Factors in longevity - time or work

[towe0609]

Well, my 1999 Td5 Defender (http://www.aulro.com/afvb/members-rides/120052-towe0609s-130-dual-cab-jaffa.html) clicked over to 30,000kms today - averaging just 2,500km per year since it was built.

Should I worry about the fact that it is 12 years old, or is the amount of work it has done more important? What are the things that wear with age rather than work that I should look out for?

As a celebration I did an oil change - Penrite HPR Diesel S 5W-40 as per advice here.

[IGL002]

Rubber oil seals and cork gaskets will harden up and potentially leak with age.

In my experience gradual seeping leaks rather than seal failure will be the go.

Look out for perished water, brake and fuel hoses. In many cases particularly with water and fuel hoses, replacement is cheap and easy and best done at home, not on the side of the road.

Don't forget heater hoses.

In petrol engines any leaky or perished vacuum hoses will give you grief.

Cheers,

Iglooist

"I started out with nothing and still have most of it left"

[JDNSW]

As above. Age related deterioration will mostly depend on conditions - rust is a real problem if in a humid area, or worse, hot and humid,or even worse, hot, humid and salty!

Also a problem is if it spends a lot of time outside, you will see UV damage to rubber, plastic and upholstery, as well as paintwork. But I would expect minimal problems at twelve years unless it spends all its time in the sun.

Particularly if in a humid area, look for corrosion on electrical connections.

John

[towe0609]

Thanks for the replies - there is no sign of UV related issues - I suspect that as an ex rural fire service vehicle, it spent a lot of time in the shed, especially given the low kms.

I'm not sure about the climate around Gloucester where it came from, but I don't think you would consider it overly humid, it's a fair way from any salt, and it's now in inland Vic. There are no signs of rust (touch wood).

Looks like I need to keep an eye on all things rubber (hoses, seals etc) as the main priority.

What about the engine 'internals'. Mostly work related?

[JDNSW]

......

What about the engine 'internals'. Mostly work related?

Yes, unless servicing has been neglected. Coolant and oils should be changed on a time as well as mileage, as should hydraulic fluids. Failure to do this may result in internal corrosion, again, particularly in a humid climate. Brake discs may acquire superficial rust, which will slightly reduce pad life as it rubs off, but this is not a significant problem.

John

[isuzurover]

I think it depends on the nature of use - i.e. regular or intermittent, on or off-road..

When I bought my 110 at 280k km and 14 years old (full service history), I was speaking to a mate with 1/3 the km and an almost identical vehicle. He had needed to replace all the same things that had been done on mine (clutch, gearbox, shocks, suspension bushes, etc...).

However his had more offroad work.

[djam1]

I bought a Series 3 V8 with less than 80000 KM on it even though it was 25 years old.
I had to rebuild pretty well everything once I started to use it, I have found that low KM with lapse servicing is worse than high KM

[popemobile]

Cars can deteriorate from underuse too...if your car does not sit for long periods unused then this should not be a problem...Hope your not waiting for the km to tick over for its first timing belt though. I would definitely do it every 3 to 4 yrs or so if you have not clicked over the required km for the next one. Oils should be ok doing them every 5000km with that usage. Tyres is the other thing that needs replacing every once in a while, even if not worn out. I think i might push to 5 yrs for tyres but not on long/offroad/high speed

Id be doing all water/oil hoses every 2 to three years.
Thermostat too. And replace coolant at the same time.