Peter Kirchhoff from Sprockhövel near Wuppertal, Germany, has driven his 2000 Skoda Fabia 1.9 TDI 74 kW (101 PS) for 1 million kilometers (621,371 miles). As a true German, Kirchhoff meticulously planned the moment his Skoda’s odometer would show 999,999 kilometers so that it coincided with a trip to the Skoda Museum in Mlada Boleslav, Czech Republic.

Kirchhoff was welcomed, congratulated by Skoda representatives, and was then accompanied by German fans of the Czech brand. The man bought his silver Fabia on July 3, 2000. “When I picked it up, the odometer read eleven kilometers,” Peter Kirchhoff remembered. Since then, the business graduate has kept track of every kilometer driven and every cent spent on the car.

Kirchhoff and his Fabia reached the first 500,000 kilometers in July 2007, with the car still having the original exhaust on it at the time. The German said he never had problems passing the general technical inspections. The Fabia has been serviced during these years Skoda service partner Betgen & Pothoof in Hamm.

“The car is in its original condition. The exhaust, engine, clutch and transmission are parts that were installed by the factory. Thanks to regular maintenance the vehicle has achieved this enormous mileage. By now, we know every screw by its first name,” joked service advisor Matthias Lütkhoff.

Only once did the Fabia let Kirchhoff down. “At 305,000 kilometers, a porous wire harness caused a breakdown on the road,” Kirchhoff said.

So what happens now? Well, he will continue to drive his diesel Fabia. Although the odometer will only show six dashes after the 999,999th kilometer, he said he’ll keep track of the next kilometers by using the trip counter. He plans to hold on to his Fabia until the third-generation model appears and only then donate the 2000 model to the Skoda Museum.

By Dan Mihalascu

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