Likely he did but like me he doesn’t think it is relevant to long term engine reliability for normal cars, or the trajectory of how they wear out.,
Did you have a read up of post #32?
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Earlier in my career I represented a large auto manufacturer. It was a great assignment. One of the things that I learned was that customer retention is a huge part of the business. This idea that they don’t care at all about what happens when the car is out of warranty is silly. It is why BMW put three V8s in my 540i (the original Nikasil/sulphur fuel issue) and why Honda did a motor job on my wife’s Pilot when it suffered a VCM related ring coking issue. Neither car was new. It’s not that they are really nice people, but a very big part of it is that they want to retain the customer. It is for the same reason that if pretty much every manufacturer of normal production cars tells you a break-in change is not necessary, it isn’t. Now if it helps you sleep better at night, or you own a high performance car where it is recommended, then by all means do it.
Finally, anyone who has owned a high mileage well maintained car will tell you it is not generally the drivetrain that will fail. Sometimes but not usually if they are well maintained and not driven by a maniac. Rather it is everything else. They rust. TThe seat padding gets worn and they get uncomfortable. AC breaks and costs a ton to fix. Catalytic converters fail and the factory ones are pricey or NLA, and then you have to bolt on junk or find a way around emissions. Paint and trim start to look old. Suspension overhauls are required. The list goes on as I have done it all. It is either your time or your money and the fact that the motor is still good becomes kind of irrelevant when you hit 200-250k. Even on tank like cars like a W123 Benz, E28 BMW, or a Toyota truck. So not to say don’t keep the oil clean and full but these other debates are really peripheral to longevity.
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