“Change your oil.” That’s the sage advice of a mechanic who chronicled a saga involving a Nissan that was an alarming 30,000 miles overdue for an oil change—with a surprise at the end.
The videos capturing the journey of a seemingly-ruined 2021 Nissan Kicks came from TikTok user Crutchfield Automotive (@crutchfieldauto), a repair shop in Fosters, Ala., near Tuscaloosa. In it, the mechanic shows the horrifying sludge inside the neglected engine, and lays out his mission.
“It has built a cake of oil inside,” he remarks. “Don’t know that we could save this engine. We’re going to try.”
Can the engine be saved?
The video has amassed 826,000 views since Aug. 15. In the comments section of the original video, viewers expressed skepticism that it could be saved.
“Nissan Kicks the Bucket,” one quipped, turning the model name into a verb.
Another user scolded, “I will never understand how people can spend thousands of dollars on something and not take care of it.”
Someone else observed, “Bro basically never got an oil change.”
How long can you go without an oil change?
While your vehicle’s manual will provide the definitive word on how often your specific car needs an oil change, it’s not a good idea to stretch too far beyond that recommendation.
According to AET Systems, “Depending on the type of oil you use, your car can run a few hundred or even a thousand miles beyond the recommended interval without experiencing severe engine deterioration.”
But the same article warns, “Regular oil changes are the lifeblood of your vehicle. Just like a healthy diet keeps a human body in top shape, consistent oil changes keep an engine running smoothly and efficiently.”
Jiffy Lube adds that if your car gives you a change oil light or message, you should aim to get an oil change in within 100 miles of the car effectively imploring you to change it.
Did the Nissan indeed ‘Kicks the Bucket?’
Despite the state of the engine, and the horrors of the oil filter unveiled in a separate video, the mechanic went to work.
Remarkably, as a follow-up video showed, he got the engine back to working order.
“We were actually able to get that customer out the door, back in their vehicle,” he observed. “Now he’s got other issues: Transmission slip and things like that, but that engine is not smoking. It’s not consuming oil. Cranks right up. There’s no misfires. I’m a little surprised at all of this, honestly, with how much neglect you saw there.”
He started, shockingly, by pressure washing the engine once he pulled it apart. “I know, sounds terrible, but we had to get rid of that sludge. Could have just done an engine treatment. We opened it all the way up. We opened up the oil pan, the valve cover, got all the sludge out, blew it out with air.”
Additionally, he employed Marvel Mystery Oil and did several oil changes in succession. The car owner’s not out of the woods yet, as the mechanic recommended two oil changes in quick succession at 500-mile intervals.
But as he concluded, “Hopefully we’ve saved an engine. Only time will tell.” He then added, “Change your oil.”
An update on the situation
Responding to the Daily Dot’s inquiry via email, the mechanic (whose name is Ryan) reported, “We have seen the client since and it’s still running great,” noting the repair wasn’t as expensive as you might think.
“Pulling the valve cover, oil pan, cleaning inside the engine, double oil change parts and labor was about $800.”
He added, “Neglect is the number one killer of engines and we see them week in and week out. This car went to two other shops who suggested a blown head gasket before it got to us. It was far overdue for a change and had been filled to 10.4 quarts whereas it only calls for about 4.5 quarts of oil.”
The message here is clearly to change your oil, but don’t overdo it.
@crutchfieldauto Whats a 30k mile overdue on oil nissan engine look like inside? #nowyouknow #crutchfieldautomotive #nissan #engine #clean ♬ original sound – CrutchfieldAuto
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nissan via email.
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