The secret to 500,000 miles....

Status
Not open for further replies.
It is my goal to get my Pontiac Sunfire to 400,000 miles - maybe more if I drive enough. [Big Grin] I don't think I'll use STP tho... Amsoil and GC have served me very well according to UOAs... [Razz] What are your guy's thoughts on the STP part?
 
I think I'm going to run STP, straight up, in my ride from now on. [Wink] And forget about all of those other filters and things - they really don't need to be bothered with, except maybe once every 150,000 miles. I'm throwing the B.S. flag on some of that stuff. There's no way in the world that dude has half a million miles on his car and never once turned or replaced the break rotors. Oh wait, they merely said he's never "turned" the rotors, which probably means he's put ten new sets of rotors on the car.
 
All joking aside, I think this should cast aside any doubt that STP is anything other than pretty good stuff....I mean, if he's adding it, and only changing his oil once a year, then there don't seem to be any issues with it sludging up the motor, as some have worried about, given its super-thick, co-polymer formula. Is the STP what got the engine this far? Probably not, as he would have been almost guaranteed to make that mileage if he just changed Havoline once a year on all highway miles....we've seen that it will survive long drains w/out a problem, as it is a great oil.
 
LOL.... He attributes it to GM. Rotors have never been turned. Yeah, right. And I bet it's on the 2nd set of pads. The engine has lasted 500k miles, but there's been probably $4,000 worth of work replacing the head gaskets, as he mentions.
 
I agree... Unless that guy uses his shoes to slow the car down - brakes don't last a long time... My car in the city wants new breaks about every 40,000 miles. What does it mean to "turn" the rotors? Flip them over?
 
"turning" rotors means to put them on a lathe to get rid of any surface variation (warping) that may cause vibration in the brake pedal when braking. My experience has been that rotors generally won't warp if the lugnuts aren't overtightened. Not braking at the last possible minute, like many drivers do, probably also helps. Some shops turn rotors whenever they do a brake job. I don't like turning rotors because I beleve that makes them more prone to warping. As far as brake pad life..that, like fuel economy, is very dependent upon driver habits.
 
With all that time he saved only changing his oil once a year maybe he should have added a coat or two of wax to his paint. [Smile]
 
The Kinston area is nearly as flat as a table top. The roads are relatively straight too. I would think tires, brakes, wheel bearings, engines, ect would last forever in flat areas. Fred Flintsone's car could be practical in that part of the country. Does anyone know if Flatlander cars last longer than cars in hill country. I know that my mileage is much better in areas void of mountains as compared to mountain areas.
 
quote:
"The company he worked for gave him the car when he retired in 2001. The car had 350,000 miles on it then."
Gee, what a wonderful retirement gift! If they gave him a watch, or a fine pen, it would have been worth more than a 10 year old Pontiac with 350,000 miles! Poor guy.
 
I can't believe he has the original set of rotors. What? He doesn't use his brakes. I'm from that area and you need brakes. It ain't like Oklahoma where the roads are flat and straight. N.C. has a lot of sand, surely those rotors would have been worn out by now.
 
Schmoe, Who needs rotors when your P.O.S. Pontiac has half a mill on the odometer??? Just run that beatch off in the ditch to slow down.
 
"someone at General Motors told him that Heath was only the second person they knew about to have a car with more than 500,000 miles." This is sad. Current GM-bashing aside, I have no doubt that there are countless others with extremely high-mile GM cars. IMHO carmakers should court and cater to these folks, like Mercedes-Benz does. Heck, M-B will send you a grille placard - and put your name into a registery - to tell the world that your ride has reached mileage benchmarks.
 
"he's never had to put a new signal light on the car" What kind of quote is that??? [freaknout] Does that mean he doesn't use his turn signal??? [I dont know]
 
I'm definitely going to beat this guy's record. After all, my VW GTI came with lifetime ATF. Take that, Pontiac. Changing tranny fluid is for, well.....trannies. [Smile]
 
I wonder if it's like my dear ole' Papa used to say - some motors just last and last. Example. My brother Randy had a '77 Ford LTD with a 351M V-8. Bought it with 20,000 miles and changed the oil @ 3,000 miles with regular dino till appox. 120,000 miles. Started using Mobil 1 and changing @ 9,000 miles. 212,000 car is burning oil badly and will not hold oil pressure. I had a '79 Lincoln Town Car with a 351M V-8. Bought with 103,000 miles and changed the oil @ 3,000 miles with regular dino. 197,000 miles, car is burning oil badly and will not hold oil pressure. Motor throws a rod. My brother Ted has an '85 Chevy 3/4 ton truck with a 305 V-8 he bought with appox. 50,000 miles. Changes the oil "every now and then." Uses whatever cheapie Dino he can find. Did a valve job at around 200,000 miles. Truck is dented, bent, rusted and beat-up, but still running strong today at 368,000 miles. Go figure. Is this miracle Pontiac powered by the famous 3.8 liter V-6? I hear they're a great motor for taking a beating.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

P
2015 Kia Optima LX QT/300 Miles Oil Burned Solved/Fixed
2
Replies
39
Views
19K
ARB1977
D
  • Locked
Subies, the engines again...
8 9 10
Replies
185
Views
66K
ThirdeYe
B
  • Locked
Is this the MSDS for Toyota 0W20?
Replies
1
Views
4K
CATERHAM
S
  • Locked
Do I need to clean with Kreen, MMO, ARX+?
2
Replies
27
Views
12K
ahoier
P
  • Locked
Fiat with 500,000 miles... secret to longevity
2
Replies
30
Views
21K
ammolab
Top