I was going through a service reminder for my '09 gts and I saw that the dealer wanted to add "graphite engine lubricant". I was not sure what it was and I did a quick search and saw that it can be bad for aluminum engines. Does any one have any experience or recommendations with this stuff? Thanks.

 

well, if it's the dealer doing it, and something goes wrong, then they have to deal with it. Keep documentation if you decide to do it. I doubt it goes inside the motor though.

 

It definately does go in the motor: Many moons ago, there were some companies making motor oil with graphite mixed in, but it was only on the market for a year or two. The oil was almost pitch black coming out of the can and did a great job of sludging and seizing engines - since there is no way to keep graphite in suspension, it would just collect in clumps inside oil passageways and oil filters while the car was off. Use your imagination to figure out what that does to an engine over the long term...

The theory is that since graphite is a great dry lubricant, it helps to reduce wear on engine parts that may not get as much lubrication from oil as they should. Using a tiny bit of graphite more than likely won't destroy your motor, but it won't provide any real benefit, either.

My recommendation is to change your oil, though. I'm personally against most oil/fuel additives. There are a few exceptions to that rule, but graphite isn't one of them. However, if you have a squeaky hinge, use some graphite (or Royal Purple )

 

Thanks for the input, I guess I will just stay away from it since it potentially can do more harm than good in the long run.