Mobil EP Vs Valvoline EP

[tired]

That also means that there is no easy way we can test the expensive oil's big claims. I'm sticking to the cheap one

That is true. Unless you want to run it for 250,000 miles and tear down the engine and measure clearances and wear. Fortunately though, others have done this, and the results are readily available on Youtube. Or even better, there are very stringent tests Euro oils have to pass, so you could just trust that those oils passing those tests will perform well.

 

[tired]

You know after the HPL use confirmed that my engine is very clean, now I believe that there is an alternative to using very premium oils, and that alternative is changing oil more often than required using regular oil from Walmart Shelf. In over 200,000 miles, I did not wait for the TBN to go below 5 before changing the oil. It gives you an idea that I overdid things, I literally drained out new oil like this lol.

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I'm not sure if anything will change your mind at this point, but here's an excellent post from @RDY4WAR on why changing oil with cheaper oil every 3000 miles isn't great and could be even worse. (From the same thread @wwillson just restored. Thank you again!)

 

[tired]

My sister has a 2022 Outback with the 2.5 Turbo. I sent her three 5 qt jugs of Pennzoil Ultra from Amazon. I keep telling her to change her oil every 3,000 miles no matter what. She doesn't know a thing about cars, next year I will send her more oil as a reminder

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I'm not sure sending someone who "doesn't know a thing about cars" unrequested or unwanted oil is the best way to go about things, but hopefully she will change it frequently. At the very least, when it starts to burn oil, she will have a lot of make up oil to keep in the car to top off. (Edit: I see now she will take it to be changed.)

 

[Sienna dude]

That is true. Unless you want to run it for 250,000 miles and tear down the engine and measure clearances and wear. Fortunately though, others have done this, and the results are readily available on Youtube. Or even better, there are very stringent tests Euro oils have to pass, so you could just trust that those oils passing those tests will perform well.

Well I am over 200k miles now, M1 AFE 0w16 got me here, not Asmoil. Million mile Toyotas also ran Mobil 1. Like I said before, there is always a cheaper alternative available. And with fuel dilution I can't use fancy oils. I drain the oil out every 5k, every 3k this winter when I will use Super Tech.

 

[Sienna dude]

I'm not sure if anything will change your mind at this point, but here's an excellent post from @RDY4WAR on why changing oil with cheaper oil every 3000 miles isn't great and could be even worse. (From the same thread @wwillson just restored. Thank you again!)

So how come my engine is clean after 200k miles?

 

[Sienna dude]

I'm not sure sending someone who "doesn't know a thing about cars" unrequested or unwanted oil is the best way to go about things, but hopefully she will change it frequently. At the very least, when it starts to burn oil, she will have a lot of make up oil to keep in the car to top off. (Edit: I see now she will take it to be changed.)

What am I supposed to say to this lol

 

[Glenda W.]

So how come my engine is clean after 200k miles?

Engine and condition dependent. In your case M1 seems to be working excellent! I wouldn’t change a thing.

I’ve had Buick 3800 series engines go 300k on conventional oil. Then I had a Honda 3.5 severely varnish on synthetic. Even Toyota has winners and losers.

 

[wemay]

True, but also absolutely ideal use scenario. Just sitting on a dyno. No stop and go traffic. Minimal starts. Doesn't get much more ideal I don't think.

If my memory serves me, I believe they did do stop and go and said to mimic real use scenario. This was also VAS, not VEP. Additionally, the OCI used? 10k mikes.

As for choosing between M1EP and VEP? You can't go wrong with either. I personally wouldn't go past 5 -7k mile OCI with any "modern" engine.

 

[Patman]

So how come my engine is clean after 200k miles?

It’s a lower stress situation and keep in mind that being a hybrid also means that your engine hasn’t been running for that entire 200k either. Maybe it’s only got 100-120k of actual running time, which for a lot of engines is still pretty low mileage for deposits building up. I still personally think that it’s better to do 10k changes with a higher tier synthetic than to do 3-5k changes with a bargain brand.

