A recent trip to the local breakers was weird, as all 3 Felicia 1.3 mpi in the yard had the same mileage on them within 500 miles - 52,000.

Mine is at that magic figure now, so I'm wondering whether there is a sudden engine failure that haunts these cars?

I'd be interested to hear of other Felicia mileages as I have the opportunity to buy my sons lovely BMW 318 and don't want to turn it down just to have the Felicia give up on me... :S

Just make sure the timing chain is OK. Mine had over 111k when I sold it, ran like a dream having been abused by me for four years. Wish I still had it.

Wish I still had it.

That's it, it ain't no limo by any means but it gets me about, to work and back and so far has been an easy, cheap fix if it goes wrong.

It's got a grumbly gearbox or clutch bearing since I bought it 2 years ago, an engine mount needs replacing I think, there is rust coming under the arches and the headlight levellers have never worked, but I get the feeling it will chug on.

The BMW is really nice, but like you I reckon I'd regret selling the Skoda but I was wondering why all these cars were at the same mileage in the scrappers...

Bit like flocks of birds falling or whales beaching themselves in great numbers I suppose.

still running mine with no probs 97,730miles!!!!,but as said before timing chain needs watching out for,i done mine at 70,000ish,makes such a difference-i do over a hundred miles a day mostly motorway,average speed 75-80....sorry officer i mean 65-70mph!!!!!!!!!!

still running mine with no probs 97,730miles!!!!,but as said before timing chain needs watching out for,i done mine at 70,000ish,makes such a difference-i do over a hundred miles a day mostly motorway,average speed 75-80....sorry officer i mean 65-70mph!!!!!!!!!!

How do you know when the chain needs doing?

The engine does make a rattly din, like tappets, but it sounds like it's from the back of the block and the tappets have been adjusted spot on.

75-80 mph? I wish. I have only been on the m-way once, doing 60mph at 3000+ rpm and the engine sounding like I was doing 80!

My pickup has just over 106k on the clock, but that's on its third engine sine I've owned it :wonder: still on the original factory gearbox though.

Mine's just passed another MoT, with 80k on the clock, still running nicely...even if it has had some [minor] problems, nothing I couldn't fix outside the front door.

I have an mpi estate, and wouldn't want any other make.....it is simple [no power steering, leccy winders or fancy stuff]....the engine is simple with few vices, being a pushrod type....the gearbox is nice too....drives well....very well, in fact....returns, currently around 45mpg's, cheap tyres, no alloys,in fact, probably the best car available today that can be run very much on the 'cheap'...if one does one's own maintenance.

BMW's? Wouldn't have one if given, I'm afraid.....

Not as an option to the Felly, anyway.

How do you know when the chain needs doing?

The engine does make a rattly din, like tappets, but it sounds like it's from the back of the block and the tappets have been adjusted spot on.

75-80 mph? I wish. I have only been on the m-way once, doing 60mph at 3000+ rpm and the engine sounding like I was doing 80!

thats the noise of a loose chain im afraid,same sound on mine,once renewed the car will run a lot better,it's due to the chain not having a tensioner so once it's streched it'll knock the timing out a bit!!

How do you know when the chain needs doing?

The engine does make a rattly din, like tappets, but it sounds like it's from the back of the block and the tappets have been adjusted spot on.

75-80 mph? I wish. I have only been on the m-way once, doing 60mph at 3000+ rpm and the engine sounding like I was doing 80!

thats the noise of a loose chain im afraid,same sound on mine,once renewed the car will run a lot better,it's due to the chain not having a tensioner so once it's streched it'll knock the timing out a bit!!

thats the noise of a loose chain im afraid,same sound on mine,once renewed the car will run a lot better,it's due to the chain not having a tensioner so once it's streched it'll knock the timing out a bit!!

The chain is on the drivers side of the engine, but the noise doesn't seem to come from there, but from the back?

Hmmm, better look at that then. I see the chain kit is fairly cheap on Jorily so worth doing, but is it an easy fit, bearing in mind I'd be doing it on the driveway? Rain, cold.... :wonder:

I'll dig out the old Haynes, but they usually make a job look harder than it is.

Edited 11 January, 201214 yr by myjalopy

My Brothers 1998 Felicia is due to be picked up by the car recyclers soon, its on something like 58,000 miles and has rusted beyond the point of repair. it looks fine from the outside but the sills have had it, the brake lines have had it and he cant afford to fix it. His was driven daily to the point it needed an MOT and has sat outside his house untaxed and out of use since July 2011.

Mine is on 53,000 as well. Isn't showing any signs of giving up.

