Money Making Ploy By TVR???

[Al Up North]

I raised this point in the following thread, and it was suggested I post it as a new topic.

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=265945&f=13&h=0

Compared to e.g. the 12000 mile service schedule for a 911 is the 6000 mile servicing schedule for TVRs just a money making ploy?

[angusfaldo]

But TVR don't really make money from interval servicing do they? Dealers and Indies do?

[lazyitus]

It could go someway towards the costs of warranties, I suppose.

Its very unusual in todays day and age to have service intervals at less than 10K.

Then again, what is conventional about TVR ?

[purpleperil]

Al Up North said:

I raised this point in the following thread, and it was suggested I post it as a new topic. www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=265945&f=13&h=0 Compared to e.g. the 12000 mile service schedule for a 911 is the 6000 mile servicing schedule for TVRs just a money making ploy?

Are you talking V8 or S6?

[Al Up North]

purpleperil said:

Al Up North said: I raised this point in the following thread, and it was suggested I post it as a new topic. www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=265945&f=13&h=0 Compared to e.g. the 12000 mile service schedule for a 911 is the 6000 mile servicing schedule for TVRs just a money making ploy? Are you talking V8 or S6?

V8 mate.

Ooooo... poetry!
Sorry

[Podie]

lazyitus said:

Its very unusual in todays day and age to have service intervals at less than 10K.

Apart from some of the Subaru and Mitsubishi Evo's...

[Al Up North]

angusfaldo said:

But TVR don't really make money from interval servicing do they? Dealers and Indies do?

By TVR to assist the dealers perhaps? I'm not s*** stirring, I just find it a bit extreme, especially if your using daily, and, like me, clocking up 10 000 + per year. My parts bill for the last 12000mile at Dreadnought TVR ran to a massive £1.70, or there abouts, for a replacement rear bulb.

Kinda makes you wonder!

I'm only expecting a ball joint and a couple of minor points to arise at the approaching 6000mile service to.

[lazyitus]

Podie said:

lazyitus said: Its very unusual in todays day and age to have service intervals at less than 10K. Apart from some of the Subaru and Mitsubishi Evo's...

Alot of customers are happier with more frequent services for high performance cars so its probably not an issue for most anyway.

I know of alot of people that are buying vehicles which need a service every 18000 miles / 2 years but they still insist on changing the oil every 5000 miles.

Literally a waste of money - but there's nowt so queer as folk.

[purpleperil]

lazyitus said:

I know of alot of people that are buying vehicles which need a service every 18000 miles / 2 years but they still insist on changing the oil every 5000 miles. Literally a waste of money - but there's nowt so queer as folk.

Just had my 18k service done on the oil burner - for less than £150! I can't help feeling that because you have paid ££££'s for car they KNOW you can afford £££'s for a service - so they charge it!!

[gazzab]

The choice is yours ! If you want to service less regularly then go for it , suggest this could damage the car and the residuals.

[lazyitus]

gazzab said:

The choice is yours ! If you want to service less regularly then go for it , suggest this could damage the car and the residuals.

Yes - the choice is the end users

No - The manufacturers recommended service intervals are correct and cause no threat to engine longevity if carried out as and when the manufacturer suggests.

i.e: A vehicle with 5 correct service stamps over a 90,000mile period has a Full Service History. By having 10 service stamps instead of the required 5 will not add to resale value.

ETA: In my example, I refer to a Volkswagen TDI engine.

>> Edited by lazyitus on Wednesday 3rd May 16:15

[bigdods]

My Omega 2.5V6 has a service every 10k and seems happy with this although it feels a bit tired once it reaches 8k and beyond. My Golf V5 has an interval of 10k but if I leave it to 10k it sounds like a bag of spanners and is rough as old boots - it gets a service at 6k and it does need it.

The Chimaera well shes a high strung performance car - new oil every 3k full service every 6k including plugs. As she only does 6k a year thats one annual service and it makes no sense to me to have anything other than the full monty so shes always in top shape. She loves me for it and repays me by being reliable and putting out 260 horses :-)

I guess its the old story - you buy a performance car be prepared to maintain it properly - I always think 10k is way to much even for a modern car the oil is like sludge by then....

[V8 Archie]

My view is that if you can't tell the difference after a 6k service to your TVR you are going to the wrong place. Mine always feels much better afterwards.

>> Edited by V8 Archie on Wednesday 3rd May 18:43

[.Z.]

With the evo's its the rear active diff that needs all the babying and oil change every 4500 miles, the rest of it's good for longer.

[basil brush]

A lot also depends on how the car is used. 6k of stop-start rush hour 5 mile journeys is going to have a different impact on the car from 6k of motorway miles. I guess 6k on most TVRs equates to an annual service anyway, in line with most other performance cars. Mine always runs/drives better after a service, but that could just be psychological to justify the expense.

I'm not sure oil changes every 3k are necessary though, especially on a mildly tuned Range Rover engine.

[Al Up North]

bigdods said:

The Chimaera well shes a high strung performance car - new oil every 3k full service every 6k including plugs. As she only does 6k a year thats one annual service and it makes no sense to me to have anything other than the full monty so shes always in top shape. She loves me for it and repays me by being reliable and putting out 260 horses :-)

Bigdods - Have to ask... why the 3k oil change? Are you saying this is necessary, or are you just pampering your Chim? I saw the drained oil from mine after nearly 7k. Clean as a whistle!! Mine has also been (touch wood) completely reliable so far, with one exception, the origonal alternator packed in at 75k.

Bit of a heart stopper at the time... until I sussed what the problem was.

[sirox]

All modern diesel engines (Volkswagen, Renault, etc.) have a service every 30k miles. I have had a Skoda Octavia and now I have a Renault Scenic with such long intervals, and frankly they go extremely well.
I understand they use a special engine oil, which is perhaps a bit more expensive. Other than that, no problem at all.
My Scenic has just had its very first service, after almost 2 years of ownership, and there was no difference after the service.

While I do understand that performance cars need more servicing, going from 30k to 6k miles is really huge, and perhaps only justified in the cars doing very little mileage.

Nevertheless, we are all forced to do all this servicing to keep the service book clean, and maintain residual value (and warranty). But I think that long servicing intervals in TVR's are simply due to the fact that the engines are not as modern as those from the other mainstream manufacturers.

[TheLemming]

Not a dig

I think that we can all be pretty safe in saying the speed 6 was built for power rather than for durability.

Best example I can give is the ever present K series Rover engine.

In some applications, in base spec, there are 15k service intervals.
Most applications are 10k.

The VHPD derivatives, tuned to deliver damned near double the power (118 bhp for the standard 1.8 to 190 bhp for the 1.8 vhpd) tend to have 5k service schedules and its not unknown for them to need a rebuild or other engine work in under 30k miles.

Some engines need more maintenance than others...