My take on Maxlife

[Nodak]

A while back I bought an 04 Rav4 that had 164,000 miles on it. The previous owner said that they wanted to sell it because it was using oil- qrt.and a half every 2,500 to 3,000 miles. Now I know that the consumption is within the acceptable frame according to Toyota, so I made them an offer and they took it. As soon as I brought it home I dumped the oil in it and threw in some Havoline to see for myself about the consumption and they were right-- so from there I changed the PCV valve and thought I would try Valvoline Maxlife. Well,,, after 2 oil changes the consumption is at half a qrt. every 3,500 miles. Of course the changing of the PCV valve had a part in it I suppose , but I am now a believer in Maxlife as the Rav is running very smooth. I know that there are a lot of Maxlife users out there so add me to the list.
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03 Corolla-5-30 QSUD and Wix filter
04 Rav4-5-30 VML and Wix filter

 

[VNTS]

So run another oil and see if the fix was the PCV, or the maxlife,

 

[SLCraig]

Awesome!
There is a chance it was entirely the PCV valve and nothing to do with Maxlife, or I guess it's possible it was Maxlife and not the PCV at all.
Driving styles can also come into play..

All that being said, this is how loyalties are made to products, and I'm glad you're happy with Maxlife. I like Valvoline products and I have actually never used Maxlife oil in my life. Only ATF (which works well!)

 

[KCJeep]

Maxlife alone took consumption in my son's high mileage Sebring from 3 qts per 5k to just 1. The most recent OCI (second fill of Maxlife) is trending to end up being even less.

Prior useage was with PYB, which is also a fine oil IMO. But his car will be getting Maxlife from here on out.

 

[Nodak]

Originally Posted By: VNTS
So run another oil and see if the fix was the PCV, or the maxlife,


Oh Yeah! I thought about doing that since I have some Havoline on hand and I probably will. I guess with all the Kudos Maxlife was getting I gave that a try first. Tell you what! On my next oci in about 900 miles I will do just that and throw some Havoline in there. I'll see what happens and post the results.

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03 Corolla-5-30 QSUD and Wix filter
04 Rav4-5-30 VML and Wix filter

 

[TallPaul]

My take on Maxlife is that I will take all the Maxlife I can get

(on sales, promos, rebates etc). I have 96 quarts right now! The rest of my stash consists of 9 Amsoil Signature Series and 5 Meijer HM oil.

 

[buster]

MaxLife is a solid performer and a great choice for high mileage engines, especially people that don't want to use a full synthetic.

The added seal conditioners will only help, and so will the extra detergents.

Both Synpower and Maxlife have a good Noack volatility of 10% now.

In this case, it could very well be the PCV valve needed replacement. Did it look ok?

 

[Zeus103363]

Never used Maxlife in the red bottle, but I have been running Valvoline nextgen Maxlife in my old Honda. It's almost at 208k. Consumption is pretty low but it does have a small oil leak (valve cover). I add 3/4-1 qt over a 6-7k OIC. I don't know if it is just the nextgen version of Maxlife, but when I pour it in the color is so light, almost like karo syrup. The other brands of pcmo I use is a amber color, with chevron's products being a little bit darker shade of amber. I do like Maxlife though. It makes the old Honda's engine run smooth as butter. I just hope I can keep finding it for $11 per 5 qt jug!

 

[Nodak]

Originally Posted By: buster
MaxLife is a solid performer and a great choice for high mileage engines, especially people that don't want to use a full synthetic.

The added seal conditioners will only help, and so will the extra detergents.

Both Synpower and Maxlife have a good Noack volatility of 10% now.

In this case, it could very well be the PCV valve needed replacement. Did it look ok?



Sorry I did not respond sooner but had to leave town and just returned. Actually the PCV valve was kind of crusty so putting in a new one was called for. That probably did have an affect on the oil consumption, but as I said earlier, I,m going to run some Havoline in it and see if it is the same as Maxlife.

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03 Corolla-5-30 QSUD and Wix filter
04 Rav4-5-30 VML and Wix filter

 

[salv]

run mobil super hm and you won't even know that the vehicle is running. mobil super is the quietest running oil i've used, conventional and high mileage.

