May 07, 2019
Read time: 4 minutes
You bought a high mileage vehicle to save on an expensive car payment. (Or, insert reason here.) And you want to get the most out of that engine as you can. So, what do you do when you start experiencing drivability problems? You troubleshoot.
When my computer isn’t cooperating, there’s one thing I know that works every time: Ctrl+Alt+Del. I feel like a wizard when I press and hold those three keys, expecting some sort of magical renewal to take place.
I’m immediately presented with the following options:
All of these choices are solutions, depending on what my goal is. Do I need some breathing time? Do I need to have my wife fix it? Or, do I actually need my computer to function properly? Using Ctrl+Alt+Del to get my computer moving only works if I can figure out why a program is malfunctioning.
What’s “locking up” your car? Does your oil light stay on, even right after you’ve added oil? Is your car low on power and slow to accelerate from a stop? Do you leave behind clouds of smoke? Your car may be trying to tell you it’s got a bad case of sludge.
Over time, burned engine lubricants cause carbon buildup called sludge. Sludge burns on tacky and gets harder as it ages. These deposits build up in your engine and limit the function of pistons and valves. Worse still, sludge wears on rubber and silicone that should be providing complete seals for engine efficiency. Leaked lubricants cause more sludge.
If your car seems to be breathing its last and you’re ready to abandon it somewhere, you can lock it up and walk away. You could also consider your engine “Locked” and buy a new one. Neither of these options is cheap.
If you’re ready to “Switch Users,” you can trade in or sell the car. Depending on the miles you have on it and what your remaining payments are, this may not be an option. If the engine is sludged into uselessness, but the drive train and other systems in the car are in good shape, you may be leaving a lot of money on the table in your trade-in.
“Signing Out” is more like Giving Up. Keep the car and continue to clunk along, getting terrible mileage, dangerously poor performance and leaving behind a lot of polluted air. Functionally, you’ll be admitting defeat. Maybe the car has performed so poorly for so long that you don’t think you’ll ever get it back into good shape. At this point, the plan is to ignore the problems and drive the car into the ground. It had a good run, right?
The Task Manager menu is the place to go for a deeper look into what program in your computer is not working and playing well with other systems. Car-wise, the BG Dynamic Engine Restoration Service is your Task Manager.
The BG Dynamic Engine Restoration Service tackles the sludge that is built up in your engine. Modern car engines have to function under a lot of pressure, and tolerances inside the engine are very tight. Once carbon deposits form, these burned on bits of sludge limit the function of the engine, leading to more carbon buildup.
Just four steps to clean with this Ctrl+Alt+Del service at your local BG shop:
BG Dynamic Engine Restoration Service not only gives your engine a “reboot,” it’s also another chance at lifetime coverage for the engine and fuel system. The Lifetime BG Protection Plan® will offer up to 50 percent coverage if the vehicle has less than 150,000 miles.
So, don’t drive your car into the ground. All hope is not lost when your BG Shop can simply press Ctrl+Alt+Del.
Be good to your car and it will be good to you.
Your trusted advisor in automotive maintenance,
Tommy
By Tommy Garcia
BG Technical Sales Engineer
Tommy has 20 years of experience in industrial maintenance. He is a hot rod enthusiast and lover of all things automotive. Before his role as BG Tommy Garcia, is a Technical Sales Engineer for International Trade Operations at BG Products, Inc. Tommy has 20 years of experience in industrial maintenance. He is a hot rod enthusiast and lover of all things automotive. Before serving in his current role at BG, he was the Shop Foreman for the BG Proving Ground.