Good Maintenance Vs Bad

[GTR-N1]

Whilst more than 95% of people on this forum, diagnose issues > treat issues > maintain their cars really well...

Do you notice that many other people on the road just don't get it?

Why do people insist on taking their cars out onto the road (where we drive), and still be aware that it's...

* unregistered

* got bald tyres

* leaking oil

* suspension knocks

* blowing smoke and don't know what colour

* taking a long time to slow down

* slippery in the wet

* rusted through the floor

I believe that if a person knows that their car has faults but can't afford to get it fixed, there's no excuse for it to be on the road.

What have you seen?

What's made your jaw drop?

What's your story?

What have you test driven > walked away shaking your head?

[NISMATT]

My XE falcon has most of those problems..... *hangs head in shame*

[levinboy]

Biggest problem I always see is brake lights or should i say lack of brake lights!!!

Is it that hard to change them or ask for someone to change them for you?? I thought having operating brake lights was required for pink slip??

[GTR-N1]

My XE falcon has most of those problems..... *hangs head in shame*

Ah well Matt...

If this has been a salient reminder for you, the outcome could very well prevent a disaster.

I admire your courage to admit it! Most wouldn't!

[PhilKenSebben]

Commodore brake lights! Always ONE. This is not just a knock at Commodores, it seems to be a genuine issue. Unless it's less than a year old, take a look at the next Commodore you see, and see if one of the brake lights is blown. I see it CONSTANTLY!

[Daleo]

Next time you park in a shopping centre carpark, try this for a fun game;

Count the number of cars you see with visibly worn tyres. Not ones close to the treadwear markers, ones that are devoid of tread, either on the edges or the whole surface.

Trust me, you will never want to drive on a wet road again once you see how many there are.

People don't believe me when I tell them how bad it is, but once you start looking, it's hard to stop.

Quote from the Western Advocate;

"Ensuring your car doesn't have bald tyres has been found to critical when it comes to safe motoring.

NRMA testing has discovered that driving on worn tyres is much more dangerous than the general population expected.

It found a shoddy hold on the road could increase stopping distances by up to 21 metres in wet conditions.

The real-time tyre testing that brought to light the alarming figures, is part of NRMA's Tyre Awareness Month, taking place this month.

The NRMA also recently conducted a survey of 1100 motorists across NSW and the ACT, observing that age seems to be a defining factor in a persons tyre safety knowledge.

More than two-thirds of drivers aged between 18 and 34 were unable to check tyre wear, a stark contrast against the 85 per cent of drivers over the age of 45 who were able to.

Tyres and More in Bathurst, has urged its customers to take the necessary steps in maintaining tyre safety and to be particularly vigilant over summer.

"Get your tyres checked regularly, and keep up to date with services," said Tyres and More Foreman, Ed Collins.

"It's not reliable to check your tyres yourself as faults can be missed and expert advice is always best." NRMA roadside patrols will be offering free visual checks on call-outs and their car service centres will be providing tyre checks, both free during November. "

Because it's so hard to tell if your car has bald tyres...

Edited January 12, 2011 by Daleo

[PM-R33]

Commodore brake lights! Always ONE. This is not just a knock at Commodores, it seems to be a genuine issue. Unless it's less than a year old, take a look at the next Commodore you see, and see if one of the brake lights is blown. I see it CONSTANTLY!

Yeah plus one on that. Every second VT/VX has a blown tail light/brake light.

[Mayuri Krab]

My XE falcon has most of those problems..... *hangs head in shame*

My mum's old VN commodore (which I used a lot when I was on my Ls) has most of those problems too + it has a 1/2 rusted away exhaust pipe which blows the exhaust gases from the side rather than the back.

Also *hangs head in shame*

Family friend's CR-V hasn't being serviced in 4 years...

Edited January 12, 2011 by Mayuri Krab

[UWAM]

What's made your jaw drop?

