I just checked my oil in my '02 WRX and I found some very small bits of metal shavings in the oil at the end of the dipstick. The car has 62 000 Km's on it, and its pretty much bone stock other than a K&N filter, and a removed air silencer. I run Mobil 1 5W 30 full Synthetic oil and I baby the car.
Fortunately I still have another 1/2 yr of warranty from the dealership where I bought the car from. Anyways, shoud I be hitting the panic button or just keep monitoring it?
Would you guys recomend using an oil additive such as Lucas oil stabilizer since the car mainly sees short trips and recently in very cold weather? (I live in Calgary)
(I do use a bock-heater though.)
Thanks.....and Happy new year

 

Metal shavings are not good, specially on a 62K miles car. Metal shavings = a new or rebuild engine on my book. Good luck.

 

...with something as costly as a engine rebuild on their hands, the dealership is going to be looking for ANY way out of it.

So, make sure to replace that K&N with a stock filter before bringing it in. If you have the air silencer, might as well put that back on too, just to say "it's 100% factory" etc.

Definitely do not put in that oil stabilizer before getting the dealership's determination on the repair, they recognize any oil additives, & you'll be soa...

 

Thanks for the reply. I decided that I'm going to monitor the oil very closely after my next oil change and check frequently whether I can see metal particles in the fresh oil. If I see any stuff in there I'm taking it in.
If it ends up that its something serious, I think I'll just trade it in and save myself the hassle.

 

A word of advice, I had a 2002 WRX die at 66,000k miles. I had a Cobb Access ECU, a gutted up and down pipe, and the snorkel taken off with a K&N airfilter. When it died I saw metal flakes in the oil, it was a rod bearing that went. Metal flakes in the oil, no matter what, is very bad.

I heard a slight ticking noise that got worse, eventually after 40 miles the engine quit. (I was in the middle of no where upstate NY late at night when it started ticking, it sounded just like when I threw my timing belt before so I incorrectly assumed that was the noise, and thats why I kept driving on it.)

I was 6k miles past the drivetrain warranty. and I tried to get it covered anyways. I was denied of course, but I was also told that I wouldn't have gotten it covered because the car was modified, even if it had died at 59k miles. I was told that basically, no matter what, if the car is modified you're screwed. They cataloged everything that wasn't stock, down to the oil filter and tires.

So my advice to you, put EVERYTHING back to stock, if they can find any excuse to not cover it, they'll not cover it. Then get the car to the dealer that you have the best relationship with and have them find out NOW while it's still under warranty, what's wrong.

Oh, and I found out the case where they would have covered it past the end of the warranty, if you have had ALL the work, (oil changes everything,) done at the specified intervals by the dealer. Then they probably would have covered it. Otherwise, you're done for.

Good luck.