Old car question

My father is having medical problems and he has mistakenly thrown away important records including tax forms and vehicle maintenance receipts.

Jiffy Lube wrote a window sticker for the car by hand, but one of the critical digits was unreadable and it added 5000 miles to the 3000 miles they normally recommend. In the end the oil was not changed for 3.84 years (but only about 9000 miles). The Jiffy Lube tech said there was no oil on the stick when it was changed.

The Impreza has a EJ253 single overhead cam engine and was purchased on 19. Jun. 2007. It is driven an average of 5-10 miles per day for the last 7 years. It would be a shame to have this car die because of a stupid handwriting issue. It needs to last until self driving taxis become available as my mother will be in her 90's. That could be another decade.

The EJ253 single overhead cam engine is susceptible to a blown head gasket. The general advice from Subaru to prevent the head gasket problems follows.

First, you need to change the engine oil on a regular basis.
Second, you need to keep an eye on your Subaru’s battery in order to prevent a blown head gasket or head gasket problems.
Third, you should start changing the coolant in your Subaru on a regular basis.
Fourth, make sure you are knowledgeable of the parts and services that have been implemented into your Subaru.
Lastly, make sure that you have the vehicle inspected by someone who is a license and authorized Subaru specialist or technician.

Is there anything I can do retroactively, or should I just be more careful in the future?

Quote: Pacomartin

My father is having medical problems and he has mistakenly thrown away important records including tax forms and vehicle maintenance receipts.

Jiffy Lube wrote a window sticker for the car by hand, but one of the critical digits was unreadable and it added 5000 miles to the 3000 miles they normally recommend. In the end the oil was not changed for 3.84 years (but only about 9000 miles). The Jiffy Lube tech said there was no oil on the stick when it was changed.

The Impreza has a EJ253 single overhead cam engine and was purchased on 19. Jun. 2007. It is driven an average of 5-10 miles per day for the last 7 years. It would be a shame to have this car die because of a stupid handwriting issue. It needs to last until self driving taxis become available as my mother will be in her 90's. That could be another decade.

The EJ253 single overhead cam engine is susceptible to a blown head gasket. The general advice from Subaru to prevent the head gasket problems follows.

First, you need to change the engine oil on a regular basis.
Second, you need to keep an eye on your Subaru’s battery in order to prevent a blown head gasket or head gasket problems.
Third, you should start changing the coolant in your Subaru on a regular basis.
Fourth, make sure you are knowledgeable of the parts and services that have been implemented into your Subaru.
Lastly, make sure that you have the vehicle inspected by someone who is a license and authorized Subaru specialist or technician.

Is there anything I can do retroactively, or should I just be more careful in the future?

Looks like it never locked up so you may be alright.
How does it currently run right now?
Does it leak or burn oil?
If it runs fine, just take care of it changing the oil regularly.
I dont know much about cars
but
I love this guys videos
I've learned alot about cars watching mechanic Scotty Kilmer videos
Maybe send him your situation. A lot of his videos are just answering questions like yours
https://www.youtube.com/user/scottykilmer

Not sure what you can do retroactively. Driving with old, or low oil is kind of like aging the engine more rapidly assuming the engine still seems to run fine.

If conditions aren’t harsh and your dad was a gentle driver the same oil that loses its properties quickly with a drag racing teen, would have held up longer.

Sometimes there are products that are recommended for older engines, but I wouldn’t recommend anything unless your Volvo mechanic thinks it’s okay.

Quote: Pacomartin

Is there anything I can do retroactively, or should I just be more careful in the future?

Can't do anything retroactively. Just add and change oil now. I do not know how those boxter engines deal with low oil.

Other than the fact the oil wasn't changed is there in fact something bad going on with the car?

Why mention a head gasket issue?

Were it my car I'd have it fully serviced and inspected by someone who knows what they're doing (not Jiffy Lube!); an independent mechanic, not a Subaru dealer.

Have them fully inspect it and do whatever servicing is needed: change all fluids, change belts, tune up etc.

The one thing that kills cars before their time is neglect.

I say sell it and let someone else worry about it.

Quote: Pacomartin

My father is having medical problems and he has mistakenly thrown away important records including tax forms and vehicle maintenance receipts.

Jiffy Lube wrote a window sticker for the car by hand, but one of the critical digits was unreadable and it added 5000 miles to the 3000 miles they normally recommend. In the end the oil was not changed for 3.84 years (but only about 9000 miles). The Jiffy Lube tech said there was no oil on the stick when it was changed.

The Impreza has a EJ253 single overhead cam engine and was purchased on 19. Jun. 2007. It is driven an average of 5-10 miles per day for the last 7 years. It would be a shame to have this car die because of a stupid handwriting issue. It needs to last until self driving taxis become available as my mother will be in her 90's. That could be another decade.

The EJ253 single overhead cam engine is susceptible to a blown head gasket. The general advice from Subaru to prevent the head gasket problems follows.

