Key takeaways
- Oil burning on older engines often comes from carboned-up or worn piston rings and cylinder walls.
- Get a proper diagnosis first: compression test, leak check and oil-consumption check.
- If the engine is mechanically sound, a flush plus a XADO treatment is a lower-cost step to try before major work.
Your car is approaching year ten. It still drives well, but you're topping up a litre of oil between services and there's a puff of blue smoke in the morning. With the Prevailing Quota Premium tracking COE prices well above $100,000, is the engine worth renewing for?
Step 1: find out why it's using oil
- External leaks — valve cover, sump or seal leaks (a XADO treatment won't fix these).
- Valve stem seals — smoke mainly on start-up.
- Stuck or worn piston rings — smoke under acceleration, low or uneven compression.
- Turbo seals on turbocharged engines.
A good workshop will do a compression test and inspection before recommending anything. Be wary of anyone who sells a bottle without looking.
Step 2: clean, then treat
When rings are carboned up and cylinder walls are worn but nothing is broken, XADO recommends a two-step approach:
- Atomex Total Flush before the oil change — an oil-system cleaner with a piston-ring decarbonisation effect.
- XADO AMC Maximum or Twin Turbo with the fresh oil — designed to rebuild worn friction surfaces with a ceramic-metal layer and, per XADO, level and raise compression.
Deciding whether to renew? Get a XADO workshop to check compression and oil use first.
Find a workshopStep 3: re-measure
After a few weeks of normal driving, ask the workshop to re-check oil consumption and compression. You'll have real numbers to base your COE renewal decision on — and a smoother engine to drive while you decide. More on engine care in the COE era.
FAQs
Can XADO stop my car burning oil?
If oil burning is caused by carbon deposits and surface wear on rings and cylinders, XADO says its flush and revitalizant treatments can help. It will not fix external leaks, broken rings or failed seals — a diagnosis comes first.
How much oil consumption is normal?
It varies by engine; your manufacturer may publish an acceptable figure. Regular top-ups between services are worth investigating.
Is it worth renewing COE on a car that burns oil?
It depends on the cause and repair cost. A compression test and inspection will tell you whether a treatment, a repair or a replacement car makes more financial sense.
