What determines "End of life" with cars?

[mondeomatureguy]

Hi guy's
Well my MC Ford Mondeo which was brought new in 2011 and just clicked over 418,000ks.
It passed rego on 21st of august with a new set of tyres. I have replaced Belts, a few Pulleys, Hoses, New water Pump and Power Steering Pump, and have gone thru two Battery's.

A mate of mine told me "when it gets to 500,000ks take a picture of it and the Ks on it and send it to Ford".

Cars of the 1970,1980, and 1990s it was rust that killed most cars.

[bb_zetec]

I think also parts availability and electronics has something to do with it.

Yes as others have said rust was the killer on the older cars, mechanically there were simple without too many electro-doo-dads that can go bad and kill it.

A mate had an old 80's Jackaroo that went well over 350,000Klms but couldnt get any more parts for it so it got junked.

Once it becomes unreliable to a point that also signals its death, look how many EF/EL/BA's got send to the wrecker due to failing electronics.

Mechanically they could probably keep going for 100,000s of more K's, but the end user gets so frustrated they get rid of it.

Modern cars will die due to electrical faults. Mind you the electrics of today are much better quality than the 80s stuff, but there is so much more of it that it simply will become cost ineffective to fix.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by bb_zetec

I think also parts availability and electronics has something to do with it.

Yes as others have said rust was the killer on the older cars, mechanically there were simple without too many electro-doo-dads that can go bad and kill it.

A mate had an old 80's Jackaroo that went well over 350,000Klms but couldnt get any more parts for it so it got junked.

Once it becomes unreliable to a point that also signals its death, look how many EF/EL/BA's got send to the wrecker due to failing electronics.

Mechanically they could probably keep going for 100,000s of more K's, but the end user gets so frustrated they get rid of it.

Modern cars will die due to electrical faults. Mind you the electrics of today are much better quality than the 80s stuff, but there is so much more of it that it simply will become cost ineffective to fix.

My thoughts too. Main reason why I didn't comment on the FG vs XD value thread.

Have a 92 Trader with well over 500 000Ks, hate to think how many millions are on the original 903 in the Kenworth.
The XF pano is floating around 350 000k's at the moment.

[au2000]

AU’s are holding up pretty well ;)

[anobserver]

Small numbers of driveable cars remaining and lost access to owner expertise.

Last year we lost the forum that catered to our daily driver. Yes its archived, but ive lost the interaction and feedback that made fault diagnosis and part finding easier.

Parts are still available for now. But its not practical to maintain a low volume seller indefinitely without access to other owners for discussion and fault finding. I have an understanding mechanic who has been great with discussing options at various times.

(Such as the time he suggested i move it on at 175ks, and i didnt....)

Sooner or later, a critical part will life expire and replacement will be difficult or prohibitively expensive. Or the car might still run, but might be unsaleable or not to be trusted on longer journeys.

For now it soldiers on, but im acutely aware mechanical objects wear out.

[Citroënbender]

Originally Posted by anobserver

Small numbers of driveable cars remaining and lost access to owner expertise.

Last year we lost the forum that catered to our daily driver. Yes its archived, but ive lost the interaction and feedback that made fault diagnosis and part finding easier.

Parts are still available for now. But its not practical to maintain a low volume seller indefinitely without access to other owners for discussion and fault finding. I have an understanding mechanic who has been great with discussing options at various times.

(Such as the time he suggested i move it on at 175ks, and i didnt....)

Sooner or later, a critical part will life expire and replacement will be difficult or prohibitively expensive. Or the car might still run, but might be unsaleable or not to be trusted on longer journeys.

For now it soldiers on, but im acutely aware mechanical objects wear out.

I deal with this for one regularly driven French car. There’s probably a dozen in the country on full registration, maybe half that. Downtime when something is sourced from overseas can vary, so it’s not a good choice for an only car - but in a fleet, the joys are preserved. A Haynes helps with torque specs and wiring diagrams. What would really make life hard, is loss of online parts information. The Russian webcats like “ilcats” make all the difference.

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

My thoughts too. Main reason why I didn't comment on the FG vs XD value thread.

Have a 92 Trader with well over 500 000Ks, hate to think how many millions are on the original 903 in the Kenworth.
The XF pano is floating around 350 000k's at the moment.

Didn't realize it, the pano is on 384 000k's. Yikes.

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by roKWiz

Didn't realize it, the pano is on 384 000k's. Yikes.

While since you last gave it a service??

[roKWiz]

Originally Posted by Tassie f100

While since you last gave it a service??

Tassie, must be. and bloody hard to read the odometer hidden behind the speedo needle half the time or I need glasses.