda Accord 6cy
6. Acura TL
7. Nissan Maxima
8. Nissan Altima 4cy
9. Nissan Altima 6cy
10. Subaru Outback
11. Mercedes Diesel (mid 90's)
12. Volkswagen Passat 4cy
I drove each and everone of these cars. I realize that not all of these vehicles are in the same class (i.e. sport-ute, 4cy, 6cy, etc.) but they all held a type of appeal to me (can't beat the interior of the Passat by the way).
Based on my goals of longevity, safety, fuel economy, ease to work on, and gas mileage - the Camry 4cy ended up making the best sense.
Do you think of the aforementioned cars, I will get the closest to my goal with the vehicle I chose? I know you think the MB is probably better but keep in mind I was shopping used MB's when all the rest of my selections were new.
Now you got me second guessing the Amsoil air filter. I'll let you know what I finally decide.
If anyone has any thoughts on good tires for the Camry let me know - I'm already researching them. So far I think the best 205/65R15's for my needs would be the Dunlop SP Sport AZ and, for winter, the Michelin Pilot-Alpin.
Any thoughts??
225,000 miles.
Below, is a link to a late model, gas engine Chevy pick up that went over 1,000,000 miles hauling a 1,000 pound load everyday. The lab guys tore it down for inspection, noted 80,000 miles of wear, put it back together, and its still running under a second owner.
I don't think the Asian aluminum block and heads will go the distance with out major maintance and repair expences...Just an opion like so many others...:)
http://edmunds.yellowbrix.com/pages/edmunds/Story.nsp?story_id=24472595&ID=edmun
ds&scategory=Auto&
Stumpy
By the way, I have been purchasing genuine Toyota parts from this wholesale dealer in MI for a few years now and my independent mechanic will put them on if I cannot, great savings even after shipping. Never had a problem. Price is like 50% of what you pay at dealer. http://www.toyotapart.com/
Supposedly, once the conversion was done, it was found out that he had over a million miles on it. Chrysler gave him a new Intrepid to use, and he said it was a piece of crap compared to that '62!
Of course, I heard all this on the 'net, so take it with a grain of salt!
I think it would be cake to drive 1,000,000 miles on a car if it was done as follows.
Start the car once every day and drive it 1-200 miles at 40 mph in 5th gear on level roads. Drive in back into the garage (heated so there are no real cold starts) and leave it there until the next day.
Of course very few people drive that way.
Good luck.
I think I'd say beethoven would have a better chance if he just put the miles on as quickly as possible (like 100k per year). I would put my money more on a diesel truck, but even then it's typical to see things go to pot once you exceed 300K. A typical gas engine with good maintenance should hit 200K before things get questionable. Extending the odds for 5X that mileage is just probably beyond reach. And an automatic tranny, whewww. 150K on a lot of cars is doing good, but I've seen lots of Toys into the 200K range with no tranny problems but between 200K to 300K is when things normally go. I'm not saying the Camry can't make 1M, but with it's original engine/tranny I'd put the odds better to win the powerball. I've personaly seen little difference in vehicles that have been maticulously (anally) maintained and those that were just serviced as required.
I would think the thing that kills most motorhomes would be that they usually sit for most of the year, and then only get used for a few weeks or months. And then sit again.
Now I am not an expert here, but I think diesel is the way to go if you want to go the most number of miles on the same engine. I remember about ten years ago when I lived in Guildford - a small town in England not far from London - I used to take cabs all the time. Back then they used a lot of Peugeot diesels for cabs, and I remember seeing over 300,000 miles on cabs that looked in great shape. One cab driver once told me he had all these miles on the same engine and transmission. Of course all used manual transmissions.
I've heard that stopping and restarting, and short trips, are actually bad for a diesel. Never owned one though, so I can't speak from experience!
Note the above test was done in the lab and the car was only shut down once every 7,500 miles for oil and filter change...approximately every 100 hours.
All other fluids were changed at 30k and valves adjusted every 18 days and oxygen sensors and bets were replaced every 36 days [60k]
The catayltic convertors were changed every 200,000 miles or every 120 days!
If you follow the same proceedure [always keep the car at constant 55-85 mph and only shut it off every 4 days for oil changes you might have a chance.
PS the gasoline used was a special blend for the test since the car was kept at a constant temperature [no cold starts]!!!!!!!!
My bet is the 4 cylinder with FWD will crash and burn around 300,000 at best
FYI: own a 90 228k Q45 and a 90 LS400 with 307,000 miles
I certainly think our composer can do 500k without any problem. Heck I'm almost to 200K with a Dodge and a Mitsubishi engine. And, we all know that the quality of a new Toyota is much better than those old late 80's Chryslers.
They mentioned an engine flush. I've done the fuel injector flush with a machine and really loved it, but has anyone done an engine flush?
