11 plate Suzuki Alto

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Tue 25 Apr 2023 06:42
11 plate Suzuki Alto - daveyK_UK
A motoring miracle of sorts

My old mate who is a mechanic (senior technician) at a Nissan dealers told me about a car they had in yesterday.

A Suzuki Alto 96k miles on a 11 plate

Yesterday was the first time in its life it had been serviced including its first oil change.

To his amazement the engine was fine before the change and while the oil in his words was ‘darker than hell’ there appeared no excessive engine wear.

The car was recently passed down from a grandfather to a grand daughter who unlike grandad understood the value of a service.
Apparently grandad ‘didn’t believe in servicing cars’!

I found that rather impressive Suzuki simple mechanics can be so reliable and at the same time incredible an owner can be so ignorant

In over 10 years of ownership the car has only required tyres and brakes until this recent MOT when part of the exhaust and some suspension components were replaced.

Edited by daveyK_UK on 25/04/2023 at 06:43

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 12:22
11 plate Suzuki Alto - bathtub tom

For chrissake don't let John F read this.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 13:15
11 plate Suzuki Alto - corax

I doubt Grandad bought anything with a turbo, which is why he probably got away with it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 13:39
11 plate Suzuki Alto - skidpan

To his amazement the engine was fine before the change and while the oil in his words was ‘darker than hell’ there appeared no excessive engine wear.

"there appeared" are the important words. Without stripping the engine its not possible to tell what has actually happened. Even then you would need to compare it to an engine that has been properly maintained to see what difference its made.

In reality 9 oil and filter changes would probably have cost about £300 max using decent OEM spec oil and filters. The engine could go bang the next time its used if any sludge has been disturbed and blocks the pick up.

A car I would not wish to buy.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 14:27
11 plate Suzuki Alto - movilogo

Suzuki is very popular brand in India and Alto is one of most sold models. There are plenty of Altos running there which are 15-20 years old with very little or no maintenance.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 14:58
11 plate Suzuki Alto - Engineer Andy

To his amazement the engine was fine before the change and while the oil in his words was ‘darker than hell’ there appeared no excessive engine wear.

"there appeared" are the important words. Without stripping the engine its not possible to tell what has actually happened. Even then you would need to compare it to an engine that has been properly maintained to see what difference its made.

In reality 9 oil and filter changes would probably have cost about £300 max using decent OEM spec oil and filters. The engine could go bang the next time its used if any sludge has been disturbed and blocks the pick up.

A car I would not wish to buy.

I wonder then if there would be any worth in the latest owner using one of those pre-service 'engine oil flush' treatments that can be added to the oil a week or so beforehand, or should they just keep their fingers crossed that no sludge has built up or that (like you say) it never gets dislodged at an inoportune moment when the next service is months away.

I, like you, would not buy a car that had not been serviced as per the manufacturer's requirements or better (too risky, even for an older, lower value car). Hopefully he didn't pay much for the car if it was an in-family sale!

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 14:53
11 plate Suzuki Alto - Engineer Andy

For chrissake don't let John F read this.

I think he's - partially at least )modern cars anyway) - learned his lesson on that via his experiences on that other recent thread. :-)

I suspect the car in this 'case' was one with a simple engine made to modern engineering standards that was driven sympathetically.

My old 90s Micra 1L and my current 17yo Mazda3 1.6L petrols seem to have similar characteristics as regards their engines - almost no oil use (and no leaks) and I've never got any reports at service time of the oil quality being bad - normally the opposite when I've had a look prior to going.

My dad's now former 08 plate Fiesta 1.25L petrol also managed to never have any engine /oil issues despite predominantly being a local shopping car and never doing over 3000 miles a year. It also managed to get to the end of 2020 before needing its first battery replacement (my Mazda on the other hand is now on its 4th since 2006).

Some cars you can get lucky, but I suspect some of it is down to good engineering and sympathetic driving, as well as being significantly helped by regular high quality maintenence.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 15:19
11 plate Suzuki Alto - sammy1

I wonder if the engine ever had need for a top up or even if the dip stick was ever pulled? I suppose that if the engine burnt no oil then it is perceivable that the oil would remain reasonably uncontaminated. How the engine might hold up to a long and hard journey might be something else

Years ago I was talking to an owner of a Hillman Avenger who said he had never changed the oil and that was at 75k!.. I suppose if you keep adding new oil as it uses it then goo will build up How much goo will remain in suspension within the oil is any ones guess. Must be pretty good stuff this oil!! Some reckon oil goes off with age, I have always doubted this

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 15:42
11 plate Suzuki Alto - Bolt

Some reckon oil goes off with age, I have always doubted this

A lot do, but it doesn`t stop it getting contaminated by the metals in the engine and carbon deposits that float around in the oil, which is more harmful than age within reason, bearing in mind there are a lot of people that still never check oil level and probably have no interest in knowing where the dipstick is (those engines that have one that is)

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 17:16
11 plate Suzuki Alto - skidpan

Years ago I was talking to an owner of a Hillman Avenger who said he had never changed the oil and that was at 75k!

I had a Hillman Avenger. On that there was probably no need to change the oil since it needed a pint adding every 250 miles. Smoked like Princess Margaret.

Edited by skidpan on 25/04/2023 at 17:16

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Tue 25 Apr 2023 22:28
11 plate Suzuki Alto - bathtub tom

I knew a guy who didn't understand engines and thought you poured oil into them as a 'total loss' system. He never used the dipstick. I hate to think of the oil level in his old Fiesta, but it always had a big puddle of the stuff under it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

Looking for a garage you can trust? Honest John's Good Garage Guide has thousands of reader recommended garages, plus how-to guides and tips on servicing.

The Good Garage Guide

Cold-snap snow-how: Advice on coping with the freezing weather, including videos, facts and winter driving advice.

Honest John's Guide To Winter Tyres