is an engine flush a good idea?

[Steveboy86]

The first owner of my mk1 was getting engine flushes as part of interval service according to the history

 

[andycupra]

im somewhere in the middle.
ironically, if the car has been well looked after and isnt overly dirty then you shouldnt have any issues.

if the engine is in a poor state then you could have a fair bit of crap loosening all at once which could cause issues.

another option is a diluted flush run for a little longer followed by full oil change.


One thing i was thinking, is that the oil pick up pipe is something to consider after a flush.. but as this is a sump off job most wont be looking to do this.

 

[G.P]

If the oil is changed again soon after the one immediately following the flush then there will be only trace amounts of the flush left, so long as it's done right.

And again so long as it's done right, there shouldn't be any crud left, that's what the flush is for.

Well the engine flush is meant to break down the crud so as long as it's done properly and using decent fluids then the crud should all be gone

im somewhere in the middle.
ironically, if the car has been well looked after and isnt overly dirty then you shouldnt have any issues.

if the engine is in a poor state then you could have a fair bit of crap loosening all at once which could cause issues.

Problem is the old oil deposits (crud) could be loosened and not come loose for some time after the flush has been so called removed. Some cars sump plugs allow 4-5mm of oil to remain within the sump as the plug is recessed, so it's impossible to removed all oil/flush, so no way of doing that right. So is the flush designed to be used in fresh oil or is it just a money spinner.

If the car has been looked after correctly then there is no need anyway..