cjhillman
Posted a lot
1979 Capri (Rolling Project) 1985 Escort mk3 (Daily)
Posts: 1,585
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I was wondering if I should post this or not but i'm interested to see if anyone else feels this way... In my 20s I'd own older Escort mk5's or Ford Focus's and happily drive from Manchester to London for work and not really think about it, I always got there and never seemed to stress about breaking down on the way to an important Job. Even with my Escort mk3 that all my mate said don't BUY THAT OLD JUNK I did a few trips early on (owned it 8 years) and in 2018 put 20k on it! It did snap a tie rod going round a corner which wasnt fun... Maybe i've had a few more breakdowns in recent years and arriving on time has becomes more important but this concern of breaking down is started to spread to modern second hand Cars now! Any slight noise or wobble sets alarm bells ringing! I feel this is part of Classic Car ownership which i'm willing to accept but I've never really had that concern with modern stuff. I have to say I've worked a lot on my old Cars in the last few years which has given me a bit more confidence in fixing things but I wonder if I now know too much  I thought id put it to Retro Rides to see if I'm not alone in this possibly irrational concern ? Also... whats the cure ?   |
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Last Edit: Dec 4, 2021 18:40:19 GMT by cjhillman
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I generally never worry about it, if it breaks it breaks. People understand when it happens. Yes it's frustrating but at least you're not paying dealer rates for labour if you can fix it yourself.
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cjhillman
Posted a lot
1979 Capri (Rolling Project) 1985 Escort mk3 (Daily)
Posts: 1,585
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I generally never worry about it, if it breaks it breaks. People understand when it happens. Yes it's frustrating but at least you're not paying dealer rates for labour if you can fix it yourself. I think maybe thats another thing. Things do breakdown but a lot of people I know have newish Toyota Prius's etc so maybe in the back of my mind the understanding isnt there. |
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Paul
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,907
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All part of the adventure of owning old cars I guess.
I'm pretty lucky...think I've broken down maybe three times in the last 10 or so years, so it's not something I worry about, ironically not in any retros:
Alternator packed up on my 6N2 Polo
Alternator packed up on my E85 Z4
Gear cable snapped on the Renault Traficamper
That's about it truth be told...and I know I have a decent recovery service if I need it.
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As part of a Job I had years ago I frequently got to drive brand new cars, 3/4 miles on the clock.
I had to take one (a Volvo) to the other side of Birmingham.
In The M6 roadworks, having driven from Huntingdon, it suddenly lit up the dash like a Christmas tree, with a large red 'STOP' sign in the instrument cluster.
It's the only time I've used the emergency breakdown in roadworks, sitting in the coned area is not funny.
The cause? Olvo had forgotten to connect the cooling fan!
New cars? You can keep them ! 😳
That's not the only new car that gave up on me either
Edit- I should say I get paranoid about noises, but as already mentioned I've got a good breakdown cover, and touch wood I've only arrived home on the back of a breakdown truck three times in the last 15 years, which strikes me as a pretty good success ratio
Of course I have had to do 'get me home' Hodges, but I'm calling that a win
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I carry a crank position sensor and ignition cassette in the boot of my saab to ward off failures as both of these have reputation for sudden failure. Should the voodoo that ensures these wont fail as i have spares, it also ensures the RAC man has the bits to get it going again.
Best option is to investigate what that clonk, squeel, or vibration that has just started is before going out in it again.
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vulgalour
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 7,082
Club RR Member Number: 146
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I don't worry about breaking down as much as I do getting recovered at all, let alone in a timely manner. That's without even getting into the issue of how much some recovery services charge.
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Recovery is what worries me, ive only had one failure to proceed and luckily it was at the end of the road after a 12 mile drive. I don't like taking the my 07 Mondeo TDCi far, paranoid from all the injector/turbo/flywheel/fuel pump horror stories, but quite happily take my 27 year old Astra on 400 mile round trips, if it goes wrong it's generally roadside repairable.
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,712
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Personally I consider breakdowns great fun, but then a carry a lot of tools and bodging equipment and enjoy problem solving. That and with the cars I drive there’s a high probability I can make em work again with what I have.
I’ve even got quite a few people home from various events ( including the gathering) with my kit of stuff.
I remember reading an article years ago about the Japanese classic mini scene, and an interviewee being quizzed as to why he drove a stupid old unreliable British car. Given the context of Japanese cars generally being boringly reliable even when unmaintained and abused, it was a fair question. He’s answer was the excitement of not knowing if you’d complete your journey successfully, and the enjoyment of experiences you get by not doing so, which I though was a typically Japanese zen way of looking at it.
If/when I break down these days I try to think about it in those terms, and it honestly can be enjoyable!
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Last Edit: Dec 4, 2021 20:19:05 GMT by Dez
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I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been recovered…if anything I find it kind of a grounding experience which brings me back to reality after a period of not having any incidents!
It’s more of a case of when, not if, so just don’t stress… I agree that working on cars means it’s harder to ignore noises and feelings that other motorists would turn the stereo up at!
