Valvoline Restore and Protect skepticism

Let me guess. You believe any approved synthetic oil changed at 3-5k oci’s will keep pistons clean?

Time for a reality check…..you’re way off base.
This ^^^
If that worked, I wouldn't have, as we speak, a dedicated thread on VRP-ing my Santa Fe that has been fed exclusively on Royal Purple 5w30 full synthetic at 3-5k oci's from new.
 
Last edited:
As i posted in the other thread, the video states there was coolant intrusion into the cylinders. Than causes sludge.
Not true in this video. Coolant intrusion into the crankcase causes sludge. Coolant intrusion in the cylinders as seen here can be seen with the affected pistons being steam cleaned. Coolant doesn't go through the rings to cause deposits. The coolant intrusion isn't severe to where the engine drinks coolant and causes the low coolant light to turn on since that didn't happen in this video. The owner said it ran odd/rough but there was no low coolant level message. The coolant intrusion is minor but present in some affected ford engines. Doesn't cause sludge or varnish.
 
So, what engine conditions are good candidates for this oil? Asking for a friend who has a jug of 5w30 and 0w20 on the shelf.
I would say definitely in any engine with know cleanliness problems, especially sticking oil control rings. Also a newly released engine with no track record yet.

Forgot to add. Vehicles with unknown service history or engines visibly dirty.
 
Last edited:
Nothing wrong with opinions but not sure the point of this thread. VRP has been PROVEN to do what it claims it does. Miracles? Of course not, no fluid will fix parts issues. On your point of not using in a newer car, why not? It's a good oil and will theoretically keep an engine clean from the get go. Of course if it doesn't have an approval that your vehicle requires by the MFG, then use something else.
 
This oil is pretty solid, but has definitely become a go-to for wishful thinkers and folks who have not faced the truth that their engine is clapped out. Go ahead and use it, but we need to get off the idea that it does more than clean up old engines a little bit. Also, need to call out folks who are suggesting that they should use it on brand new cars. That makes no sense, and, in fact there are better, cheaper oils holding manufacturer specifications readily available. The product has its place, for sure, but also seems to have folks drinking the Kool Ade.
Ignoring ideal driving conditions, OCI and oil selection. Which of the following is a more reasonable perspective?
a) New engines cannot have ring issues.
b) New engines have ring issues.
c) Some new engines have ring issues.
 
Nothing wrong with opinions but not sure the point of this thread. VRP has been PROVEN to do what it claims it does. Miracles? Of course not, no fluid will fix parts issues. On your point of not using in a newer car, why not? It's a good oil and will theoretically keep an engine clean from the get go.
On top of that not only does Valvoline not state or even hint anywhere that it shouldn't be used in new engines or that it should only be used in old or high mileage engines it says on the website it says to use it whenever, new or not.

In fact they say to use it since new to prevent future deposit build up as they state deposits begin to form since first start. No idea what Tom was going on about with this quote.
but we need to get off the idea that it does more than clean up old engines a little bit. Also, need to call out folks who are suggesting that they should use it on brand new cars. That makes no sense

"From the moment it starts for the very first time, critical parts of your engine begin building up harmful deposits that are nearly impossible to reverse - until now. Valvoline Restore & Protect is the first and only motor oil that prevents future deposit formation and restores pistons to factory clean by removing up to 100% of engine-killing deposits"

It doesn't say to wait any amount of time before using it.
 
Last edited:
Confirmation bias is a thing.

People like to be told they are right and their decisions mattered. When new information is presented which indicate maybe your decisions might not have been the best, some will listen to the argument and others will immediately dig into their own position. A select few will dig in and stay forever, and never listen to the evidence, no matter how compelling.

Don’t like/use VRP all you want, but the evidence of its abilities to clean is pretty much irrefutable at this point. And I don’t know about you guys, but keeping things clean is usually much easier than letting it get dirty and then trying to clean it up after the fact. YMMV.
 
So, what engine conditions are good candidates for this oil? Asking for a friend who has a jug of 5w30 and 0w20 on the shelf.
My thought process, and it may be flawed, is any application that meets it's certs and specifically any application with a history of carbon sticking oil control rings. I think I'm definitely going to stick with V&R in the Kia and it will be my preference in the Subaru. I'm not at all worried about the Tundra and RX 350 but I have a stash to get through, after that's done, I'll use 5W30 R&P for everything.
 
My thought process, and it may be flawed, is any application that meets it's certs and specifically any application with a history of carbon sticking oil control rings. I think I'm definitely going to stick with V&R in the Kia and it will be my preference in the Subaru. I'm not at all worried about the Tundra and RX 350 but I have a stash to get through, after that's done, I'll use 5W30 R&P for everything.
Our 220K '01 Tundra does not go through a drop. Ditto our 240K '06 TSX. I was targeting one of these cars. Dang M1 oil changes!
 
I’m in the middle of a QSFS varnish clean up experiment as we speak. Details by year end. A hint QSFS was not up to the task causing the varnish. ESP is the cleaning test subject.

It might be interesting to start a thread, highlighting what engines are prone to sludge and/or ring sticking. I suspect the list isn't widespread. For most cars that don't have an issue, common API grade oils are perfectly fine.
 
I'm not a Valvoline fan boy, but weren't they the one who developed Premium Blue in conjunction with Cummins? IIRC, Cummins was searching for an oil that provided the wear protection and ability to clean deposits they demanded and Valvoline developed one with them. Supposedly, this technology was used for VRP as well.
Don’t forget Valvoline Modern Engine - formulated to deal with CBU …
But it was expensive, flopped, and wound up on clearance - I then grabbed some and the sweet smell had me wondering about ester …
VRP rocks on partly bcs of a normal price …
 
People on here like to refer to Kirkland oil as a lessor or lower tier oil. There is a post on here where the same driver in the same vehicle ran Mobil 1 5-30 for 5k miles then had the oil analyzed. Then he ran Kirkland 5-30 for 5k and analyzed it. He posted both reports. The different categories reported almost identical. If you hid the names, you couldn't tell them apart and might think it was the same oil. Now that doesn't tell us about sludge but it says a lot for Kirkland oil.
 
This ^^^
If that worked, I wouldn't have, as we speak, a dedicated thread on VRP-ing my Santa Fe that has been fed exclusively on Royal Purple 5w30 full synthetic at 3-5k oci's from new.

I remember when @RDY4WAR referred to Royal Purple as "Gucci Valvoline" and it makes me wonder if anyone should be using any Valvoline product other than VRP as they might produce less than desirable results as compared to VRP.

Don’t forget Valvoline Modern Engine - formulated to deal with CBU …
But it was expensive, flopped, and wound up on clearance - I then grabbed some and the sweet smell had me wondering about ester …
VRP rocks on partly bcs of a normal price …

Something I thought about recently as a former user of VME, I do wonder if VRP is just VME repackaged or at least some variation of it? I 100% agree with your point about pricing because VME was more in the Royal Purple price range whereas VRP tends to be priced slightly above the EP price range but still a bit below Royal Purple.
 
It might be interesting to start a thread, highlighting what engines are prone to sludge and/or ring sticking. I suspect the list isn't widespread. For most cars that don't have an issue, common API grade oils are perfectly fine.
Great idea. Every manufacturer has been affected. I’ve personally had 3.

Started thread!
 
Last edited:
Back
Top Bottom