Someone driving a car 100 km/h down the freeway with both front wheels oscillating from side to side, as though they'd just put the wheel nuts 2 threads deep on the studs, and the wheel was free to move as it pleases, just not fall off.

[jiffo]

Commodores have a thing about blowing just the one stop light. Don't care which side but can't keep them all going for very long.

But Gu Patrols leaping all over the road is what scares me. They'll drive perfectly until you drop a wheel into a pot hole and then it's wheel shimmy city.

http://www.patrol4x4.com/forum/nissan-patrol-gq-y60-ford-maverick-11/death-wobble-24578/

[Gen18]

Biggest problem I always see is brake lights or should i say lack of brake lights!!!

Is it that hard to change them or ask for someone to change them for you?? I thought having operating brake lights was required for pink slip??

I'll one up that.

On new years on a country road I nearly drove right up the back of a toyota landcruiser merrily making his way down the highway with a 100km/h speed limit with no brake lights, tail lights and only 1 headlight. I never saw him indicate the whole time, and his speed varied from 50 to 80 km/h.

[mad082]

Commodore brake lights! Always ONE. This is not just a knock at Commodores, it seems to be a genuine issue. Unless it's less than a year old, take a look at the next Commodore you see, and see if one of the brake lights is blown. I see it CONSTANTLY!

yeah that is a genuine issue, and from memory it is usually a certain side too. VL's had the issue of one side being less bright than the other.

[blk94r33]

Anyone working in any part of the automotive industry will have horror stories to fit in this thread, good idea

Some of the shockers i've seen in my 5 years:

VK Vacationer wagon, caliper slides seized on the L/H/F wheel, wore the brake pad down, through the metal backing, half way into the rotor (into the ventilation slots), kept chewing at the caliper piston until it fell out, and why did the customer bring the car in? Not because of the generally horrible noises/lack of drive-ability, but because the master cylinder ran out of fluid and the brake light was on.

Tyres so badly worn (typically on early IRS Commodores VS/T/X) that they're down to the canvas and leaking air, customers want the leak "fixed".

Pajero that hadn't been serviced in 30,000+km, no brake pads, tyres, oil, drive-line fluids, lights, suspension bushes, customer wonders why the repairs cost 4 figures.

Another car that hasn't had a service in years, oil light comes on, they keep driving till it it stops, call RACV, I call them to ask what happened etc. and they ask me to bring out more oil, not a tow truck.

Vehicles that haven't had a timing belt/water pump in 300,000+ km, it breaks and they don't understand that just changing the belt might not fix it.

Seized idler/tensioner pulley bearings, belts that are way over-due to be changed, hoses that have been leaking for months, all common place.

I'll try think up some more funny ones and post them up.

[BlackR32]

Have seen a few commodors (not a dog, just what I've seen), slammed so hard at the back that they were making sparks on the ground everytime there was the slightest bump.

The problem with this is that on the VN in question from what I can tell the FUEL TANK is the lowest point of the car when it's angled back like that...

Sparks on road from fuel tank,,,, HUR DUR!!!

[Victory]

One of my mates relocated to Perth and could not believe some of the cars on the roads over there (they do not have rego inspections).

The best one so far was a Commodore that had a rust hole about abour 400 mm in diamater in the drivers door. To stop the rain from coming in the owner had taped the side of a VB carton on the inside of the door skin with the VB logo in the middle of the hole.

Coming from NSW he had never seen anything like this before and because the rust was not in a structual part of the car it was legal.

[GTR-N1]

Pajero that hadn't been serviced in 30,000+km, no brake pads, tyres, oil, drive-line fluids, lights, suspension bushes, customer wonders why the repairs cost 4 figures.

So many workshop technicians have stories like this!

A basic Camry that gets serviced every 10,000km with more attention paid at 'majors' can cost $250 each time.

