Okay, did a search, and know that most of these answers are scattered through many different threads, so I figure why not put them all in one. I was reading some articles today about high mileage cars and things of that nature, and it got me thinking about how you make a vehicle last and last and last.

Changing all the parts will keep any vehicle going forever, but what measures can one take to assure that the wear on these parts is at a minimum? Is having a car that can do 2.7 million miles (with minimal engine work) just luck?

What is most stressful on an engine? What "wears it down" and causes premature engine failure? And what steps can be taken to prevent that stress? You figure city driving, driving on lots of steep hills, and high speed driving? I read somewhere that an engine is "content" driving about 65mph in 70 degree weather and with solely the driver. I had a friend back in high school that was always flooring his car and revving the engine pretty good, driving fast and always trying to pass people. I was always told this type of behavior was very hard on an engine and that light driving was much more healthy.

But you hear that light driving is also an "annoyance" to the engine since it can't "clean it self out" with occasional high revving. So if you're driving on a long 10+ hour drive, is it stressful on the engine to be driving 80mph rather than 65? Will driving at lower speeds help with engine longevity? What are some measures you can take while driving your car, to ease the stress that is put on the engine?

Everyone here wants theirs cars to last as long as possible, so what maintenance do y'all do to keep them in the best shape? How often should brake, power steering, and coolant fluids be flushed? I was told that transmission fluid should be changed out every 10,000 miles and was told from another source every 30,000 miles. You hear that many problems with electronics is due to the wires casing cracking and exposing the contents cause shorts and numerous gremlins that have us pulling our hair out. Does anyone use sprays and dressings to help with the moisture of the wiring harness and plastics that protect sensors and delicate electronics?

Rust is also a big factor for many of you, and I don't have much advice in this department, so what are some techniques many of you do to prevent rust and prepare for the upcoming season changes? How often should differential fluid be changed and do chassis ever need re-greasing? I know there are many things I didn't cover but I don't want to make this too long of a novel. Anyone, please feel free to add to it.

So overall:

1.) What is stressful on an engine?
2.) What essential maintenance should be done and how often?
3.) What are the "small" things you all do you feel will keep it going longer?
4.) What driving techniques are easier on an engine, if any?
and lastly In your personal opinion, what would it take for YOUR car to make it to a million miles? (Gas or Diesel)

Also, I know this information is/will be redundant but i'd love to get people's opinons, little tricks people do to keep things going, myths and reality, debating! haha j/k Just information.

__________________
2007 BMW 328XI

Beating a car through hard usage of all types breaks 'em down in short order. MBs are known to take more beatings than some other brand/labels by in large. I knew a kid growing up in Omaha that beat every car he ever got, including his Aunt's 280SL. This was in the late '60s to early '70s. The 280SL was the one car that didn't break during his thrashings of it. Scores of others all bought new broke, and broke quickly. The last MB he had was a new 2000-something S500. I heard he blew through his last mil of inheritance money after buying the S500. His Dad started Gibson's Discount Centers in the '50s-'60s.

I'll say this....if you want to kill a car as soon as possible bring it to New York City....

__________________
1982 300GD Carmine Red (DB3535) Cabriolet Parting Out
1990 300SEL Smoke Silver (Parting out)
1991 350SDL Blackberry Metallic (481)

"The thing is Bob, its not that I'm lazy...its that I just don't care."

Don't drive like my brother . . .

1) a. OIL. As far as a diesel goes, there is a reason its an OM6xx engine. The oil is the most important. Keep it changed regularly, keep it full. and try to maintain the engine to prevent leaks. If the oil is lost so is your engine. I like to say Diesel engines are oil engines, they are lubed buy it, cooled buy it, they'll run on it, and sadly most are covered in it.
b. temp. watch your temp gauge. overheating any engine is bad for longevity. it may not blow the head gasket, but heat can cause parts to become weak and fail over time... even if the overheating is not catastrophic at first.
c. beating the horse. hard acceleration, over boosting, redlining the engine, all these things will make the engine not live as long as it would otherwise. the idea of an "Italian tune up" is sometimes necessary, but in general keep the revs down.

