Worn steering wheel what mileage

Group: Users
Messages: 13
Registration: 9.1.2015
City: St. Petersburg
Car: RAV4 (2) left hand drive
Gender: Male
Thanked: 1 time(s)

Friends, I recently became the owner of a second generation RAV 4. When purchasing, I encountered the problem that they don’t sell many cars anymore, the cars are no longer new, and it’s hard to trust the mileage on the odometer. Can you share with whom what broke and at what mileage? Or what has worn off or come off? I found a topic about mileage, there is information there, but there are signs of mileage that you can’t escape.

I'm wondering at what mileage the steering wheel and brake pedal pad got worn out.
At what mileage does the windshield wear down?
At what mileage does the radio stop reading discs normally?
Are the buttons erased?
Could the carpet be torn?
Is the back door sagging?

So far I have only one problem: at 96,000 km (who knows how long the real one is) the vacuum brake booster died - I’m really very surprised, the last time this happened to me was on a V8 with a mileage of 120,000 km, and here’s a Toyota.

The steering wheel is practically not worn out, only slightly scratched on the left side, about 7 cm long; on the brake pedal, the edge of the pad is worn down to a diameter of 2 cm, but not to the metal.
The glass is original, not worn at all, no chips.
The radio reads everything.
The buttons are not erased anywhere.

Group: Users
Messages: 427
Registration: 9.5.2010
City: Karaganda
Car: RAV4 (2) left hand drive
Gender: Male
Thanked: 102 times

RAV4 02′, mileage 221,000 km, bought with mileage 146,500 km in Germany. The windshield was replaced, I don’t know the reason. The CD player is normal, the buttons are not worn out, the carpet is fine, and so is the door. It seems to depend more on the climate and roads. The leather on the steering wheel is almost like new, but on the knob of the manual transmission it was worn out at 160,000 km, although I’m probably to blame for this. Closer to the 170,000 km mileage, the front headlight bulbs burned out within a couple of weeks of each other. I don't know if what I wrote will help you. You can determine the age of the rubber by the markings and compare it with the degree of wear, although this will also be very subjective: it is far from a fact that it could have been supplied new and that the year of manufacture and the start of operation will coincide.

Group: Users
Messages: 454
Registration: June 1, 2010
City: Vologda
Car: RAV4 (2) left hand drive
Gender: Male
Thanked: 199 times

I also took the 2nd generation 2004. European in St. Petersburg.

Among the indirect signs, I looked at the condition of the internal linings on the door handles, the condition of the steering wheel, automatic transmission lever, and leather.
seats. Status of buttons on the steering wheel, audio.
Wear of brackets on the body for door locks.
Brake discs - wear, tires (year of condition), alloy wheels - Compliance.
The most important thing is to compare all the signs, if any stand out from the overall picture, then draw conclusions.
All this can be compared only after inspecting several cars (from 3-5) and looking at a lot of photos in the ads.

In general, a favorite trick of outbids, etc. make a mileage of 95, up to 100, and at this “mileage” everything is worn out.

Group: Users
Messages: 13
Registration: 9.1.2015
City: St. Petersburg
Car: RAV4 (2) left hand drive
Gender: Male
Thanked: 1 time(s)

I also took the 2nd generation 2004. European in St. Petersburg.

In general, a favorite trick of outbids, etc. make a mileage of 95, up to 100, and at this “mileage” everything is worn out.

What is the mileage of your car? What about the steering wheel, brake pedal pad, etc.. Share, it will be very useful.

Group: Users
Messages: 13
Registration: 9.1.2015
City: St. Petersburg
Car: RAV4 (2) left hand drive
Gender: Male
Thanked: 1 time(s)

By the way, it turned out that it was not the vacuum seal that died, but the brake pipe that rotted. The service center said that people constantly come to St. Petersburg with this problem. 10 years and 90,000 mileage and hello to pipes.

On a Corolla 2005, after 100,000 km, the steering wheel was not worn out at all, the windshield wiper trapeze creaked a little, the brake pedal pad was worn out at the bottom right, 1 cm in diameter, the gear knob was ideal. By this time the tank had rotted - it had to be welded and the neck of the tank had rotted and gasoline began to leak out - they replaced it. I think that the RAV4 has similar materials, although the STEERING STEERING probably matters how you turn it, if there are a lot of rings on the fingers, then it will be worn out. There were some scuffs on the radio screen.