The best cure I have come across is to watch some of the Hub Nut videos on YouTube of trips in his Invacar! Eg, if he can drive it from Wales to Birmingham for the NEC and back then you should be fine 🙂
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never paid for recovery!
i think only once has a car I've been driving needed to be recovered by a recovery service, mum's car blew a headgasket spectacularly when I had borrowed it and she had cover.
a few occasions I've needed a jump start or w half mile tow to a petrol station, worst was when I shifted from 5th to 2nd and snapped the flywheel bolts.
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My attitude has always been if the car runs drive it. If anything breaks so be it. That's why I have an AA membership.
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In a long career on the spanners, i've only needed to be recovered 3 times. the first, in 1978 was a brand new Cavalier MkI 2 litre which lost all it's brakes during the PDI road test. I was only a couple of miles from the garage, I walked back and got the wrecker! Next, around 1985 was an MG Metro with less than 400 miles on the clock (A lex Mead owned company car) which snapped it's crank on the M25 near Harefield, that took the AA 6 hours to recover 20 odd miles to Maidenhead under "Supercover". Nothing super about it, it was November and freezing! Finally, about 15 years ago one of my dozen or more Cavaliers failed to proceed after I switched off to go to shop for fags. I was able to determine the cause easily enough at the roadside, the fuel pump relay had failed. I didn't have one with me (always carried one thereafter) so I called a mate who dragged it in. So, as far as i'm concerned, i'm twice as likely to break down in a new car as I am in an old one!
I don't think twice about undertaking long runs with very little preparation in my old Triumphs and have done the Club Triumph Round Britain Reliabilty Run (2000 miles in 48 hours) twice in recent years. TBH the 70s car stands it better than my mid 50s body does!
Steve |
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Last Edit: Dec 5, 2021 0:23:23 GMT by carledo
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I don't expect my cars to break down, but have always taken simple precautions to reduce the possibility, and mitigate the potential effects.
When cars were simpler, I carried a few basic tools and spares in the boot, and gave the car a once over prior to an International trip. From the late 1970s electronics became more reliable, but more difficult to diagnose and repair if they did fail. Ever since my BMW 735 blew the top hose stub out of the radiator on the N12 between my French holiday ruin and Paris, making me realise what a nightmare that would have been with a wife and three young kids in tow, had I not been able to get a lift to a garage to buy materials and coolant, then effect a bodge repair at the roadside, I have carried comprehensive breakdown cover.
As well; two years later when again in Europe, the cylinder head gasket failed. The RAC organised a rental car for the rest of the holiday (almost 3 weeks), a taxi at our home port, to take us all to a local rental outlet for another car to get us home, and recovery of the car back to my workshop. Although it must be more than ten years since I have felt the need to use the cover, it has proved its value on several occasions, and, at a peppercorn extra on my annual insurance premium, consider it cheap peace of mind.
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Last Edit: Dec 5, 2021 5:02:44 GMT by etypephil
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Simply put.
I don’t worry about it.
In 20 years here in the UK the only time I needed recovery was when the 50 year old fan belt disintegrated 20 miles from home, after a weekend at Santa Pod in the Taunus Transit going down the A2 at Bluewater.
I tend to make sure stuff is road worthy and try stack things in my favour mostly.
Of course breakdowns are ultimately unpredictable.
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I think a lot of it depends on how good your breakdown cover is, I've got a recovery only style thing, never waited more than 90 minutes, and that's as a single bloke in a safe location.
MK1 sons series landy did the lift pump on a major junction, blocking the road, police attended, directing traffic etc, he called his RAC membership and told them it needed moving NOW, of not sooner.
Three and a half hours later I managed to get back to where he was with a replacement pump and we fixed it at the side of the road. Fortunately he'd managed to get it 100 yards from the junction by then, but RAC didn't know that, and he hadhis girlfriend who has medical needs with him at the time, which they did know.
Cancelled his membership and went with my lot.
He didn't even get a checkup phone call for three hours.
Completely unacceptable.
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I’ve never worried If it happens it happens I’ve recently changed to the rac after being with aa for around 25 years I had my one and only breakdown In years back in February at 5am In the morning when I hit a huge pothole and snapped a bottom Arm on my combo van……told the aa it would need recovery so they sent a patrol in a van, who proceeded to have the hump more than me after four hours waiting , I changed the next week to the rac   |
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Last Edit: Dec 5, 2021 14:32:28 GMT by Mercdan68
Fraud owners club member
1999 Jaguar s type
1993 ford escort
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I'm with brittania rescue, have been bfor years, partly due to being a CSMA member so discounted |
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I don't worry about it until they happen. Like last Thursday night when my Jumbuck dumped all its water, closely followed by the head gasket. Then the temp gauge reacted...
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Proton Jumbuck-deceased :-(
2005 Kia Sorento the parts hauling heap
V8 Humber Hawk
1948 Standard12 pickup SOLD
1953 Pop build (wifey's BIVA build).
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