Slicer,
It was I that taught Honest John everything he knows – that’s why he knows nothing.
I do think there is a mental problem with long period service intervals, but perhaps much of this is that when something very worthwhile is offered many individuals find that it’s not good enough, and thereafter seek to find fault. In addition you have old fashioned codgers like myself (the original Honest John) who believe that miracles when projected by advertising agencies are not all they seem, especially when the aspect of variables enters the frame.
I suppose that because my general low annual mileage (around 8000), and countless short journeys put me outside of being regarded as “average” then I figure that I need to evaluate the circumstances, and act accordingly. One of my own major problems is that after research and debate I just cannot have 100% faith in the onboard computer facilities which determine the contamination of the oil within the sump, however if this situation was to improve then naturally I would change my tune.
For now the situation with my Golf is the same as with the A2, in that I shall make full use of the advantageous technologies incorporated within “Castrol SLX Longlife” oil, however I will change the oil every 12 months or 10,000 miles which ever comes first. Sure this oil is very expensive, but having regard that I intend to keep my car for many years I conclude that it’s a small price to pay for providing the best protection to the engine. What however I do not wish to get involved with is a VAG engineer playing around with the cars computer settings for 2 minutes and then adding on £40 to the service bill for the privilege of performing such a menial act.
If car manufacturers wish to concentrate more on improving lubrication qualities, then maybe in the future we will also see oil “byepass filtration systems” fitted as standard which through design have the potential advantages of filtering out very small abrasive particles and contaminants. Indeed many garden ponds have sophisticated filtration systems for the ultimate in purity & quality, and I’m sure such similar levels of thinking would benefit the car industry.
As to Honest Johns tips on preventing turbo seizure I think its become extremely “trendy” to recommend letting the car tick over for a few minutes before turning the engine off following periods of prolonged high speed, or high engine revs. However the facts as I see them is that if I happen to be doing 130mph down the motorway, and I am about to pull into a service station then its 99.99% probably that I will be slowing down to 70mph in the inner lane for at least half a mile (or maybe a mile) before turning off. Thereafter I will be crawling through the carpark for several minutes at 20mph before eventually parking, so I contend that by default I have automatically avoided any instance of immediately switching the engine off after a high speed run.
If turbo’s or engine’s are damaged through some abuse, then I suspect a likelier cause is stepping hard on the gas peddle before the engine has properly reached its normal running temperature. Indeed any one with experience of high performance cars will acknowledge that you NEVER drive hard until the dashboard gauge indicates that the oil has reached its ideal running temperature. That said I doubt that Honest John passes on the tip that Ferrari owners will need a new engine or gearbox if they ignore such basic rules.
Please note within this lengthy post I have not made any reference to Tesco’s.
Regards
Honest John Disdale
