I was driving home from MINIs on the Dragon to Dallas, TX one time. I was ahead of schedule and had 2 days for the trip, so I was just cruising along. I also had the car full of my road trip tools and spares, so I was super prepared. I could see a car broken down on the side of the highway, so I pull over to help. It's a late 20s / early 30s-ish guy with a 2-3 year old kid running around on the side of the highway! Anyway, he's got a flat tire and no jack, but I had one so I jack the car up and pull the wheel off. It's corded all the way around and had a hole in it large enough for me to be able to reach my hand inside the tire. The dude actually asks me "Think they can patch that?" Me: "Ummmmmm... no."
My rule: If you have to ask yourself "Is it time for new tires?" then it's time for new tires.
They don't care to even look. IMO most folks in the 20-30 yr old range are so used to throwing things away when they break, they don't even think about maintenance. And the manufacturers are as much to blame. Look how many nannies and warnings are now on the dash of cars.....hell we can't even check the oil level on most of them anymore.
While in high school, I worked part time at a department store. The store manager drove a beat up old MGB....
I saw him out in the parking lot with a quart can of Quaker State 30W motor oil topping up his oil level... I asked him how many miles between oil changes? He said... Oh, I never change the oil, I just make sure it stays between the marks on the dipstick.... I did notice the car would leave a small puddle of oil on the ground, so maybe it really worked out to changing the oil monthly...
A guy I worked with many years ago had a very old very ratty Chevy station wagon for a work car and that’s what he did. The 283 burned and leaked enough oil all he ever did was add oil as needed and replace an oil filter once in while. The body finally gave out but the engine was still running when he scrapped the car.
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