Group: Users
Messages: 165
Registration: 10.9.2012
City: Kemerovo
Car: RAV4 (2) left hand drive
Gender: Male
Thanked: 33 times

The topic is very complex. The type of machine depends on many reasons - on the climate (humid, frosty), on the accuracy of the operators - this is the first thing. As for the steering wheel - one drives along the highway and slightly holds the steering wheel with one finger (that's me), the other turns the steering wheel with sweaty paws, dangling around the city, often wearing suede gloves - the result will be completely different with the same mileage. They also put covers on the steering wheels and then remove them before selling them. My steering wheel is almost like new with a mileage of over 200 thousand. The radio tape recorder is who uses it how. The same goes for the interior. If there were many owners of the car, then the law of normal distribution applies here, that is, the more owners, the closer to the average mileage for these years. More objectively - the condition of the driver's seat, pedals, ignition switch, amount of rust in the engine compartment, wear of brake discs, drive belts, rust of brake drums, yellowness of headlights. In general, what difference does it make to you what mileage is - you need to find out the general condition of the car. With the same mileage, the condition of the cars can vary significantly. Operation in Yakutia on the street and operation in the Krasnodar Territory with a warm garage and constant care is a very big difference.

In the photo - a brilliant-looking car has an ignition lock that is smashed in the ass - my car with 200 thousand mileage has an order of magnitude better appearance of the lock.

Guessing mileage despite the odometer

Choose a car. Not beaten, not painted? One owner? Mileage 70,000?

Progress does not stand still, and today especially cunning craftsmen have learned to twist the mileage across all blocks at once, set uneven small mileage, and assign not an even number to checkpoints (for example, 90,000), but a random one (89,478, for example). All this complicates diagnostics and confuses those who choose a car without a specialist or with a not particularly thoughtful diagnostician. There remains the old faithful way to calculate mileage based on the condition of the interior and the approximate calculation of mileage by year. I tried to figure it out and systematize this matter a little, your comments and practical advice are welcome!

So, let’s go to the website of one analytical agency (link below) and get the average annual mileage of a passenger car for Russia: 16,700 km. The average mileage for new cars (under three years old) is about 20 thousand km per year, from 3 to 10 years about 18 thousand km, from 10 to 20 years about 15 thousand km and for cars older than 20 years a little less 10 thousand km.

Let's put the statistics into practice - the car was manufactured in early 2011, now it is 2017. Such a car should have an average mileage of around 114,000 km. If you see a car with 30, 40, 50 thousand mileage, this is a reason to think carefully and check it before purchasing.

We calculated the average value, now it’s time to look at the interior. As you know, the first thing buyers try to look for is the condition of the steering wheel and pedals. Let's start with the steering wheel:

I don’t think there’s any need to tell you what the new steering wheel looks like. A new, unworn steering wheel can be seen immediately, and I’ll tell you, up to 40-50 thousand km it basically retains its luster and beauty. By 100-120 thousand, small abrasions (SMALL, I repeat) may appear on the leather steering wheel in the area of the spokes on the sides, in the place of most frequent contact.

A car with 200 thousand mileage has the following steering wheel:

Well, I think no one will doubt that a car with this steering wheel has a mileage approaching 300-350 thousand

Don’t forget to inspect the buttons on the steering wheel and peripherals - unfortunately, it’s impossible to give a general recommendation, because on some cars the buttons last hundreds of thousands of km, while on others they barely reach 150, but I’ll tell you for sure - with a mileage of up to 100 thousand km they shouldn’t noticeable abrasions and thinning of the button coating (everything is clearly visible when the backlight is on in the form of a small halo around the point of pressing). The picture below shows what the buttons look like with a mileage of about 300 thousand km

Once again, let me note that these data are based on my personal experience and observation, and the pictures are largely taken from a search. The owner could put a braid on the steering wheel or simply replace it with an identical one. That is why we will consider other indirect signs that indicate to us the real mileage.

Again, I won’t post new pedals; I think a person in their right mind understands what they should look like. Here are the pedals found at mileage up to 100 thousand km:

Next are pedals with a mileage of 150-200 thousand and pedals with a mileage of 250 or more.

