PSA - Don't use Valvoline Nextgen in the snow states!

"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
01/02/2014 at 08:47 • Filed to: Oil, PSA

Take all of this with a grain of salt, but the Nextgen oil has given me some problems as of late. For the record, I've got 1500 miles and about two months on this oil and filter. It can't seem to handle any trace amount of condensation in the oil as I came out to my car this morning to flashing oil lights and the telltale peanut butter gunk under my cap. I saw some after our first week of really cold temperatures but just assumed it was because I had barely driven the car since all the snow fell. A couple of good freeway cruises later - gone.

But this morning? I JUST finished two 175+ mile highway drives at 75mph so it's had some decently long drives to burn off the build up that happens in cars in the snow states. The oil itself seems to be discoloring at a normal rate and it isn't even a chocolate color yet. I'm going to add some seafoam to my engine, let it hit operating temp, idle it for about 10-15 minutes and drive to a good oil change place and get new oil + filter. This was NOT a good start to my first day back at work.

DISCUSSION (17)

505Turbeaux > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 08:49

what kind of car is it in?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > 505Turbeaux
01/02/2014 at 08:51

Mk3 jetta with the 2.0 ABA engine. An engine meant to run on just about any lubrication you can use.

505Turbeaux > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 08:54

Oh yeah, I thought it might be a VW, those things do get some crankcase condensation no matter what. But as you said you could probably piss in the crankcase and it will run

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > 505Turbeaux
01/02/2014 at 08:57

What's stupid is this is the first time I've ever had a car, any car, do this despite never parking in a garage and always living through michigan winters. Yeah, some crud on the cap isn't too uncommon when all you do it short city drives. And like I said, it cleared up last time. But now? Two very long freeway drives over the holiday and I either had enough form when it sat to trigger the oil sensor or it just didn't dissipate enough and now it's building up.

505Turbeaux > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 09:02

it is just crazy that it triggers the oil pressure light when cold. Just out of curiosity what is the mileage? The oil pump could be getting weak and cavitating a bit, which would just whip up the condensation in there

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > 505Turbeaux
01/02/2014 at 09:04

205,000 miles. I'll see what happens after fresh oil is put in. I just paid off college so I've got the money freed up for a new car but I'd like to drive this thing until it dies and save in the meantime.

505Turbeaux > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 09:07

IF it needs an oil pump, you could do it in around an hour on the ground. Keep the old girl going for a few more years!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > 505Turbeaux
01/02/2014 at 09:13

Nah, it needs a timing belt and the undercarriage is prone to random fits of attempted murder due to all the rust.

505Turbeaux > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 09:14

oh, well in that case drive it till the wheels/floor/fenders fall off it.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > 505Turbeaux
01/02/2014 at 09:16

That's the plan. Then go out and get a fiesta ST!

davedave1111 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 10:30

At that age/mileage, do you even care if it's attracting condensation?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > davedave1111
01/02/2014 at 10:39

Yes. All of my cars I've ever owned have had over 200k miles on them. Never seen this issue before. Plus I would like it to last until the end of winter.

davedave1111 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 10:42

I didn't realise it would be a major problem in the short-term. Are you sure it's just condensation and not a failing head-gasket or something?

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > davedave1111
01/02/2014 at 10:46

No white smoke, no loss of coolant, no obvious leaks so head gasket seems unlikely. I didn't think it would be that big of a problem but if it causes the oil light to flash (and potentially generate a warning chime) then I'm assuming it has a chance to cause something bad to happen. If nothing else, it is going to be really annoying to drive. There's a well reviewed 10-minute oil change place near me. It's 35$ with coupon but they know what they're doing. 35$ is cheap for the assurance that if there is excessive moisture in the oil then it's being removed.

davedave1111 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 10:55

I suppose for that price you might as well. I wish there was someone in the UK who did oil changes for anything like that price. I've only ever done it myself, but a while ago I was a bit busy so asked a couple of garages for a price; going rate seemed to be £30-40 plus the cost of the oil, which is why I still do it myself...

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > davedave1111
01/02/2014 at 11:35

Well in America you want to avoid the ones that advertise 20$ for an oil change because they typically use very low quality oil (or only have one or two weights) and don't have a very good procedure. The place I go to forces the guys to sign a checklist on things like the oil filter gasket and a check of the oil levels when the car is both off and on. Sounds simple enough but the shops that don't bother with that are where you end up with blown engines.

davedave1111 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
01/02/2014 at 12:57

Makes sense. It all seems a bit odd to me, because everyone in Europe has their oil changed at the annual (or whatever) service, if that, whereas everyone in the US seems to have it done every few months. Some cars now have 20k mile oil change intervals