How long do you keep your car when rust never sleeps?
While the average length of time an owner keeps his or her new vehicle is approaching nine years for Canadians, more than 50 per cent of the vehicles on our roads survive 15 years of ownership. That’s up from 33 per cent that made that milestone in 2000, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.
Some of this can be attributed to improved design, construction and materials and some to the fact that higher prices force drivers to keep Old Faithful going just that much longer.
When is the best time to pull the financial pin on our daily drivers and how can we mitigate the risks of pushing our miles past the metal’s limit?
Experiences from repair shops in every corner of the land show that the most mainstream and top- selling vehicles are designed, engineered, and constructed to provide a 10- year/ 250,000- km lifespan with a reasonable amount of maintenance and repair.
But how much should we be spending on keeping the daily driver on life support?
It’s easy to quote a figure against a single major repair estimate; spending $ 4,000 on replacing the engine on a vehicle with a wholesale value of $ 3,000 never makes much sense. But autos aren’t considerate enough to provide breakdowns on schedules that fit our budgets. There are cases where one major system fails within a few months or miles of a previous hefty rebuild charge.
Generally speaking, if you’re presented with a repair estimate that approaches 75 per cent of the wholesale value of your ride, you should consider other options before taking out the credit card. If you want to determine the wholesale value, check online used vehicle listings. For most vehicles, subtract about 10- 15 per cent from the average asking price in your area for the same make and model with comparable equipment and mileage.
Sudden emergencies are hard to miss. When a timing belt breaks or a transmission clutch pack fails, they send a message loud and clear that attention is needed. But what about that silent killer — corrosion? Is anyone paying attention to what’s happening to the metals on your driveway? Many owners continue to drive their chariots with more than a little corrosion crust showing, thinking it’s only cosmetic, but if your ride is old enough to suffer from ferrous surface cancer, then it’s time someone took a look underneath to assess the undercarriage health of your transport.
You might think having routine oil changes and shop maintenance done will ensure that you will be kept up to date with things down under, but that’s not necessarily the case. Quick lube facility techs are always under the gun to get things done as quickly as possible, and while they’re generally good at bringing glaring problems to the owner’s attention, they don’t always have the time to perform thorough corrosion inspections. Technicians that do brake work or alignments can also miss certain component checks unless they’re specifically directed to complete them.
Some corrosion problems are easy to spot — such as rust holes or broken exhaust or fuel tank supports — but if you want advance warning of problems, someone with knowledge and experience needs to spend a few minutes with a hammer and a good shop light to ferret out ferrous failures. Almost any spot where a moving suspension or steering component is fastened to the sub- frame is a crucial area.
Engine/ transmission cradles are a good example. Front suspension arms are mounted to them and if corrosion causes enough weakness, a good pothole bump can bring disastrous results on the road. Tapping these cradles and other key frame rails with a hammer is an easy way to gauge the metal’s strength.
Brake, fuel, and oil cooler lines are other key items. Many carmakers still use steel to manufacture these lines and in many cases they will provide some advance warning of their failure with signs of weeping or sweating. As you might suspect, having these inspected on a wet day might lead to some potential problems being overlooked.
Rust, especially in structural areas of a vehicle, doesn’t have to sound the death knell for any ride. If it’s a popular model, you’d be surprised at the number of parts- makers that have come up with economical fixes for certain problems.
But, in many cases, getting rust repairs done means dealing with specialized body shops which may cause extended down times.
Annual corrosion and undercarriage checkups don’t have to cost much and your regular service provider may include them at no extra charge when other maintenance is being performed.