Timing Chain problem?

Checking your oil is about as hard as putting gas in the car and takes less time actually. Putting a quart in is about as hard as adding windshield wiper fluid.

You may be confusing checking/adding oil and changing the oil. Changing the oil is a little more involved and most people use mechanics for that.

Checking or adding oil takes no tools and only a minute or two or three.

Running an engine two quarts low instead of taking 3 minutes every other week to check/add. Well it’s your money.

Running an engine 2 quarts low is not good for the engine or the timing chain and its peripherals.

In defense of the mechanic, it could be that based upon the low oil scenario, 10 years of age, and 150k miles he’s afraid to get into the engine because as is often happens one thing leads to another.

The oil burning is also more than likely related to the low oil level which contributes to abnormally hot engine oil and which then leads to oil sludging and coking; none of it good on the chain, valve timing mechanism, or anything else inside that engine block.

Presented a high miles oil burning engine that has been run chronically low on oil I’d be a bit antsy about things also.

if you maintain your current maintenance method you will be spending a lot of time at the mechanic or at the dealership.

you will be spending a lot of money repairing cars or buying cars.

keeping the oil filled and changed is the single most important factor as to how long a car will last.

I m sorry if I offended you. it was not my intent.

oil, oil oil… :slight_smile:

I think she is confusing oil check with oil change. It takes little time and no mechanical aptitude or tools to check oil or add a quart if needed.

you might be right. the mechanic can change the oil, you just have to check it, and maybe poor a quart in occasionally

How could they make it easier than a dipstick?
They even have a brightly colored plastic handle these days to make it easy to find.
Maybe if it came through the firewall and you could pull it while sitting in the driver’s seat…