How Does Toyota Do It?

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Prius hybrids or any hybrid, how do they provide for excellent engine longevity, and provide the most dependable model that Toyota makes when their gas engines start and stop and start and stop hundreds of times a day?

Does anyone know what technology they use?

I'm on my 2nd Prius, a 2019 hatchback running the usual 1.8 liters plus 0w-16 synthetic.

My first was a 2014 PriusC running a 1.5 liter, and that model gave me near 100,000 miles with no burning of oil; just 0w-20 changes every 7k to 8k miles.

You rarely hear about Prius engines burning oil.

I ask because you hear so much about how stop and go traffic, short trips, etc are hard on engines.
 
Toyotas and Hondas used to be throw away cars.
Then they got better; I think Hondas were first with the CVCC (now Civic).

The rest is history.
What I don't get is, we put a man on the moon in 1969.
Why can't we build great cars? Just sayin'...
 
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk
Toyotas and Hondas used to be throw away cars.
Then they got better; I think Hondas were first with the CVCC (now Civic).

The rest is history.
What I don't get is, we put a man on the moon in 1969.
Why can't we build great cars? Just sayin'...


The greatest minds put man on the Moon. But, not for economical gain. Different world today. Corporations $$$$$, mass production at the lowest cost. Disposable world now. Wish it wasn't like that!
 
Originally Posted by lovcom
... You rarely hear about Prius engines burning oil. ...
Not so. Complaints about oil-burning are very common for the 3rd-generation (2010-13, at least) regular Prius with over 100k miles. Whether it's due to effects of frequent starts vs. the same kind of ring coking that affects some modern non-hybrids may be debatable.

That said, mine is ok on that front, so far.
 
I did an oil change today on an '09 with the 1.5L; It's an oil burner. Furthermore, I owned an '03 with the 3.3L 1MZ-FE and I never had to add oil between changes. That Highlander was trouble free until I sold it this year. Unfortunately I live in the rust belt and the undercarriage was not looking so good.
 
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I bought my old Toyota 4WD Pickup new back in 1993; think it was $14K out the door. All the $$ I had in the world.
Gave it to my BIL more than 10 years ago.
That 22RE has well over 350K miles and is still in service; sometimes heavy service.
Never seen the inside of a garage as far as I know.
And never broke down.
I would love to go up to Gig Harbor (SeaTac) WA and adjust those valves again.
 
Originally Posted by skyactiv
You probably think my wife and I are fools for buying a new Audi and a VW I bet.
Seems to be a Yota Homer thread eh?

Originally Posted by lovcom
You rarely hear about Prius engines burning oil.

I ask because you hear so much about how stop and go traffic, short trips, etc are hard on engines.
Engines can develop mysterious oil burning due to the people behind the wheel driving them like they are...a Prius. I haven't heard much about Priuii burning oil, but the Toyota 2.4 on the other hand...
 
Toyota spent about a decade developing the original Prius. Everyone else has been playing catch up. It's all about the engineering.

We could develop a comparable vehicle in North America if a company was prepared to spend the money and time required for development. Oh wait, there is the Tesla.
 
Originally Posted by JeffKeryk

That 22RE has well over 350K miles and is still in service; sometimes heavy service.
Never seen the inside of a garage as far as I know. And never broke down.
I would love to go up to Gig Harbor (SeaTac) WA and adjust those valves again.

I had a 22R engine in a Celica. I enjoyed adjusting those valves too.
 
Originally Posted by Gebo
It is called KAIZEN.

Sorta the opposite of what most companies do.

The whole Japanese manufacturing and ideals process is different then ours in the U.S.. To top that off too, we are building less and less cars in house while our trade deals are creating a huge chunk of domestically manufactured automobiles to be for companies like Toyota and Honda.
 
Originally Posted by lovcom
I'm on my 2nd Prius, a 2019 hatchback running the usual 1.8 liters plus 0w-16 synthetic.

My first was a 2014 PriusC running a 1.5 liter, and that model gave me near 100,000 miles with no burning of oil; just 0w-20 changes every 7k to 8k miles.


So you're on your second Prius in 5 years. Not exactly braggin' rights. My pickup has lasted more time than than, and the wife's Equinox has lasted longer than that.
 
I guess OP never heard of the 3rd gen Prius head gasket problems. They are almost a guarantee around 180k-200k mile range.
Look for a thread from a member The Ctitic. He had the whole thing very well documented and his prius is meticulously maintained.
 
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How do they build such a bland vehicle with terrible driving dynamics, horrid interior quality and comfort along with attracting the worst drivers on the road to them?
 
Originally Posted by dishdude
How do they build such a bland vehicle with terrible driving dynamics, horrid interior quality and comfort along with attracting the worst drivers on the road to them?


Because the people who want a car that just works and don't care about anything else (good or bad) gravitate towards them. With or without regular maintenance there just seems to be an aura of them driving the longest.
 
Have not had a vehicle burn oil since a 1979 PowerWagon and I could have changed valve seals in situ and done away with some of that.
(drove it 17 years)
 
Originally Posted by Fawteen
Originally Posted by lovcom
I'm on my 2nd Prius, a 2019 hatchback running the usual 1.8 liters plus 0w-16 synthetic.

My first was a 2014 PriusC running a 1.5 liter, and that model gave me near 100,000 miles with no burning of oil; just 0w-20 changes every 7k to 8k miles.


So you're on your second Prius in 5 years. Not exactly braggin' rights. My pickup has lasted more time than than, and the wife's Equinox has lasted longer than that.

+100.

My 1991 F-150 will be celebrating it's 30th birthday in a year and a half. Come back and talk to me in a couple of decades.
 
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