Record number of motorists keeping car beyond 10 years

[Ct3833]

Sometimes itâs the other half who wants reasons to force the change. Alternator conk and radiator hose leak can never tell. Like wise for aircon. Alternator more sudden and aircon maybe over a week if itâs a leak.

Had my radiator plastic joint pipe burst and car had to be tow recently. Not ex to fix but troublesome.

Or some small component in the engine like coils or sensors. Wonât cost much but sometimes it is the hassle involved.

 

With old cars, must be prepared for the tow truck at anytime.

I have been driving old car for a while, currently my two cars are 9+years. What I do is when I go for servicing, I will tell mechanic to check for leaks, belt trays etc and do preventive repair. I replaced one of my starter before even before it was dead, the battery was good but starter seemed a bit slow, not as sharp when cranking, I told kah motor to replace it with a recon. And for alternator, I get mechanic to probe the output from time to time, they are able to tell the condition.

Yes I am prepared for my car to be towed at some point but many of the stuff could do preventive to reduce towing probability.

[Mkl22]

I have been driving old car for a while, currently my two cars are 9+years. What I do is when I go for servicing, I will tell mechanic to check for leaks, belt trays etc and do preventive repair. I replaced one of my starter before even before it was dead, the battery was good but starter seemed a bit slow, not as sharp when cranking, I told kah motor to replace it with a recon. And for alternator, I get mechanic to probe the output from time to time, they are able to tell the condition.

Yes I am prepared for my car to be towed at some point but many of the stuff could do preventive to reduce towing probability.

With autobox yes, you are right, usually can tell some symptoms. But with alternator even if you probe the charging voltage, you cannot tell if the brushes are worn and will conk the next week. Unless the failure is the voltage regulator then maybe.

 

Which is why those who think that during servicing can detect failures are sorely mistaken. Of course you can do preventive and replace all sensors and components regularly. But it cost $$$.

 

Someone in the w124 Facebook just replaced his starter after almost 30years and 500k km when it conked.

Edited February 23, 2019 by Mkl22

[Ct3833]

With autobox yes, you are right, usually can tell some symptoms. But with alternator even if you probe the charging voltage, you cannot tell if the brushes are worn and will conk the next week. Unless the failure is the voltage regulator then maybe.

 

Which is why those who think that during servicing can detect failures are sorely mistaken. Of course you can do preventive and replace all sensors and components regularly. But it cost $$$.

 

Someone in the w124 Facebook just replaced his starter after almost 30years and 500k km when it conked.

Thanks. Yah both preventive and reactive. I have my workshop towtruck service number as well just in case but so far touchwood.

[DACH]

Doubt so. Many W124 prices dropping steadily as they reach 04/2019. Probably many will be scrapped. 35k coe is a big diff from what they paid 10 yrs ago. Factor in at least another 10+k to refresh them. Doesn't make much sense to most folk. I think many E36s will be scrapped too.

 

Maybe you are right. But quite a number of W124s on the roads looks well maintained and I think the owners could have also spent quite a sum of money to maintain them as well. And I think they are getting to be sought after model as I hear of younger drivers wnting to get one if they can. Remembered the article years back that someone restored a R107, if I have not mistaken?

And there are still a number of W126s on the roads although much less compared to the A124s, and W126s were mostly a generation back compared to most W124s (post 1990s). 

 

But E36s are not so common these days compared to W124s. It's a pity if the remaining ones will be gone soon. 

[F355]

Freelance writer Lionel Seah, 62, said extending the COE of his BMW 525i was a "no-brainer". He paid close to $38,000 for a 10-year extension, forgoing at the same time the car's scrap rebate of around $28,000.

 

$28k scrap value 

 

Haha indirectly implying that policy making LTA Scholars are a bunch of no brainers . 

[Mkl22]

Haha indirectly implying that policy making LTA Scholars are a bunch of no brainers .

They always have been and always will be. The jiak liao bee of civil service. Edited February 23, 2019 by Mkl22

[Atrecord]

Calling @atrecord. Time to share your experience with your COEd Wish.

 

Actually it is just like electrical appliances, how many of you experienced breakdown / malfunction just days or weeks after warranty expired? I have my fair share and the record was with my Asus Router, perfectly fine till 2 days after it 3 years warranty lapsed!!

 

ha ha... no problem.

 

Having done it for my 06 Wish, I think one needs to consider a few things before renewing COEs:

 

1)  Is the car model sufficiently reliable/proven? Totoya Wish ticked this

 

2)  Is the car maintained well, regularly serviced, accident free, etc. (know the history of the particular car). In my case, we got it new, regularly maintained, and relatively low mileage (~130k when 10 yr), so this was fine too.