2) oil changes every 4k (sooner if you like spending money on oil, later if you are willing to risk it) transmission service every 40k... same rules apply for frequency. yearly coolant flush is a good rule of thumb. brake fluid is something no one thinks to change, but its dehydrated by nature, so brake fluid will absorb moisture out of the air with time. this will cause rust in your brake system if never changed. the frequency of brake fluid changes is 100% depended on climate, if you live in Mojave CA you will not need it as often as say London.

3) get to know your car. every car is different, but once you know it you'll know how often things go bad. a good way to get to know your car is to wash it. washing it not only makes it look good but is a good way to throughly inspect the car. check the tire ware, the brakes... wash the engine look for leaks, polish the dash and check all trim bits to make sure their not loose.

4) these are all debatable... but the #1 thing is to drive defensively... if you avoid accidents you will not have to replace your car.

5) Cars are living things, just like people they need to be maintained... brush your teeth... spray the bugs out of the AC condenser... only difference between cars and people is when they die they can be reborn. Just keep up on the maintenance. replace things as they ware.

__________________

THIS .



@ it.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

Fort Churchill Road-that's what destroys vehicles. Seriously, it's a road in Lyon County, NV that's home to a previous workplace of mine. The road is dirt and ten and a half miles from the Dayton side to where I used to work. I usually covered it in 12 minutes*. My Lincoln Town Car took about seven months of that use (with considerable interim repairs) before it was trashed. My Suzuki Samurai did it for a year, also with numerous interim repairs. I drove my 240D on that road for a little while (tacoing several rims in the process, and causing a leak that required welding on the oil pan) before I finally quit working at that place. The road wasn't my main reason for leaving, but it was definitely a factor.

*The owner of the company was said to be able to do it in ten. He also drove a 3/4 ton GMC pickup with a 300+ horsepower gas engine, was a somewhat accomplished racing driver, and had a basically unlimited budget for tires (of which he used a lot), fuel (same thing), and repairs.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

i heard it said somewhere that an engine will run longer without oil then water.

I don't know. Sounds like something for Mythbusters to look into. I'd watch*.

*I'm always down for Mythbusters so long as Kari is on screen.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

Rust, rust, and rust.

Move to southern CA, and drive on the highway, that should make a car last about 30 years.

Up here in New England 10 years is when they start showing signs, 20 is pushing it, anything beyond that is dust.

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Yeah every year in the city is like 5 of normal driving!

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Good point about the rust. Snow, ice, and the resulting salt (which I wish they'd ban) use are pretty infrequent here, just a few times each winter. Consequently rust tends not to be much of a problem in my area. I used to work in a junk yard and figured out that the average age of a vehicle we retired was around 24 years. Many of them suffered nothing worse than an incompetent owner and could have been kept on the road a lot longer relatively easily.

__________________
Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

I'm gonna say two things:

1) cyclic loads - from jackrabbit starts, or hard suspensions, - loading and unloading any material weakens it over time

2) heat - todays smaller engine bays, belly pans and packed in radiators keep everything underhood hotter, which degrades plastics (?) and further expands all materials, potentially creating or exacerbating existing areas of high stress.

Id say that one reason 240D's run so long is that they had a big engine bay and a constantly running fan to get the heat out. (and fewer plastic bits to fail...). Lower diesel exhaust temps(?) might help too.

(I had a big post but lost it, so you guys can run with those)

-John

__________________
2009 Kia Sedona
2009 Honda Odyssey EX-L
12006 Jetta Pumpe Duse
(insert Mercedes here)

Husband, Father, sometimes friend =)

I've never owned a car where the engine gave out before everything else. I drove 2 to the junkyard under the own power. You want to keep a car on the road for a million miles? Try not to get bored with it. I have no idea what this 'rust' thing is. Never seen it, never heard of it thanks to the left coast.
cheers.

__________________
CENSORED due to not family friendly words

I've never owned an American car (ALL 3 work cars) - save the new Corvette - that the rest of the car did not all turn to s**t along WITH the engine. Ask me why I don't drive (American) 'em..... The MB diesels have been the only sane choice for me to drive. Since I can easily afford them - why not drive 'em?