I can't believe it lasted so long.

[warren t claim]

Spending money on consumables is a fact of motoring life but occasionally the longevity of a set of tyres/brake pads/exhaust will come as a pleasant surprise.

 

Does anyone have any true tales of serviceable parts that refused to wear out?

[VWPowered]

the wife

[Cavcraft]

Had a set of Spanish donkey cart-esque Jinsong Hyumo Quadmo (or whatever they were called) tyres on a BX that just seemed to refuse to ever wear out, despite loads of miles and severe abuse.

[eddyramrod]

I've never kept a car long enough to have tales like this to tell...

[Albert Ross]

The Red (well, pink) Astra that I rescued from scrap and ran for 3 years, that I then sold to greenvanman and he kept it over a year.... Neither of us ever did the cambelt on it, and it was on 170k when it went from me.............

[dollywobbler]

2CV has had one set of rear shoes in 90,000 miles (and whatever it'd done before I got it - another 90,000 miles but I don't know if it had shoes before then) while the clutch in it was new when I bought it at 90,000 miles. I've done 80,000 miles on that clutch and it's still fine!

[Pete-M]

I had an Integrale that didn't go wrong for a month. I don't think I'll ever beat that.

[Station]

I did 100,000 miles on one cambelt, I think the whole 60,000 mile thing is over-rated! Also never changed the spark plugs, which aren't worth changing if everything works OK. I think things stop working when you start spannering around.

[Vin]

This is a good post as I've been meaning to ask a question about exhausts....

 

Do diesel exhausts last longer than petrol exhausts

 

I ask, as I have never had any exhaust components replaced on my Brava. I bought it 6 years ago with 40k on the clock. I've rattled that figure up to 202k now.

 

There is no paperwork for exhaust bits in the history from the previous owner, so I actually think it's the same exhaust it was fitted with when new in 2000.

 

Is this sort of thing usual with diesels, as with petrol cars in the past I used to go through exhaust bits quite often with the mileage I was doing.....

[dollywobbler]

Diesels do seem kind on exhausts - maybe they don't generate the heat, or perhaps they just don't lose it via the exhaust.

 

Pete-M - you're Lancia comment made me cackle more than it should've!

[Pillock]

You have to change that stuff??

[Rusty Pelican]

Battery that lasted a staggering 14 years , even then was still producing some voltage , just not enough , Whats more of a shock , it was a Lucas one

[dollywobbler]

Hold on - just remembered. I don't think I've ever changed the headlamp bulbs in the 2CV, in ten years. They're Halogens and I think I even fitted them to the H van when we went to Sweden, because I borrowed the entire headlamps for that trip (they have switchable bulb positions - GR8 4 LHD!).

[Richard]

Not shite but my van still has plenty life in the original back tyres after 65k, and it's had at least 500kg of weights in it for all these miles.

[r.welfare]

My wife had a 1.4 petrol Golf Mk3 that was still on all it's original exhaust components apart from the back box (and that was only replaced because the tailpipe dropped off!) at 142k.

 

The Accord has nearly 148k on it now and has only had the downpipe replaced recently. Everything else (including the cat and oxygen sensors) are still original.

 

The car has now done 130k in family ownership (bought at 3 years old and it recently celebrated it's tenth birthday) - looking through the service history it's had 3 sets of tyres, 2 sets of brake discs and pads (not bad for an auto), one cambelt, two sets of spark plugs, a battery and two shocks on the front, on top of regular oil & filter changes every 5k and autobox fluid every 36k (it does run a K&N air filter which I recently re-oiled). Not bad going really.

[Formula Autos]

I have a 'magic' Magic Tree in my daily driver. It still smells awful (i.e. as the makers intended) nine months after putting it in the car.

 

Still, it's better than the smell of spilt milk it's disguising (spilt down the gap twixt passenger seat and centre console, and I can't be arsed removing either to clean it all properly).

[Pete-M]

I have a 'magic' Magic Tree in my daily driver. It still smells awful (i.e. as the makers intended) nine months after putting it in the car.

 

Still, it's better than the smell of spilt milk it's disguising (spilt down the gap twixt passenger seat and centre console, and I can't be arsed removing either to clean it all properly).

 

I believe coal is the answer, bizarrely enough. Get some coal, crumble it up and shove it where the milk was, leave it for a few days and hoover¯ it out.