 

3)  be prepared to replace a lot of the items that are likely to need replacement to last another 10 yr. I am not expert at car maintenance, but can think of engine mount, drive shaft, shock absorbers, starter, alternator, fuel pump, radiator, compressor, cooling coil, etc. Why, if you ask, the answer is because i had to . Cannot save on these, as it's a matter of time...

 

4)  Get a good and honest mechanic. My mechanic told me just before the COE was up, that my car tip top condition, regularly serviced, just close both eyes and go renew... without telling me about #3 above... Then after that, charged me v ex for all the parts and labour. Even sold me a batt at normal price, that couldn't tahan going 4 days without starting when it was just less than 6 mth old! I stopped going back, even though we were neighbours and our kids were classmates...

 

5)  Be prepared that there might likely be some unexpected downtime, and must be able to stomach it when it happens.

 

Car was mostly problem-free for the first 10 yr, with only radiator leak and control valve of aircon faulty so were replaced before 10th year.

 

Then we renewed it at $58k following #4 above, and also cos we couldn't find a MPV that ticked all the boxes when the Wish was 10 yr old. After analysing that the depre would be $58 plus the $11k parf = ~$70k, we went ahead to renew first, thinking that the risk would be low, as my mech also said that the car being a reliable model, sure will have demand if we want to sell it later on, cos:

- if COE goes up, new cars are much more exp

- if COE drops, will still got people who need decent MPV, but can't afford new car downpayment, so will look for used cars

 

Then 3 mth after renew, the vehicle couldn't start, and had to tow. Alternator prob, and my mech told me to change a few things at the same time since thinking of driving another 10 yr. Spent >$2k, and he gave me a list of things to replace at next servicing!! (only that time then told me, not when he advised me to renew...)

 

I changed workshop after that, and replaced a few (but not all) of the items in #3 above for peace of mind. Then one year later, when i was in Japan and my father was driving the car, he called to say cannot start... towed to workshop and was told it was starter motor spoilt...

 

At some point, aircon not cold so replaced compressor.

 

Then the final straw was last Jun before we were going to Maclacca, again cannot start. Called AA and they diagnosed it's not batt problem, so towed to workshop again and was told it's fuel pump fault...

 

The Wish is driven by my wife normally, and my father will drive during weekends or when it's available.

 

By that time, 2.5 yr, my wife sian liao - told me don't wanna live with the uncertainty liao. And with COE dropping last year, we bit the bullet and got a new car instead.

 

The aftermath was also painful, as we had spent ~$4-5k for all the parts replacement after renewal, and there was no demand for the car at all cos COE was more than $20k lower at that time, so nobody wanted to pay that type of premium. That means we:

- drove a car with expensive COE for that ~3 yr

- forfeited the parf for using only ~3 yr (instead of 10)

- spent ~$4-5k that has gone to waste, to some extent...

 

 

Not really a good decision, on hindsight

[Shibadog]

ha ha... no problem.

 

Having done it for my 06 Wish, I think one needs to consider a few things before renewing COEs:

 

1)  Is the car model sufficiently reliable/proven? Totoya Wish ticked this

 

2)  Is the car maintained well, regularly serviced, accident free, etc. (know the history of the particular car). In my case, we got it new, regularly maintained, and relatively low mileage (~130k when 10 yr), so this was fine too.

 

3)  be prepared to replace a lot of the items that are likely to need replacement to last another 10 yr. I am not expert at car maintenance, but can think of engine mount, drive shaft, shock absorbers, starter, alternator, fuel pump, radiator, compressor, cooling coil, etc. Why, if you ask, the answer is because i had to . Cannot save on these, as it's a matter of time...

 

4)  Get a good and honest mechanic. My mechanic told me just before the COE was up, that my car tip top condition, regularly serviced, just close both eyes and go renew... without telling me about #3 above... Then after that, charged me v ex for all the parts and labour. Even sold me a batt at normal price, that couldn't tahan going 4 days without starting when it was just less than 6 mth old! I stopped going back, even though we were neighbours and our kids were classmates...

 

5)  Be prepared that there might likely be some unexpected downtime, and must be able to stomach it when it happens.

 

Car was mostly problem-free for the first 10 yr, with only radiator leak and control valve of aircon faulty so were replaced before 10th year.

 

Then we renewed it at $58k following #4 above, and also cos we couldn't find a MPV that ticked all the boxes when the Wish was 10 yr old. After analysing that the depre would be $58 plus the $11k parf = ~$70k, we went ahead to renew first, thinking that the risk would be low, as my mech also said that the car being a reliable model, sure will have demand if we want to sell it later on, cos:

- if COE goes up, new cars are much more exp

- if COE drops, will still got people who need decent MPV, but can't afford new car downpayment, so will look for used cars

 

Then 3 mth after renew, the vehicle couldn't start, and had to tow. Alternator prob, and my mech told me to change a few things at the same time since thinking of driving another 10 yr. Spent >$2k, and he gave me a list of things to replace at next servicing!! (only that time then told me, not when he advised me to renew...)

