There's always that....

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There's always that one friend that doesn't take care of their car.

I've got a friend, a girl might I add (all sexism aside of course), that is the worst car maintainer I know. She's got a 99 Honda Civic, 165K miles, and I cannot believe the thing is still going. I just checked the fluids, bone dry on oil. Doesn't even reach the dipstick. This is the second time I've found her car this way. She's lucky it's a Honda because if it was anything else, it would've died long ago. I also had to tear out her entire exhaust, cat-back. The welds busted in two different places. Wonder how much that's going to cost her?

So I'm on my way to Wal-Mart to pick up some oil and a filter. Gonna go with Mobil 1 HM and a FU. Also gonna do a quick D&F on the tran fluid. It looks like oil it's so dark.

This poor car.
 
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M1 HM, or M1 EP since you know it's not going to be changed for a while.

Careful touching the transmission. If anything goes wrong even a year from now, it'll be blamed on you for what you did to the vehicle.


What's weird is that the people who take the worst care of their cars, are the ones that have cars that keep going and going until it finally just dies. The people to take minor care of their cars, way outside what is minimally required, but still attempts at maintenance, they're the ones where the car seems to just always have problems and keeps breaking down. Maybe auto maintenance is something you need to be either all-in on, or all-out of.
 
I was gonna go with EP but I figured the engine could use some seal swellers. There isn't any oil on the driveway so it must be burning it which the HM might help a little with but she's probably damaged the rings somewhat.
 
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Thats very nice of you to help her out with her car maintenance. Just make sure you are careful in doing so, because she could place the blame on you if anything goes wrong.
 
good oil and filter choice i would also check the tire pressure
just guessing i'll bet the inside is nasty too
usually people who dont maintain their car have nasty interior

about the dipstick being dry on some cars thats only a quart low
cant speak about honda dipsticks
but i would change it anyhow
 
Yeah don't even think about touching the transmission, Honda automatic transmissions are not known for reliability and WHEN it goes (not if) you'll be blamed. It probably won't help it any anyways.

Go for the Mobil 1 EP and grab an extra quart and teach her how to check it, how much to add when it's at each point on the dipstick. Maybe overfill it about 1/2 a quart. Get some masking tape to stick on the edge of the instrument cluster and write on there "Check oil at 166,000" so she checks it in 1,000 miles, then she can put another strip of tape on there with "Check oil at 167,000".
 
if shes a good friend change the tranny fluid , i personally would use hm oil
some people will not check the oil no matter what
its just their nature
i know some people who check their oil and know that it is low but never top it off for some reason
 
I personally don't believe in the old adage of leaving it go if it's high mileage. I've read hundreds of threads and for every person that has an issue there is another that doesn't. The transmission is in perfect working order, fresh fluid shouldn't change that.
 
I had a friend who beat the snot out of his truck and would never check the oil. He once went 27k miles on a VWB/Fram extra guard oil change from WalMart TLE before I changed it for him. The truck still made it to 200k miles on original engine and trans before he sold it.
 
Originally Posted By: cb_13
I had a friend who beat the snot out of his truck and would never check the oil. He once went 27k miles on a VWB/Fram extra guard oil change from WalMart TLE before I changed it for him. The truck still made it to 200k miles on original engine and trans before he sold it.


Holy snot. I bet that oil was sheared down to nothing.
 
Originally Posted By: jacky
if shes a good friend change the tranny fluid , i personally would use hm oil
some people will not check the oil no matter what
its just their nature
i know some people who check their oil and know that it is low but never top it off for some reason


There are people like that who grew up poor and always had mom/dad/themselves putting oil in an old Vega. To them, a new (good) car "doesn't burn oil" and not having to open the hood release shows that they "made it."

Same as people refusing to eat tuna/ramen/spaghetti as they grew up on it.
 
Originally Posted By: Throt
Originally Posted By: cb_13
I had a friend who beat the snot out of his truck and would never check the oil. He once went 27k miles on a VWB/Fram extra guard oil change from WalMart TLE before I changed it for him. The truck still made it to 200k miles on original engine and trans before he sold it.


Holy snot. I bet that oil was sheared down to nothing.

It was jet black, low and the engine was starting to tick from lack of lube. Drained filled and the tick went away like it never happened. I thought for sure he had done some serious damage that time. Those 4.6 V8's are some darn tough engine!
 
The vast majority of women don't give a [censored] about taking care of their car.
Now I know that some champion of women's suffrage will chime in about how his aunt changes her own oil. But the fact is...that's the exception.

They beat them into the ground and then call dad when they blow.
 
Originally Posted By: Throt
I was gonna go with EP but I figured the engine could use some seal swellers. There isn't any oil on the driveway so it must be burning it which the HM might help a little with but she's probably damaged the rings somewhat.



You probably need to go with a 20w-50 to slow down the consumption. Unless you plan to check it for her every week or 2.

Why tear the exhaust off. Can it be repaired? Put some of that wrap on.
 
Originally Posted By: SumpChump
The vast majority of women don't give a [censored] about taking care of their car.
Now I know that some champion of women's suffrage will chime in about how his aunt changes her own oil. But the fact is...that's the exception.

They beat them into the ground and then call dad when they blow.


I am no sexist but I have to agree. I don't know any woman personally that takes care of their car. I consider changing oil to be a basic adult function.

What's funny is she did call her Dad! He's kind of an absent father though so when she needs money for repairs he helps her out. I know for a fact if it wasn't for me finally giving in and checking her stuff, that car would be in the junk yard already. A burden of being a man that we'll all bear till we kick the bucket.
 
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Originally Posted By: Throt
I was gonna go with EP but I figured the engine could use some seal swellers. There isn't any oil on the driveway so it must be burning it which the HM might help a little with but she's probably damaged the rings somewhat.



You probably need to go with a 20w-50 to slow down the consumption. Unless you plan to check it for her every week or 2.

Why tear the exhaust off. Can it be repaired? Put some of that wrap on.




I don't think a higher weight oil is needed just yet. This car hasn't been checked on since July of last year and has been short tripped 7 days a week all winter (her work is less than a mile away). So between those two, and it's age and mileage, I think it's just normal usage, just needs to be checked on more often. Now if I check it in 2 weeks and it's a quart low, then we might need to up the weight next change.

Ended up going with Valvoline 5w-30 Full Synthetic MaxLife. It was on sale.

And the exhaust had busted at two welds: at the back of the catalytic converter and at the muffler. It needs to be fixed right, not some wrap....especially when daddy is paying
wink.gif
 
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Originally Posted By: jacky
good oil and filter choice i would also check the tire pressure
just guessing i'll bet the inside is nasty too
usually people who dont maintain their car have nasty interior


about the dipstick being dry on some cars thats only a quart low
cant speak about honda dipsticks
but i would change it anyhow


Her interior is absolutely disgusting. It's repulsive.
 
Originally Posted By: Throt
There's always that one friend that doesn't take care of their car.

I've got a friend, a girl might I add (all sexism aside of course), that is the worst car maintainer I know. She's got a 99 Honda Civic, 165K miles, and I cannot believe the thing is still going. I just checked the fluids, bone dry on oil. Doesn't even reach the dipstick. This is the second time I've found her car this way. She's lucky it's a Honda because if it was anything else, it would've died long ago. I also had to tear out her entire exhaust, cat-back. The welds busted in two different places. Wonder how much that's going to cost her?

So I'm on my way to Wal-Mart to pick up some oil and a filter. Gonna go with Mobil 1 HM and a FU. Also gonna do a quick D&F on the tran fluid. It looks like oil it's so dark.

This poor car.

Add an extra 1/2 qt. with the new OC.
 
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