First, you need to change the engine oil on a regular basis.
Second, you need to keep an eye on your Subaru’s battery in order to prevent a blown head gasket or head gasket problems.
Third, you should start changing the coolant in your Subaru on a regular basis.
Fourth, make sure you are knowledgeable of the parts and services that have been implemented into your Subaru.
Lastly, make sure that you have the vehicle inspected by someone who is a license and authorized Subaru specialist or technician.

Is there anything I can do retroactively, or should I just be more careful in the future?

IMO. How many total miles on this vehicle, and does it regularly use oil?

Is the exhaust tailpipe black inside, or does the vehicle leak oil where it is parked? I'm looking for the reason that the oil level had dropped not just a liter or so, but clear past the hash marks on the dipstick according to the Jiffy tech?

I had a friend that always bought Ford pickups, new. And he never changed oil on them. He would trade them off when they neared 100k miles. I gagged when he told me that, as I am an anal oil changer. Except now.

I just sold my 94 ford pickup. But prior to that I had a discussion with my mechanic. We agreed that I was changing oil to often. The book recommended every 3k miles, and that's what I had been doing. Our problem is, my diesel holds 15 quarts of oil, and to change it every 3k miles was really wasteful if I wasn't just towing the max. load uphill and running it to death.

I'm wondering why the tech, and when the tech checked the stick? Is that the policy when changing oil, to check the stick before a change, did someone ask him to check it, or was possibly the oil still clear, which can be near impossible to see on the stick? The hashmarks on the stick represent a quart/liter of oil, but the tip on the stick would represent more than a quart if there was indeed more than a quart missing. Did the check oil light come on on the instrument panel inside the car?

If this is a good engine, why would it be missing more than a quart of oil? Where did that oil go? I've easily driven 5k and not used more than a 1/4 of a quart, so 9k miles shouldn't make more than a quart disappear in a good motor? If it is using oil, consider some of those thicker weights of oil that advertise "for high mileage motors".

Quote: petroglyph

I had a friend that always bought Ford pickups, new. And he never changed oil on them. He would trade them off when they neared 100k miles. I gagged when he told me that, as I am an anal oil changer. Except now.".

My current car doesn't calculate oil changes by miles. I've gone up to 7500 miles before it indicated a needed oil change. It's a small block turbo and gets pretty hot imo.

Quote:

The Chevrolet Oil Life Monitor (OLM) system is not a simple oil quality sensor, but a software-based, algorithm-driven device that takes into account various operating conditions of the engine to determine when the oil needs changing. Certain driving habits can affect the life of the oil, as well as driving conditions such as temperature and driving terrain. Lighter, more moderate driving conditions and temperature will require less frequent oil changes and maintenance, while more severe driving conditions will require more frequent oil changes and maintenance. Read the table below to see how the OLM system determines oil life:

The oil life meter is located on the information display on the dashboard, and will count down from 100% oil life to 0% oil life as you continue to drive the vehicle, at which point the computer will trigger a reminder for you to “Change Engine Oil Soon.” Around the 15% oil life threshold, the computer will remind you that an “Oil Change Is Required,” giving you ample time to plan ahead to have your vehicle service

I own and maintain three older turbo Volvos, 244 740 and 940 and change the oil and filter about every two thousand or so miles.

Never use synthetic, just the cheapest Wal-Mart oil I can find.

Money well spent: frequent change is about the best investment you can make, esp. if you DIY.

Quote: AZDuffman

Can't do anything retroactively. Just add and change oil now. I do not know how those boxter engines deal with low oil.

Quote:

The engines that are within these cars are considered boxer-style engines. These motors lay flat and the pistons move laterally, balancing weight accurately and quickly. They sit lower in the vehicle for an improved handling, but fluids have a likelihood to pool next to the head gaskets. This can cause acid in the fluids to erode the seals.

Why Do Head Gaskets Fail On Subarus So Often?
Any internal combustion engine might experience a head gasket failure, but Subaru’s engines earned their reputation for this particularly troublesome issue. The design is one contributing factor, but the real problem comes down to unreliable material in the gaskets. Head gasket problems affect Subaru’s EJ25 engines. This 2.5-liter powerplant has several configurations and received many updates during its production run. They initially had faulty composite style gaskets. The manufacturer attempted to correct the issue in 1999 with an updated multilayered metal shim gasket.

Impreza from 1999 through 2011 were affected.

My father's car has an EJ253 engine and is a 2007 Impreza. He seems to have stopped going to the Subaru dealer for maintenance on 30. Aug. 2018 probably because he thought they were devising expensive problems. But I found a Jiffy Lube charge on an old credit card dated 14. Jun. 2017

But there have been no oil leaks or lights on the dashboard. The sticker on the car said return for service in what looked like 59,000 miles, but it was hand written and would probably say 54,000 miles (which would be consistent with 51,000 miles in June 2017). I took it in at 60,242 miles and the Jiffy Lube tech wrote "No oil on the Stick" under "oil level prior to service".

My mother is age 86 and I am assuming that self driving taxis will be available inside a decade. Until then I was hoping this 14 year car with 60,000 miles would serve her for as long as she needs a car. I don't think Pennsylvania will require electric vehicles within her lifetime.