Additive that is closest to ARX in effectiveness?

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Have used ARX for years now and have only good experiences to share. Love the stuff. Recently though, I joined the ranks of the unemployed and cannot afford the price of admission. Are there competing additive packs that approach ARX effectiveness and quality, but at a lesser price? Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: gr8gatzby
Are there competing additive packs that approach ARX effectiveness and quality, but at a lesser price? Thanks.


In regards to what you're looking for, I've had great success with Mobil 1 High Mileage.
 
Originally Posted By: Bluestream
What do you love about it? I have never used any additives for 50 years so I dont get it...


I started using ARX in 2005 with my purchase of an 88k mi 2000 Volvo XC70. After two treatments, fuel economy returned to EPA rated numbers and this gas engine ceased sounding like a diesel when at idle. The rest of the car fell apart and required $12,000 of warranty work in the first 12 months, but the engine was solid, and I've used ARX on every car since.

I've always walked in to high mileage cars with varied lives of owner maintenance. If I were buying new, and had my hand on regular oil changes from day one, ARX(or any additive) would not benefit the motor.
 
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Oils already have detergents built in. If you start doing 2000 mile OCI's with Maxlife, you'll get the engine clean as a whistle. Shouldn't take more than three OCI's to do it.
 
My oil pan gasket slipped out during an Auto RX treatment. Cost me $200 to get a new gasket installed. Was it the Auto RX or just coincidence? I quit using additives in oil, just Maxlife oil. No need to keep the inside of the engine squeaky clean. Today's oils don't gum up and clog engines like some in the past did.
 
Unless you have a specific, known, problem (like a stuck ring)
Just do a few short OCI's with a quality oil.

Don't be talked into wasting money on Snake oil, to fix something that isn't broke.
 
Originally Posted By: steveh
All additives are very effective. They all do a excellent job of cleaning out your wallet!!


+1 So true on that statement there.
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Cheers
B
 
You could (and I have) take some Canola, some methanol (eg heet - I've used anhydrous ethanol before), some caustic, and manufacture RME (Rapeseed Methyl Ester)...google biodiesel soda bottle...AutoRx patent is lanolin, esterised with various alcohols.

Which will be an ester, with very high solvency....in fact changing to high levels of biodiesel in an older fuel system can stir up all sorts of junk.

I've added it to engines for the last 1,000km of an oil change, and had remarkably similar results to my runs of AutoRx...pretty much nothing noticeable.

Oil would need to be thick enough to handle the thinner solvent.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Oils already have detergents built in. If you start doing 2000 mile OCI's with Maxlife, you'll get the engine clean as a whistle. Shouldn't take more than three OCI's to do it.


I'd love to see some before and after pics to back that statement up, or a link to them.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Oils already have detergents built in. If you start doing 2000 mile OCI's with Maxlife, you'll get the engine clean as a whistle. Shouldn't take more than three OCI's to do it.


I'd love to see some before and after pics to back that statement up, or a link to them.


While your at it get him to back up his other assertion that thicker oil closes the ring gaps!
 
Why have you used it for years? What are you doing to your engine to require its use? Assuming it does anything in the first place, of course.

Glad you love it as you are making the sellers happy too. Just explain why you need it so much.

Originally Posted By: gr8gatzby
Have used ARX for years now and have only good experiences to share. Love the stuff. Recently though, I joined the ranks of the unemployed and cannot afford the price of admission. Are there competing additive packs that approach ARX effectiveness and quality, but at a lesser price? Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Why have you used it for years? What are you doing to your engine to require its use? Assuming it does anything in the first place, of course.

Glad you love it as you are making the sellers happy too. Just explain why you need it so much.

Originally Posted By: gr8gatzby
Have used ARX for years now and have only good experiences to share. Love the stuff. Recently though, I joined the ranks of the unemployed and cannot afford the price of admission. Are there competing additive packs that approach ARX effectiveness and quality, but at a lesser price? Thanks.


This really is an EXCELLENT question.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
You could (and I have) take some Canola, some methanol (eg heet - I've used anhydrous ethanol before), some caustic, and manufacture RME (Rapeseed Methyl Ester)...google biodiesel soda bottle...AutoRx patent is lanolin, esterised with various alcohols.

Which will be an ester, with very high solvency....in fact changing to high levels of biodiesel in an older fuel system can stir up all sorts of junk.

I've added it to engines for the last 1,000km of an oil change, and had remarkably similar results to my runs of AutoRx...pretty much nothing noticeable.

Oil would need to be thick enough to handle the thinner solvent.



There you go op. Make your own
 
a quart of appropriate redline...here you have all the
esters you need.
My blend: 80-100% HDEO and the rest is redline xw-y (havent found 0w-20 yet, but when i do i´d use it to thin the hdeo down a bit)
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
I think a synthetic oil would provide a similar cleaning in a slow manner which is what ARX is all about.


+1 Some of the modern oils like PU, PP and some Mobil 1 have excellent cleaning abilities.
I had an engine apart a few months ago that had lots of varnish and some buildup, the Mobil 1 did a great job. The oil literally had a red tint from the varnish.
It does take time though and is not dependent so much on miles driven from what i saw.
 
The new Castrol gold bottle apparently has some bio-esters in it and would be an interesting candidate for this as well.
 
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