Hello

My car was bought second hand in Feb 2008 (almost 6 years ago)

It is Vios S (top model) 2005 Year (9 years old) and currently ran 212,759Km.

I give it for regular maintenance with Toyota Service every 5,000Km to 10,000Km.

I don't really like to go for fancy cars or wanting to get any new ones... always wanting not to waste resources if it is doing its job well.

My car does it well... at least I think it does.

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My question is.. Should I be worried about safety as the car is already nearing 10 years?

Or it doesn't matter at all as long as I am doing regular service.

Please let me know as I don't want to get a new car if I don't have to.

What is the typical life for a car?

I don't know anything about Car Maintenance.. All I know is how to drive.

My daily commute is 80km (everyday to and back in Express Way).. and I do a total of about 2000km / month.... and I live in the City.

Your input on this will be helpful.

my honda civic is still going strong with over 330,000 kms on it<<<

Change the oil every 5,000 kms,

rotate ur ties every 20,000,

check all ur fluids every month

Don't see why it won't hit 500,000kms

Plenty of Toyota's running around 25 - 30+ years old

My Honda CRV 12+ years has been going strong, its over 500,000 km, aside from the usual wear and tear stuff its all good. Same for my Isuzu pick-up, almost 600,000 km, 15+ years company truck, my driver gets inquiries once in a while on the street to buy this particular model, people are willing to pay around 250,000 baht.

Don't see a worry unless the car has been in a serious crash and things are already breaking down.

212,759Km in Bangkok with the amount of idling in traffic the engine, accessories and air con have done somewhere about 312,759km with the time sitting idle. Keep those extra engine, accessories and air con hours in mind when making you decision.

Depend on who's really driving it, the missus/gf, not very long, you driving it, maybe longer

Agree with most here.

Well maintained and well driven and it should keep going.

One issue is to keep your tyres in good shape (a hard job here) - not too worn and properly pressurised. If you let them go it can have a knock on effect; suspension, joints etc. Also can create unnessarary vibrations etc.

We also sit in traffic a lot here, not sure about you. If you do it does not hurt to have a little run every now and then.

Happy motoring.

YOU SHOULD HAVE LITTLE PROBLEM WITH YOUR CAR AS LONG AS IT IS CORRECTLY SERVICED. THINGS TO WATCH, COOLING SYSTEM, COOLANT, HOSES AND BELTS . REGULARLY CHECK FRONT END COMPONENTS AND BRAKE SYSTEMS. HAVE BATTERY CHECKED, ALL FLUID LEVELS.

BRAKES POWER STEERING AUTOTRANS FLUID, OTHER ITEMS TO CHECK ARE DOOR LOCKS AND DOOR HINGES FOR WEAR AND ADJUSTMENT. ALWAYS CHECK UNDER THE CAR AFTER MOVING FROM OVERNIGHT STAY FOR OIL LEAKS OR COLOURED WATER FROM COOLING SYSTEM.

DO THESE THINGS AND THERE IS NO REASON WHY YOUR CAR SHOULD NOT DO 1MILLION KS.

I ADVISE TO REGULARLY CHECK UNDER THE HOOD ( EACH DAY) BEFORE STARTING THE CAR.

At what age do petrol sedans start to get smoky engines....worn rings, valve seals, etc. I don't see many smoky cars on the roads here.

If your Vios has an airbag it should be checked (by Toyota with diagnostic equipment) every 10 years.

Apart from that with regular maintenance it should keep on going. I think your model doesn't have a timing belt to worry about - a timing chain.

Our "second car" is a Nissan NV it it has now covered 300,000 km - uses a timing chain but no air-bags !

Or ask this 3 million miles man........... http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/18/irv-gordons-volvo-p1800-has-hit-3-million-miles/

many others done 1 million or more miles on same car, many with the same engine and running gear..

Edited September 20, 201411 yr by ignis

Ur car will last longer becoz u drive it fast and long every day. The water in the oil, naturally occurring, gets burned off , keeps oil cleaner= better for engine. Start and stop, slow rides around town are the worst. I see the songtheaws here in CM, blowing lots of black smoke due to this very reason, They never get out for a good run.

I'll be looking for a car with timing chain too. If belt fails, possible monster sized headaches.

Wish i had my old 900 SAAB here. Was a Chain Drive car, lovely to drive and fix.

My wifes soluna, the forerunner to the vios, was bought in 1997. 991k on the clock and still going strong. Rather like the wife....

Just drive it until it has some thing large to break, like an axel.

