I think this a very cool spare tire side mount…
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I saw an older car like a 1979 Cadillac Seville with two side mounted spare tires like that!
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It takes a while to put 400,000 miles on a car. It’s too soon to make any assumptions about how long today’s cars are going to last for until we start seeing a lot of them come back with lots of miles.
What most people are probably not aware of is that the majority of vehicles get sent to the junkyard not from engine failure, rather it is transmission failure.
And today’s transmissions can cost as much to replace as the engine or more.
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Before Covid and when our company was in it’s previous location - it would take me 12 years to put 400k miles on a vehicle.
Transmissions need maintenance just like Engine. Many people will keep up on engine oil changes, but don’t do the same for their transmissions. A properly designed and maintained tranny will last for hundreds of thousands of miles. I’ve done it. I’ve seen other people do it.
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I believe it’s partially because in the past several years, vehicles are marketed as having “lifetime” atf and not needing a trans service unless you tow a trailer and so forth
And then people question a shop’s honesty when a trans service is recommended, because it’s not listed in the factory service schedule in the owner manual
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[quote=“db4690, post:146, topic:193927”]
having “lifetime” atf
[/quote]Yep, I think “lifetime” equals the “life” of the power train warranty.
Owners manual for my truck with a six speed automatic says 150,000 miles. Me? Serviced it at 40,000, next service I will do at 70,000.
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When I first saw this photo, I thought W0W!!! With the Flowing Fenders, the elegant Spare Tire Cover and the that Beautiful Hood Ornament, I almost expected to see a Chauffer to open the door for it’s passenger…
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I’m sure that’s part of it…but I was seeing that behavior long before these lifetime fluids.
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Cab forward was from the Studebaker President coupe. I suspect a few President sedan owners had chauffeurs.
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Spare mounted on the right side is better than on the left - on the right it somewhat counterbalances the weight of the driver. As my 8th grade science teacher would say, after an explanation and maybe some math, “That’s the physics of it.”
One thing I’ve observed with GM manual transmissions built since the 80’s. I’ve seen a few premature failures due to lack of maintenance. Many owners didn’t know there was a fluid maintenance because like most previous transmissions they’ve owned those manual trannies used gear oil. Many of GM’s newer manual transmissions use ATF. Nothing wrong with the transmissions if people would change their fluid.
It seems like shops are often placed in a no-win situation these days. The manufacturers claiming no service needed, and the mechanics knowing that following that recommendation will almost certainly shorten the vehicle’s usable life.
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And even here some folks say the engineers that designed the product know best. Then some of us think maybe they don’t or were.
over-ruled by the marketing folks.
At our new owners dinner, the Acura service manager recommended routine fluid changes. My trans shop for years has said no such thing as permanent fluid. And etc. etc. everyone has to decide themselves what to believe and accept the consequences for believing wrong.
I’m 1000 miles away from my 30,000 mile trans fluid change though so thanks for the reminder. Just wondering if I should do it now before it gets too cold to stand outside.
I had an ‘84 Dodge Rampage with a 5 speed manual, it too used ATF.
GM’s “X” cars with manual transmissions used Dexron ATF. I was very surprised to find that my '81 Citation’s manual trans was lubricated with ATF.
Yep, ATF has been used in manual transmissions for a very long time now…
I would never drain a manual without 1st knowing what goes back in it, I have seen people put the wrong stuff in more than once…
It is basically what the engineers designed the bearing/gear tolerances/lash and or the synchronizer rings for, will decide what lubricant goes in it… ATF flows better in cold temperatures, and creates less drag on moving components… Some manual transmissions also use SAE 30… So again, it all depends on the design of the transmission as to what it will use…
The Borg Warner T5 five speed transmissions used ATF from the mid 80s onward. Made for easy shifting. Same for my 93 Saturn. Pretty common as ATF got better. My Honda had some Honda-specific fluid which I used when I changed it. I read warnings not to use anything else! The consistancy was thicker than ATF but a little thinner than 10W30 oil.
I take it a few steps further . . .
I never drain anything or remove a filter if I don’t know with 100% certainty that I have the correct fluid and filter on hand
And it’s not enough for someone to say the stuff I need is on hand . . . If I can’t see it with my own eyes and lay hands on it, it’s not “on hand,” as far as I’m concerned
And I also don’t drain fluid if I can’t verify I have the correct amount of new fluid on hand ahead of time
I’ve seen way too many guys remove an engine oil filter that was tight, crush it in the process, only to discover we’re out of those filters at the monent
Or guys that drain fluid, only to discover we don’t have enough new fluid to bring the level up to where it’s supposed to be
So then you have a situation where the vehicle was running when it came in, but it’s now downed because some dope didn’t verify he had what he needed for the job and now he can’t even safely start up the vehicle and a hoist is now unusable 
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