Oil Changes

asafonov

Scott - thanks for the info. I am not striving for absolute certainty, nor am I trying to determine that the car was babied - just "normal" oil changes over 20k. And yes, there is always risk when buying a used car. Since I have not bought it yet, I am taking reasonable measures to minimize the risk, which includes asking for information and advice on this forum.

Just wanted to understand if NO oil changes for 20k + a one done last week can be distinguished, by an experienced mechanic, from a regular pattern of oil changes. Your answer is - no, this is unlikely. So an inspection by a mechanic can identify signs of abuse, but not a pattern of previous maintenance. I need to decide if I will still go ahead with the purchase with this degree of risk.

P.S. I did not quite understand your comments about trust and anonymity online and how they relate to trust and risk in a used car purchase.

P.P.S. I used to live in Vadnais Heights until recently and drive through Little Canada every day.

Thanks

swschrad

I made a little MASH-type "col. flagg" joke along the line that nobody can conclusively PROVE their identity. it's all hearsay ("but they're my parents! I can trust them saying I'm me!") and those lines played off that joke.

sigh, another lead balloon, life is hard.

your mechanic should have enough other clues to determine if unusual damage may have been caused in 20,000 miles. if not, enjoy! I did get a used car at 42,000 miles back in the 70s that apparently never did have any maintenance done on it, and that one needed an engine... grooves a quarter-inch deep in the cylinders. but if I'd bought it, instead of Dad, I'd have taken the top off the air cleaner, seen the critters living in the fuzz and moss of that mess, and asked a few pointed questions.

fleetwoodsimca

When evaluating a used car, you might be surprised how little can be ascertained by a mechanic concerning some of the prior treatment of said vehicle. It depends a lot on how much trouble has been taken to disguise the past. A typical owner/seller I would think is largely unlikely to go very far to do the things at the last minute that they had not been doing regularly. A less than pristine used car merchant just might clean up such a mess, hoping to make much bigger bucks in the resale. Consider this angle when evaluating the vehicle.

swschrad

son of a coworker just bought a $330,000 house that has had drainage problems since it was a model home for the builder... and every good rain, the basement floods. they just stripped the carpet and replaced it each time. this one's got boulders, a berm, and trees, the drainage swale they have to cut into that won't be an easy fix.

lots of things you can do on a car to hide the truth for a few days or weeks. I should think that if something has been ridden hard and put away wet within 1-2 years of use and 20,000 miles, there will be associated wear at the edges that can be seen.

if all indicators are thin, the rear pads are non-OEM and a little worn (fronts take most wear and it's not unusual to have them replaced by now,) there are reasons to wonder about the kind of miles.

asafonov

Thanks for everybody who offered advice on verifying that a Prizm was properly maintained. My mechanic was able to say with reasonable certainty that the car was not driven hard and did not seem to have any mechanical problems. And the sellers were able to find 2 oil filter receipts (with expected dates from last year).

I ended up buying the car. Still cannot fathom how a guy (& a gal) would know enough to use synthetic oil, and not know enough to keep maintenance records, essentially voiding remaining engine warranty.

fleetwoodsimca

(Concerning the potential voiding of a warranty)
Keeping a booklet with dated entries on maintenance should be as good of, if not better, evidence of upkeep versus saving dated receipts for maintenance items. What if you buy many filters at once, and it takes you 3 or 4 years to use them on that one car?
When buying a used car from a private owner, you need mostly to develop an opinion of that owner, and use that for evidence of veracity.

swschrad

that's right, all of them. they constantly depreciate, require maintenance, consumables, and they never conk out when you don't care.

you did the right thing by having the prism inspected to reduce your liability. a fat, wallowing parts hog munching on your wallet is a terrible thing to see. and you picked a car that among my coworkers seems to hold up well.

fleetwoodsimca

If the Prizm meets your general needs you just can't hardly get a better "little car." What a bargain for the service they provide!

