# Would you buy a new car if it had to be greased every 1,000 miles? **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2024, 11:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132 "2024-06-12T23:04:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 1:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/21 "2024-06-13T13:38:49Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > Even my 70’s Ford truck, Ford recommends its fuel filter be replaced every 4 months. Well of course it does because that was the way things were done at that time. Get with todays facts George. And apparently you think those 6 grease points would cost 1660.00 to be sealed . ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 1:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/22 "2024-06-13T13:55:18Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > Even my 70’s Ford truck, Ford recommends its fuel filter be replaced every 4 months. That was because your vehicle had an external filter. Most systems today are a back-flush system. Again - when they first came out I was extremely skeptical. When you replace a filter, you are removing the dirt that’s in the filter from the system. Just replace filter every x-miles as recommended by the manufacturer. Some filters like the one on my wife’s 96 Accord or my 98 Pathfinder was a royal pain to replace. I was expecting problems with the newer back-flush systems. Any dirt that enters the gas-tank stays there. It’s never removed unless you drop the tank and replace the pump/filter assembly. But I never had a problem - even after 300k miles. So, I’m convinced. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/23 "2024-06-13T14:11:54Z")
Time to upgrade your pickup, George: ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/3/f/3fce8d042db499341fbd040d153e7bdd9090c2fb.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 2:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/24 "2024-06-13T14:13:03Z")
> [@MikeInNH](#): > > 1000 miles? Even when vehicles had zerks- Never seen one with such an idiotic requirement. Everyone I’ve ever owned or seen - 5,000 miles was the MINIMUM. I think that George **really** wants to go back to the so-called _Good Old Days_. 😖 As this lube chart confirms, Fords of the '30s & '40s required lubrication of virtually _everything_, every 1k miles. And, even though he thinks that going backward with technology would save money for car owners, I think he is forgetting about the labor and the materials costs that are involved with lubing a car every 1k miles. > **[Early Ford V-8 Lubrication Chart](https://cwmoss.com/products/early-ford-v-8-lubrication-chart)** > > Authentic 17” x 22” color reproduction of the original Ford Lube Chart on heavyweight paper and is suitable for framing. > VLUBE > Sold as each. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 2:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/25 "2024-06-13T14:26:33Z")
Why stop there, just go back to the old horse and buggy, and how many miles did you have to grease up the hubs on a buggy??? Oh wait, they didn’t have the Hubodometer back then did they?? I guess you would just have to use a smartphone app with GPS odometer to properly keep up with it… 🤦‍♂️ That is about as ridicules as this thread… lol ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/26 "2024-06-13T14:59:15Z")
@VDCdriver is spot on about early cars I found a 1914 Buick owners manual… lube points required each DAY, more each week, oil changes each month and a full teardown, clean and reassembly of the engine and transmission. You would need a live-in mechanic to keep the car serviced. Luxury car owners would have one. Families that can afford a Rolls Royce, Hispano Suiza or Duesenberg would have one and that person would be the chauffer as well. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 8:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/27 "2024-06-13T20:35:09Z")
I’ll answer my own question. I’d rather have the $10,000 in my bank account. It would more than make up for the inconvenience of having to grease the car every 1,000 miles. If I didn’t want to do that job, I’d hire it out, using the $10,000 to pay the fee. I’d still be money ahead. I’ll grant this is a hypothetical, not likely to ever be an actual choice w/modern cars. But the trade-off b/t new car prices and frequency of maintenance is definitely worth a consideration. For example, what if the price reduction was $50,000? I claim there’s some new-car price reduction amount that most car owners would agree to in return for 1,000 miles greasing requirements. I’m curious what that number is. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 9:09pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/28 "2024-06-13T21:09:41Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > For example, what if the price reduction was $50,000? Get serious , now you are getting ridiculous . ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 9:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/29 "2024-06-13T21:18:44Z")
I doubt it would save $1, much less $10,000. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 9:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/30 "2024-06-13T21:30:29Z")
Just a quick check shows that greaseable U-joints, tie rods, ball joints cost more than permanently lubed ones, so it would cost more to make a car with them, plus be an inconvenience to the owner. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 9:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/31 "2024-06-13T21:42:21Z")
No dispute, but yours is an apples & oranges argument. A 1963 Dodge Dart would cost way more to manufacture now then in 1963. Even ignoring inflation. The fixtures used to make it are no longer available. And even if they were, there’s no way to take advantage of the economy of scale. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/32 "2024-06-13T22:05:06Z")
I don’t understand. @It_s-Me is referring to current prices for current items. Can’t get much more apple to apples, to me. Do you think modern low-maintenance parts are more expensive? Why? I remember replacing plenty of lubed-up zerk-equipped suspension components at the shop in the '70s. I bet modern sealed units out last them, even if they’re well-maintained. Lose-lose situation, seems to me. ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/33 "2024-06-13T22:11:29Z")
> [@texases](#): > > referring to current prices for current items. My reasoning is that today’s part prices are due to the effects of economy of scale. Those are parts made in mass quantities, so their prices cannot be fairly compared to parts that are no longer made in mass quantities, but used to be made in mass quantities in days of yore. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:11pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/34 "2024-06-13T22:11:54Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > A 1963 Dodge Dart would cost way more to manufacture now Who would want one ? ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:18pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/35 "2024-06-13T22:18:35Z")
And if a Frog had wings, it wouldn’t bump it’s A$$ every time it jumped… gezz… woulda coulda shoulda, I think I have lost IQ points talking about all this foolish crap… ---
**Author:** ![It\_s-Me](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/it_s-me/32/12660_2.png) [@It\_s-Me](https://community.cartalk.com/u/It_s-Me)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/36 "2024-06-13T22:20:32Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > My reasoning is that today’s part prices are due to the effects of economy of scale. It still took extra machining to make those parts greaseable, If they don’t have to drill the holes in U-joints for the grease to be pumped through, it’s got to be less expensive. Plus the zerk fitting. Pretty sure they mass produced U-joints in the “Good Ol’ Days” ---
**Author:** ![bing](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bing/32/4619_2.png) [@bing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bing)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/37 "2024-06-13T22:23:54Z")
I spent some time in my youth drilling wheel castings for grease zerks. I can assure you it was an extra operation. And apple doesn’t know what a zerk is. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/38 "2024-06-13T22:28:13Z")
> [@George\_San\_Jose1](#): > > 1963 Dodge Dart would cost way more to manufacture now then in 1963. If the cost was adjusted for inflation and built with modern parts it would cost a lot less. And could not be sold in the US, Europe or Japan since it meets none of the requirements. An additional moot point… ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/39 "2024-06-13T22:28:20Z")
The question remains: would today’s car buyer buy a car that cost considerably less than the competitive brand , if it required more frequent maintenance? It would depend on the circumstances of course, but in general would feel that saving $10,000 on the price of a new car, everything else being equal, I’d buy the lesser-priced make if it required 6 grease fittings be lubed every 1,000 miles, or whatever maintenance it needed that was equivalent to the amount of billable shop time that took. Would you pay the $10,000 extra to be free of that task? ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 10:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132/40 "2024-06-13T22:29:58Z")
Again… No I would not. > [@Mustangman](#): > > As for a 10K discount for 1000 mile maintenance… as I posted before, I don’t think that is possible… but I with rising labor rates, I’d say no. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132.md?page=1) [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/would-you-buy-a-new-car-if-it-had-to-be-greased-every-1-000-miles/195132.md?page=3)