Hi all.
I've got a 2009 1.6 Hdi 88 bhp 308 that I've had for about 9 years.
About 18 months ago I'd noticed the engine was sounding quite noisy and "tappety". I checked the oil level and it was just under maximum, so I took it to the dealer and they said the oil pressure was low (I'd not had the oil warning light come on). They said the oil looked really dirty and full of carbon even though I've always had an oil change and service annually by the dealer and was typically doing 8,000 - 10,000 miles per year. They didn't take the sump off to investigate further but said it might be that the oil pick up screen is blocked. However, they basically gave it two oil changes (the first one as a flush) plus a new oil filter and all then seemed fine. They also say that luckily there wasn't any sign of any silvering/metal deposits in the used oil.
I spent most of the next 12 months working from home and thus not doing much mileage at all - probably only 3,000 in the whole year and a fair chunk of that was town driving - which I know isn't great for an engine.
It had a full service in December and thus another oil change. Then I've used it a bit more in the first 6 months of this year (2,000 - 3,000 miles). Last month I was driving up a long series of hills and had the oil pressure and stop light come on. Luckily I was right next to a car park when it happened so was able to stop immediately.
I had the breakdown company recover it back to the dealers. The dealers took the oil filter off to have a look and are basically saying that the oil/engine again is full of carbon.They're basically suggesting writing the car off because of the likely cost of trying to investigate and then fix the problem. The car did start normally when they tried the ignition without any oil pressure warning lights and I was able to drive it the 5 miles home from the garage but have avoided using it since.
So the question is, are the dealer right that it's not worth doing any work on it because of the likely cost of investigating and fixing it? Is an engine flush with liqui-moly or similar a definite no-no because of the risk of dislodging larger deposits and them blocking oil channels, or causing oil leaks?
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Cheers,
Mike
I've got a 2009 1.6 Hdi 88 bhp 308 that I've had for about 9 years.
About 18 months ago I'd noticed the engine was sounding quite noisy and "tappety". I checked the oil level and it was just under maximum, so I took it to the dealer and they said the oil pressure was low (I'd not had the oil warning light come on). They said the oil looked really dirty and full of carbon even though I've always had an oil change and service annually by the dealer and was typically doing 8,000 - 10,000 miles per year. They didn't take the sump off to investigate further but said it might be that the oil pick up screen is blocked. However, they basically gave it two oil changes (the first one as a flush) plus a new oil filter and all then seemed fine. They also say that luckily there wasn't any sign of any silvering/metal deposits in the used oil.
I spent most of the next 12 months working from home and thus not doing much mileage at all - probably only 3,000 in the whole year and a fair chunk of that was town driving - which I know isn't great for an engine.
It had a full service in December and thus another oil change. Then I've used it a bit more in the first 6 months of this year (2,000 - 3,000 miles). Last month I was driving up a long series of hills and had the oil pressure and stop light come on. Luckily I was right next to a car park when it happened so was able to stop immediately.
I had the breakdown company recover it back to the dealers. The dealers took the oil filter off to have a look and are basically saying that the oil/engine again is full of carbon.They're basically suggesting writing the car off because of the likely cost of trying to investigate and then fix the problem. The car did start normally when they tried the ignition without any oil pressure warning lights and I was able to drive it the 5 miles home from the garage but have avoided using it since.
So the question is, are the dealer right that it's not worth doing any work on it because of the likely cost of investigating and fixing it? Is an engine flush with liqui-moly or similar a definite no-no because of the risk of dislodging larger deposits and them blocking oil channels, or causing oil leaks?
Any advice would be gratefully received.
Cheers,
Mike
