2008 Toyota Corolla 1.8L on Mobil 1

I also have a 2008 Toyota Corolla 1.8L. I did extensive research on the forums before buying it.
It might be the most reliable car Toyota ever built. They typically go 300,000 miles with very few repairs and minimal maintenance.
Their simple design makes servicing easy, with a lot of room under the hood for a mechanics hands to fit.
They are surprisingly reliable between 200k and 300k mles (as mentioned in the url posts below).

With these cars, oil really doesn't matter, as long as you change it at 5,000 miles as Toyota recommends.
I use a low priced Dexos 1 Gen 3 High Mileage Full Synthetic 5W-30.

I did some google searches, no one complains about deposits, sludge, or varnish with these vehicles,
so using Valvoline R&P might not be needed.

You may wish to see these posts that discuss the 300k longevity of the 2003 to 2008 Toyota Corollas.




I most definitely plan on reaching well beyond 300K miles for mine.
I have VR&P inside it for next 4 oil changes.
How about AMSOIL oil filters? I purchased two filters for stock.
 
From what I can limited see, just discoloration, varnish color. It runs beautifully , just has some high miles and possibly some build up somewhere, possibly..
Doubt that. My 2007 Ford Fusion has 328K all on M1 with zero varnish. 10K OCI.
 
I will be keeping an eye on the color of the dip stick oil and relay my experience with the oil inside of two vehicles right now. I only have a few hundred miles on one car and less than a hundred miles on another car.
 
Doubt that. My 2007 Ford Fusion has 328K all on M1 with zero varnish. 10K OCI.
My Ford Focus has 170K miles and it has only had M1 EP in it it's whole life.
My Toyota Corolla has the same mileage and I've run M1 EP in that one since I bought it at 100K miles.
I will move forward running VRP in them both through the next 5 OCI's. It will be interesting to find out when the oil will darken and what it will clean for 5K mile intervals.
 
I most definitely plan on reaching well beyond 300K miles for mine.
I have VR&P inside it for next 4 oil changes.
How about AMSOIL oil filters? I purchased two filters for stock.
The Toyota Corolla can reach 300k with any oil or any filter.
For my own, I use Super Tech HMFS 5W-30, and low cost oil filters.
 
I have VRP in both cars. I have some oil filters to mate up with the oil. Right now the Ford has a BOSS filter on it. The Toyota has a M1 EP on it.
I have a slew of filters now to possibly install and cover 5Kmile intervals moving forward with the four future VRP intervals. I chose three I thought could handle additional debris from the oil if there is any. My engines are maintained and kept highly clean, no sludge what so ever.
For the next OCI with VRP i have an AMSOIL filter product to slap on.
I took some pictures of the drastic construction differences between AMSOIL, the BOSS, and M1 EP .
I plan on having used all three styles over the next 1-4 OCI's with VRP. I believe all three can handle anything dissolved or flaked off with this oil for 5K miles. I'm safe with these three filters, correct?
PUROLATOR BOSS/AMSOIL pics
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AMSOIL / MOBIL1 EP

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I just purchased 4 AMSOIL oil filters for the cars.
How is the quality of AMSOIL filters now a days?
Best to research - then buy. Not the other way-around.
Quality has been and still remains above-average. Much like other upper-tier filters. One buys for protection and it's not about price. So really, there's really no need for me to ask you what you paid for each Amsoil filter. Now do the same for oil purchases and then you'll have a vehicle with a smiley face.

btw.... Carquest Premium oil filters for me currently. Best bang when combining above average quality / craftsmanship.
Then the price (when on sale) at Advance Auto drives the purchasing power even higher. But price doesn't affect my purchase. I've bought these at a regular price too.

Congrats on your smart shopping. Need help deciding what to buy next/.... seek members OVERKILL or Buster for recommendations. I read - then digest what these-2 members say a-lot.
 
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Best to research - then buy. Not the other way-around.
Quality has been and still remains above-average. Much like other upper-tier filters. One buys for protection and it's not about price. So really, there's really no need for me to ask you what you paid for each Amsoil filter. Now do the same for oil purchases and then you'll have a vehicle with a smiley face.

btw.... Carquest Premium oil filters for me currently. Best bang when combining above average quality / craftsmanship.
Then the price (when on sale) at Advance Auto drives the purchasing power even higher. But price doesn't affect my purchase. I've bought these at a regular price too.

Congrats on your smart shopping. Need help deciding what to buy next/.... seek members OVERKILL or Buster for recommendations. I read - then digest what these-2 members say a-lot.
Thanks for the advice. I feel comfortable running 5kmiles with my VRP and filters. 160k miles on both cars, do not burn oil. Hope this regiment of oil changes keeps me ahead of the game.
 
Yeah, sometimes cheapest can work for ya.
No experience with AMSOIL filters, I guess. Thnx
Sorry, no experience with Amsoil filters. When I bought my 2008 Toyota Corolla CE, I did the following preventative maintenance
using only genuine Toyota parts and fluids (I didn't want to pollute the Toyota reliablility with cheap after market parts):

[1] Coolant drain and fill.
[2] Thermostat: Replace.
[3] Serpentine belt: Replace.
[4] Transmission fluid drain / fill. Will do every 33.3k miles thereafter (so 3 ATF drain and fills every 100k miles).
[5] PCV valve and tube replacement.
[6] Oil change with a high mileage full synthetic 5W-30 to treat the oil seals to help prevent future leaks (as the seals are 17 years old).
I have some extra quarts of HPL engine cleaner EC-30.
I'm planning on doing the 1 quart HPL EC30 + 3.5 Quarts Super Tech HMFS for four 5,000 mile oil change intervals
to really clean out the engine. There is no consensus on which approach cleans better: HPL EC30 or Valvoline R&P.
Both are probably equally as good at cleaning varnish and sludge.

My Corolla sadly had an accident with a deer, and has been in an old school body shop for 4 months.
Trying to get the owner to fix it, as he previously had several cars ahead of me due his prices being so low, everyone goes to him.

In my opinion, a transmission failure is an end of life event for most older used cars due to the excessive cost of a transmission replacement (part + labor). I change my ATF fluid every 33.3k miles (so I do 3 drain/fills every 100k miles).
I view this not as over maintenance, but as adequate maintenance so the transmission lasts 300k miles.
 
Sorry, no experience with Amsoil filters. When I bought my 2008 Toyota Corolla CE, I did the following preventative maintenance
using only genuine Toyota parts and fluids (I didn't want to pollute the Toyota reliablility with cheap after market parts):

[1] Coolant drain and fill.
[2] Thermostat: Replace.
[3] Serpentine belt: Replace.
[4] Transmission fluid drain / fill. Will do every 33.3k miles thereafter (so 3 ATF drain and fills every 100k miles).
[5] PCV valve and tube replacement.
[6] Oil change with a high mileage full synthetic 5W-30 to treat the oil seals to help prevent future leaks (as the seals are 17 years old).
I have some extra quarts of HPL engine cleaner EC-30.
I'm planning on doing the 1 quart HPL EC30 + 3.5 Quarts Super Tech HMFS for four 5,000 mile oil change intervals
to really clean out the engine. There is no consensus on which approach cleans better: HPL EC30 or Valvoline R&P.
Both are probably equally as good at cleaning varnish and sludge.

My Corolla sadly had an accident with a deer, and has been in an old school body shop for 4 months.
Trying to get the owner to fix it, as he previously had several cars ahead of me due his prices being so low, everyone goes to him.

In my opinion, a transmission failure is an end of life event for most older used cars due to the excessive cost of a transmission replacement (part + labor). I change my ATF fluid every 33.3k miles (so I do 3 drain/fills every 100k miles).
I view this not as over maintenance, but as adequate maintenance so the transmission lasts 300k miles.
Thanks.
I did the exact same thing to my Corolla when I got it at 100k miles. I run Mobil1 EP 5w-30 though. I have drained and filled the transmission with Toyota ATF every 30k miles now. I need the car to make it up there in miles. A half a million is the current target. So far, so good. Haven't had a single thing fail yet.
Pretty funny coincidence, same car, same year, same maintenance practice.
Thanks for the advice and sharing. I appreciate it.
 
Thanks.
I did the exact same thing to my Corolla when I got it at 100k miles. I run Mobil1 EP 5w-30 though. I have drained and filled the transmission with Toyota ATF every 30k miles now. I need the car to make it up there in miles. A half a million is the current target. So far, so good. Haven't had a single thing fail yet.
Pretty funny coincidence, same car, same year, same maintenance practice.
Thanks for the advice and sharing. I appreciate it.
I bought my 2008 Toyota Corolla used from the original owners who were an elderly couple who bought it new and got too old to drive.
They did oil changes every 3,000 miles, which was a nice benefit. I would rather buy a used car that had 3,000 mile oil changes, then buy it from someone experimenting with extended oil change intervals.

I got a really good deal, I only paid $4,000 for it, and 60k miles on it.

Due to my very long daily commute to work (I live 140 miles away from the city where my job is), I drive it 70 miles each way (140 miles a day total) to the park and ride and then take a bus for the remaining 70 miles.

It's been a real hardship that my Corolla has been in the body shop for 4 months thought, having to drive one of my Honda Odysseys to commute instead, which is putting a lot of extra miles on one of them.

Once I get the Corolla back, I'll be driving it 20,000+ miles a year for the next 5 years, and then I'll probably retire and use it
as a "retiree vehicle" to take long cross country trips in it. It gets 40 MPG. Many people have taken the 2003-2008 Toyota Corolla's to 300k miles with only a few basic repairs like only having to replace an alternator or a starter.

Also, tires on these Corollas seem to last 100k miles from what I've read. I think the lower weight places a lot less wear and tear on the tires.

This generation seems extremely reliable from 200k miles to 300k miles from the reddit posts I've read.
This is what I like about Toyotas the most: 200k to 300k seem to have same reliability as 0 to 100k miles.
Probably a 2008 Toyota Corolla with 250k miles on it is more reliable than most brand new 2025 American cars LOL.
 
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I bought my 2008 Toyota Corolla used from the original owners who were an elderly couple who bought it new and got too old to drive.
They did oil changes every 3,000 miles, which was a nice benefit. I would rather buy a used car that had 3,000 mile oil changes, then buy it from someone experimenting with extended oil change intervals.

I got a really good deal, I only paid $4,000 for it, and 60k miles on it.

Due to my very long daily commute to work (I live 140 miles away from the city where my job is), I drive it 70 miles each way (140 miles a day total) to the park and ride and then take a bus for the remaining 70 miles.

It's been a real hardship that my Corolla has been in the body shop for 4 months thought, having to drive one of my Honda Odysseys to commute instead, which is putting a lot of extra miles on one of them.

Once I get the Corolla back, I'll be driving it 20,000+ miles a year for the next 5 years, and then I'll probably retire and use it
as a "retiree vehicle" to take long cross country trips in it. It gets 40 MPG. Many people have taken the 2003-2008 Toyota Corolla's to 300k miles with only a few basic repairs like only having to replace an alternator or a starter.

Also, tires on these Corollas seem to last 100k miles from what I've read. I think the lower weight places a lot less wear and tear on the tires.

This generation seems extremely reliable from 200k miles to 300k miles from the reddit posts I've read.
Probably a 2008 Toyota Corolla with 250k miles on it is more reliable than most brand new 2025 American cars LOL.
Great deal you got! I paid $7k for mine with just under 100k miles. It does not burn oil. I got the car fax and have oil and transmission services recorded. I don't know much about its life before me. I take care of it like it is some high end spectacular car. All of the fluids were changed out or flushed at 100k miles. I commute a long 60 mile one way commute so I feel ya. I need this thing to get me to and from work every day. I keep it in good shape. I posted pictures when i installed new car seat covers and floor mats. Nice stuff I installed in the car, a little ghetto maybe, but I like it. I run Mobil1 EP 5W-30 since I got it with 7k mile intervals. I'm running the new VRP in it now in case there might be some varnish or dirty rings due to its mileage. I want to stay ahead of the game and the oil performs well for 5k mile OCI's from what I've read. Great commuter car. Reliable old Corolla, I love it.
 
I take care of it like it is some high end spectacular car.
The 2008 Toyota Corolla is a spectacular car. It can go to 300k miles with little or no repairs.
It's one of the best cars Toyota ever made.

Think about those high end spectacular 2025 Mercedes - Probably will have a large # of expensive and very annoying problems
in their first 100k miles.

Present day Mercedes could never produce a car that could go to 300k miles with little to no repairs.
They aren't capable of doing that.

From an engineering perspective, the 2008 Toyota Corolla is a more spectacular car than the Mercedes due to it's unsurpassed reliability and longevity. Given a choice, I would rather own a Toyota. Smarter, better engineers with a lot of time spent on quality assurance.
 
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The 2008 Toyota Corolla is a high end spectacular car. It can go to 300k miles with little or no repairs.
It's one of the best cars Toyota ever made.

Think about those high end spectacular 2025 Mercedes - Probably will have a large # of expensive problems in their first 100k miles.
From an engineering perspective, the 2008 Toyota Corolla is a more spectacular car than the Mercedes due to it's unsurpassed reliability and longevity.
Yeah, I agree with you! I'm over 160k miles and everything is still original under the hood. Just tires, brakes, and fluids for 160k miles. Not bad.
 
Yeah, I agree with you! I'm over 160k miles and everything is still original under the hood. Just tires, brakes, and fluids for 160k miles. Not bad.
I don't think any Mercedes made since the year 2000 could claim that!
Even Honda's seem to be very inconsistent in reliability in Consumer reports with the majority of Honda models and years either average or worse than average reliability.

Toyota is the only game in town as far as I'm concerned.
Lexus is equally good, but it will get pricy always having to use Premium gas for the lifetime of a Lexus, so Toyota is the better choice.
 
Almost 200k on our 2008 Corolla CE, 216k on our 2009 Corolla LE and 110k on the 2009 Matrix Corolla so far. I plan to run these all until the odometer stops at 299999. Can't say enough about out how much I love these cars. I just pulled the throttle body off body of both the 2009 Corolla's and cleaned them. What a difference! I was having an idle issue at a stop on the 2009 LE. Not many vehicles that you can do things like this these days.
 
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