Procrastinators and ignorants who think that they can save $$ by just filling up at the bowser > chew through tyres, lose brake pedal pressure, CVs fail, engine smokes > Costs skyrocket

And then the poor mechanic has to play the diplomat > shows broken parts to the stupid owner who thinks the car has failed him/her > doesn't learn a damn thing! Deserves a

[ARTZ]

Next time you park in a shopping centre carpark, try this for a fun game;

Count the number of cars you see with visibly worn tyres. Not ones close to the treadwear markers, ones that are devoid of tread, either on the edges or the whole surface.

Trust me, you will never want to drive on a wet road again once you see how many there are.

People don't believe me when I tell them how bad it is, but once you start looking, it's hard to stop.

Quote from the Western Advocate;

"Ensuring your car doesn't have bald tyres has been found to critical when it comes to safe motoring.

NRMA testing has discovered that driving on worn tyres is much more dangerous than the general population expected.

It found a shoddy hold on the road could increase stopping distances by up to 21 metres in wet conditions.

The real-time tyre testing that brought to light the alarming figures, is part of NRMA's Tyre Awareness Month, taking place this month.

The NRMA also recently conducted a survey of 1100 motorists across NSW and the ACT, observing that age seems to be a defining factor in a persons tyre safety knowledge.

More than two-thirds of drivers aged between 18 and 34 were unable to check tyre wear, a stark contrast against the 85 per cent of drivers over the age of 45 who were able to.

Tyres and More in Bathurst, has urged its customers to take the necessary steps in maintaining tyre safety and to be particularly vigilant over summer.

"Get your tyres checked regularly, and keep up to date with services," said Tyres and More Foreman, Ed Collins.

"It's not reliable to check your tyres yourself as faults can be missed and expert advice is always best." NRMA roadside patrols will be offering free visual checks on call-outs and their car service centres will be providing tyre checks, both free during November. "

Because it's so hard to tell if your car has bald tyres...

This..

And more often than not its the new cars that have the baldest tyres.

I dont know if its just neglect or if its people overspending on the car not realizing they cant afford the maintenance but it really is appalling.

And to make it worse we have this "Big wheel" craze with people affording ,or worse financing, 20+inch rims but having no cash left for decent tyres.

[JonnoHR31]

i've seen lots of commos with 1 or 2 brake lights out but i find falcons to be the worst culprit for that, especially AU and BA, i see atleast one every couple of weeks with no brake lights at all.

also see heaps of cars with bald tyres. worked at a tyre shop for a while and heaps of people (usually women) would come in to get some new tyres after getting talked into it by a friend or partner because they're driving on canvas.

[Daleo]

This..

And more often than not its the new cars that have the baldest tyres.

I dont know if its just neglect or if its people overspending on the car not realizing they cant afford the maintenance but it really is appalling.

And to make it worse we have this "Big wheel" craze with people affording ,or worse financing, 20+inch rims but having no cash left for decent tyres.

also see heaps of cars with bald tyres. worked at a tyre shop for a while and heaps of people (usually women) would come in to get some new tyres after getting talked into it by a friend or partner because they're driving on canvas.

Too right, you see so many VE's with 18's and completely munted rubber.

* Story below may or may not be based on actual events*

Daddy has a mid life crisis, trades the Camry, goes and gets an SS (or if he's on the leash an SV6 ) burns around for 6 months and suddenly discovers RE050 Bridgies are $450 a pop and craps himself, 'cos he know his angry, overstuffed missus is going to castrate him, so he just keeps his mouth shut & hopes she doesn't notice...

That and blown headlight globes: how do you not notice that you can't see where you're going?

Edited January 14, 2011 by Daleo

[blk94r33]

This..

And more often than not its the new cars that have the baldest tyres.

I dont know if its just neglect or if its people overspending on the car not realizing they cant afford the maintenance but it really is appalling.

And to make it worse we have this "Big wheel" craze with people affording ,or worse financing, 20+inch rims but having no cash left for decent tyres.

^^^THIS^^^

The aforementioned VT/VX with said blown brake lights getting around in bog stock form, but with the kebab spec chromies, canvas flailing wildly.