2023 Honda Grom – Sand/grit found in oil, mechanic wants to completely disassemble the engine
Hi everyone,
I have a 2023 Honda Grom (MSX125) with only about 260 km (160 miles) on it. The bike has barely been used.
I recently took it to a mechanic for an oil change. The oil cap had previously not been fully seated, and the bike had been stored under a cover where there may have been some sand/dirt around it.
The mechanic showed me the drained oil and said there was a significant amount of sand/grit in it. I attached photos of what he showed me.
He told me that the engine should be completely disassembled and cleaned with gasoline/solvent. He quoted me around 20,000 TL (roughly $500–600) for the job.
However, I became suspicious of this mechanic because he previously told me that he had opened part of the engine and inspected it, but I later realized that he had not actually opened it. He also asked for another 7,000 TL for that work, although I only paid him 2,000 TL.
The mechanic changed the oil to 10W-40 motorcycle oil, but did not replace the oil filter.
Because I don’t really trust this mechanic anymore, I took the bike back and plan to have another mechanic inspect it.
I have now removed the oil filter myself and took these photos. I don’t see anything resembling the large amount of sand/grit shown in the drained oil. There doesn’t appear to be a significant amount of metal debris either.
So my questions are:
Does the oil in the first photos really look like a serious amount of sand/grit that would justify completely disassembling a 260 km engine?
Does the oil filter in the attached photos look abnormal to you?
Would you replace the oil and filter, ride the bike for 50–100 km, then drain and inspect the oil again?
Would you inspect the oil strainer and oil pump before considering engine disassembly?
Could the particles in the first photos simply have come from outside through the poorly seated oil filler cap?
Is 10W-40 motorcycle oil okay for short-term use in a 2023 Grom, or should I change it back to 10W-30 immediately?
I’m mainly trying to determine whether I’m dealing with a genuine contamination problem or whether the mechanic is exaggerating the situation.
I’d really appreciate opinions from people familiar with the Grom/MSX125.