 

[Sienna dude]

It’s a lower stress situation and keep in mind that being a hybrid also means that your engine hasn’t been running for that entire 200k either. Maybe it’s only got 100-120k of actual running time, which for a lot of engines is still pretty low mileage for deposits building up. I still personally think that it’s better to do 10k changes with a higher tier synthetic than to do 3-5k changes with a bargain brand.

Not possible to use a really fancy oil with the fuel dilution problem that I have. I will keep using Ultra platinum, it's a fantastic oil

 

[Sienna dude]

Is it safe to use restore and protect on a clean engine?

 

[kschachn]

Is it safe to use restore and protect on a clean engine?

You and pickly had the same question. Here is the answer direct from Valvoline:

Is Restore & Protect an engine cleaning treatment?

No, Restore & Protect is not an engine treatment. It is a fully formulated ILSAC GF-6A and API SP motor oil, exceeding the requirements of each specification. Restore & Protect works to its fullest capabilities when used consistently during regular oil drain intervals.

 

[Sienna dude]

Pete just dropped this video, man HPL did some good cleaning here. What a disgusting engine

 

[4WD]

Subaru things.

Real, a sidewinder Sube is not ideal for a piston soak like I4’s - V6/8 something in between - and good luck with spark plug holes

 

[ATex7239]

Not possible to use a really fancy oil with the fuel dilution problem that I have. I will keep using Ultra platinum, it's a fantastic oil

At the rate you are going the hybrid batteries will need replacing before the ICE more than likely. Stop worrying so much about the oil brand and type. What you do has more bearing on good outcomes than what you use. And your high mileage vehicle lends to that idea.

It’s akin to working out. Barbell vs dumbbell. HIT vs steady state cardio. Heavy lifting vs body weight only. Just workout. Pick the one that you like and are most likely to do. The vast majority of the benefits behind it is just getting up off your butt and doing it.

The fact that you’re doing regular maintenance and give a crap is the vast majority of the reason behind your success.

 

[Sienna dude]

At the rate you are going the hybrid batteries will need replacing before the ICE more than likely. Stop worrying so much about the oil brand and type. What you do has more bearing on good outcomes than what you use. And your high mileage vehicle lends to that idea.

It’s akin to working out. Barbell vs dumbbell. HIT vs steady state cardio. Heavy lifting vs body weight only. Just workout. Pick the one that you like and are most likely to do. The vast majority of the benefits behind it is just getting up off your butt and doing it.

The fact that you’re doing regular maintenance and give a crap is the vast majority of the reason behind your success.

I am too exhausted for another auto loan. I owe around $9,000 on this van. I should be able to pay it off in a year. If the battery dies, I will get another battery pack. These vans are not cheap, I cannot buy another one. I got a great deal in 2020. Now the same van is $42,000 and the wait times are crazy.
I religiously change the battery filters and the inverter coolant, hoping for the best.

 

[ltslimjim]

Pete just dropped this video, man HPL did some good cleaning here. What a disgusting engine

Wow! Agreed with his comments.

Not to go off topic, but what is your current fill in this engine and plans moving forward? HPL? R&P? More HPL EC?

 

[Sienna dude]

Wow! Agreed with his comments.

Not to go off topic, but what is your current fill in this engine and plans moving forward? HPL? R&P? More HPL EC?

This is not my car. Mine is super clean, Pete will upload my filter video on July 4th. I used HPL 0w16. Right now my fill is Mobil 1 Hybrid 0w20

 

[ltslimjim]

This is not my car. Mine is super clean, Pete will upload my filter video on July 4th. I used HPL 0w16. Right now my fill is Mobil 1 Hybrid 0w20

OK, I got confused I guess

 

[tired]

I am too exhausted for another auto loan. I owe around $9,000 on this van. I should be able to pay it off in a year. If the battery dies, I will get another battery pack. These vans are not cheap, I cannot buy another one. I got a great deal in 2020. Now the same van is $42,000 and the wait times are crazy.
I religiously change the battery filters and the inverter coolant, hoping for the best.

I think you'll get a very long life out of this van. I'd watch the Car Care Nut videos on all of the other maintenance stuff, but I think you're going to be fine.