I've only really had high power and hot hatches before this, but I love it.

Edited 11 January, 201214 yr by Violet

My Brothers 1998 Felicia is due to be picked up by the car recyclers soon, its on something like 58,000 miles and has rusted beyond the point of repair. it looks fine from the outside but the sills have had it, the brake lines have had it and he cant afford to fix it. His was driven daily to the point it needed an MOT and has sat outside his house untaxed and out of use since July 2011.

Mines a 2000 plate and passed it's MOT couple of weeks ago - nothing needed doing except the gasket between the downpipe and the cat. It had been blowing for months.

my road car is a 2000 V reg and has a measly 141,000 on the clock and runs like a dream

the rally car has 44000 on the clock and loves ditches

I have Felly from 95' and has 262 000 km . The paint is not really red as it should be, somewhere is almost pink, on the hood is light red on the rear is dark red, little rusty above the rear tires, one broken front blinker (u know what i mean the orange light for turning left or right i dont know the english word ) but i still drive it (on LPG).

My R-reg 1.9 Diesel has just gone over 115,000. Still going well.

Last tank showed 55mpg. I'm trying for 60mpg!

MG

I've got a late 2000 1.9D Felicia. I bought it in 2002 with 13,000 miles on the clock and it's been a fantastic wee runner. I've two teenage boys who learned to drive in it and it's now got 176,500 miles on the clock. Doesn't use oil and starts at the first turn of the key.

My 1.6ltr has 108,000 on it, passed last two MOT with not a single advisory, mine does benefit from the fullest service history possible.

my engine feels like it would go on much much longer and methinks rust is likely to get the better of my Felly before anything else, but i stilll think thats a good 10yrs away, i've only got the normal rear arch rust, otherwise it's very clean

A few years ago I had a silver P reg Estate and it had just over 325,000 on the clock when I traded it in. At 290,000 it started overheating and the garage had suggested it was the head and that it had had it but it turned out to be a blocked radiator and when a new rad was fitted it carried on with me for another 35,000 miles.

sounds like my [previous] old Volvo 740...?

When bought, for 500 sovs, it had 70k on the clock, and a howling fuel pump [bosche K-jetronic]...sounded like a Stuka taking a pop at the Isle of Wight.

120,000 miles later [and 4 years], it suddenly packed up!

For four years, I had carried a brand-new fuel pump under the boot floor, for what I was informed would be the inevitable!

Seeing as it was snowing at the time, I called the AA....who proudly informed me my fuel pump had packed up!

As it happens, says I, there's a new one here in its box!

Lovurly, says My AA-man, I'll fit it straight away! [amazing what one can get away with, when one knows the current AA policy regarding breakdowns..ie repair if at all possible, before recovery.

The pump was located right under the floorpan....I did find a snow-free patch for him to work in...the membership fee was beaten, IMHO, by the labour charges I saved..absolutely no doubt!

Now the volvo has gone...and it's probably that new washing machine you've just bought now...

but I still have a pair of brand new discs for it, never fitted....

Back to the original question, the effective lifespan for the face lifted models and beyond is 15 years; this is the point where the airbag and seatbelt pre-tensioner explosives have to be replaced, a job that currently costs about twice what most of the remaining cars are worth. Of course, you could just have them disabled and/or removed; the engines should last as long time if cared for, it is the bodywork that will kill most of them.

it is the bodywork that will kill most of them.

Mine just past 250.000 km (about 155.000 miles), 14 years old now. And indeed the bodywork.....

Back to the original question, the effective lifespan for the face lifted models and beyond is 15 years; this is the point where the airbag and seatbelt pre-tensioner explosives have to be replaced, a job that currently costs about twice what most of the remaining cars are worth.

Have to? Where is the legal requirement for it?

Of course, you could just have them disabled and/or removed; the engines should last as long time if cared for, it is the bodywork that will kill most of them.

I think you'd have MOT issues with the airbag, and if you had a bad accident and had been found to have disabled them, I think you'd have serious issues with your insurance company...

Have to? Where is the legal requirement for it?

I think you'd have MOT issues with the airbag, and if you had a bad accident and had been found to have disabled them, I think you'd have serious issues with your insurance company...

I'm almost certain the the airbag is not part of the MOT, and surely it would be (surely) stupid to disable it as the only possible result of not replacing it at the specified time is that it might not work.

Furthermore disabling it would be a modification in insurance terms, whereas just having one that hasn't been replaced would just be a neglected service item.

Edited 18 January, 201214 yr by juan27

From 1st Jan the changes were supposed to include the airbag warning light, so you'd need to disable it "properly", not just remove the bulb.