I noticed what sounded like a valve tap in my Versa, it had 45-50k miles or less when it started. Recently took it to the dealership (now it's at 65k) and they initially said the engine needed replaced, because it was run with bad oil ($5k to replace). Then they said it should be taken apart and cleaned for $1k because it had sludge in it. Then change the oil every 2k miles or so. I found other instances on the net where people had similar experiences and the dealer did the same dance. It sounds to me like the Versa engine is prone to oil sludge problems.
Granted, the manual recommends changing the oil every 7500 miles for my style driving, and I changed it about every 8-10k. But should that cause an engine to fry after 45k miles?
I plan on flushing the oil system at Valvoline service, cleaning the pan, screen, and top cover myself if needed, and change the oil ridiculously often. Hopefully that will lead to the problem dissipating somewhat, like it did for the other stories I read.
I noticed what sounded like a valve tap in my Versa, it had 45-50k miles or less when it started. Recently took it to the dealership (now it's at 65k) and they initially said the engine needed replaced, because it was run with bad oil ($5k to replace). Then they said it should be taken apart and cleaned for $1k because it had sludge in it. Then change the oil every 2k miles or so. I found other instances on the net where people had similar experiences and the dealer did the same dance. It sounds to me like the Versa engine is prone to oil sludge problems.
Granted, the manual recommends changing the oil every 7500 miles for my style driving, and I changed it about every 8-10k. But should that cause an engine to fry after 45k miles?
I plan on flushing the oil system at Valvoline service, cleaning the pan, screen, and top cover myself if needed, and change the oil ridiculously often. Hopefully that will lead to the problem dissipating somewhat, like it did for the other stories I read.
- Gordon C., Encinitas, CA, US