Beethoven--well, a Toyota engine is as good a choice as any. Theoretically, you should pick the engine with the least piston travel per RPM of highway speed in 5th gear. So this would favor larger engines rather than 4 cylinder.
I think most taxicabs that aren't real death traps are actually sold off at a certain mileage, maybe 150K-200K, since maintenance costs go way up past that.
I've had better wear luck with Michelin tires on some of my past vehicles over Bridgestones as well. I've been doing a lot of research on TireRack.com Very informative site - I'm sure you've probably checked it out?
Your driving habit example is funny - Just can't quite figure out how to bring it to fruition for my circumstances.
Do you think if I make it to 1,000,000 miles on the Camry I should by a Power Ball ticket?
I do agree with sgrd0q though, the test was so constant that most engines with most types of oil would have a decent shot of hitting 1,000,000 miles.
It would have been more interesting if they would have changed loads, temperatures, etc.
BTW, impressive mileages on your two luxo cars. Have you had automatic transmission problems on the Q45. I've heard they are notorious for problems after 100k miles. For that matter how's the Lexus's transmission holding up?
What do you mean by composer? (I'm guessing MB)
I would imagine, if well maintained, they would go as long as a truck carrying a similar load to the weight of the motor home would go (300-350k perhaps)
Got to go, check in with everyone later tonight!!
Yeah, the Edmunds articles on maintenence in the ownership section are interesting. Much less claim of snake oils, or pooh, poohing the dealers extra recommendations than expected. I now follow a strict schedule after having a number of extra labor charges for idler arms, tensioner wheels, and water pump after I had changed a timing belt. Good maintenence also saved at least 1 of my current transmissions.
You could save some wear and tear on your suspensions by replacing the struts/shocks every 100K.
Annual checkups will also allow you to anticipate future problems.
I've never tried an engine flush machine before. I've heard mixed results. I'm sure you may have heard the same - can work great, can also cause oil canal clogs, etc. I think if my engine was badly sludged, I'd stay away from it. If it was only somewhat sludged I may try it.
Did you notice a muchly appreciable difference after doing the fuel injector flush? I may have to incorporate this in my preventative maintenance plan - Portland area gas isn't very good.
Got to go... Post more tomorrow...
Why were the '62 Mopars called "plucked chickens"? Is that because they were downsized and stripped of their fins from earlier years? Never heard that term before, but it's appropriate.
I heard about that high mileage taxi myself in one of my Mopar clubs. Did I at least get the other facts right, more or less?
It was posted on Edmunds news about 3 months ago.
I tried looking for an Edmunds news archive and I had no luck.
The link detailed a 95 Chevy pickup bought new and clicked off over 1,000,000 miles on gas motor. It went though two auto trannies, but the engine was never touched.
The first owner used it for hauling a four state magazine route that he had to run daily.
He had used Dino oil Pennz/Quaker State every 3,000 miles or four days of driving.
If anyone knows how to look up just expired Edmunds News postings, might have a clue on how to help Beetoven with his research on 1,000,000 plus miles project, could post the info?
Stumpy
Their web site seemed down early today but it is
www.fumotovalve.com
As for engine clean, I can tell you that I won't be doing it on the Mazda that just had 3 seals replaced. When they changed a seal on my Subaru they said that what they saw looked very clean on the inside. I suspect that syn runs much cleaner any way.
On a few cars I run the Amsoil PI concentrate pretty often but who knows if it makes any difference.
I have to say this, though: Camry's are good, maybe even great cars, but if you look at how they are doing after 10 years, they aren't any better than any other make. If they were really so indestructible, they'd be all over the streets in the form of taxicabs. Instead, you see old Dodge Diplomats, Ford Vics, and Chevy Impalas. Maybe that says something, maybe not; you be the judge.
I've always supported this regional tire chain in the NW called Les Schwab. I doubt you've heard of them out in VA. It is an excellent company in terms of customer service and efficiency. The company also serves as an excellent business model. I believe the owner shares something like 50% of the profits with everyone in the company clear down to the tire mounters. I think these guys get several thousand dollar bonuses multiple times a year for slinging tires.
In the event that Les Schwab doesn't carry the tires I decide to get I will most definitely order from Tirerack. Have you had good luck finding shops that will mount them for you?
Regarding older Mopars... Again I'm learning something new, I never realized they were as reliable as I'm hearing stories about. Perhaps I should have bought an old Dart instead of the Camry...
regarding fuel flushing... I actually agree with both of your takes on injector cleaning. I think that the machine is probably superior if there are true clogs and I will probably still have this done every 75k miles or so as Portland area gas is not nearly as good as some of the gases other areas in the US (it is oxygenated in the winter and has a different additive package than the same type of gas had when I lived in AZ). I also think though, as you pointed out armtdm, that most modern fuels systems run pretty clean and could probably get by with just Techron. I guess it largely depends on how dirty your fuel system is...