Again, unless they were changed, put on pads, or covered with cellophane (you never know what will happen! :)) In particularly advanced cases, the pedals had torn edges, irregular shapes, and curves. All this indicates a mileage of 250-300 thousand km.

It's time to get out of the driver's seat and take a look at it. Here we can give a general recommendation for fabric and leather interiors - compare the material of the seat on the left (from the driver’s seat) and on the right (from the tunnel). The greater the difference (attrition, torn edges, sagging), the greater the mileage. Typically, fabric interiors “live” without problems up to 100 thousand km, the skin loses its luster after 200 thousand. And again, don’t try to compare the skin of a Porsche Cayenne, some of which, even after 10-12 years and proper care, look like a one-year-old car, and the skin of some (no offense) Korean and Chinese cars, which cracks and falls into shreds by 150 thousands.

The following advice may not make sense if your car has recently been dry cleaned. Assess the dirtiness of the ceiling and carpet under the seats. A carpet that is too greasy or full of holes is unlikely to speak in favor of low mileage. Also look at the rugs - if they are original and look fresh, this may be a plus for the original low mileage, but if in front of you are no-name carpets from Uncle Anzor’s shop from the car market, maybe not even from your car - think about what happened to the old ones , the mileage is 50 thousand (let’s say)?!

Now close the driver's door and look under the handle - here on a car of any color, be it black or green or white, there are traces of nails, rings, keys (many people open the door holding metal keys in the same hand). Traces can begin to be examined already from 40-50 thousand km. On the left is a car with about 50 thousand mileage, on the right - over 150

It would also be a good idea to inspect the driver’s window - tempered glass that is too scratched from constant lowering and raising will reveal a car with a mileage of 100 thousand km or more

Thus, if the interior of the car is neglected, then it is better to refuse, because either the mileage is two or three times higher than stated, or the car has simply not been looked after, which is even worse.

In addition, I would ask the seller about the maintenance carried out - for example, if you see fresh brake discs on a car with a mileage of 60 thousand, and they, say, should only be changed at 120, or a fresh timing belt at 40 thousand, with the stated replacement interval 100 thousand km is a reason to be wary.

Well, I guess I’ll stop here and remind you once again that all the facts in the post are of a purely empirical nature. I suggest sharing in the comments your personal experience of observing the wear and tear of components and the interior of a car and the accompanying mileage. Thank you for your attention!

How to figure out the real mileage of a used car when you know what to look for

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Many car enthusiasts, when choosing a used car, are faced with unscrupulous dealers who run up the mileage and “make a mess” by embellishing frankly old copies. In such a situation, it is not easy to choose a good specimen that will delight its new owner. Therefore, it is worth listening to car selection professionals who know what to pay special attention to.

Steering wheel wear is greatly influenced by the quality of the material, as well as driving style. However, in the most general case, with a mileage of 100 thousand kilometers, the steering wheel rim will wear very slightly, in positions 3 and 9.

On cars that have traveled 200 thousand kilometers, the steering wheel will already be very worn, even to the point of destruction of the outer braid of the rim material.

The next clue about the considerable age of the car will be the numerous buttons in the cabin. The steering wheel, radio, and air conditioner keys suffer the most.

3. Seats and upholstery

The condition of the seats, especially the driver's seat, very well indicates the mileage of the car. Over time, both budget leatherette and “rag”, as well as expensive leather and velor interiors, wear out. But if higher quality (read: expensive) options look good up to 200 thousand kilometers, then cheap materials look unpresentable after 100,000 kilometers, and after 200 thousand, holes may even appear.

Of all the seats in the cabin, the front left (driver's) one suffers the most. It is worth inspecting the left and right side support rollers. If the one on the driver’s side softens and begins to lose shape, then the car’s mileage has exceeded 100 thousand kilometers.

Like the steering wheel, a good indicator of mileage over 100 thousand are the pedals. The driver, constantly interacting with the control levers, erases them. With a mileage of more than 200 thousand, the pedals will most likely be severely worn out, until the lining pattern completely disappears.

5. Gear knob

In cars with a manual transmission, its lever also gives out the mileage “with giblets”. The knob wears out, becomes “bald”, and the gearshift knob cover breaks.

You should not take these observations as the ultimate truth, since all cars have their own design features and operating modes. But comparing a number of patterns will help identify a car with a bad mileage, as well as “see through” a dishonest seller.

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