Valvoline Restore & Protect

Valve was changed shortly after purchasing. Probably within 10-15k miles after I noticed a small amount of oil residue in the intake pre-throttle body where the PCV should draw air from, not vent to. Confirmed with vacuum gauge placed in the PCV fresh air tube that engine was building pressure (with PCV fresh air inlet blocked with gauge, and suction line still connected to intake) instead of drawing a slight vacuum as it should normally under that scenario. Checked valve and sure enough it was plugged. Currently have no indications of it being plugged again. Actually wondering if R&P will help keep the PCV oil separator and remainder of PCV system cleaner to help prevent the valve from getting stuck with carbon again. I never pulled a valve cover on this 3UR to see how bad it really was, but I suspect that PCV was clogged for awhile.

My opinion FWIW - I think synthetic usage in itself is good preventative maintenance. In a healthy, well cared for engine it’s sufficient long-term unless that engine has an inherent issue that would lead to buildup that affects operation. I have a 2008 Camry in the family with the 2.4L 2AZ. Prior to R&P oil being available, these engines low-tension one piece oil control ring design was notorious for clogging up with carbon causing oil consumption as I’m sure many on this forum are aware of. I saw it with all different types of oil. Maintenance history, oil quality, and driving habits were all factors, but I saw cars that were seemingly well maintained experience the issue. At 180k I replaced rings on this Camry’s engine, and valve stem seals. Reused block, head, bearings, and everything else as it was in great shape. Car now has 445k on the clock with maybe a 1/4qt consumption in the 7-8k miles it sees between oil changes with whatever synthetic 0w20 or 5w20 oil I have in stock (currently working through a ton of Mobil 1 truck and SUV bought on clearance from every AAP in the Pacific Northwest during their store closure sales, 😂. No signs of excessive buildup in that engine, no real reason to switch to R&P. When I run low on my stock maybe I will. Long story short, I think this Sequoia had too much buildup for the standard synthetics to tackle. The real test will be how it cuts down on oil consumption and ring cleaning. If 2AZ owners are having success with it with the old ring design, that’s impressive in my book.
They are seeing success.
 
in the context of, if t hasn't lost performance yet, does that mean it never will?
Fair point, but today’s oils are better than the ones from 2008. Today’s oils are validated using tougher applications than engines from that era.

So no, I do not see the buildup getting worse if the vehicle had continued 5K intervals using “conventional.”

Could the buildup suddenly begin causing an issue? Anything’s possible, but I suspect otherwise.
 
Fair point, but today’s oils are better than the ones from 2008. Today’s oils are validated using tougher applications than engines from that era.

So no, I do not see the buildup getting worse if the vehicle had continued 5K intervals using “conventional.”

Could the buildup suddenly begin causing an issue? Anything’s possible, but I suspect otherwise.

unless you consider excessive oil use an issue, plenty of post-2008 vehicles suffer that.
 
My 15 year old push Toro lawn mower started smoking last year upon startup. Starts runs clean for about 10 seconds then smokes for about 5 to 8 seconds then smokeless for the rest of the mow. I wonder if VRP might help the rings or maybe the engine is just getting tired. It's time for an oil change maybe I'll give her some VRP and see what happens.

So just wanted to give an update on this post of mine. Did an oil change with VRP 5W-30 in April. After about 5 or 6 mows I started to see a reduction in smoke after startup and progressively got better each time I cut the grass. Currently the mower starts and runs with zero smoke. I'll call VRP a big win for saving my mower.
 
From Valvoline- user reviews.
Before
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“Recently purchased a 2007 Toyota 4Runner SR5 with 125,000 miles on it. The Runner actually had a decent record of consistent generic oil changes every 3,000 miles. However, after looking inside the valve cover with an endoscope, I noticed heavy varnish and slight sludge built up in certain areas I could get to. I didn't want to do an engine flush, as I heard it might clog the oil passageways. Initially, I tried another popular brand that is known for cleaning and after about 1200 miles of driving, I looked inside the valve cover, but did not notice any difference. Valvoline Restore and Protect was released shortly after - I was initially interested, because the marketing targeted was exactly what I was looking for (Restore to Factory Clean and prevents build-up), so I gave it a try. The Oil has been in the engine for 1,324 miles and wow - I have not drained it yet, but I can already see a noticeable difference looking in the valve cover. The areas that contained yellow varnish is notably silver and the areas that contained minor sludge build up looks significantly cleaner. The engine also runs a lot smoother (quieter) with this oil. Since sludge was present, I'm going to drain this oil at 1500 miles and refill with new Valvoline Restore and Protect.”
I was looking at their reviews last night and there's a 1-star which I think is fake. The reviewer "J_Money" (red flag btw.) posted a pic of alleged bore scoring yet the date stamp on the screen for the borescope is 2022.
 
I'm not sure I never noticed this.

"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."
 
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