Never rely on lights for the oil level. If you do, it’s usually too late.
I check oil every second tank of gas and other fluid levels every 3 weeks.
A 06 w/100k is worth a lot more than $200 even with a bum motor.
But some cars, you have to rely on the low oil light. My 15 Forester, the dip stick is almost useless, as the reading is +/- 1 quart. In other words, I can read it 5 times in a row and get 5 different readings. This is verified by the manual, although they word it differently.
I think you idea of junking this car is a good one. The recycler should give you some money for it I expect, not a lot, but something. I change the oil and filter on m Corolla every 4,000 to 5,000 miles. But I check the oil level on the dipstick every 500 miles. It doesn’t use much oil so I rarely have to top it off, but if it is starting to look overly dark, or it is down to the 1 quart low mark, then I’ll change the oil and filter at that time.
Low or dirty oil could indeed damage the timing chain or associated gadgets.
I disagree about scrapping the car . . . I think it’s a bad financial move
I think the best move would be to install a used engine . . . if somebody can verify it’s good, and that may be a challenge, unfortunately
Word of mouth is almost worthless, in such a situation
Bill, something clearly is affecting the accuracy of your readings. This isn’t normal. Are you taking them all under the same conditions? I always check mine first thing in the morning before starting the engine for the first time.
I know that on some vehicles oil that clings to the side of the dipstick tube messes up the readings if oil is checked just after the engine has been run. Subies having horizontally opposed cylinders, perhaps oil clinging to the cylinder walls messes up the reading accuracy move than engines with more vertical cylinders if the level is checked just after shutting the engine off.
In the old days where gasoline stations were service stations, most attendants would raise the hood and check the oil. I check the oil at every other fillup, but I never see any other motorists do anything but pump in the gas and take off. It seems to me while the tank is filling that,that,time is well utilized by checking the oil instead of watching the,meter on the gas pump.
I check the oil level at home in my driveway, about once a week
When I come home from work, I open the garage door, shut off the engine and pop the hood. Then I spend a few minutes checking the fluid levels, belts, hoses, etc.
On Saturday or Sunday mornings, I check tire pressures cold
Not everybody checks these things at the filling station. Just because you don’t see somebody doing what you’re doing, doesn’t mean they’re neglecting their car(s)
You have your method, and your logic, and I have mine
@Docnick: What other fluid levels should I be checking every 3 weeks?
On another point, the low oil indicator (which my car MUST have had), never came on. The only thing that came on was the check engine light, and by then it was too late.
Get 2nd opinion. There is a periodic valve clearance inspection at 105k miles. Majority of time they are fine you likely were not with skipped required maintenance/inspection…
You likely burned one or more up so a valve job is in order. 3k seems steep for an engine not requiring removal to perform this.
Yes, your car does have a low oil pressure indicator. It is above the tachometer and left of the speedometer. It is the right-most indicator light and looks like an oil can dripping oil. Check page 250 of your owner’s manual for a picture and explanation. If you don’t know where it is, you may have missed it or misunderstood the purpose of the light. I mention this so that with your next car, you will learn what all the indicator lights and gauges are and what they tell you. If there is no owner’s manual, you can download it from the car manufacturer’s web site. Good luck with your car search.
TSM: It’s definitely oil from the sides of the tube — the tube makes a sharp curve near the bottom. I can wipe, read, wipe, read, repeat, and never get two readings the same. Engine cold, level ground.
@ko81 I check the coolant level, power steering fluid, brake fluid, and transmission fluid at 3 weeks or monthly intervals. The transmission fluid needs the car to warmed up (very important) and idling in Park. Your owners manual should have that in writing.
Checking the transmission fluid also allows you to inspect it; anything less than a clear pink color means it needs to be changed. If it smells burned, you already have a problem that needs immediate attention.
I will suggest that in the future you ignore the Oil Life Minder which tells you when you should change your oil.
There are a number of factors that control the oil change regimen which the OLM does not account for.
Many engines have been damaged or outright destroyed by adhering to the OLM; usually due to the oil level getting ignored and/or oil sludging due to the OLM’s kick in the pants being delayed too much.
Driving around a quart down on the oil level is not good either. That means the existing oil is running hotter than normal and that contributes to oil sludging or coking.
One of the more memorable examples on this forum regarding the OLM was the lady with the 2009 Traverse bought new and whose reliance on the OLM led to a totally trashed engine by the 40k miles mark.
@Docnick: I could certainly make an effort to check those other things regularly. But would say that checking the oil is the MOST IMPORTANT thing to check, because not doing that usually results in the costliest of repairs?
@ko81 Yes, oil checking is the most important, but not bothering to check the transmission fluid can easily result in a $4000 repair. In fact most of the newer cars end up on the scrap heap because the transmission has been neglected, not the engine. I have at least 3 acquaintances, all very level headed, who ignored the transmission. Car makers don’t tell you to drain and refill the fluid regularly, but they should!
If the transmission does not leak, you don’t have to check it more than once a month, and drain the fluid and change the filter every 30,000 miles. That’s what all posters here recommend.
@ko81 : Low oil and coolant can both be catastrophic for your engine. Low brake fluid can be catastrophic for you, but much less likely to be low. In many cars today, however, coolant, brake fluid, and power steering fluid checks can be done by visually inspecting marked opaque containers; in this case, there’s really no reason to not check them while you’re checking the oil. Transmission fluid is a little more involved. The cars I’ve owned have each had a special procedure for checking transmission fluid, and not the same procedure. And don’t forget tire pressure; if I remember, I check it monthly.
I’m sure you will be checking fluids, esp. oil, more in your new car.
boilerengtn was referring to translucent, not opaque, containers. You can see through them well enough to see the level of the fluid inside. In the past the containers for brake fluid and power steering fluid were usually metal, and opaque. I remember at least one Renault that had a glass container for either the radiator overflow or the washer fluid. Transparent, rust-free, but heavy and brittle. .
To repeat what others have said You have a low oil PRESSURE light. That is NOT a low oil light. The low pressure light does not come on until the oil pump runs out of oil to pump. That is usually at 1 quart or less. In the meantime, for months the oil level in you car has been dropping lower and lower, concentrating the unburned gasoline and dirt in your oil into a smaller and smaller amount of lubricant.
Your oil life monitor is no help, it doesn’t know your car is burning oil, it is just an algorithm based on miles driven, how many starts and possibly engine temp.
The only way to protect your engine is by regularly checking your oil dipstick.
My owners manual suggests once a month and that is fine until you car starts burning oil.
Some places that change oil won’t even change your oil if there is none showing on your dipstick because they don’t want to be blamed for the damage you have already done to your engine.