Silicon isn't from piston wear, but it causes it. A new engine will always show high levels of silicon from the seals. By the 3rd oil change this goes away, and most silicon you see will be from ingested dirt through the air filter or breather. Depending on exactly where you drive, you should also have about 1 part of aluminum for every 3 to 3.5 parts of silicon since it is in the dust. So if you have 10 ppm of silicon, "normal" would be about 3 ppm of aluminum. If you have 10 of each, 7 ppm of the aluminum is from your pistons.
Of my 12 vehicles, 8 are Asian and I don't see any difference. (2 made in USA, 1 Russia, 1 Brazil-but I think the Ztec engine comes from Europe or somewhere).
Of my 12 vehicles, 8 are Asian and I don't see any difference. (2 made in USA, 1 Russia, 1 Brazil-but I think the Ztec engine comes from Europe or somewhere).