215,000 miles on my Toyota truck

We have a 93 Olds cutlass cierra with 183,000 on it right now, hoping to make 200,000 but it might not make it. It's the best car we ever had, bought it as a program car with around 15,000 on it.

I am still driving my Full Sized GMC Pick-Up and it has 286,000 on it and still very strong and still gets 24 mpg. And has had just a few things worked on but for the most part the Original stuff is still working. Original Alt. Original. Starter etc. And I am only the 2nd owner.. Before me the truck traveled to many a horse shows from Coast to Coast I am GOING to drive long enough to go OVER 300,000 Mark~!!

Glad to hear all the good reports on Toyota's.

just bought a 95 Toyota 4x4 6 cy. with a new paint job
at 164k it seems to run real well.

Taking it in tommorow to have the clutch looked at as it seems to loose presure over night and ever once in awhile the clutch pedal hits the floor. hope its not serious.

Had a ford escort years ago that I sold at 245K miles. Someone is still driving that little car. I loved it. went through my oldest sons rough treatment at college and still kept ticking.

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WVPEACH (paula)

youll have to share your MPG secret, my 88 toyota truck only gets 22 mpg.

'98 4runner 6cyl. auto with 160,000 +/- gets about 24 on average.

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My '90 Maxima has something like 254,000+ on it, and it is still going strong. Gets between 32 - 35mpg. Replaced the alternator a couple of times, and a computer chip, but (with the exception of the repairs required from 3 separate collisions w/ deer...radiators and such) that's about it. Hubby put synthetic oil in it, which I think has helped a lot. And one can feel the age on the transmission, but I take it easy on 'er, and it gets me where I need to go . We have another engine and transmission that hubby pulled from a parts car ready to go, when it finally comes time to make that swap. I intend to keep this one as long as possible...Like you said, after a while, they become like members of the family .

Our other 2 vehicles (a Chevy van and an old Ford pickup) also have high mileage and are doing reasonably well--though they have required more TLC than the car. Thank goodness Jim is able to take care of those sorts of things...So much better than having to pull into a mechanic's garage all of the time!

Erin

There is a little spring thing in there with a rubber seal on it and the seal needs replaced ( I am far from a mechanic) the same thing happened to my truck at 150k. I think you have to replace the whole thing a ma jig cost me $65 for the part if I remember right

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marching to the beat of a different drummer

Yep, maintenance is key 100%... but you need to put the 'frequent' in context. I've had many cars, both race and daily drivers. My 'burban os at about 200K right now, my Cobra is at a whopping 66K (it's a 95). I change the oil in both about once a year. The filters maybe once or twice. It all depends on what you use. Conventional 'dino' oil has tested well out to 7K. Mobil 1 (not the extended) has tested well out to 18K last I saw. Amsoil has tested out past 50K (though I really wouldn't recommend that).

The other little things need to be done as well, coolant flushes, tranny filters and flushes, rear diff, fuel filter, tune ups, etc. etc. Maintenance is the biggest overlooked thing on vehicles... to their detriment.

I was being generous with the 30 mpg guess. It's a '96 four-cylinder 4X4. It has a topper. Unloaded, the realistic mpg is probably in the 26-28 range on the highway.

But to be honest, I really don't keep track. It's a rebellion thing: My father is meticulous about writing all the miles driven and gallons put in.

When he asks, "How's your truck doing on gas?" I like to be able to say, "I don't know. I put the gas in and the tank seems to empty OK. I hope most of it is going through the engine." Then I can pretend that I'm still a young scamp.

I should probably get a bigger truck. I load this one too much at times and have pulled a heavy tractor and other trailers that was borderline safe. But I'm cheap. And the price of gas keeps going up. When I'm driving to my job in an office, I'm glad it isn't a Ford 350 4X4 dually.

I have an '88 S-10 with 308K miles on her. To put that in perspective, the Moon is only 250K miles away. IOW, she's been there, and is on her way back.

My wife's '94 Oldsmobile 98 has 255,000+ miles on it or a bit more than the average distance from the Earth to the Moon. The service history resembles the local phone book when it gets printed out, but it's still running. Unfortunately the secondary and tertiary stuff is falling to bits so we'll have to get another vehicle before long.

My '95 Mazda B2300 pickup (A Ford Ranger in Japanese clothing) has 187,000 miles on it and the only non-wear items I've ever replaced in the 137k miles I've put on it since I bought it was a water pump. I hate Ford electronics, but the rest of the truck is pretty good.

.....Alan.

This is what we run in our vehicles, and I believe my car didn't need its oil changed until it had well over 30K miles on it. A newer vehicle could probably easily go longer (given the above specs). Hubby tests it somehow, so he gets it when it 'needs it' (as he says). The stuff costs more up front, but it balances out considering all of the extra miles one can get out of one oil change.

Erin

Well, let me clarify. They have tested out to 50K, but their recommendation is 25,000 miles or one year (and I've only pushed it to 15K myself). They do have a 35,000 mile oil out as well as a 7,500/6 month oil. The only true way to test the oil is to send it out for oil analysis.

