8 March/April 2021// ALEXANDER GEORGE //Does
Anyone
Still Make
a Million-
Mile Car?
From the
(^2) Editor
M
Y PARENTS BOUGHT A 2004 VOLVO
XC70 because, to them, that brand
meant longevity. Part of that percep-
tion comes from a well-publicized
1966 P1800S that its sole owner, Irv
Gordon, drove more than 3 million
miles before he died in 2018.
But that 1800—same as other record-high-
mileage Lexuses, Chevy trucks, and diesel
Mercedes-Benzes—is comparatively analog. It runs
on simple, usually interchangeable parts. A skilled
mechanic could remove its engine in an hour. Now,
the newest Volvos have digital dashboards, radars,
and super- and turbocharged small-displacement
engines. Like most modern cars, they are compli-
cated miracles of safety and convenience that will
last into six-figure mileage without major repairs.
But there’s no way that XC70, or any modern Volvo,
could last a million miles. Right?
I asked Volvo Master Mechanic Nino Gambino
to check my cynicism. He maintained Gordon’s
P1800S, and also works on the newest plug-in
hybrid and all-electric models. He’s the most over-
qualified expert I could think of to answer this
question, or at least to give me some free advice on
the family wagon.
The good news for anyone who owns a newer car
is that, thanks to modern electronics, catastrophic
failures are rare. “If the transmission starts to slip,
the electronics notice and make up for it,” he says.
“That’s why there are no [service] intervals to
change the transmission fluid.”
The downside of that technical sophistication:
Probably don’t try to fix anything yourself. Take
a timing belt, which most high-mileage cars need
replaced at some point. “There isn’t much room inthe engine bay,” he says. “If you don’t have special
tools, it’s not worth the damage that can be caused.”
More so for synchronizing those super- and tur-
bochargers. It’s possible to even screw up adding
antifreeze: “You can have bubbles in the system.”
That design complexity also means that sim-
ply removing parts to access a problem spot can
require hours of labor. After hundreds of thousands
of miles of depreciation, the price to disassemble
a dashboard can be greater than the car is worth.
But you can postpone that conclusion, and
maybe approach one million, with preventative
care. Read the manual. Check for rust. Weird
sound? Bring it in. But even small steps help. Here
are three from Gambino that I’ve adopted.- Don’t drive on an empty tank. The fuel pump
needs a small amount of gas to work correctly and
stay clean. Refill when the warning light goes on. - Whenever you park, lock it. Locking primes the
car to shut down and not draw battery power. And
if you’re parked while making calls through the
stereo, or playing music, keep the engine running.
Otherwise, you’re straining the battery. - Change the oil more often than the manual says.
Vital parts rely on oil pressure, and most modern
cars’ tight specifications result in some oil con-
sumption. And unless you need the DIY validation,
it’s worth the $60 to have someone else do it.
Irv Gordon
(above) drove
his 1966 Volvo
P1800S more
than 3,000,
miles. His
mechanic’s advice
to other car
owners: If you
hear something,
do something.COURTESYVOLVO