"Recent msgs" is just the tool Town Hall needed. Many thanks to your programers!

mookie14

im like 100 miles over on my oil change will that hurt my engine by it being a new auto utility? plus besides the oil changes i dont like going to the dealer to get my oil changes so i want use mobil 1. but i dont want to pay out the but for the other things my maintanance books says i need. inspect the exhaust etc. etc. how can i get around this any help with this anybody???? plus i got like 6400 miles on it it was to be changed at 6300 so???

malachy72

most of the other maintenance is recommended not required by the dealer. make sure you know the difference.

vidtech

my old work car(86 t bird)has 170k miles on it.i use it as a work car.the engine consumes 1/3 to 1/2 quart a week.i change oil and filter every 3-4 k miles.its time to change the oil but i have been adding new oil to replenish what has been consumed.should i change oil as scheduled or stretch it out more.i plan on retiring this car this fall.

swschrad

if it's leaking that badly internally, as opposed to externally. since it's not going to increase your weekly oil budget much (oooohhh, sorry) I would say change it.

are those leaks internal or external? you might be a candidate for one of the "high-mileage" aka burner oils if it's internal, or for a miracle seal-leak compound if it's external. they cancel each other out, so both is not useful.

vidtech

i have internal blowby due to worn rings.i looked at that crud on the dipstick and decided to change it.the combustion byproducts sure seem to turn that nice clean oil into crud in a thousand miles...thanks for the advice.

fleetwoodsimca

What do you mean when you say your old car is your "work car?" Throw some Walmart thick copolymer in the oil. It is a less expensive version of the similar STP thick product. This might slow down the oil consumption a little, as you finesse this vehicle to the junk yard in the fall. (:o]

swschrad

is the one you drive to the mass-transit parking lot, where the security patrol is volunteer crackheads... or leave outside the mill and get full of dust, byproducts, and the occasional dropped load from a crane will get the odd car in the lot... or you drive the ratty pickup to the construction site because you are ferrying crud back and forth that slides all over the box and punches whangs in the thing... or the road is gawd-awful, and you don't want to crack up the soft rider you're still paying on that you take the kids around in.

your typical work car can be described as "trusty but rusty", if it indeed has what sorta looks like all four fenders on it. and if you took the beemer to work for a week, it would look like the work car.

dylan383

Toyota both in their booklet that came with my avalon and the dealership both recommend oil changes every 5,000 miles. I'm used to doing it every 3,000 miles. Any problem with going every 5,000? Any reason for the change in recommendation?

fleetwoodsimca

One thing is an absolute certainty. There's no problem going 3K between changes. You will just have to decide whether you want the "better bet" of going 3k, or the suggested 5K which is likely quite acceptable. I'd go the 3K, and let people tell me it is a waste of effort, because I am convinced there is a gain involved for my vehicle's longevity.

dylan383

That makes sense. I'm going to do that and do the other recommended stuff, like rotating tires every other oil change.

fleetwoodsimca

Contemplating my first oil change on my recently purchased VUE 4 cylinder, I sallied forth in search of a replacement oil filter to park on the garage shelf until the miles build up-- probably 3K. I was quite surprised to find that the filters are not exactly everywhere, in profusion. Saturn is now going to a drop-in filter element, reminiscent of the canister filters of decades ago, or some more recent motorcycles. I was shocked, and suffering near disbelief, when I investigated further. My NAPA connection tells me that this reversion to the past is happening to any number of GM lines.
  Does any poster out there have any information, or anecdotal experience with this "new but old" system? Opinions?

swschrad

nasty, evil, dripping ooze, perhaps trending towards tar if you go way too long. replete with heavy metals, acids, and polycyclic hydrocarbons that the EPA has determined make used motor oil a possible carcinogen to be avoided.

1) don't let it stay in contact with your skin too long, wash with plenty of soap and water.

2) IMHO, change oil and filter early and often to reduce the hazard.

3) find out where the engineer responsible for this excellent departure from the norm lives, and put up signs explaining what a good friend he is.

dumbest thing I have heard of this week, and that includes the "get out of jail for $500 million" fine on Worldcom, which amounts to pennies on the dollar of that fraud.

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