 

I changed workshop after that, and replaced a few (but not all) of the items in #3 above for peace of mind. Then one year later, when i was in Japan and my father was driving the car, he called to say cannot start... towed to workshop and was told it was starter motor spoilt...

 

At some point, aircon not cold so replaced compressor.

 

Then the final straw was last Jun before we were going to Maclacca, again cannot start. Called AA and they diagnosed it's not batt problem, so towed to workshop again and was told it's fuel pump fault...

 

The Wish is driven by my wife normally, and my father will drive during weekends or when it's available.

 

By that time, 2.5 yr, my wife sian liao - told me don't wanna live with the uncertainty liao. And with COE dropping last year, we bit the bullet and got a new car instead.

 

The aftermath was also painful, as we had spent ~$4-5k for all the parts replacement after renewal, and there was no demand for the car at all cos COE was more than $20k lower at that time, so nobody wanted to pay that type of premium. That means we:

- drove a car with expensive COE for that ~3 yr

- forfeited the parf for using only ~3 yr (instead of 10)

- spent ~$4-5k that has gone to waste, to some extent...

 

 

Not really a good decision, on hindsight

 

thanks for sharing your experience.

 

those parts which u mentioned needed changing after COE was renewed (starter, fuel pump, alternator), I guess they were never changed at all before?

 

good thing abt relatively low PARF (11k) is that it's not too painful to scrap the car earlier and get back the 7yr unused portion of the (high) COE.

 

I renewed my car at 53k. Forego parf of 19k. Mileage then was abt 200k

 

when it was 11yr old, I took it on a 7k km road trip.

when it was 12, I took it on a 7.5k km road trip

no major issues (heng ah!)

 

last month in North Thai

[Atrecord]

thanks for sharing your experience.

 

those parts which u mentioned needed changing after COE was renewed (starter, fuel pump, alternator), I guess they were never changed at all before?

 

good thing abt relatively low PARF (11k) is that it's not too painful to scrap the car earlier and get back the 7yr unused portion of the (high) COE.

 

I renewed my car at 53k. Forego parf of 19k. Mileage then was abt 200k

 

when it was 11yr old, I took it on a 7k km road trip.

when it was 12, I took it on a 7.5k km road trip

no major issues (heng ah!)

 

last month in North Thai

car.jpeg

 

Hi bro,

So your decision on renewing your car was a good one. Feel happy for you.

 

Yup, i didn't replace those items before i renewed - cos I didn't know they needed to be at that time... sigh...

 

Another important consideration on renewing COE, is actually a good knowledge of the car as well as knowing the mechanics of the car. For someone who do not know much about cars, i would have been dependent on a knowledgeable, good, reliable and honest mechanic to advise me - but I did not get the necessary advice lor...

 

Wow, you went till north Thailand! How long was the whole trip?

[Shibadog]

Hi bro,

So your decision on renewing your car was a good one. Feel happy for you.

 

Yup, i didn't replace those items before i renewed - cos I didn't know they needed to be at that time... sigh...

 

Another important consideration on renewing COE, is actually a good knowledge of the car as well as knowing the mechanics of the car. For someone who do not know much about cars, i would have been dependent on a knowledgeable, good, reliable and honest mechanic to advise me - but I did not get the necessary advice lor...

 

Wow, you went till north Thailand! How long was the whole trip?

 

 

those items u mentioned that needed changing shortly after renewal, i'm pretty sure they wouldn't have lasted 20yr (or the equivalent mileage) anyway. I had them changed on my car (different brand) around the 150k-180k mark too, so it's not like I avoided changing them LOL

 

north thai: each trip lasted 2wks+ cos didn't want to rush

[Raychay]

car.jpeg

Subaru very hardy!

[flashbang]

It's a mistake to think renew COE means +10 years to car life with no need for additional maintenance. Many hidden components need changing to survive another 10 years.

 

It's also a mistake to think cars only last 10 years. Without proper maintenance, even a 5 year old car can be in terrible shape.

[Atrecord]

those items u mentioned that needed changing shortly after renewal, i'm pretty sure they wouldn't have lasted 20yr (or the equivalent mileage) anyway. I had them changed on my car (different brand) around the 150k-180k mark too, so it's not like I avoided changing them LOL

 

north thai: each trip lasted 2wks+ cos didn't want to rush

 

Yup, now that i've been through it once, am now wiser than before.

 

If i had known all these before I renewed, i would have either accepted it (the need to replace those things) and therefore built that into our budget and decision making, and gone ahead to replace them immediately;

or might have decided not to renew it and instead to look for either a used car or a new car...

