Maybe VRP needs 4 OCI's to replenish additives to clean gunk?

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hey all i was doing some thinking about valvoline restore and protect. it seems as if the consumers are divided due to the fact that it takes 4 oci's to clean out an engine which for some people could be 20,000 miles +++

i understand that could be more then a year for some people but i remember reading something about vrp being stronger during production but valvoline had to tone it down as it was cleaning too well and could clog filters

so this got me thinking and i hypothesize that maybe VRP doesn't need a full 4 oci's to clean to the best of its ability but much rather needs 4 oil changes with fresh VRP due to special additives being consumed during the cleaning process

Maybe I am fetching but I was thinking about it like this

1st oil change with VRP - loosens sludge and carbon build up but additives get used up
2nd oil change with VRP - continues to loosen sludge and carbon build up until additives are used
3rd oil change with VRP - loosens and cleans more of that build up until additives are used
4th oil change with VRP - all potential cleaning / loosening is done and this last oil change is to just polish / clean the rest of whatever is left

if this could be the case then people could do 4 oil changes with 1 every 2000 miles or etc (however long it takes the special additives to become consued/inactive)

but if this could have some truth then we need to find what time frame / heat cycles / mileage those additives are consumed

discuss!
 
I’m curious about this myself. If someone does two OCIs of 10k each would it have the same effect as someone doing 4 OCIs of 5k each?

It would be nice if Valvoline would just say how many overall miles it MIGHT need to do it’s thing for the average engine.

It’s also entirely possible that they know it will work slightly quicker for most people but they want to recommend 4 OCIs just to get people to buy more oil.

It will be interesting to see if a lot of people stick with this oil beyond the 4 intervals or if they switch back to their previous favorites?
 
I suspect you are right that on a given fill of the oil, the cleaning rate tapers off. Therefore the cleaning could be sped up by more and shorter OCIs. This is for only the truly dedicated!
 
hey all i was doing some thinking about valvoline restore and protect. it seems as if the consumers are divided due to the fact that it takes 4 oci's to clean out an engine which for some people could be 20,000 miles +++
With my PHEV that would be 80,000 miles!

You mentioned sludge. Valvoline claims that this oil cleans piston ring lands. They don't talk about sludge which is a different subject.
 
With my PHEV that would be 80,000 miles!

You mentioned sludge. Valvoline claims that this oil cleans piston ring lands. They don't talk about sludge which is a different subject.

sorry my mistake on wording, i just meant gunk / whatever it can clean / carbon deposits
 
I wonder if it has something to do with leftover oil. At least in my vehicle, even after 2 OCIs, there are still trace amounts of oil left when switching brands/formulations. So the 3rd and 4th OCI should be almost completely V R&P runs.
 
hey all i was doing some thinking about valvoline restore and protect. it seems as if the consumers are divided due to the fact that it takes 4 oci's to clean out an engine which for some people could be 20,000 miles +++

i understand that could be more then a year for some people but i remember reading something about vrp being stronger during production but valvoline had to tone it down as it was cleaning too well and could clog filters

so this got me thinking and i hypothesize that maybe VRP doesn't need a full 4 oci's to clean to the best of its ability but much rather needs 4 oil changes with fresh VRP due to special additives being consumed during the cleaning process

Maybe I am fetching but I was thinking about it like this

1st oil change with VRP - loosens sludge and carbon build up but additives get used up
2nd oil change with VRP - continues to loosen sludge and carbon build up until additives are used
3rd oil change with VRP - loosens and cleans more of that build up until additives are used
4th oil change with VRP - all potential cleaning / loosening is done and this last oil change is to just polish / clean the rest of whatever is left

if this could be the case then people could do 4 oil changes with 1 every 2000 miles or etc (however long it takes the special additives to become consued/inactive)

but if this could have some truth then we need to find what time frame / heat cycles / mileage those additives are consumed

discuss!
Sounds far fetched to me. I want a cleaning oil: I use HPL not an oil with major advertising $$$ and commercials.
 
if this could be the case then people could do 4 oil changes with 1 every 2000 miles or etc (however long it takes the special additives to become consued/inactive)

but if this could have some truth then we need to find what time frame / heat cycles / mileage those additives are consumed

I would also consider sump size. A 10 quart engine probably gets longer cleaning than something with 4 quarts.
 
