Got a Beat-Down For Saying ARX Works~!!!

[ULVER]

My "pal" has just paid $5,000 to replace a Toyota 4-cylinder motor on a mid-90's Corolla. It seemed to burn oil, and several years later, had compression probs, and ultimately died.

I have suggested that he might want to use ARX, from day-one, with his new motor. He replied:
Paul,

This looks like it falls into category One :thin oil additive to help clean oil
passage ways.
Category Two is :thick additive to help burning oil problem.
Both of these categories have had products, of varying degrees of success, for decades.

You know what I believe -change oil & filters & plugs regularly and watch
your driving habits
and all will be fine. Products like this are for engines that have been neglected
over time -certainly not yours.

Sludge comes from oil break down, avoided by changing regularly with a quality oil.
Following this, by the time
any sludge does occur your engine is pretty much worn out anyway...

Thanks though, let me know your findings.

~R

Any thoughts gladly accepted!!! I will pass them along...to my friend the expert

 

[Drew99GT]

What year was this Corolla? Newer, say 1998 or later? I have a 94 with an oil consumption problem; you're scaring me! Never done a compression test but it sometimes gets over 40 mpg highway (5 over EPA estimates); usually about 38 though. Runs excellent. 5 grand for a motor? You can get the whole car for that much!

With a brand new power plant, the fact that these engines are not sludgers, and if oil changes are kept up, I'd wait on Auto RX until it gets some miles on it.

 

[Shelby]

Newer motors are built to perform, not to necessarily last IMO. Detroit and Japan don't want their engines to last forever. I wont dare mention the Toyota sludge issues, as that's starting to become a dead horse, but newer motors tend to have sludge issues for many reasons. New motors work harder than old ones. Manu's are trying to squeeze all available power out of a block to get more HP and more gas milage. Good ol ineffceint motors don't seam to have the same sludge issues as these newer type motors, and yeah that's just my opinion. However, you are starting to see more and more manufactorers with sludge issues, Toyo, Saturn, SAAB etc.
ARX liquifies sludge, that's it bud. Many products do the same, but ARX does it slowly and safely. It's not a cleanser or a solvent, but some type of fancy degreaser for lack of a better word. If your friend doesn't want to use an additive, no big deal he will probably get the same life out of his motor if he changes the oil often and there aren't manufactoring issues that lead to sludge buildup. I can't say enough how good Autorx worked for me, the stuff rocks. I have seen tangable results because I used it in motors that have been severly abused and some that were just flat out old. I would use it in a new motor just for some insurance so I don't get sludge buildup. You can only lead a horse to water, he will drink if he's thirsty. If a 5k motor fix doesn't make your friend thirsty nothing will

 

[BrianWC]

I recommend you research arx on here so you can properly explain to your friend how it works. ARX is no cure-all but the science behind it is sound and not some made up #@$%! from a marketing guy (ie adaptive molecules, heat-activated formula). I'm no groupie but if he wants to argue about it, argue it on its merits and not some notion that it's just an oil thinner...

 

[TurboJim]

We'll never know if ARX could have saved his old engine. How many miles were on it?

I don't see how you are going to convince someone to use ARX for preventive maintenance when they weren't willing to try it on an engine that obviously needed help.

 

[ULVER]

Quote:

---

We'll never know if ARX could have saved his old engine. How many miles were on it?

I don't see how you are going to convince someone to use ARX for preventive maintenance when they weren't willing to try it on an engine that obviously needed help.

---

H ebought it used, with around 50,000 miles. Almost immediately, he noticed it was using about a quart of oil every couple weeks. Still it ran OK. He has a service job, and is on the road a lot. The motor while using oil, still had gotten about 225K on it, when the CEL came on, and he began to lose power. The "stealership" told him he had lost compression. Time for a new motor. For $5000 I assume he got a completely new engine, and not a re-build.

He said, "I had to buy a new motor."


He feels that sludge was not the issue, as he used Castrol 5-50 religiously, then as he would use a qt., he replaced it with a High-miles qt., of synthetic-blend. He seems that believe that timely oil changes with synthetics & blends of such, do not allow sludge to form.

Hence ARX is a waste of time...

So, what killed his old engine then? Just a lot of miles?

I also told him that the transmission can be restored with ARX. He said that transmissions do form sludge.

I wish Frank would chime in... Anyway, I just ordered 5 bottles myself.

 

[Mystic]

You don't say how many miles the car had. An engine has to wear out eventually. Nobody says that you have to use Auto-RX. Auto-RX will clean an engine and keep it clean and may stop seal leaks. Using Auto-RX may make an engine last considerably longer and some sludge prone engines have been helped a lot with Auto-RX. But even without Auto-RX with a quality engine in a car or truck a person should be able to easily drive well over 100,000 miles. Use good quality oil of the proper viscosity and the proper oil rating and use good quality oil filters, and change the oil and oil filter with a reasonable time/mileage schedule.

