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Thread: Oil Sludge - Mechanic tells me to sell the car??

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2016
    Location
    Sydney, NSW, Australia
    Posts
    1
    My Cars
    2005 BMW X3 2.5i e83

    Oil Sludge - Mechanic tells me to sell the car??

    Hi all,

    First post so please let me know if anything should be added to further clarify!



    I bought a 2005 X3 with about 188.000k for 10k AUD and 7 months later its time for service.

    So far the car has been good with some minor hiccups. Runs good etc.

    A couple of days after the service the car is shaking violently and is diagnosed with bad spark plugs and ignition coils.
    Apparently, these have never been changed and the mechanic drops the "your engine is in really bad shape" bomb.

    According to him, the engine has not had the oil changes done properly and it has some bad oil sludge build up.

    Recommendation from him is now when the car is not leaking oil (replaced rocker cover gasket) I should sell it as soon as possible.

    I just put about 2k AUD on the car and I would like to keep it.

    So can I clean it up? Do 5000k oil changes and do this while oil is hot, and how long can I have it for before expecting major problems?

    I do not want to sell a car in bad faith but I also would not want to take my chances of having a total engine failure in 6 months.



    So I hereby send this out to you guys to guide me with how to take the next step.



    Link to photos the mechanic took while replacing rcg.

    https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...GM?usp=sharing



    Cheeeeeeers,

    Darshi

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Ca
    Posts
    6,981
    My Cars
    2001 525it
    Yea not to good in there,it's that the oil was not change at regular intervals. The have some chemicals to run in your engine for this type of thing then drain the oil. I don't know what would happen if you did that.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Toronto
    Posts
    124
    My Cars
    1997 BMW 840Ci
    Well, first I applaud you for insisting on transaction in good faith.
    Second, there usually is sludge build up, yours looks excessive, but it's not the end of the world. I have cleaned engine tops before with Top End Cleaners. Use them as per the instructions on the can, then change oil and spark plugs. Run it hard for a 1000k, change oil and gaskets.
    These engines are quite strong.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Central California
    Posts
    21
    My Cars
    11 X3 28i, 05 MB CLK320
    The reason the sludge exists is because the previous owner never changed his oil. Go to your local parts store and pick up a good engine oil addative / cleaner. Use it per instructions and change your oil several times and repeat cleaner until the oil looks clear and new. You might have to use the cleaner 3 or 4 times but it will make a big difference. You might want to have the oil drain pan removed and clean the inside. This is where most of the sludge accumulates then use a new gasket when replacing the pan. As far as spark plugs go it is an easy DIY'er but it depends on your skill level. Spark plugs usually last at least 50 to 60k miles or more. Platinum plugs last longer. Pull one of the existing plugs and have a look see. You should see a light tan colored ash on the electrode. Recently my friend brought his X3 to the dealer for just changing the spark plugs. I could not believe how much they charged him. $475.00 (Tax Included) for 6 plugs and labor. They charged him $30 per plug. I could not believe it.
    Last edited by Timewarpone; 01-01-2017 at 02:53 PM.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Toronto
    Posts
    124
    My Cars
    1997 BMW 840Ci
    Oil additives are the last thing I would use and would discourage anyone from using them. That's different from cleaners.
    Oil additives are meant to stay in the engine with the oil. Cleaners are meant to be used then evacuated in 10 minutes and oil changed.
    As I said I would not advise going the route of additives. There's almost always a link between using additives and having some weird engine trouble ranging from oil leaks to losing compression.
    Cleaners also have some risk but less than additives. And if used carefully as per their instructions can be completed safely. Also they're promptly evacuated in 10 minutes.
    The safest way although less effective is to clean it through frequent oil changes. Like 4-5 oil changes a 1000k apart. Run the car hard the immediately let the oil drain while the engine is still very hot. But that gets expensive rapidly considering 7.5 litres of Castrol syntec and filter runs about $75




    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2016
    Location
    Central California
    Posts
    21
    My Cars
    11 X3 28i, 05 MB CLK320
    I stand corrected. Addatives should not be used. I was really refering to an engine cleaner.

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