IMO Valvoline has no idea how dirty each engine is going to be in the millions of cars this product might be used in, so they play it safe. Regarding running it for two 10K mile OCIs vs four 5K OCIs, or running it 2k dumping it and running it a little longer, etc. In some applications that could be a long time to have dirty oil cycling through the engine, or too short a first interval to do anything. I'd be more concerned running it too long, especially for someone not smart enough to change the filter halfway through that interval. I'm pretty sure they did some testing of the product and are covering themselves with their recommendations. As always with Bitog blanket statements can get you in trouble, so can reinventing the wheel. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I better crawl back into the bunker.
 
IMO Valvoline has no idea how dirty each engine is going to be in the millions of cars this product might be used in, so they play it safe. Regarding running it for two 10K mile OCIs vs four 5K OCIs, or running it 2k dumping it and running it a little longer, etc. In some applications that could be a long time to have dirty oil cycling through the engine, or too short a first interval to do anything. I'd be more concerned running it too long, especially for someone not smart enough to change the filter halfway through that interval. I'm pretty sure they did some testing of the product and are covering themselves with their recommendations. As always with Bitog blanket statements can get you in trouble, so can reinventing the wheel. HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I better crawl back into the bunker.
I doubt it will do much. HPL did cleaning on a 22 year old Dakota already. I just don’t buy Valvoline a commercials and marketing.

We all have saw what HPL does: it cleans
 
hey all i was doing some thinking about valvoline restore and protect. it seems as if the consumers are divided due to the fact that it takes 4 oci's to clean out an engine which for some people could be 20,000 miles +++

i understand that could be more then a year for some people but i remember reading something about vrp being stronger during production but valvoline had to tone it down as it was cleaning too well and could clog filters

so this got me thinking and i hypothesize that maybe VRP doesn't need a full 4 oci's to clean to the best of its ability but much rather needs 4 oil changes with fresh VRP due to special additives being consumed during the cleaning process

Maybe I am fetching but I was thinking about it like this

1st oil change with VRP - loosens sludge and carbon build up but additives get used up
2nd oil change with VRP - continues to loosen sludge and carbon build up until additives are used
3rd oil change with VRP - loosens and cleans more of that build up until additives are used
4th oil change with VRP - all potential cleaning / loosening is done and this last oil change is to just polish / clean the rest of whatever is left

if this could be the case then people could do 4 oil changes with 1 every 2000 miles or etc (however long it takes the special additives to become consued/inactive)

but if this could have some truth then we need to find what time frame / heat cycles / mileage those additives are consumed

discuss!
This is a ton of rumination coupled with wild imagination and assumption. Not sure it qualifies as “hypothesis” since much of it is imaginary.

You’re guessing at how the oil works, assuming what your engine needs and extrapolating the experience of others. The cleaning mechanism is a combination of base oil polarity, and additives, though they’re being tight-lipped about it, but in either case, it takes time. It’s less about number of oil changes and more about hours to dissolve and remove.

Whether we are talking about HPL, or VRP, it takes time at operating temperature to work. Short intervals are not recommended by either company to get the best out of their product, so, I don’t see why speculating about the Effectiveness of short intervals serves any useful purpose.
 
