The man who realm became of cast role engine oil now says that refresh oil in fact not at all necessary is. Itself drives he already 350,000 kilometres on the same smering. The large oil scandal: hundreds of millions euro' s per year to waste and not in money damage mail for the environment to express. Henk large, the oud-directeur of cast role the Netherlands, conduct a crusade against what he calls ' oil painters maffia'. Large states that motorists, motorrijders and trick cherry unnecessarily are put to expenses because they let refresh the oil of their engines with large rule half-measure. Because that letter garages and manufacturers. And who now risk wants take that the guarantee comes on the saint cow in danger… , my car drives already 350,000 kilometres on the same engine oil. Thereby I spare my change purse and the milieu." Henk large have invented a level stick with chip which gives indications when it is wrong with the quality of engine oil. An universal apparatus, which is appropriate in nearly each car. The practice learns, according to the expert with a petrochemical and motortechnische context that the black goedje needs be replaced just after hundred thousands kilometres or years of autogebruik. , regulated top up if the level ends up too low, is natural, however, need. Other than that we become with z' n all beduveld. It concerns serious amounts and serious vervuiling." With a Dutch car park of six millions vehicles of which oil is replaced once per year, you talk already fast smurrie black concerning an amount of wide 600 millions euro and at least thirty millions litre which must be got rid of. Worldwide it is staggering: 200 billion euro to waste. To be silent the enormous oil puddle pool polluted of still but. " Also for this reason I sound the noodklok" , tells large, " for my children. I see regulated how people for their house refresh oil and the old stuff in the evacuation well to tumble. garage companies remove it to a central processing, where the oil to asphalt gerecycled become. But environment organisations indicate that rest substances eventual nevertheless in the groundwater belanden." Henk large build for a long time to the way. In this newspaper he let know years suffered that refresh oil for 10,000, 20,000 or even 30,000 kilometres inept are. There was much interest and oud-Castrol-topman showed with the car park of customers, who let reason for them replace up to 300,000 kilometres their engine oil, that refresh geldklopperij was. With by the large provided level stick checked ' langgebruikers' the quality of oil. Where in the newest version a chip beats alarm if it goes wrong with the souring or salinity. Tentacles " But the tentacles of the industry are long, the car line is powerful, the oil entrance hall wereldspeler" , thus Henk large. " For this reason I have been made monddood, the interests are too large. Even laboratories are paid by the large oil societies and therefore master. The Hague showed initial interest, but a test with the company fleet of a bus venture - there for more than 100,000 euro subsidy it had been already promised in case the engines in the soup would run - to be suddenly stopped. The government has put money ever much in a processing call centre at Rotterdam, I think that they had no sense for the contracts with that factory concerning the delivery of polluted oil at verbreken." Because twists everything for money, thus says large. " People think that it is wrong affair if oil appears inktzwart, the inverse is true! Vuildeeltjes in modern oil, frequently carbon rests, omkapseling get. Oil becomes as a result, black and more thickly at heat, but that is correct good. Olieverversen a superstition has been kept, by the industry in score. Because on each litre engine oil the large boys make much profit. The complete idea descends from the time of that decrepit T-Fordjes! " A rondgang of this newspaper garages and maintenance companies learns that to many fitters to their own car frequently much longer let keep on driving than it is indicated officially. But nobody wants be cited. " Because that costs to customers, therefore livelihood and eventually my baan." At environment civil servants in The Hague Henk caught large in the past also numerous keren bone. " Nicely hear that you meedenkt" , him was then fijntjes told, " but our task is not occur for detritus, we are there process detritus! " Jules Maaten, euro member of Parliament for the VVD, call the findings of oud-Castrol-directeur innovative. " If Mr De large is right, then here a splendid chance for a cleaner world lies. I will ask written couples concerning the cyclussen of olieverversen to the European Commission. If we let stretch itself for the caddie of industry and oil entrance hall, steps must follow there. Motorist and environment become already enough gepakt." Henk large are meanwhile 86 years old, but stand still on sharp. throne continuator Richard (www.niveauplus.nl) takes over the inheritance of the oil guru ever. Because give up, that is for father nor son an option. " I hope still to be allowed experience that we with this nonsense stoppen" , Henk say large. " Differently my son must fight further. Richard, such as new animated Don Quichotte… ' Even doorsmeren' , it call them in the garage. A sordid game is it! "

WITH a trip planned up the back roads to the High Sierras and another 5,000 miles on the odometer since his last oil change, your correspondent spent a recent morning beneath his superannuated runabout, draining the sump and wondering what precisely to re-fill it with. It is no good looking at the workshop manual. The lubricants recommended by the manufacturer when the car was built back in the 1980s live on in name only. Their formulations have changed out of all recognition as a consequence of the motor industry’s quest for ever better fuel economy and lower exhaust emissions.

All of a sudden, a lot of well-maintained old cars, especially sportier models, have begun to fail in surprising numbers—as if struck down by some virulent new disease. Engine builders say they have seen more broken motors suffering from the same camshaft damage over the past three years than in the previous 30. Reports have circulated within both the classic-car and hot-rod communities of priceless performance engines failing after only 300 miles since a rebuild.

Modern car engines that use rolling or sliding tappets for transmitting the rapid up-down lifting motion of the spinning camshafts—to open and close the engine’s inlet and exhaust valves—seem immune. But those that use the older flat-faced tappets to trace the camshaft’s profile are particularly prone to the disease.

The first sign of illness is a sudden loss of power which, if not rectified immediately, can cause the engine to self-destruct. On stripping down a damaged motor, the tappets are invariably found to be heavily pitted and bits of metal broken off the camshaft lobes. With metal fragments lodged in the oil galleries downstream of the oil filter, the engine block has to be flushed to prevent the loose bits from causing further damage to bearings and cylinder walls.....