# Burnet oil on engine cap - Should I buy this car? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** hyundai\ **Created:** [December 10, 2021, 9:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200 "2021-12-10T09:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![uk.meir\_178540](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/46a35a/32.png) [@uk.meir\_178540](https://community.cartalk.com/u/uk.meir_178540)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 9:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/1 "2021-12-10T09:04:36Z")
Hyundai i20 2014 (75,000 miles) Uploaded here an image and video to let you hear the engine noise too. [[Album] imgur.com ![](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/e/5/e55d4e67c6dbd6f8d4800e7b95334b6b295a53b4.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/a/u2VkbsS) Some say I should avoid this car, and some say it’s not a big deal. Need expert advice ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 10:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/2 "2021-12-10T10:16:30Z")
That looping of a two second sound bite doesn’t tell me much. I would be leery, engine may not have been serviced appropriately. Have an independent mechanic examine the vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![SteveCBT](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevecbt/32/3192_2.png) [@SteveCBT](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveCBT)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 11:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/3 "2021-12-10T11:24:02Z")
Walk away, the cap should be clean, this could be a sign of a head gasket leak. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 12:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/4 "2021-12-10T12:35:28Z")
Walk away, there are better cars out there. ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 2:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/5 "2021-12-10T14:47:35Z")
Pass up on that one! ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 5:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/6 "2021-12-10T17:56:32Z")
If you need expert advice, pay for a prepurchase inspection by a mechanic you trust. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 6:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/7 "2021-12-10T18:00:00Z")
I agree with the others. Hard pass. I also agree with @jtsanders that when you do think you’ve found a car you want to buy, get it inspected by a mechanic first. And if you’re looking at a dealership, don’t do what a lot of people do: Don’t let the dealership mechanic be the one inspecting the car the dealership is trying to unload on you. Take it somewhere else. But in this case, I wouldn’t bother spending the money on any mechanic because you already know the car has problems. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2021, 11:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/8 "2021-12-10T23:41:08Z")
Me, I wouldn’t make a decision on that car until I’d see what under the valve cover looked like. That black substance appears to be oil sludge, which can be a sign the engine oil hasn’t been changed frequently enough. If that’s the case it will usually show up in spades under the valve cover. If it looked ok under the valve cover and my own shop said “ok” after a pre-purchase inspection I’d consider this car though. ---
**Author:** ![joehorst\_173573](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8baadc/32.png) [@joehorst\_173573](https://community.cartalk.com/u/joehorst_173573)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 2:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/9 "2021-12-11T02:18:02Z")
I wouldn’t avoid this car because of the oil cap, I would avoid it because it is a Hyundai. If you still want the car, then get maintenance records and be sure it has been fully maintained. Likely it has not. You can only purchase these engines from the dealer, we have replaced a couple of them but have seen several in these years hauled off to recycle heaven. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 12:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/10 "2021-12-11T12:45:08Z")
> [@joehorst\_173573](#): > > I would avoid it because it is a Hyundai. And that would be silly because Hyundai is no longer churning out the junk boxes it was making in the 90’s. The modern Hyundai is a very good car. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 1:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/11 "2021-12-11T13:31:46Z")
A lot of purchases are made based on perceptions, whether they are realistic or not. I watched an Auto Mundial episode last night, and they reviewed the Camry sold in Europe. They hated it: poor handling, unimpressive acceleration, ugly. With reviews like that, it’s no wonder that Toyota is close to pulling the Camry from the European market. Here in the US though, the Camry is much more desirable. Different priorities lead to different sales results. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/12 "2021-12-11T14:34:36Z")
Burnett Chrysler Plymouth used to be a big dealer in our area. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/48514_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 2:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/13 "2021-12-11T14:39:03Z")
_Burnet Burgers_ was a fast food joint in my area, but they apparently closed because too many of their burgers were “Burnet”. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2021, 2:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/burnet-oil-on-engine-cap-should-i-buy-this-car/181200/14 "2021-12-11T14:46:00Z")
> [@uk.meir\_178540](#): > > Some say I should avoid this car, and some say it’s not a big deal. Need expert advice Have not said who these some people are . Asking for expert advice so they go to the web instead of a local auto shop . By the screen name they might be in the United Kingdom so the strict MOT inspections could keep this from being a wise purchase .