Valvoline Restore & Protect cons?
- Thread starter Dave1027
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Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
Buy the next higher grade.
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
Lakespeed has a video about how choice of gas brand affects piston rings and cylinder wear. His tests showed that choice of gas brand does affect wear.
I wonder if, or how, choice of fuel also affects cleanliness of rings.
I wonder if, or how, choice of fuel also affects cleanliness of rings.
Unless you live in Australia, there is no higher grade.
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
There's a thicker grade for my purposes. My neighbors 03 Honda CR-V has been having Maxlife Blend 5w20 go through it like
through a goose. I suspect it's burning oil, but I still haven't conclusively diagnosed it. I'm going to put VRP 5w30 in it. For her CR-V 5w30 is a higher grade.However, I understand what you mean. There's no VRP grade higher than 5w30 in USA.
Grades lower than SAE 30 don't exist to meThere's a thicker grade for my purposes. My neighbors 03 Honda CR-V has been having Maxlife Blend 5w20 go through it like
However, I understand what you mean. There's no VRP grade higher than 5w30 in USA.
What is an eye opener here is that you can have a pristine engine inside - but if you have piston / piston ring deposits (as this K24 engine has) your engine from this carbon deposit situation alone could fail . It’s nice that VRP can remove sludge and varnish but VRP’s ability to clean piston and oil ring carbon deposits is really , really key .
Good point!
As we BITOGers sit with popcorn in hand waiting for the other motor oil manufacturers to offer a similarly performing product.
I believe it’s simply a matter of time.
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
I don't think other manufacturers will do it. By the time they could get around to it, it'll be too late because all Americans who care will already have clean engines.
On a more serious note. Why would anyone wanting to clean their engine buy an unproven product when VRP is already proven? Valvoline could drop the price of VRP to make any new competitors regret their investment.
I think a lot of consumers who would change their oil don’t understand the importance of what may be going on with the oil rings and carbon build up . They think about as far as sludge prevention or sludge clean up and believe they are doing good with other WM available synthetic oils that meet SP / Dexos.I don't think other manufacturers will do it. By the time they could get around to it, it'll be too late because all Americans who care will already have clean engines.
On a more serious note. Why would anyone wanting to clean their engine buy an unproven product when VRP is already proven? Valvoline could drop the price of VRP to make any new competitors regret their investment.
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- Aug 14, 2025
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Third owner on my truck and had the Coyote typewriter/ticking noise. I bought the VRP claims and because I didn’t know the history of the first 60k miles for oci, decided to run it for 3 changes. On my second interval with VRP 5w20 and the ticking is gone. Notice that my last two trips to the lake, my MPG is 1.4 better than before. Same fuel. Same driving style.
I picked up a ford 4.0 v6 Explorer for my son with 206k on the clock last year. Religious OCIs from prior owner. Still burns a little oil. 5w30 semisynthetic is what’s it’s always gotten. Would there be any cons to running one or two oci with the VRP? I have been using the Red MaxLife jug in it, but always heard of moving up to full syn being a risk on seals and what not for older engines. No leaks, and I don’t want to toss in a new product and create a problem for myself.
I picked up a ford 4.0 v6 Explorer for my son with 206k on the clock last year. Religious OCIs from prior owner. Still burns a little oil. 5w30 semisynthetic is what’s it’s always gotten. Would there be any cons to running one or two oci with the VRP? I have been using the Red MaxLife jug in it, but always heard of moving up to full syn being a risk on seals and what not for older engines. No leaks, and I don’t want to toss in a new product and create a problem for myself.
No risk. It’s an outdated concern that didn’t materialize. I would run VRP without hesitation. I’m running it a 20 year old truck that has only seen conventional oil ever. No new leaks. I have a valve cover gasket leak (had it when I bought it), but it didn’t get worse. Got a good amount of crud out of the engine on my first interval with it on just 2000 miles or so. I may run it forever. Glad to hear your positive report with VRP in your truck.
Used the VRP 5w30 in 2AZ-FE powered 2008 Scion xB.
- It did clean the rings and eliminated the oil consumption completely. That's a PRO, as I didn't even have to do a piston soak.
- Here is the CON: after more than 3000-3500 miles on the oil the engine gets noticeably louder. Not sure if that's valvetrain or timing chain related, but it's very noticeable and I now use that rattling sound as an indicator for the oil change. A colleague noticed the same in his 1NZ-FE powered Toyota Yaris.
- It did clean the rings and eliminated the oil consumption completely. That's a PRO, as I didn't even have to do a piston soak.
- Here is the CON: after more than 3000-3500 miles on the oil the engine gets noticeably louder. Not sure if that's valvetrain or timing chain related, but it's very noticeable and I now use that rattling sound as an indicator for the oil change. A colleague noticed the same in his 1NZ-FE powered Toyota Yaris.
I called Valvoline, as far as Valvoline is concerned, a USA Euro Restore and Protect oil is not in the cards I was told. ( I asked in a 0W/5W-40) ................3 different customer service/techline operators in a 2 day span. " we are getting calls on that, but """we were told Valvoline is not interested in offering it into the USA market any time soon.""""
Good point, and I'm considering that. But also I think the carbon build up is all from 225k of dino oil on annual changes. I think a quality synthetic like Kirkland changed twice a year or every 5k could keep it clean, but I'm still not sure.If it’s running better after a few changes of VRP why would you switch to anything else?
I think that @Glenda W. also noticed increased noise on her VRP changes IIRC (not right away, but like yours, part way into the OCI).
Exactly the same thing. Good to know I’m not the only one!
Oil can pass all of the dexos 1 tests, but you cannot say it on the label until you sign a very expensive contract, a separate one for every grade (viscosity) of oil you sell. So, do with that information what you will.
Yeah if it had a high hths like 3.3+
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