How come engine oil analysis isn’t more common when buying a used car?
Posted by Fearless-Guide-4484@reddit | Autos | View on Reddit | 12 comments
So an oil analysis can tell you many things about your engine including if it is remotely close to failure. While yes, taking an oil sample, sending it in to get analyzed, and then getting back the results take time, the fastest turnaround time I have seen is 3 days from speeddiagnostix. Not immediate, but if I had to wait 3 days and take the risk that someone else might buy the car I analyzed, I think it would be worth it to get something that I know won’t fail. It's especially worth it if the car is a dime a dozen and average days on lot is long.
This might be harder to do via private party since sellers might feel weird about this, but I think this is not so big a deal with a dealer. For example, just ask the dealer to take the car to get it pre-inspected and ask if they can take an oil sample while they're at it. Then ask the mechanic to take an oil sample and then send it in. Am I missing something as to why this isn’t a more common practice?
Trollygag@reddit
There's your answer.
I called a mechanic at 9am, PPI was done by 11.30am.
Fastest oil test is (9 hrs /2.5 * 3 =10) times longer than taking it in for a PPI at any local mechanic.
Thick_Plankton2075@reddit
A mechanic is still not able to do any intrusive or destructive testing. We're not magicians with x-ray vision. We can make guesses off fluid color, smell, and perception of lubricity, but thats it, a guess. I don't even do PPIs or really believe in them honestly. The main system, the drivetrain, I cant give an objective opinion on. A person can steam clean the undercarriage, change all the fluids, and all i can tell you is its not leaking and the fluids are new, so that may be a sign of a con attempt. MAY be. maybe not.
Thick_Plankton2075@reddit
Really, for change of owenership, the economics dont work out. most used car dealers are not going to warranty anything past maybe a 1,000 miles, and they are not going to make a potential customer wait to trade something in while they wait on an oil analysis. The risk they accept of losing on a bum trafe in is more than offset by volume of vehicles moved.. If they lose big, say a V12 moto and the math works out to replace the motor vs scrap or sell the car to auction, they'll just spread the cost out over the next X vehicles sold.
judgemeordont@reddit
Any half decent mechanic can inspect a car in under an hour and tell you if it's fucked or not. Oil analysis is so far beyond overkill that it's just ridiculous to even consider it.
sammothxc@reddit
Well unfortunately from personal experience, I had a mechanic “certify” a used car I bought. It spun the bearings just 3 months later and a used oil analysis that I sent in would’ve unveiled the fatally high levels of bearing material wear in the oil and helped me avoid what is now a huge moneypit
wastedtimes314@reddit
they guy you responded to just likes easy, 'canned' answers. i see this all over reddit, people don't invest any thought or effort. just "do it my way."
Thick_Plankton2075@reddit
and he sounds like a tard to begin with. one of those "engineers are so dumb, they want you to replace those headbolts just so the dealer can make money" type tards that chicken heads with 5 different baby daddies swear is the "best mechanic in the hood who wont cheat you like the shops," not knowing her car is a death trap 5 times over now. If his $40 Pxxxx code grabber from amazon cant diagnose it, its not worth fixing,
sammothxc@reddit
Yeah sadly the canned answers would work in a perfect world… but that’s not this world
rat57az@reddit
I would think time is the biggest factor. How long does it take to get oil sample results back and would the vehicle still be available when you do get the results?
Fearless-Guide-4484@reddit (OP)
The one company I quoted is speediagnostix that can do the turnaround in 3 days, but yes, I understand exactly this point as that would be my main point of concern when buying a vehicle. However, I would argue that there should be a subset of customers that should be doing this - e.g. the ones that can wait 3 days and don't need a car immediately, and they are also buying a car that is not rare at all and likely to stay on the lot for 3 days. Do you think this subset is actually a small percentage of buyers?
Over-Rev@reddit
Oil analysis is mire a thing I would do after I've owned a car for a while and it's got higher mileage on it, just to see where it stands. I have a 2013 Focus with almost 400,000km and I just sent a sample to Blackstone for the first time, just for the heck of it really as I'm curious. The engine definitely still feels strong and Healthy so 500k should be doable.
lnengineering@reddit
We recommend carrying out used oil analysis when shopping for a newer Porsche. Many models suffer from cylinder bore scoring which can be detected with used oil analysis. We specifically look for elevated levels of aluminum, iron, and silicon that are indicative of this problem. if the car has been heavily tracked, worn main and rod bearings will also show up. Having the engine oil tested is a worthwhile investment and should be done as part of a PPI. The only issue that we come across are cars that have had their oil changed recently. Without adequate mileage on the engine oil, having it tested may not tell you anything unless you have something catastrophic going on int the engine. We use SPEEDiagnostix used oil analysis exclusively for our testing.