 

[TurboJim]

Sounds like he'd gotten his money's worth out of the original engine, regardless of the oil consumption issues. I don't think there are too many people who would want to stick $5,000 in to a vehicle with 225,000 miles already on the odometer. He could of probably picked up two used Corolla's of the same vintage for that price.

 

[Trav]

The first 50,000 mi is IMHO probably where the issue began,the engine sounds like it probably had varnish issues and stuck ring packs,this would explain the oil burning as long as there were no external leaks.ARX would probably have helped if done somewhere within 100k and depending on what was causing the compression loss even later.I cant even guess how many valve covers Ive pulled in over 35 years in this business but i an tell you as fact,oils are not created equally some supposed quality oils that were changed regularly have caused a slight build up and many leave a nice red patina on the internal parts,while others seem to be clean as a whistle.There are other factors to be considered,short runs,stop and go traffic,and internal engine design can all have a negative effect on oil.IMHO ARX is of course a solvent but not in the sense of harsh chemicals but rather a gentle solvent that will not rob critical engine parts of lubrication as harsh ones do.I think of ARX this way would you wash your hand with lacquer thinner or a quality gentle yet powerful hand cleaner?both are solvents both will work but one will damage your skin and the other just removes the grime.The maintenance dose adds less the $5 to an oil change and is cheap insurance.

 

[Mystic]

Which oils leave a buildup on internal engine parts? Are you willing to let us know? If there really is a difference in how clean different brands of motor oil will leave an engine (or how dirty they will leave an engine) it would be nice to know.

 

[JackFish]

Your buddy got taken for a ride by the dealer.

Had he gone to a machine shop a rebuild could probably be done cheaper, but it's just easier to swap an engine.
And he's going to have to justify spending $5k to himself and everyone else, so don't waste too much energy on this one.

 

[peterr]

This guy spends $5K on an engine for a 1990s Corolla and he is questioning your judgement on the value of Auto-RX?

I had a 1996 Corolla on a 4 year lease. The residual value was $8800 CDN which at the time was maybe $6.5K US.

Man I hated that car. Reliable yes. Good AC yes. Well designed cupholders, you bet. Handled like a pig, felt like it would roll in gentle corners, totally gutless and lacking utterly in any personality. Ditching it for a Honda Civic was like a liberation.

 

[JohnBrowning]

Your buddie got robed by that dealership. A rebuild on that even if he did not do the work himself includeing machine work and labor typical of this job would have been $800-$1200 for the parts and machineing of the engine plus another $400 for labor tops.Most Toyota's I4's do not need rod work, crank work. It is usualy just rebore,hone,new valve guides and recut seat's. Most quality rebuilds kits come with new oil pump,cam,pistons,rings, guides,valves,valve stem seal,all bearings,gaskets, valve springs etc..... A pick up screen normaly does not come with the kit but is a good idea.

Well on a positive note his new engine should outlive the rest of the car if he treats it well.His transmission though is probably going to go out next. Once you pass 200,000 miles it is anyone's guess if you are going to get another 5000 miles or another 200,000 miles!!!! Is it an automatic or a manual?

 

[mach6]

A new engine for $5k???

Anyone that goes to a dealership to repair an old car with a new engine lost all credibility.

I have 1997 Corolla w/ auto trans, I drive the car hard and try to do oil changes regulary on it and sometimes I don't. I've used maxlife regular now cause it was on clearance but used Maxlife synthetic for a few oil changes cause it was during the winter time and well it's too cold to change it.

The engine is leaking from above and I can see that leaks alot, I may try a bottle of Auto-RX and see how it works out to slow down the leak. The car is almost nearing 100k mile mark now and I think it's done it's job though i would like to get another 50k miles out of it.

Trans fluid hasn't been changed once by me and unsure if it was ever brought to the dealer for that service. Most have been thru independent mechanics, should I even bother changing the fluid or it might cause leaks now?

 

[Terry]

What your Pal "believes" is not squaring very well with the $5000 expense he just absorbed. How's that $5000 repair working for ya bro???? duh.
I have learned not to waste time with those who chose not to learn.
Move on, he is ignorant and unwilling to learn.

BTW, Auto-RX is not the answer to all ills, I recommend a oil analysis scan to ID issues first then work the fix or preventative regimen instead of just adding stuff to the oil.

TD

 

[BrianWC]

Given the fact that a very rare used good condition SAAB b235l replacement engine for the sludge-affected 9-5 runs about $5k, I can't see how you could justify the same expense on a Corolla.

 

[Drew99GT]

Like I said, you could find a used one owner well maintained Corolla of 93-97 vintage for about 4 grand!

 

[ULVER]

He told me the car is actually a 2002, with automatic trans. It certainly is spartan. Not a deluxe model. Even if it were a Camry with frills, $5,000 seems like a lot to spend, without comparing prices.

The "sludge" question I guess should be left for the experts, not myself, or my friend.

I simply thought if he had a brand new investment, of a $5,000, ARX used from the start, would be a smart move. Especially, since I have read some Toyota motors seem prone to sludge.

He still maintains that regular use of Castrol 5-50 synthetic, makes the use of ARX, at any point of an engine's life needless... Whatever