Can't Trust a Car Salesman!

I purchased a '13 Jetta Sportwagen from my local VW dealer just after Christmas. At purchase- I checked the oil- just because- and it was half a quart low. The salesman commented that it was strange because the oil was just changed. Yesterday, I put the JSW on my four post lift and pulled the belly pan. And to my amazement, the oil pan bolt and washer were actually crusty rusty. I did some further checking on the CarFax I was given for the car- and in fact it was last changed- 7000 miles ago on 8-10-2016- 2 1/2 years ago!. POS car salesman!

Carfax is marginal at best. The oil might have been changed yesterday and if the guy doing the changing doesn’t report it to Carfax they won’t know. The only thing Carfax is good for is to find out where your car has lived most of its life. Cold Rust belt or the land of sun and warmth. States usually report registrations and that can tell the tale of location.

The interval is 10k miles between oil changes so even if the car fax is right it’s still within the mileage margin.

Two and a half years on the other hand is a year or so to much but explains why the drain plug is rusty. Cars collect moisture when they sit around. You ought to see what 2 1/2 years of sitting up north here will do to a car. Brake lines gone, brakes seized, calipers seized, alternator, ac and wheel bearings all seized. Or any and all combinations of those items.

Make sure you use the right oil that’s almost as important as changing it regularly.

It's also possible that the oil was vacuumed out from the top. I'd just assume it wasn't done though. Even if it was, I wouldn't trust that they had used the right oil.

turbobrick240 said:

It's also possible that the oil was vacuumed out from the top. I'd just assume it wasn't done though. Even if it was, I wouldn't trust that they had used the right oil.

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My dealership uses an extractor, too. So it entirely possible that it was changed.

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You could have gone into the SRI right in front of the salesperson to see if it showed it had been reset. Doesn't mean the oil was actually changed, but at least it may give a clue.

I took the bolt and washer to my grinder/wire disc and cleaned them up like new. 5 quarts of Mobil 1 ESP and a new Mann filter and I now have piece of mind. Now to replace the missing belly pan screws.

Oil extractor is awesome for a Mk6. Did you look at the oil you removed for sediment? High sediment could be a indicator for long-lived oil.

upsbroke said:

I took the bolt and washer to my grinder/wire disc and cleaned them up like new. 5 quarts of Mobil 1 ESP and a new Mann filter and I now have piece of mind. Now to replace the missing belly pan screws.

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Great way to speed up the corrosion process because you just wire wheeled any protective plating off of the plug. Just buy a new plug for the next oil change.

Why would you expect a car salesman to tell you the truth? Their job is to tell you what you want to hear so you will buy a car.

Did you see the photo? Any coating there may have been at one time is long gone. I like the resourceful approach. It's not like it's a rusty brake line.

Oil is checked at operating temp on a level surface right? If car was cold it could show low.

turbobrick240 said:

Did you see the photo? Any coating there may have been at one time is long gone. I like the resourceful approach. It's not like it's a rusty brake line.

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Your right. Not a big deal, really. Was just sayin.........

My dealer installs new plug and washer with every change.