[awhtc]

For COE renewal, be prepared to spend at least $4-5k around the 10-year mark to change the main parts below:

 

Alternator, air-con compressor, radiator, shock absorbers, wheel bearings, suspension arms, engine mounts, clutch, gaskets etc.

[Dafansu]

ha ha... no problem.

 

Having done it for my 06 Wish, I think one needs to consider a few things before renewing COEs:

 

1) Is the car model sufficiently reliable/proven? Totoya Wish ticked this

 

2) Is the car maintained well, regularly serviced, accident free, etc. (know the history of the particular car). In my case, we got it new, regularly maintained, and relatively low mileage (~130k when 10 yr), so this was fine too.

 

3) be prepared to replace a lot of the items that are likely to need replacement to last another 10 yr. I am not expert at car maintenance, but can think of engine mount, drive shaft, shock absorbers, starter, alternator, fuel pump, radiator, compressor, cooling coil, etc. Why, if you ask, the answer is because i had to . Cannot save on these, as it's a matter of time...

 

4) Get a good and honest mechanic. My mechanic told me just before the COE was up, that my car tip top condition, regularly serviced, just close both eyes and go renew... without telling me about #3 above... Then after that, charged me v ex for all the parts and labour. Even sold me a batt at normal price, that couldn't tahan going 4 days without starting when it was just less than 6 mth old! I stopped going back, even though we were neighbours and our kids were classmates...

 

5) Be prepared that there might likely be some unexpected downtime, and must be able to stomach it when it happens.

 

Car was mostly problem-free for the first 10 yr, with only radiator leak and control valve of aircon faulty so were replaced before 10th year.

 

Then we renewed it at $58k following #4 above, and also cos we couldn't find a MPV that ticked all the boxes when the Wish was 10 yr old. After analysing that the depre would be $58 plus the $11k parf = ~$70k, we went ahead to renew first, thinking that the risk would be low, as my mech also said that the car being a reliable model, sure will have demand if we want to sell it later on, cos:

- if COE goes up, new cars are much more exp

- if COE drops, will still got people who need decent MPV, but can't afford new car downpayment, so will look for used cars

 

Then 3 mth after renew, the vehicle couldn't start, and had to tow. Alternator prob, and my mech told me to change a few things at the same time since thinking of driving another 10 yr. Spent >$2k, and he gave me a list of things to replace at next servicing!! (only that time then told me, not when he advised me to renew...)

 

I changed workshop after that, and replaced a few (but not all) of the items in #3 above for peace of mind. Then one year later, when i was in Japan and my father was driving the car, he called to say cannot start... towed to workshop and was told it was starter motor spoilt...

 

At some point, aircon not cold so replaced compressor.

 

Then the final straw was last Jun before we were going to Maclacca, again cannot start. Called AA and they diagnosed it's not batt problem, so towed to workshop again and was told it's fuel pump fault...

 

The Wish is driven by my wife normally, and my father will drive during weekends or when it's available.

 

By that time, 2.5 yr, my wife sian liao - told me don't wanna live with the uncertainty liao. And with COE dropping last year, we bit the bullet and got a new car instead.

 

The aftermath was also painful, as we had spent ~$4-5k for all the parts replacement after renewal, and there was no demand for the car at all cos COE was more than $20k lower at that time, so nobody wanted to pay that type of premium. That means we:

- drove a car with expensive COE for that ~3 yr

- forfeited the parf for using only ~3 yr (instead of 10)

- spent ~$4-5k that has gone to waste, to some extent...

 

 

Not really a good decision, on hindsight

I renewed my vios for 5 years at 32k 4 years back to ride-out the high COE as I’m expecting the COE to drop. Toyota car should be easy to maintain, I only changed some minor wear and tear parts like drive shaft and suspension mounting. No issue for past year and scrapped it few months back, 1 year before expiry. No regret as if I had tie-down a new car at that time, likely I’ll be facing high loan and very low trade in value now. At current COE which i find it reasonable, I would advise to get a new car instead of renewing. Edited February 25, 2019 by Dafansu

[awhtc]

Time flies.  Looking back, 2019 was a very good year to renew COE.  I took the plunge and renewed my Cat A at $26k for May 2019 by 1 year earlier.  Now the Cat A PQP for Feb 2020 is already $33k and is likely to go up further with COE quota cut.

[martinoermando]

One of my neighbour have a Honda Vezel with $2.5K PARF, and imagine paying say $30K for COE and drive it for another 10 years, cheap like sh*t...  

[martinoermando]

58 minutes ago, martinoermando said:

One of my neighbour have a Honda Nox Vidmate VLCVezel with $2.5K PARF, and imagine paying say $30K for COE and drive it for another 10 years, cheap like sh*t...