Kids and their VW's

[Sunny43.5]

Don't you just love your kids these days , my son has a T4 that I bought for his 16th birthday 5 years ago . Today he tells me that he can hear a grating noise from the van , I take it for a drive and yes he is right so off comes the front wheel where I discover the outer disc pad is almost to the metal the noise was the very top edge just touching the very inner edge of the rotor . I had some spare pads and fitted a new one , the reason for the one pad wear was the lower shaft was siezed preventing the caliper from floating so it was holding the pad onto the rotor . The I discover the tyre on that same side was almost down to the canvas . If that was not bad enough I check the engine oil while I am at the van and discover the oil in the engine is only just wetting the end of the dipstick . Is it me or does anyone else have kids these days who seem to think that the car will go forever without checking basic needs [and he has been shown many times how to do basic checks etc] So tommorow its off to get some new tyres , bloody kids !!

[Ryan_R]

I'll tend to do the basic checks under the bonnet when the windscreen washer fluid needs replenishing, but the oil lasts between services on my car, and I can check the oil level on the dash so I've got into the habit of checking less physically less often. Didn't he at least get an oil warning lamp?

[Sunny43.5]

No oil light came on which is a blessing I suppose , but I would imagine that even though the oil was right at the bottom there was enough to still keep the oil pump happy . The van has done around 300.000 kays so the usage of around a litre per 2000 would be normal . Sometimes when he comes up the driveway I can tell if it is needing to be topped up as the engine has a slight different sound about it but not in a bad way at least . The problem with the disc was more my fault as I fitted new rotors and pads some years ago and probably did not realise that the shafts should be lubed so I can't blame him for that . Fitted a complete set of new tyres today so they will be good for another four or five years .

[JustCruisn]

Kids and wives are generally not going to do any checks.
When I take the family out on Saturdays in the other car I find washer fluid and fuel lights are on.
It usually goes like this
Q: How long has that light been on ?
A: Oh a few days now
Q: When did you last check the oil ?
A: How do I open the bonnet again ?

[Sunny43.5]

Yes agree 100% and thank you for a good laugh as well .

[jets]

This is quite common with kids that have no interest in the workings of their cars & keep going until it stops. When that happens they usually say it's bad luck instead of saying bad maintenance. The same applies to some adults but they are usually driving late model vehicles & keep trading in on the next model. I know someone very well that bought a new $70,000 car & hasn't got around to changing the engine oil in spite of me nagging him.

[Seano]

All of which goes to show why you should never buy a car for your kids (or anyone else). If it's not their money...it's not their problem. And never will be. You've made a rod for your own back and you have no-one to blame but your own good self.

[Sunny43.5]

Could not agree with more you on that sentiment , but as my son and my own interest at the time was Moto Cross riding and racing it made sense to get a van and he was still at High School so money was never coming his way { come to think of it money is still not coming his way } as he is at Uni now and the cost and time to get him to and fro made it neccesary to have his own van .Plus that at the time my wife had been putting some money a side for a car from many years earlier so it was a sort of birthday surprise when he turned 16 . He still has the van which is not too bad he has realised that he can carry his bike and his band equipment in it so it was a good choice .

[Polo GTEye N9]

All of which goes to show why you should never buy a car for your kids (or anyone else). If it's not their money...it's not their problem. And never will be. You've made a rod for your own back and you have no-one to blame but your own good self.

Agreed, pay for them to go to Uni and increase IQ and pity it does not mean an increase in wisdom!