 

[uart]

Originally Posted By: Nodak

as I said earlier, I,m going to run some Havoline in it and see if it is the same as Maxlife.


If the it was the maxlife that improved the oil consumption, then the positive effects of seal conditioners will probably persist (at least for a while) after you change to a new oil.

Yes it might have just been the PCV valve, but using maxlife won't hurt anything and it's a very good oil in any case .

 

[SteveSRT8]

Due to participation in this very forum I tried Maxlife and was VERY impressed.

It definitely helps an older engine run smoother and quieter, and it helped with a small leak.

Great product!

 

[ottotheclown]

They still list 12.6 on 5-20 Maxlife with Next Gen 11 something. Noack can be important. Next Gen has moly regular Maxlife red bottle no moly.Pour point Next Gen less than red bottle Max Life. Strange as always with Valvoline.
Originally Posted By: buster
MaxLife is a solid performer and a great choice for high mileage engines, especially people that don't want to use a full synthetic.

The added seal conditioners will only help, and so will the extra detergents.

Both Synpower and Maxlife have a good Noack volatility of 10% now.

In this case, it could very well be the PCV valve needed replacement. Did it look ok?

 

[CharBaby]

Started using MaxLife in '09 and it certainly did help with the oil drips and consumption with my old Firebird FORMULA V8. I don't have to add any extra oil(topoffs) all summer long.

Prior to the ML regardless of the oil used, I would have to add a ~1/2 qt at ~500 miles(yes, ~500 miles). This car would see lots of startups and short trips.

Now as stated, no more topoffs. The engine must have been burning more than dripping(nothing to the eye) even though the oil spots on the garage floor and driveway are better, they've not stoppped!

 

[buster]

How about MaxLife fully synthetic?

 

[bourne]

Originally Posted By: ottotheclown
Next Gen has moly regular Maxlife red bottle no moly.



And how do you have this info ? I know they took moly off their pds, but that really doesnt mean anything. Any VOA/UOA confirming this ?

Here are some of the other NOACK values of Syn blends in the market. You can see how Maxlife 5w20 compares with a score of 12.6 :

Pennzoil Gold Bottle Syn Blend : 13.4
QS Syn Blend : 14.1
QS Defy : 13
Mobile and Castrol do not have this info available. Neither does Kendall, if someone else has anymore please chime in.

 

[Nodak]

Originally Posted By: uart
Originally Posted By: Nodak

as I said earlier, I,m going to run some Havoline in it and see if it is the same as Maxlife.


If the it was the maxlife that improved the oil consumption, then the positive effects of seal conditioners will probably persist (at least for a while) after you change to a new oil.

Yes it might have just been the PCV valve, but using maxlife won't hurt anything and it's a very good oil in any case .

True--the effects of the Maxlife might still hold, but out of curiosity I will give a try with the Havoline anyway. And yes, I do agree that the Maxlife seems to be good oil according to the specs. and people that seem to be in the know on this forum. Nothing hurt by throwing some Havoline in for a while--it's good dino oil also.

_____________________
03 Corolla-5-30 QSUD and Wix filter
04 Rav4-5-30 VML and Wix filter

 

[LeakySeals]

Going to use maxlife on a 2.7L Dodge Intrepid I'm working on that leaks and consumes from anything that touches motor oil.

 

[Nodak]

Originally Posted By: LeakySeals
Going to use maxlife on a 2.7L Dodge Intrepid I'm working on that leaks and consumes from anything that touches motor oil.


Used to have a 99 Intrepid that my son drove in high school as his 'first' car. It had 212,000 on it when it went down. Power steering hose and connections went bad and chrysler quit making the fittings for those that fit 99-2002 for whatever reason--we tried fashioning one ourselves and it worked for a while,but finally the pressure broke it--we sold the car cheap to salvage. That engine was prone to sludge if you extended the oci's we were told so we changed oil consistently at 2,500 miles. Friends of ours had one that locked up at 112,000 miles--full of gunk. The 2.7 ran well for us when we had it and we used Havoline and valvoline on it only.

__________________________
03 Corolla-5-30 QSUD and Wix filter
04 Rav4-5-30 VML and Wix filter

 

[zerosoma]

Max Life is your daddy.