Modeling inventory and environmental impacts of car maintenance and repair: A case study of Ford Focus passenger car

Abstract

Maintenance and repair are necessary to maintain the car's functions throughout its life. As the car ages, maintenance and repairs are becoming more common and consume more and more resources and energy. In this study, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was used to a case study of different maintenance scenarios of internal combustion engine passenger car. The LCA examination is focused on thorough maintenance inventory of a popular compact car, Ford Focus II. The examination considered different maintenance scenarios. The first followed Ford Maintenance Schedule. The other was made to include car breakdown cases, as reported by car users. Both scenarios of maintenance and repair were analyzed using data from 40 vehicles regularly using Ford authorized service center. Material inventories in other stages of the car life cycle were modeled with Ecoinvent data. The environmental impact of maintenance and repair was another focus of the study. The inventories were combined to model different car maintenance scenarios. Each vehicle scenario was further modeled in ICE diesel and petrol versions to compare their maintenance and repair options and to compare data with earlier studies. Another model described a diesel engine version with earlier oil exchange, which often ocuurs in cars that are used mainly in urban environment.The main conclusion is that a new level of thoroughness of inventory data provides by 58% higher effect of car maintenance and repair in a petrol car and by 95% higher in a diesel compared to earlier research. For the scenario with shortened oil exchange interval the effect is twice as great.