Just a quick rant!

I recently acquired an 86 Z-28 with a 305 t.p.i., and a 700r4. My gripe is, why do people abuse stuff like this? What I'm talking about is, when I disassembled the engine it was in pitiful shape! The thing had so much baked on oil and sludge, one broken piston skirt, metal chips in the pick-up screen, and a lot of plastic chips off of the timing gear, it's a wonder it did'nt jump a tooth! Every passage in the throttle body was plugged, and a couple injectors plugged with carbon buildup. My first clue that it was screwed up, was when I cut the tail pipe off, and oil started dripping out!!! You know,it's a lot easier and cheaper to maintain a vehicle, than to run it till it quits, then try to fix it!

That's it....I feel better now.

As much as I hate to admit it, I don't really maintain my daily driver well. I just drive it and put gas in it. I learned a long time ago that when you start doing work to a car they begin to demand more. :rolleyes: :D

No, seriously, I am one of those people who waits till the brakes start squeeling to replace the shoes, and I change the oil like once a year, maybe. Not saying this is the thing to do, I'm just lazy in this respect. :o :o I just did a tune up on it for the first time in the 5 years I have owned it, and only did that because my gas milage went from 22-23 down to 15-16 mpg.

Don

Don! :D :D
I just can't help myself from doing oil changes every 3-4 months. Cars seem to like it!
I'm embarrased to say the harley gets the once a years oil change due to neglect this last year, and garage time vs hiway time!:eek:

I'm really bad about servicing automatics. I just paid the shop $1600 last week to rebuild the 4L60 in my truck. Vehicle has 150,000 miles and had never had the pan dropped. It was still shifting good, just every once in awhile it didn't shift from 2nd to 1st when coming in for a rolling stop. Oil gets changed every 3-4k miles, but tranny's get ignored for some reason.

Ya know I never understood why people can't be bothered with simple, cheap preventive maintainence. Actually on multiple occassions people have admitted to owing a car that they finally quite chainging the oil and filter on and simply added oil as needed!!!! If I did that I'd be to embarrassed to admit it. Can you belive that!
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/Twitch98/nono2.gif

Twitch, I met a gal from Canada who owned a car that she drove for 50,000 mile with no oil change. I talked with her about her car problems, and started to ask the general routine questions, like last oil change, tune up, airfilter, spark plugs. She looked at me like I had a hole in my head! I couldn't believe it. I'm thinking didn't your parents teach you these things...No! In my family all valuable things, came with hard work, so we strive to keep them in the best shape we can. I still remember my autoshop teacher, Mr. Spellenberger, saying, " A clean car is a happy car!" I.e. keep the parts clean and it will last longer.
The Harley hasn't had a oil change in a year, because I only got out three times to ride it in the last years. So with only 3-400 miles on it I haven't stressed too much, but a year is my limit, so in a month or so, it'll get an oil change, and tune -up in prep for Alaska this summer, when I'll ride the hell out of it. It also sat a lot last year due to electrical stuff, that is fixed now. Expensive to own it and maintain it, but a hell of a comfortable ride!:)

once i get my Jimmy back from the shop i'm changing it over to all synthetic so all oil and fluids will be serviced. i want to see if it actually gains MPG since its only getting about 15 - 17 mpg and get all new filters maybe K&N rotate the tires so thats where my tax checks are going :)

i seen guys on the show trucks do it using royal purple brand oils and tranny fluid and they gained mpg and hp & tq so i'm going to try it on mine.

Nope, not for me. I'm religious about servicing my rides. It's the 2nd biggest investment next to your house. Besides servicing, I wash once a week and polish once a month. Even my bike. It's an 83' Suzuki 1100E (runs 11.20's). I went to look at new bikes and the salesman thought my Suzuki was a new bike. When I came out of the showroom, there were 5 guys around my bike offering to buy it.

You guys WASH your cars???????? Why do you think it rains????? :LOL: :LOL:


Don

Don
You crack me up. When I lived in the Florida Keys, the humidity and salt and sun ate my paint overnight. I imagine you spend quite a bit of polishing time. Did you ever try that Bike Bright Stuff, cleans in a jiffy, quite nice?:D

No Steve, I've got to pick some of that up. I actually don't mind spending whatever amount of time or money to keep my hot rod maintained and clean, but I really do neglect my daily. When someone is going to ride somewhere with me I'm the guy who is tossing lots of stuff into the back seat to make room for them.

It's not right, I know, but for some reason I just do very little work to it. :o :o

Don

I have a girlfriend whos niece was given a car when she turned 16. She came to me and asked why it was making a funny sound. Not being near the car i asked what it sounded like. She said a clock. I asked her if any lights on her dash were on and she said that the funny spout one. She did not have her car with her so i told her to check her oil and every other fluid. She got her dad to help her open her hood and check the oil. None showed on the stick so he added 2 quarts. I asked her the next day and she said that ther was oil on the stick now. I asked her if it was at the full mark. She said that no it was at the end of the tip. did she need more. I told her yes that she needs to keep an eye on it but I would add more. She said that she would get her boyfriend to do it tomorrow. I told my friend that her car would not last much longer. The neice looked at me like i was stupid. I think that they need to add a general discussion to the drivers ed classes in high school about maintenance.