I’m 1,000 miles into the 3rd OCI on my recently acquired 2019 Chevy Silverado 4.3 V6 using the VRP 5w30. It had 70,000 miles and 3,000 hours when I bought it in May 2024 and currently has 81,500 miles at 3,302 hours. It runs great and uses no oil but being a used vehicle along with the positive posts here about the VRP and it’s purported cleaning abilities plus it being a DI engine, I decided to use the new VRP. I’ve used Valvoline oil for 2 decades and it took my old Chevy 5.3 to 248,000 miles with zero oil usage at 5,000 mile OCI’s and was running great when I sold it this year. I’m using the AC/Delco PF63 filter with no filter autopsies. At $30 for a 5 qt jug if it does what it’s purported to do fine and dandy, and if it doesn’t that’s OK too because I’ll probably never know either way! ;)

IMG_1507.webp
 
Over the years here, I've made one ruminative assumption which, in my opinion, holds water.
I've concluded that the "700 mile highway trips" I make once or twice a month have contributed mightily to the health of my vehicles.
High speed driving reveals alignment and tire woes. I believe long runs maximize any 'softening or cleaning' which might occur.

Fuel use measured during these outings can be informative. I detected a 20% increase in fuel usage immediately after my single, upstream O2 sensor went out in my 2002 V70 (2.4l, NA, FWD). Fixing it fast may have saved the cat.

The performance of Dear Mom's locally driven Saab was restored (where Valvoline got the name?) every time I drove it on these trips. It was uncanny and unbelievably consistent.

Now, with VRP in my engine and HPL in my stash, I can't wait to open my 2.0l's EGR chamber (or whatever it's called).
 
“UP TO 100% PISTON DEPOSIT REMOVAL WHEN USED AS DIRECTED FOR FOUR OR MORE CONSECUTIVE OIL CHANGES AT STANDARD MAINTENANCE INTERVALS. BASED ON ADAPTED SEQUENCE IIIH TESTING.”

The Sequence IIIH test is designed to measure viscosity increase and piston cleanliness. Recommendations are based on the results from industry standard testing using manufacturer recommended maintenance.

You have two options: trust and do what they recommend or do your own testing and tear downs to prove your hypothesis. Anything else is just doing mental gymnastics IMO.
 
"It will be interesting to see if a lot of people stick with this oil beyond the 4 intervals or if they switch back to their previous favorites?"

I used VRP for one OCI then went back to my favorites when I couldn't find it on the shelves anymore in my Walmart or Advanced Auto.
I suppose I could have looked on-line for it but it just wasn't worth the effort to me. I don't think my Honda really needed it anyway. I used it the first time more out of curiosity than need.
 
“UP TO 100% PISTON DEPOSIT REMOVAL WHEN USED AS DIRECTED FOR FOUR OR MORE CONSECUTIVE OIL CHANGES AT STANDARD MAINTENANCE INTERVALS. BASED ON ADAPTED SEQUENCE IIIH TESTING.”

The Sequence IIIH test is designed to measure viscosity increase and piston cleanliness. Recommendations are based on the results from industry standard testing using manufacturer recommended maintenance.

You have two options: trust and do what they recommend or do your own testing and tear downs to prove your hypothesis. Anything else is just doing mental gymnastics IMO.


Agreed but there could be a high chance they say to do four or more for $$

If it did it all in one shot people would return to there original preferred oil

With 4, once people get used to always using VRP they may as well keep using


For example a 5 q is like $30 at Walmart which is basically in the range of other premium oils
 
Agreed but there could be a high chance they say to do four or more for $$

If it did it all in one shot people would return to there original preferred oil

With 4, once people get used to always using VRP they may as well keep using


For example a 5 q is like $30 at Walmart which is basically in the range of other premium oils
VRP FAQ

HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WORKS?​

“Cleaner parts at 300k miles than at 100k miles. After initial testing of deposit buildup at 100k miles, Valvoline completed an additional 200k miles of testing comparing deposit buildup with Restore & Protect to deposit buildup with an industry qualified GF-6 oil. Valvoline then conducted further modified industry testing confirming the results based on on-the-road driving habits.”

VL claims to have done extensive testing and designed the oil to clean slowly over time. If all you see is a grand money grab conspiracy then I guess that’s your prerogative.
 
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