Top up oil like Thai do.

Do not rotate radial tires.

If you have unusual wear on one tire or a pair together, rotating will not help.

Rotating causes troubles.

Infinite; judging by some of the heaps of junk you see on the roads; particularly in the country areas.

Plenty of Toyota's running around 25 - 30+ years old

Yes, my Corona is about thirty years old, have had it for five years, and never had a problem with it, but it has to be said that it does not do anything like the Kilos the OPs car does.

Had a VW drove that car even after I threw a rod through the side of the block just stuffed a beer can in hole got an extra 2500 miles off it. Poor car took it in once for tires guy laugh so hard peed his pants had duct tape holding tread on tire. Popped the hood bailing wire on throttle in the trunk was my tools ballpine hammer, screw driver, bailing wire, and duct tape plus octagon soap that was for leak in fuel tank hell it worked. Wasn't good on looks but got me to where I was going. Damn I miss my humpty.

Cars seem to last 15-20 years here, especially if you take care of service and maintenance repairs, such as changing T-belt every 100,000 km etc. Service is fairly cheap, apart from some spare parts, as work is cheap compared to the West; so that also extend lifetime.

Bought an 10 year old Jeep some years back, expected it to last for 3, maybe 4 years – had it for almost 9 years and when I sold it I surprisingly got 1/3 of what I paid when I bought it, in the West I probably had to pay to get rid of it…

Regardless of what age you decide to sell it, someone will run it another half a million km.

Be sure all the fluids are changed at the recommended intervals. Flush the radiator and put new radiator coolant in not water. You can do some basic checks yourself. Wear on the tires. Follow Toyota service centre advice. Look for dried or checked or cracked fan belts. Replace if necessary. look for dried or cracked hoses replace if suspect. Look for any plastic that is badly worn or cracked. Check for remaining battery life. Toyota can advise. Ask service centre to check the brakes. A car such as this can last 500,000 km or more should you perform the correct maintenance. Any squealing ? Likely a bearing. Does the vehicle run straight without holding the steering wheel or holding very loosely. This is with the tire pressure in all tires at 35 PSI. If it pulls to one side or the other it could use a wheel balance or an alignment. Is the steering tight - that is as soon as you move the steering wheel the vehicle begins to turn. If yes OK. If no need inspection of steering linkage - control arms or bearings. Have Toyota inspect the exhaust system for leakage. Anything that Toyota finds look at yourself . Have them demonstrate the fault and compare to a good vehicle or have a knowledgable friend accompany you. Take the old parts from Toyota when they replace anything. You can take the serial number of the part before they replace it and inspect the new part that they are installing. Again take the serial number before and after installation. Make a point of letting them see you write the number down. Most new dealers are reputable but it only takes one dishonest one to ruin you or your vehicle.

Always inspect the vehicle and have them explain to someone who can interpret for you or use google translate. Have them write in Thai and send to you then translate. If you do this you can be seen as being knowledgeable which will scare any scam artists away. Honest mechanics like this because you are keeping the best in the business and scaring the bogus ones away.

Bad mechanics will be insulted or begin to argue with you. Be objective, respectful and honest. Never be argumentative or angry.

If you keep up with the maintenance and is running fine, don't worry. They check things at Toyota and are glad to have you replace parts as they wear out. You will know when the time comes.

luxery problem, wife's car is exchanged every 2-3 years for a new one, dad in law pays

looooooooool

luxery problem, wife's car is exchanged every 2-3 years for a new one, dad in law pays

looooooooool

She have a sister?

At what age do petrol sedans start to get smoky engines....worn rings, valve seals, etc. I don't see many smoky cars on the roads here.

It depends on the way its been driven and the quality, regularity of the servicing. If your car is smokey on start up but clears as you drive off then its probably just valve stem seals( they get hard with age and oils leaks into your cylinders down the valve stems). However, if you de-accelerate when moving and then accelerate hard, you will see lots of smoke which indicates the piston rings are worn. A cylinder pressure test will confirm which it is. The former is much cheaper to fix than the latter. I believe much of this wear and tear is caused by users driving the engine hard in extreme cold weather before the oil can reach optimum temperature - something that isn't a problem in Thailand's warm climate.

Edited September 23, 201411 yr by Jaggg88

Thank you all and I will let it run for 500,000km with regular checking as you suggested.

Actually I don't know what to check anything myself... (tone deaf on these things).

I will just follow Toyota's Service as per their suggestions... and will check tire regularly.

-Fiaz