A few days ago, I was reading an article that recommended replacing the drive belt tensioner and drive pulleys (the ones with bearings) every 10 years. This may be my first
Porsche
(even though I've owned it for 13 years now), but I've had just a few other cars during my adult life and I've never heard of replacing these components on some routine frequency. Now, given the front end of the engine doesn't see much airflow, but I'm not convinced these components need to be replaced unless a bearing is squeaking or the belt tensioner isn't providing enough tension.
Thoughts??
Feel free not to replace them, but the rule of thumb is - they WILL eventually fail given long enough (you're a metal-engineer? Not sure exactly what branch of engineering that is - materials engineering perhaps?) anyway, given long enough they will fail. They will fail in the worst and most dangerous possible place at the most inopportune moment in the worst weather you've ever experienced.
At least that's the rationale behind most preventative maintenance. Do it before it breaks so it's not life-threatening or just damned inconvenient when it DOES fail (and eventually - everything fails..) Do it when you have the leisure to research the job, buy the parts, research what the best parts are, and the best parts suppliers. Do when you can comfortably do it at home, or have a shop do it when you don't have to pay a towing service to bring the car to them.
Other cars? Apparently, you haven't owned BMWs - where the general consensus is - fan clutch you're on thin ice by 60,000 miles, water pump - 80,000 miles max. Belts usually every 3 years at a major service. Idlers at 6 year major service (or every 60,000 miles.)
But if you're comfortable not worrying about the scenario I predict the failure will happen under - then ignore them.
BTW - correct that the front end of the engine doesn't see the airflow that a front-engine car's engine will, but to me that's a detriment - it also won't see the cooling effect of airflow over these components, making them run hotter. As a materials engineer I'm sure you'll understand that excessive heat isn't good for material longevity.
I guess I didn't ask the correct question: Does
Porsche
recommend an interval to replace these components? I have the maintenance schedule for my car and there is no mention of it. Not to worry, I'm well schooled, both professionally and personally, with preventative and corrective maintenance as well as failure and forensic (good college vernacular) analysis of materials. My question was centered around the fact that I have as yet to see these components listed on a preventative maintenance schedule and not so much whether I should or should not replace them.
Other Cars - Yes. My wife has a
BMW
340 GT and no, I've haven't seen any maintenance schedule where they are listed (preventatively) and no indication these components are in any condition where they need to be replaced (correctively).
I appreciate the feedback however.
The companies (
Porsche
and
BMW
) build cars to last the warranty period and then 1 CPO period.
The components are not selected for long-term endurance - they're selected or engineered for adequate longevity to get the car through the period the manufacturer is responsible for any failures of the components at the minimum cost to achieve that goal.
Manufacturers actually would prefer the car instantly dissolve into nothing the day after the last day they're responsible for them since reliable used cars are looked at as a detriment to new (or CPO) car sales.
Warranty coverage has always been cost-allocated to advertising. It's used to generate new car sales. That's most obvious with CPO warranties. EVERYONE pretty much knows owning a used
Porsche
can be quite expensive - CPO is a plan to eliminate that barrier to ownership. The manufacturer provides it to help resell all the off-lease cars that are returned after the 3 years of the initial lease cycle.
So - no, you won't find most of the components with a manufacturer's recommended replacement interval since the manufacturer has no interest in long-term reliability (except how that might enhance new car sales.) You can find inspection schedules where the components are supposed to be checked by a technician and replaced if there are signs of failure, and some parts like the serpentine belt and
spark plugs
DO have replacement intervals specified in the service schedules.
While cars have come a long way in the past 15-20 years (remember when any car with 100,000 miles on it was thought of as junk-yard fodder? Except very few cars ever had 100,000 miles appear on the odometers - it was easier then to "adjust the mileage" avoiding that problem for used cars.)
I think people here will give you reasonable suggestions on when you might consider
preventatively
replacing certain components - based on the common hive knowledge here built up from owner reports of failures.
If you're not into preventive maintenance and prefer to wait for failure-induced maintenance - well that's your choice and there's nothing wrong with it provided you're comfortable with it. Of course that can be the more expensive route to take - if failure causes the need for towing assistance, trip interruption, or additional physical damage to the vehicle. Like I said - your choice. I prefer not worrying about things so I go for preventive maintenance.
And any thoughts on life-time for common automotive components should be looked at in comparison to the same components on vehicles where failures aren't as acceptable. The average overhaul life on a tractor truck engine is in excess of 500,000 miles, and ditto on diesel buses. The same function is performed by components that outlast those on our cars by orders of magnitude. Why? Fleets won't buy trucks/buses/construction equipment that breaks on them since the equipment being out of service can severely impact their profitability. they could build cars in the same manner with the same reliability, but the average cost would be beyond the average person's ability to buy one. The only cars built that way, or close to it was the first Lexus vehicles, and a few Mercedes. Built to last without concern for the cost. That sort of longevity has left the building.
I recently bought a new washer. I told the guy I put a bearing in it at 8 and got it to 11+ before the electronics failed. (you know, the ones no washing machine needs). Anyhow to sadly dovetail onto Don's post? They told me I can expect five years out of my new one and they stated that straight faced and without emotion. But hey, show me another commercial about how America is a throw away society with crowded landfills. I got twenty years out of a "second hand" Maytag I bought from my uncle back when the commercials were the bored repairman and the machines were made in the USA. Old mechanics fight back, survivor outlast! My cousin put a thermistor in his rental refrigerator, good as new! It's like a personal triumph when their planned obsolescence is thwarted. My
Husqvarna
more is about 18 years old. It took a search to fiund a throttle assembly, I almost thought she was done. Found one, already started mowing on year 19! (victory is mine!)
Household Repairs this past week:
- Icemaker in 15 year old refrigerator. Look on YouTube for icemaker videos - there are more DIY videos on that topic than I've ever seen on any DIY topic. Everyone seems surprised I got that long out of it. Fix was a new solenoid that switches the ice-cubes/crushed-ice output. Failure mode was rust - the surface plating on the old solenoid wore off and the steel slug under the plating started rusting and seizing in the bore. Fix cost - around $40.
- Oven no longer baked. 15 year old electric range. I first figured the heating element had gone south, but on receiving the new one (Amazon, $35) I checked the resistance old and new ones - identical. Next (and actually only) step back in the electrical path was the range controller. New - $260 from Frigidaire (or every vendor), refurb'd (eBay) $85. That fixed it.
- Garage door - 10 year old spring broke. These springs had replaced 10 year old springs 10 years ago. The repairman said I can expect 10 years out of the next ones. I said that wasn't a worry, I wouldn't be operating that garage door in 10 years. Cost - $560 (including tax, installation, but not tip.. tip in cash added $20 to the bill.)
That's one week. I'm hoping these things come in 3's and I've had my 3 for a while.
As far as quality and longevity - we had a "beer" refrigerator that was as old as my house. A Westinghouse from 1953. It ran faithfully and very economically for 53 years. It passed on when the door latch wouldn't release (sound like a Porsche Frunk?). We replaced it with a small new model - it lasted about 6 years. It was replaced a few years ago with the 2nd small new model. Repairs on it would have cost more than the new refrigerator does.
Glad you didn't mess with the door spring. I got crushed this year by some bad dentistry that ended in surgery so I'm so far behind in " building back" it's sad. Will be 10K out of pocket at the end of the trip. BUT, I also fixed my furnace with a new inducer fan in February so everything we do helps somewhere else. Because in our country, even with two insurance plans including your mouth as a body part is crazy talk, same with your eyes! haha
