I notice that US cars can rack up some incredible miles and still be running compared to the UK . I used to have a Mazda 626 and oil/filter change in the UK owners manual said every 10,000 miles(nearly all UK cars are 10k),the US manual recommends every 3000
Something seems very wrong here to me

the us is a much hotter and dryer place. this can often accelerate the degradation of certain fluids due to ambient humidity and temperature.

it's about the money. my wifes clients mostly live in saudi, and it's 10,000 mile oil changes there. i've been stationed in anchorage when i served with the marines and the locals go for 10-15,000 miles between changes because it is hellaciously expensive up there. your answer about the climate would be spot on in certain respects if there were a difference in engines, but an 850 R in europe needs oil changes every 10k and here every 4-6K. they know that the dealers here will rip you if you go over, warranty issues and all that. also, the way people drive has a bigger influence. most road here are straight, as opposed to the UK(for example) but we (the US) don't get too far with all the traffic in urban settings, so your example of heat is correct. just not the type of heat that i think you meant. hope the answer made sense. i think i lost my train of thought. hmmmm..... drink anyone? :beer:

you lost me onwards the end there too greek lol



what do you mean you don't get too far with the traffic? you mean you don't race other cars on fast roads ... speed limit of 70 on motor-ways here, if i say how fast i went, it would be a prison sentence, very large fine and total loss of license so i ain't gonna say.

4.3litre merc clk is all i will say... but yeah what did you m ean about that statement, unless you meant heat as in da fuzz/pigs/police/razza lol

Matt

sorry, trying to dictate a recipe to the other chef while typing the reply. meant to say, being that in most cities in the US, traffic causes most heat in an engine as opposed to running it at 9/10ths. if the roads were open, straight line speeding would keep heat down with the air flow through the rad. as opposed to europe with its mostly curvaceous roadways, where a spirited run would keep the heat down. if you look in the manual, here in the US, it is stated that on a turbo/R model 850 oil changes are to be done every 4-6K miles. if you go to any of those quicky oil change places, the computer will state that they need to be done at 3K. even the dealers will tell you 3K miles. my brother-in-laws xc90, which he bought new, has it's oil done every 3K. if he goes over the dealer throughs a fit. almost to the point that my brother-in-law has to apologize for being late. please. now, if you want to talk how fast you go, that is a different discussion. i won't run in and out of traffic. i find that stupid and irresponsible. now, if there is no one around, i will red line it to an inch of its life. i will race you on the highway as long as there will be none of that crap with cutting others off. don't play like that. i take my racing seriously. if you really want a go, we will take it to the track. but i have been known to spank the occasional moron on the open road when they get full of themselves. that is why i have spent a fortune modding all of my cars and bikes. except for the mrs mercedes. am not allowed to even look at it. :grin:

Call me an old cynic, but could it be that to break into the US market a car manufacturer
needs to be seen to have a good reliable car hence the 3000k oil changes ?

fair enough greek :) i dont like it when people cut up either, infact thats what pisses me off right about now here, little pranets in vauxhal corsa's (running like 6-7bhp at the front wheels) who think they can have me. granted off the line its a bit tricky being 2.5 tonnnes but once i get near 2.5krpm say bye bye (740) cant wait to get the 940 on the rolling road though, that will be funny :)

yes nice open curvaceous roads here are fun :) straight line is good, but there isn't any skill to it i find other than getting the right gear change.

good call on the weezy. unfortunately i have found that most manufacturers dumb down their vehicles. sure wish they would offer a car nut model. one that can be loaded with any options/or none at all. something that a car afficionado, male or female, can work on and understand. not tell me what needs to be done or when or how often. i understand all the hype about liability and the such, but please. about 5 years ago, there was a news story from honda about the horrendous abuse their cars receive from US owners. burgers and fries under seats, never changing fluids, the crud that accumulates in the cars. americans were lambasted in their usage of their cars. it's true. i watch them come into the restaurant and get food to go and then eat it while driving.

Maybe you should paste a sticker on your restaurant doors, "Dont EAT While Driving".... hope it doesnt affect your sales so much.

:D

You'd be surprised what i once read was found under the passenger seat: condoms (packed and opened!)

THEE HEE HEE

I suppose there can be many reasons or this, and I will mention a few possibilities for this (although I do not know many specifics in other countries).

1. Here in the States, we have an great number of different types of blends of fuel. Different types for differerent parts of the country, different types for different times of the year, and some states requiring special blends just for them, etc. Our fuel grades and blends here might have something to do with it.

2. Alot of high mileage cars aredue to lots of highway miles with little stopping or slowing down, while running at lower RPMs.

3. Most car owners in the states have several cars. It isnt uncommon for a people to have more cars than people in the house. Using each car for specific purposes.One for in town driving, another for traveling, etc...even the common "Sunday" car, that only gets driven to church on Sundays. You tend to see the nicer cars getting mentioned that are not used as hard,as opposed to the ones driven in daily traffic that get much harsher treatment.

4. The oil changes is also a likely culprit.

5. As we do not have nearly as extensive public transit systems, everyone is practically driving cars and tend to try to take care of them as best as possible. Small mechanic shops are all over the place, oil change locations are all over the place as well, and they make a killing (or you wouldnt be finding them nearly every 4-5 blocks..haha)

6. Some of it may be that in the US our cars are quite often a personal statement (i am sure it is like thi elsewhere as well, but it may not be as extensive as it is here in the States) Public transportation will never catch on here in the States as it does in many other countries. As a whole we love our cars and they are far more than jut a means of getting from one place to another.

7. Lastly, cars in the US must abide by many other laws in how they are built. We have alot of extra things required on them to be sold here (emissions requirements,economy requiremements, etc). All of these things may add to how how long they last, or possibly car manufacturers build them slightly different for the states, as they know any car that doesnt have the capacity to live fairly long will not sell here. We are a picky and demanding bunch. Release a product here that wont survive the long haul will not be a product that will survive long (not when it comes to cars).We've had many try to release very inexpensive cars here and they flopped horribly.

I dont really know, it's an interesting question though. As a whole we tend to spend a great deal on our cars here, and maybe we just outspend others on repairs to keep them running longer...haha (not really something to be proud of, but we certainly do like to spend money here).