Used car purchase opinions wanted.

[SevenBizzos]

After nearly 12 months lurking on this site, I guess it's time I start my first thread. This site has been a GREAT resource.

I recently purchased a mid 90's Prelude with 125k miles on it for my daily driver. I also own a 2002 Mustang, which is "the shrine" and only gets driven 5k/yr.

The Mustang is coming out of storage soon, and I'm about to place my Amsoil order for it. I noticed Amsoil is making an engine flush and wanted some opinions on using it for the Prelude.

The Prelude is in mint condition and has been garage kept since day one. The owner was very good about changing the oil in the 4k-5k mile interval. He never changed it himself and always took it to his local garage, which also did any repairs the cars needed (i.e. not an oil change place). They didn't specify what oil they used, so who knows what it was.

Anyway, do you think it's a good idea to run an engine flush before I start my own OCI's? I've read mixed reviews on these flushes. Even though that's not a ton of miles for a Honda, should I just stay dino or move to PP or something? I've never bought a car with that many miles, so I'm not 100% on what to do.

Anyway, I'm out of lurker status. Thanks for the help!!

 

[simple_gifts]

I'd surf on over to the Fuel, Additives and Cleaners section and read about Auto-Rx.

Recommended by many on this site to clean up any varnish/deposits in your engine. I've used this product on my F150 I6 (180K) with GREAT results.

www.auto-rx.com

 

[mitchcoyote]

I would'nt flush the engine. I would just put in the Amsoil and drive.....

 

[cdherman]

I personally remain skeptical just how much Auto-rx does for an engine. Not to bad mouth any of the anecdotal reports that are very common here. But, true, contolled, scientific studies by someone with no bias -- they have not been done to the best of my knowledge. Speaking from a medical background, there are lots of "cures" that turn out to be snake oil once you expose them to true science.

I would personally like to believe what is being said about Auto-rx, and for the people about to flame me, I am NOT SAYING that it doesn't work. Just no one has proven to me that it DOES work. Proof is not one or even 20 or 100 reports of efficacy. Proof is numbers, with some standard deviation or confidence intervals included.

What makes me really skeptical is that someone probably DID test this stuff. Someone like GM or Ford or Exxon-Mobil. If it were proven to work, they would buy that company that makes it immediately, for a boat-load of cash, and market the stuff under their name as "Mobil 1 Engine Renew" and tell the buyer that this wonderful elixer is what you run when you buy a poorly maintained jalopy, right before you put in the Mobil 1.

Or they would copy it. But if there were something that would clean out an engine and really worked, don't you think someone with some real brand name recognition would have noticed? Conspiracy theories aside, there IS a market for this. If someone had good scientific data, the product would sell like hotcakes. We crazy oil fanatics would start using it like Lipitor, just in case we had some sludge in out passages....

Just my thoughts...

 

[Ken42]

Can you say patents. If somebody copied it and Frank found out.... oh boy........

Ken

 

[Merkava_4]

For the Prelude I'd just fill it up with a quality blend or synthetic and call it good. What viscosity are you going to use?

 

[JHZR2]

For the prelude, Id watch/worry more about the #@$%! rubber parts that Honda uses in their vehicles, and less about the engine.

Our 94 integra has had a lot of rubber degradation, but runs like a champ and still gets above EPA fuel economy after 180k. Clutch has a horrible feel that just ius what it is, and after replacing all components, has not changed... alternators dont last that well, and Honda radiators are terrible... Id guess that you would experience similar issues, but reliability wise and operationally otherwise, Im sure it is rock-solid for another 100K.

I would actually consider running Pennzoil Platinum in there (we ran M1 in our integra and while it was fine, PP is better given our drain intervals), as a 5w30 and just shoirtening up the drain intervals... The first can be a 3000mi, second can be a 4000 mi, then go up to factory OKed max, with a used oil analysis, and then let Terry Dyson tell you how much you can extend it for economy sake. The short drain intervals will help to clean (if there is much in there to clean), and will get you on good grounds to use a "synthetic" (groupIII whatever) oil.

Good luck!

JMH