Do you trust a used-car OLM?

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What point would you trust the OLM on a used car?


Even though I don't have any of the receipts on hand, the previous owner did go to one of the local mechanics I consider pretty reputable, and he only works a few doors down from the mechanic (so no excuse to not bring it in). For records sake, we're talking about a 2008 Saturn Outlook with an oil life monitor. OLM is reporting 49% life left, I use this SUV almost exclusively for a mild (40mph) commute Monday to Friday.


I realize many on here will say dump and fill, yet maybe only 5% of those folks would feel the same about transmission fluid.
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I agree with Lotl... there's no telling if the OLM was arbitrarily reset at some point, and even though today's OLM programming is much better, is $25-30 for an OC really that big of a deal?

BTW I much preferred the $13 (oil & filter bought on clearance :)) I spent on the OC on the Odyssey I just bought over the $94 to drain and fill the tranny until the fluid was clean...
 
I think in this case, I would do a visual inspection of the oil and then decide. If I didn't like the looks of the oil, then I would go ahead and change. Otherwise, I might try a run of 2-3K more miles and see how that goes. Depending on the shop, I am surprised there is not an oil change reminder sticker on the windshield that could be used to deduce when the oil was actually changed.
 
Whenever I purchase a vehicle, unless it is new of course, I change out all fluids. This way you know all fluids are fresh, clean, are at the correct levels, and are of good quality since you chose them. I would do the same if I were you. Transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid (if it uses a hydraulic system), coolant, and engine oil would all be on my list of to do's, also don't forget to change those air filters!
 
Originally Posted By: LotI
Personally, I would change it and reset. Because I would know for sure, that's why. I could also put in my preferred fluids.


This to me makes the most sense. I would start out with fresh fluids on any used car just for my peace of mind.
 
It depends on the car. We went by the OLM on our CPO RAV4 since it was apparent the vehicle had been reconditioned by the dealer prior to the sale.
 
Okay, I'll take an opposing view to most here.
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Leave it for the rest of the OLM predicted life.

The car is used, right? You don't say how many miles on the car, but being an '08, let's assume it has about 100k miles on it. So someone else has been doing the last 15-20 oil changes, right? What difference is one more or less going to make?

If the previous owner has been maintaining the car properly, having the oil changed each time the OLM calls for it, with a quality product of the right viscosity for the conditions, then what would make us think that the oil in the crankcase right now has been changed any differently?

If you think that the owner didn't do the last oil change properly, perhaps putting a non-API oil in or running it for an extremely long interval, then all the previous oil changes are suspect also. In which case, changing the oil right now isn't going to save that engine from the wear that it already has experienced in the last 100k miles. What, the remaining OLM cycle may be another 3k miles, probably less than 3% of the life of the engine to date?

In this case, the real question is not whether the oil should be changed, but rather if when inspecting the car you found signs of poor or under maintenance, and found yourself uncomfortable about what the previous owner had done, or not done, then why in the world did you still buy the car? It's not like it's some type of collector's item. It's a Saturn.
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So, no. Let the oil run to the end of the OLM cycle. Then put in the oil of your choice. Start your own maintenance program at that time.

But that's just my opinion.
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Let the flames begin.
 
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If in doubt, there is no doubt, get the old fluids out!

I never trust previous owners or garages to use the correct oil, so I would get an oil & filter job done BUT supply the oil and filter. I would only use OEM or German certified OEM standard filters (Bosch, Mann if made in Germany or Mobil 1) and a major brand (Mobil, Castrol, Shell/Penn or Liqui Moly) full synthetic.

Oddly enough OLM's are very reliable, although it is worth keeping a check on total miles as a cross check.
 
Add me to the change it and reset it group. If I bought a used car, one of the first things I'd do is change the oil, unless I was 100% certain of when the oil was last changed and what was used.
 
The LY7 in 08 Outlooks has had some issues with timing chain "stretch" although not nearly as bad as 07 models, such as my Acadia.

I don't know if 08 was part of the reprogramming of the OLM like mine was, but I think it still goes too long. Dirty oil has been cited as a contributing factor in chain issues.

I use my trip B to keep track of my interval in addition to the OLM. I keep about 5K miles which isn't more ham 70% of oil life used (OLM >30%).

The oil journals were later enlarged to give the chain more flow so I don't think length of change interval was the only issue.
 
Originally Posted By: firemachine69
What point would you trust the OLM on a used car?

I don't necessarily trust a new car OLM. So why would I trust a used one?
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Originally Posted By: gregk24
Whenever I purchase a vehicle, unless it is new of course, I change out all fluids. This way you know all fluids are fresh, clean, are at the correct levels, and are of good quality since you chose them. I would do the same if I were you. Transmission fluid, brake fluid, power steering fluid (if it uses a hydraulic system), coolant, and engine oil would all be on my list of to do's, also don't forget to change those air filters!
+1 This is what I did with my car. Although I haven't changed my brake fluid yet. I will one of these days though.
 
Originally Posted By: UltrafanUK
If in doubt, there is no doubt, get the old fluids out!

I never trust previous owners or garages to use the correct oil, so I would get an oil & filter job done BUT supply the oil and filter. I would only use OEM or German certified OEM standard filters (Bosch, Mann if made in Germany or Mobil 1) and a major brand (Mobil, Castrol, Shell/Penn or Liqui Moly) full synthetic.

Oddly enough OLM's are very reliable, although it is worth keeping a check on total miles as a cross check.


They're not always reliable. I had a co-worker who had to take her Chevy SUV to the dealer as they had to reprogram the OLM, as the interval it was providing was too long and had been causing engine problems while under warranty. It must have been WAY off to see such a consequence. I personally don't change my oil according to the OLM in my Civic as it tells me to go about 13k per change with a filter change every 26k. I change both half way through and don't reset it and change it again when it tells me to. I might be wasting money,but I feel a lot better with 6500 mile intervals.
 
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Yeah, as refined as the OLM algorithms may be, they still can't account for all variables. It is generic at best. I never pay any attention to it except to reset it to keep it quiet. Just one more of those things that OEM's provide that I have to pay for and have no use for.
 
One question I have about these is that they are designed to tell you when your oil is no longer "good enough". How do they define "good enough"? And in order for it to be safe to follow it, it would have to be based on the "lowest quality" oil that meets their oil spec. I doubt if they use a WPP oil that does meet the certifications and specs that you can buy at a convenience store. While I think OLM's are useful, I wouldn't go the full interval on a car I intended to keep for 300k miles.

While the algorithm used might be quite sophisticated, its utility depends on the two above variables.
 
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