Is new better than old?

Rambling from the Sage of Oxford
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Charles
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Is new better than old?

Post by Charles » Sat Feb 10, 2018 3:33 pm

Following this week's round of maintenance on the old girl, I am delighted to share the following pearls of wisdom:

Excessive brake judder - replace the discs and pads
Flickering xenon and intermittent central locking fault - replace the battery
Random fan speeds - replace the FSR

Unlike the more modern cars in Phil's workshop yesterday that seemed to require a PhD in Computer Science, the old tech on the E46 makes it such an easy car to diagnose and fix.

Begs the question, is new better than old when it comes to maintenance?

(And for those of you who watch The Grand Tour, the similarity between this post and one of the recent episodes only struck me as I finished the post)
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Post by ali » Sun Feb 11, 2018 10:14 pm

For me I prefer the older ones.
Having thrown an E91 in the bin last week I very much doubt I'd own anything newer than the E46 and E39 I currently have.
As you put it they are very easy to work on and diagnose.
I like to fix things with spanners and hammers not computers
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Post by simon13 » Sun Feb 11, 2018 11:29 pm

rust is the only enemy on the older car. my poor scottish e46!

E90 onwards cars are not under sealed so won't last aslong as older cars rust wise either!
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Metrics
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Post by Metrics » Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:05 pm

simon13 wrote:E90 onwards cars are not under sealed so won't last aslong as older cars rust wise either!
Yikes - really? Like none at all??
How does that work then?
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Post by jolls » Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:26 pm

Metrics wrote:
simon13 wrote:E90 onwards cars are not under sealed so won't last aslong as older cars rust wise either!
Yikes - really? Like none at all??
How does that work then?
Galvanised steel. But even that has its limitations.
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Post by simon13 » Mon Feb 12, 2018 9:42 pm

Metrics wrote:
simon13 wrote:E90 onwards cars are not under sealed so won't last aslong as older cars rust wise either!
Yikes - really? Like none at all??
How does that work then?
Seam sealer over E coated bodywork. Its crap. I was changing the fuel filter on my wifes F25 X3 at christmas and couldn't help but notice it. I should of taken a picture i've seen some very very rusty E90's and E60's.

Won't be long till some are failing MOTs on structural rot.
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Post by Metrics » Mon Feb 12, 2018 10:36 pm

Wow, that's madness.

Reinforces the finite life and recycle approach.
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Post by Chas » Wed Feb 14, 2018 7:15 am

ali-bumble wrote: I very much doubt I'd own anything newer than the E46 and E39 I currently have.
What he said!

I've just had some floor corrosion dealt with on the E39. However, the E32/34/36 are still very solid. Anything after the E46 is like a high tech washing machine designed with a limited lifespan built in.

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Post by AidanB10 » Wed Feb 14, 2018 11:59 pm

Our Master-Tech in work (30+ years BMW) recently described the current generation of stuff as "a pile of ole shite!"

This is the man who has a 1967 Wolsley Hornett with no radio....
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Post by Toasey » Sun Mar 04, 2018 1:46 pm

I've been thinking about this question of old versus new. My Alpina, although not the youngest of the cars in our family, is certainly the most complex electrically and electronically. Currently it is stuck in my garage with a dead battery caused by a faulty switch which was repeatedly unlocking the tailgate glass.
Normally I'd swap batteries in a jiffy and drive it off to get the switch sorted but I'm wary that things may not be that simple. Perhaps I'll start a separate thread asking for advice and warnings about any gotchas.
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