My S-Max was built in around May 2009. It was sold to me in April 2010 as being just under one year old and had done 10,900 miles.
I took my staff out in the car in June and they commented that it still had that new car smell. I opened the bonnet for the first time yesterday after 2,500 miles and was astonished to find a pretty clean engine bay, one that had clearly not been recently cleaned but was almost showroom clean. Remarkable given the grime and bugs on the bonnet after a late evening dash from Manchester to London.
Is it possible that the car has not done these miles, but far fewer?
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Enter your VIN or reg number into this site:-
www.etis.ford.com/vehicleRegSelector.do
It will tell you everything you want to know including a list of factory fitted extras/
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Yes - I knew that, but I wonder if the car has been stored somewhere and not really driven 10,900 miles before I bought it - or driven internally not on the road. It's as if the car is too clean.
I'm not complaining; just curious!
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If it was only used in the summer on dry roads it would stay clean.
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It's a Ford isn't it. They tend to wear their miles well...
:-)
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The 3yr old 20,000mls ex-motability C3 we bought late last year was as you describe. The interior looked new with that fresh plastic smell. Underbonnet area was as new. It just took the replacement of two scuffed front wheeltrims to give the outside an unused appearance.
I think now and again you get a car that has not suffered any noticeable wear at all in its first few years.
Contrast that with my school run/family use/holiday trips/tip run new C5 that after only 6mths needs a damn good clean inside/out every week to look anything like new.
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the engine cleanliness is due to the under engine trays and covers. No external carp gets into the engine bay on modern cars with these features.
I would sincerely hope that a 1 year old car with 10k miles on the clock felt and looked and smelt newish.
At least new fords no longer smell like the toilet door from a grimsby trawler. Did they really used to use fish glue? I had a new sierra once that made nicole vomit as soon as she opened the door.
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Don't underestimate the ability of a detailer / pro-valeter to return the car to as new condition.
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In this case, there is no need. I would expect a modern car to be like that anyway after 1 year 10k
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>>>Don't underestimate the ability of a detailer / pro-valeter to return the car to as new condition.
Fair point and my C5 will need all the help it can get at the end of lease.
However I looked at our C3 straight off Motability before it was cleaned and it was as new then.
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The lack of cigarette residue helps, never did get rid of it on the one s/h car which I knew had been smoked in.
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There is a significant difference between a car freshly valeted within a edge of its life and a car that is 'showroom fresh'. Mine feels showroom fresh.
It this an indication of the quality of Fords these days. I don't think my Outback (14 months and 22,000 miles when I bought it) was anywhere near the impression that the S-max gives.
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On an engine that is still bedding itself in, it might be worth checking the levels particularly oil more than once every 2,500 miles.
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After nearly 500 miles my engine bay still looks completly clean. The springs do have bits of road dirt on them now though.
Other than the VIN lots of plastic trim has a date code on it. My glove box has April 2010 etched into it, I picked the car up early May 2010!
I reckon the car was only a week old if that when I recieved it.
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Indeed, I checked the levels the other day. Everything was fine but with brand new engines they do need an eye checking on them.
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your car doesent count, it never gets used. Its more like a sculpture or ornament.
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>> your car doesent count, it never gets used. Its more like a sculpture or ornament.
>>
>>
Rattle's car will disolve into a pile of red dust before he runs it in. :)
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500 miles in less than two months is not exactly not being used. I am currently on 300 miles a month. Most Panda's only do 2-3k a year.
The furthest I need to go in a job is about 5 miles but that takes 45 minutes in city traffic.
If I lived in the countryside no doubt my car would have over 1k clock the clock by now.
The only day it dosn't get used is Sunday.
I've already got a big trip planned in October which will see 300 miles go on the clock in two days and that will certainly run it. I expect it to have 20k on the clock by the time I trade it in.
I am not a sales rep, and if I wasn't I would not have bought a 1.1 litre car.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Mon 28 Jun 10 at 17:08
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Calm down Rattle, I am retired and cover at least 1,000 miles a month. You are a very low mileage driver. (As am I compared to some).
