Preventing Oil Sludge








(Rochester, N.Y.) - "This car is sludged up and has an engine problem we're going to deal with today," said mechanic Paul Marone.

Marone says he deals with oil sludge all the time and it can cause extensive damage to an engine. But why, how does it happen?

One reason may be that people are keeping their cars longer-- driving them as much as 150,000 miles.

Marone said, "Manufacturers are extending oil change intervals to as much as once every 10,000 miles for an oil change-- which for Rochester is severe, is not acceptable."

Sludge is sticky, gelled oil that builds up on the engine. It plugs it up and wears the engine out. Mechanics says cars can become sludgy when consumers don't change the oil often enough, or if the wrong kind of oil is used.

Some manufacturers like Saab, Volkswagen and Audi offer extra protection on certain engines.

Dan Bresnan of John Holtz said, "Manufacturers got together and decided to stand behind their products and offer extended warranties for clients using mineral based oil, based on recommendations at that time."

At that time mineral based oil was used, which does not sit well in an engine for long periods of time.

In 2004 manufacturers changed to a synthetic oil which works better for extended oil changes.

To keep your car free of sludge, Marone recommended following an aggressive maintenance schedule, especially when driving in severe weather.

To take advantage of special warranties, manufacturers require that you prove you took care of your vehicle with recommended scheduled oil changes.

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