Mk3 One-Litre?
Doesn't need much, LPS. Check/top up the oil every month, consider getting the HT leads swapped out for a decent make, clean out the dizzy every 18 months or so (very simple - mark the position, take it off, clean, replace the right way round), give it a basic service once a year (full service every 2) at the same time as the MOT by a decent but inexpensive local garage*, and change the oil (or have it changed for you) at the six month mark - the air filter, too, if you do a lot of city or dusty-land/seaside trips (leave the plugs etc for the service). Maybe alter that to every 5000 and 10000 miles (20000 full service) if you do a -lot- of distance. For oil brand, you can get away with standard 10w40 part synthetic of any make you care to mention, but Magnatec isn't exactly expensive when you average it over distance - so long as you have a more 'secure' container to decant it into than that awful pop-top thing. That's it as far as pure engine maintenance goes
And, dont give a toss about revving the hexnuts off the "beast", as it needs it to go anywhere quickly and doesn't really seem to mind!** You've only got your fuel bill to think about in that respect
- in which regard also, don't bother with Optimax or Ultimate - they seem to have approximately 0.00% impact on this particular engine. (you'll want to be changing up somewhere in the upper 5000s, if you have a tacho.. if not, redline it once and take the 85-90th% for all the others)
At the other end, when you're cruising or feeling lazy on the gearchange, it'll still run (after a fashion) down to 400rpm (about 1/2 idle speed) on the flat before totally giving up the ghost**, but that's severely not reccommended, especially as thats less than 10mph in any gear. 1600 is more of a practical minimum (2x idle, or 25% of redline) if you dont want it to shake like Frisco's last stand, and 2000 (30%) more comfortable for a changedown/accelerate-from/hill climb rev figure to avoid bogging and labouring. Say, a touch under 30mph in 4th, 35 in 5th.
Also continual high speed cruising is (probably) not reccommended. 60-65 if you have a 4 speed, 70-75 with a 5 shift is probably your sensible long distance limits (and makes the stereo easier to hear). Does seem oblivious to running all day at speeds in excess of any european limit though...***
* See if you can sweet talk them into doing the MOT first, with any servicable parts taken as fresh, and then only doing the other work if it passes. Then you dont have to bother with the cost of servicing a car that fails... Even better if they offer same-day/week free retests, you probably wont even need the schmooze.
** The opinions expressed here are those of the comment authour alone, who is a total looney and very irresponsible when it comes to car maintenance. It is not reccommended that you take this as advice or advisable, as the abscence of a blown headgasket (hi speed) or fatigued engine mounts (low speed shaking) on The Flying Blueberry Drink Carton after... ahem... "testing".. is by no means evidence of the impossibility of such an event. Indeed the evidence of at least 2 and a half blown exhaust manifold gaskets should tip you a clue...
*** Save the autobahn (of course), Spanish "overtaking on motorways" 140kph, and Italian "long flat unobstructed stretch of straight autostrada" 150kph limits, which it tries its best at staying above - and reaching, respectively - it really does, bless it's little cotton socks. So long as you forget 5th gear.
PS Apart from the engine, remember to give your tyres a visual checkover whenever you remember to do so, and check the pressures whenever you can be arsed. Don't follow the example of the couldn't-care-less Fiesta driver I saw yesterday (well - just their car anyway, otherwise I'd have had words) who must have neglected both - totally bald shoulders on the front tyres, meaning overinflated and NEVER checked - must slide like a mofo on wet roundabouts. Petrol forecourt is a good place/time, as you don't need to get your own footpump out and you're already wasting time in the open.
Pay good attention to your brakes (first sign of trouble - get it checked - and do preliminary checks on the inbetween in case that first sign is an unexpectedly looming side of a bus after a red light), as it is written: Brakes are God. Engine is merely a lower cherub.
Other things to keep your eye on... clutch (adjustable, but will eventually need replacing - put a small fund aside each payday for this inevitability), gearbox link bolt, tracking or other steering ailments. Bearings. Exhaust pipe.... the list goes on
Hopefully most of them should be caught at the service/MOT before anything bad happens as apart from engine, clutch and brake matters, it's all long-term stuff.