300 miles is not a "big trip" in the grand scale of life.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Mon 28 Jun 10 at 17:17
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Yeah but you probably live in a more remote place. Even if you live in a small town you probably need to travel at least ten miles to certain services e.g a hospital. My nearest hospital is two miles away.
Looking at the used Pandas milleage my low miles is not really unusual. Even my dad who goes to his parents a lot (250 mile round trip) and uses his car for business now only does 7000 miles a year.
Also I do make an effort to avoid very short trips and sometimes give it a minor italian tune up e.g doing 30 in 2nd gear.
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>> Also I do make an effort to avoid very short trips and sometimes give it
>> a minor italian tune up e.g doing 30 in 2nd gear.
LOL
Ratttle, 30 in second is not an Italian tune up.
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More like an Italian parking.
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>> Yeah but you probably live in a more remote place. Even if you live in
>> a small town you probably need to travel at least ten miles to certain services
>> e.g a hospital. My nearest hospital is two miles away.
>>
I live in the central belt of Scotland, not Siberia. The hospital is 5 minutes walk, as is the rail station and bus stops. I am newly retired, my location was chosen realising that I will not be able to drive for ever. My city centre is just over a mile away, and Edinburgh 30 minutes drive or bus or train. You know where I will be on the 31st, that is not a "big trip", they involve a couple of continents. Lack of use is car abuse.
Smile Rattle you are among friends. :)
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>> Most Panda's only do 2-3k a year.
no they dont rats, they do more than that
I've already got a big trip planned in October which will see 300 miles go
>> on the clock in two days and that will certainly run it.
It wont be run in till its done 10,000 miles.
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My mates is on 4500 now, seems to be well and truly run it. He mostly uses his car for very short journeys and in the 4500 miles there hasn't been a single issue, no oil usage, no mayo none of the usual short journey problems.
I do admit however I will probably need a new exhaust at some point before I trade it in.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Mon 28 Jun 10 at 17:44
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Rattle,
A lot of posters on here recently took the time and trouble to advise you to give the Panda a good belt, a blast, cane it a bit, do 70 miles at 70mph, or better still 80 miles at 80mph, change gear all the time for the sake of it, rev it, accelerate hard, brake hard a few times, squeal the tyres around a bend, etc, etc.
Have you taken any of this well-meaning and in my view sensible advice?
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Yep last week I took it on a bit of a blast, ok I was only doing 50 but I was doing it high revs e.g 3rd. I made sure the car was up to temp before I did that.
I often now go down the parkway for the sake of it just to get it upto 40mph.
At nearly 500 miles there is no sign of any typical short run problems.
I was hoping to go down the complete M60 last week but it didn't happen for reasons I won't go into but hopefully maybe this week.
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>> At nearly 500 miles there is no sign of any typical short run problems.
Rattle there wont be, at 500 miles you wont get any. at 15k you might see some.
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Wait till he has no compression because he hasnt bedded the rings in with the oil it has come with to keep friction down,but i cant tell him as ive done it once and he thinks im after him
woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo wooooooooooo rattle the bellboys coming to get yarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
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Seriously, Rattle, Manchester is within range of some lovely countryside. Take the Panda up to the northern half of Lancashire, or further into the valley well named Eden, and enjoy both your new car and England's green and pleasant land.
Sorry, Espada - thread drift - but as a Mancunian no doubt you'd agree with the above.
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I am Welsh living near Rattle. Drive your car! When I got a test drive for the Mazda6... I wanted to drive it a bit.... so did on day one.
Day two.... waited for darkness to test Xenons. Then intended driving across the Snake Pass a bit and back. Decided to do the Woodhead pass... but then carried on to Sheffield and back over the M62/M60. It took a bit of time. But the car was comfortable. I got a Mazda6 Sport.
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Avant - Yes fully agree with your advice to Rattle.
Come on Rattle!
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The 1st thing I did when I bought mine was to take it on a 200 mile round trip opening the taps on the M6 north bound and then eastbound A66
Since then its been as far as glasgow in the north, and Devon in the South in two weeks I shall be stretching its legs going down to Cadwell Park another good oppertunity to stretch the cars "legs"
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How old is my car? - Arctophile