I totally agree Denny. Kids today can do all kinds of things with computers but some I them I wonder have enough sense to come out of the rain much less put oil in a car.

Stovens- same thing happened to a young woman my wife worked with once. Bought a new Toyota, drove it 32,000 and burned up the engine cause she supposedly didn't know about oil changes.
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a15/Twitch98/nono2.gif

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jyardgirl

I have a girlfriend whos niece was given a car when she turned 16. ............ I think that they need to add a general discussion to the drivers ed classes in high school about maintenance.

---

Most of us worked hard for our cars, so we want to keep them! Lots of kids today, get their first cars as a gift. Since the have no vesting in the purchase they tend not to care for them.(not all kids, but most of my friends who have given a car to their kids have experienced the absolute neglect of that gift.) My coworker did something really cool with her daughter. She matched her dollar for dollar, in buying her first car. Her daughter worked her butt off, and got a nice new car, with savings, work money and what her mom gave her. She takes good care of her car.
A friend once told me the worst gift you can give your kids is money/inheritance. He was a successfull buisness man who earned his fortune, his kids were never motivated to do anything, just waiting for him to die, and cash out quick! So he cut them off. They don't like him much, but I respect him!
Jyard I'm sad reading about your girlfiends kid, because I was raised by my mom, who worked herself to death supporting us. She made it clear, that if we wanted cars growing up, we'd have to buy them, maintain them and insure them. What a great gift that was! Taught me work ethics, the ability to save toward something big, not get it instantly - patience, and responsibility to others on the road by being insured. I still love my 68 mustang, I bought in High School, rebuilt the engine, and restored to stock back then.

we matched our 14 year old dollar for dollar. he got a 75 pontiac astre. needs work but he loves it. By the time that he starts to drive he will know how to do most things on the car and maybe he will be kind to it as he will know what it takes to keep it that way.

Well said, you guy's are great parents!:D
Wish all those trustfunder's were the same!

here they make you test your blinkers and brake lights and hand signals but they still cant drive woth a sh*t !!!!?

My wife and I have no children but we do have a favorite niece and nephew. When my niece turned 16 we offered to give her my '80 280ZX. But we had attached a few strings to the gift---one she had to keep and maintain her grade average, two no moving violations ever, three she had to maintain the car as I had done since it was new. Her mom and dad offered to pay half her insurance costs but she had to pay for the other half and for gas and maintenance. She found a job and worked through high school and college

Well suffice it to say, she earned an academic and athletic scholarship, never had a ticket other than parking, and she learned how to maintain the car, even doing her own oil/filter changes and rotating tires, after her father showed her how(we weren't living in CO then and we drove the car out here from WA for her).
She's 26 now, established in her career and just got married. About four months ago she called and asked if we'd be upset if she sold the car, No, of course not(I should've bought it back from her, Other than normal wear and tear it still looked/ran great for a 27 year old car with over 160 k miles :()She traded it in on a new Audi A-6. She learned and respected the gift we gave her.

Great story. I love hearing stuff like this. Makes me have strong faith in the younger generation. Great old cars those z's!

i change oil in my cars once a year whether they need it or not

i change my daily drive once every month - month and a half.

Hoss is right. Change your hobby car's oil even if you just drove it only 1,500 miles in a year- or less.

when the nova is out and about i change it everytime it leaves the house for the track, comes out as clean as it went it. never have drained black oil out of it.

i have my dads old 87 iroc-z that he bought new. only 43k on the clock and clean as a whistle. last time it sat for about nine years and it didnt like running on that old gas and plugged a couple injectors:o

I have great intentions but little time, so I use Jiffy Lube. Problem is, my Son lost the Motor in his Jimmy when they put just 2 quarts in and the Crankshaft broke in three pieces. And, of course, the Engine blew 2 Miles from the Eisenhour Tunnel on Loveland Pass in the Colorado Mountains-

I have a '95 F-150 I bought new, it has little miles and just sits in the Garage now-anyway, my Wife took it in and had the Oil changed-she used it to move some stuff while I was away, and when I got back said it had a ticking sound-I checked the Oil and it didn't register on the Dipstick, so I put in 3 Quarts (it holds 6 Quarts-351). Luckily, I use Mobil 1 in everything, and I change it every 3,000 Miles (I know, anal)-hopefully it didn't hurt much-probably lost 10K+ in mileage before a rebuild however-

Now, if my Wife has the Oil changed in anything she stands at the Window like a Hawk and watches them put it in-since they use Mobil 1 they have to pour it out of the Quart bottles, so she counts-

all my kids get a free car , thats the deal for doin good in school they also know daddy is a friggin freak about the maint. on said cars and all my girls can change their own oil and check their own fluids if they choose not to daddy will not replace said vehicle kinda keeps them motivated: