I've noticed 99% of BITOG replies posing as rebuttals are really just straw men. The subject isn't the genesis of the Toyota recall, merely that it happened.
Car Care Nut -Why you shouldn't wait 100k mi to change coolant on a Toyota UR series V8.
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CCN appears to be of the mind that Toyota owners expect their vehicles to last over 200k miles. Hence the reason he made the video. Is that a reasonable expectation? I have no idea.
People seeking out his content apparently find it enjoyable. I like his content. I agree It would be a mistake to take his videos as gospel. I take everything with a healthy dose of skepticism, including what I read on BITOG. Most advice on the internet is bad, in my experience.
This seems like sound advice. I believe him when he says he's seen "so many vehicles" with various coolant issues. It's probably a safe bet to cut your coolant maintenance in half, same for OCI's (something CCN also preaches).
Ironic the flak he's taking when anyone that watches his videos would quickly realize he gives a lot of the same advice that BITOG'ers give. I completely understand he might not be everyone's flavor, but I'm not sure it's worth going totally off the rails over.
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Not all bad, but I see your point. When I looked at YouTubes on how to replace my wife’s water pump, there were tons of hacks removing all kinds of stuff unnecessarily.
There’s no way I coulda done the ABS pump on the BMW without a YouTube.
There are useful tips as well, sometimes in reviews of a product.
I didn’t really like the CCN at first, but he’s sincere and way better than that other guy with 6.32 mil subs. He’s awful. Such is life—usually it’s not people who, “do the work” who get fame and fortune.
To your point it’s hilarious to seek dating, financial, health advice on the internet…it’s the cut and dry things that imho the internet absolutely is helpful with
Internet is what it is and always has been. You can extract value out of it or not, it’s all up to you.
edyvw
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The problem is that he is a WELL KNOWN mechanic. He is very popular, we all know that etc. Therefore, he will have a lot of business, and people who developed more complex issues, will look for him. And he lives in the area that has more than 10 million people.
Now, I believe him when he says coolant can develop issues etc. I am not disputing that in any manner.
However, he is contradicting himself a bit. I am on the market for 2nd generation Sequoia. Is it my first choice? Absolutely not! I would get a BMW X7 or MB GLS450 before Sequoia, but I need 8 seats with clearance and still enough luggage storage when one seat in the third row is up. So, I watched a lot of videos about that vehicle, including his. He has never mentioned head gasket issues in his videos before. That car is not on the market 6-7 years, but 16, and God knows how many of 5.7 engines racked up serious mileage, including those that are not maintained well. Suddenly, they have that issue. I researched this issue online, and yes, there are instances of people having this issue. But also, if you search "BMW N52 head gasket issue," you will find that some people blew a head gasket, and the head gasket in N52 (the engine I have in BMW) is as good as it gets, and I ran that engine to 300f oil temperature on track, and it is closing to 150k. Could it be the coolant that is causing this? Yes. But I am not sure about the trend. Not to mention his sensational delivery etc.
Why else would you buy a Toyota? They drive and ride miserable, are mostly uncomfortable. You suffer through a generally terrible vehicle because it is "reliable" and will stick around just to torture you with how terrible of a vehicle it is to drive and own.
The BMW thing is a separate issue. He's really just commenting on that particular Toyota engine.
I also doubt he's fixing that many cars these days. His earnings as a YouTuber easily trump whatever a humble mechanic can make.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
His garage is full!
The BMW thing is just an example that you can always find things on the Internet!
He also has GX460 waiting some work, HIGHLY modified GX460.
Assuming the argument that head gasket failure is a trend, and it's warping of the engine block is a contributing factor - I'm wondering if it has anything to do with the UR engine block being an open deck design? The UZ engines are closed deck and head gasket failures are rare with these engines.
So what's mechanism that's causing the warping, and why just #5 and #7?
So what's mechanism that's causing the warping, and why just #5 and #7?
There’s a little coolant passage he points out in those videos. Supposedly the GR engines are similar but leak externally.
The Corolla/Prius with the 2ZR-FE(Corolla)/FXE(Prius) are munching head gaskets too - but the hypothesis is that the cooled EGR system is dumping cooled exhaust into cylinders 2&3 and causing a significant enough change in head/block deck temps. The previous and current models are using open-deck engines(1/2ZZ-FE, 1NZ-FXE and the new M20A-FKS/FXS). But the 2ZR is affected.
I personally think Toyota’s pink coolant is as aggressive as Dex-Cool/Prestone Cor-Guard with the silicone/fluoropolymer sealants that are used to seal the coolant passages.
None of that is true of my Tundra. None of it was true of my kids’ Corolla. My 4 Runner had a poor ride, but so did every other 1990 truck/SUV, and most of them weren’t as capable as that truck was off road.
So, my Toyotas? Reliable, yep. Comfortable. Good handling. Good ride. Nothing “terrible” or “miserable” about them.
So, it seems that CCN is willing to blame the coolant for these failures. I decided to test my 8 year old, 80,000 mile coolant.
Looks good.
Interestingly, the first coolant change interval is 10 years or 100,000 miles. But the next coolant change interval is five years or 50,000 miles, at least if I remember the owners manual correctly.
Again, I have to ask, what was the coolant change regimen on these engines that failed?
There’s a lot of assumptions that the maintenance was done correctly. OK, but there’s no evidence of that.
Looks good.
Interestingly, the first coolant change interval is 10 years or 100,000 miles. But the next coolant change interval is five years or 50,000 miles, at least if I remember the owners manual correctly.
Again, I have to ask, what was the coolant change regimen on these engines that failed?
There’s a lot of assumptions that the maintenance was done correctly. OK, but there’s no evidence of that.
My neighbors call our beloved Tundra, "the flying couch". I get so many random offers to buy this miserable, uncomfortable Toyota.
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Cite examples of how they are uncomfortable.
His advice to cut the coolant change is sound IMO.
10 years is a very long time and whether it contributes to the head gasket or not is irrelevant. With liquid cooled EGRs and heater cores buried deep inside dashes, I’d rather not risk it.
People worry about a coolant bottle sitting in their garage for few years, but somehow, once poured into the cooling system, it’s good for a decade
Also, the head gaskets he showed all had erosions around all of the coolant passages, not just the one around the cylinder 5 and 7, so he may be correct that coolant somehow eats away the coating over time. It’s likely not cavitation, as it’s too far away from the pump, so that leaves either the chemistry or PH levels.
10 years is a very long time and whether it contributes to the head gasket or not is irrelevant. With liquid cooled EGRs and heater cores buried deep inside dashes, I’d rather not risk it.
People worry about a coolant bottle sitting in their garage for few years, but somehow, once poured into the cooling system, it’s good for a decade
Also, the head gaskets he showed all had erosions around all of the coolant passages, not just the one around the cylinder 5 and 7, so he may be correct that coolant somehow eats away the coating over time. It’s likely not cavitation, as it’s too far away from the pump, so that leaves either the chemistry or PH levels.
I've shared my first hand thoughts and experiences with the board.
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/2025-camry-se-rental-review.386801/
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It’s interesting how the paradigm seems to have shifted. Remember the, “You can’t possibly own a German car out of warranty.” Well that scared me so I got an extended warranty for 3 years and nothing broke. As designed in the 335i. So I’ve been out of warranty for 11 years.
The LS430 I threw caution to the wind, no pre purchase of any sort. Bought it 10 years old at a new car dealer for $14k.
There was zero coolant in the overflow nor to be seen in the radiator. Serviced at dealer all its life, 10 years old. I’m fortunate as everything that has broken are predictable online (power mirror, window switches, NAV disc, mirror adjust, drip rail vinyl trim, on and on).
People don’t like the Car Care Nut here. They like SK.
But CCN cautions folks from 2007+ LS as they can get really expensive to repair < 100k.
Back to your point. If so, that there are legit 5 figure repairs on a Lexus, why not buy a cheap V10 M5 or 7 series, and have fun?
This is my favorite tale. When I got the LS430, dealer said I need $6,700 in repairs. I was worried. Then the indie said of those repairs, here’s what you need and what we recommend you do immediately: $0
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I had seen long ago that some Toyota techs themselves, preferred the red coolant, and shorter intervals, on their own cars, even when they came with pink (2005+ I believe).His advice to cut the coolant change is sound IMO.
10 years is a very long time and whether it contributes to the head gasket or not is irrelevant. With liquid cooled EGRs and heater cores buried deep inside dashes, I’d rather not risk it.
People worry about a coolant bottle sitting in their garage for few years, but somehow, once poured into the cooling system, it’s good for a decade
Also, the head gaskets he showed all had erosions around all of the coolant passages, not just the one around the cylinder 5 and 7, so he may be correct that coolant somehow eats away the coating over time. It’s likely not cavitation, as it’s too far away from the pump, so that leaves either the chemistry or PH levels.
I think it's time to service the Tundra's coolant...