Does it save money? It sure can. I tried to cull out some links from Amsoil and put them on my page here: www.bestoilaround.com/fuel/

And on my main page I have a '409,000 Mile Oil Drain Interval Mack Engine Teardown' link and a few others. Some of the stuff I've seen is simply amazing, but I personally use it because of it's track record with me, the true PAO base stock and the fact that many of the formulations still have the ZDDP in them.

This of course is only one of the many things that people have to do to upkeep their vehicles and equipment. It's the overall effort that produces dependable vehicles and equipment that end up being the exception over the rule.

Yikes, I have to stop doing that before everyone starts calling me a geek...

you might want to do some research before you continue to believe all the sales pitches for synthetics. A great place to start is neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/oil-life.html. This is a group of guys who ran real world testing of Mobil 1 and Amsoil over an extended period, including spectograph testing every 1000 miles. Bottom line? Neither oil lasted anywhere near 30K. Your thoughts on extended changes on a newer vehicle are dead wrong, and will be an expensive mistake, especially with a brand new vehicle. There is a critical need to remove oil in a fairly short time frame during the initial break in period. This will eliminate a lot of garbage that is trapped in the engine due to the manufacturing process, and metals that are contaminating the oil from the break in. I did testing on a new engine. I changed the oil at 1K. The test showed significant metal contamination and high levels of silicone from sealers. The next test at 6K. showed normal levels. A replacement motor costs at least $4000 in a lot of cases. Using coupons and rebates, I change the oil in my vehicles for less than $7, using a Purolator filter and name brand dino oil. IMHO, this is far more rational than the theory that a synthetic will last 30 to 50 K. Especially when real world testing proves otherwise. In 30K. I have six oil changes. This cost me less that $45 total and I have provided proven levels of adequate mantainence and protection for my very expensive engine. In your case you have spent more money and, assuming that there was no bypass filtration or testing, probably damaged your car, and reduced it's longevity. Some savings, huh??? BTW, this is a very controversial subject and there are always synthetic groupies and "Amsoil priests" that love to preach their message. If the stuff was so wonderful it would be in every new car and it would be featured as a product that virtually eliminates oil changes. If GM could put synthetics in every vehicle and state that the oil needs to be changed every 25K. they would jump on the chance in a second. Believe whatever you chose to, but if it was the wonder fluid that some claim, it would be the standard. Not some obscure product that people sell for big bucks out of their basements. The truth is that a lot of engineers and people in the lubricant business will tell you not to waste the money. Want proof ?, go to the Blackstone labs testing site and see what kind of fancy oils the engineers and staff run in their personal cars?

What's so bad about the site concerning Amsoil? The only thing I've seen is that it thickens over time rather than thins. Generally that's not a bad thing (and was a known in the ASL line). They also were having self-admitted problems with their testing. What was up with the continual Copper readings? And then the Lead? I didn't see any explanaiton why the jumps in metals in any of their tests. I think before you go around bad mouthing products you should go and find more than one source.

If you really want some people that know oil, try www.bobistheoilguy.com. There you will find people critical of EVERYTHING to do with oil. You'll also find the general rule of thumb there for Amsoil is 1 year and 15-20,000 miles. Why? They have an issue with the oil getting thick as well. Not many people put that many miles on in a year unless it's mainly highway. And did you happen to miss this bit: You had what? 6 oil changes in 30K miles. I wonder who happened to do more damage to their motors. lol! And if you could please note that Amsoil only has ONE oil it recommends to 30K, the others are 7,500 - 25,000 depending on the product. Please don't misrepresent things in order to make your position seem more tenable.

The test vehicle, which saw 50/50 use thus 50/50 typical/severe duty did not use the recommended oil filter and still made a year out and almost at the severe duty recommendation for mileage (And just to make mention, it was on ly ONE tess vehicle). And it made the year on ONE regular Napa Gold oil filter - no change out. That would lead one to suspect that the Amsoil was doing a rather good job of lubricating the engine - as it is supposed to.

I also did not see if they used the AEF Flush as recommended. That all said, I will repeat once again that I, persoanlly, became a dealer because of my past use and the results I saw upon teardown of many motors. Those that used PAO synthetics (like Amsoil and Mobil 1) ALWAYS looked better than those that did not use synthetics. It's hard to argue with a calibrated micrometer.

Additionally I couldn't find what the folks at Blackstone use (just that they don't like to see a whole bunch of additives in an oil) but I have used them for some of my analysis results and was happy with them. They also make mention of the by-pass filter, something Amsoil highly recommends. Must be just another sales pitch for a product that doesn't truly work I guess.

But here, just so I can fit into your ideal of things....

Buy synthetic, it's the best (proven time and again)! Buy my product, I'm an 'Amsoil Priest' (though I still won't recomment their foam air filters) and want you to buy my product that tiogacounty alleges is bunk without proof. Please visit www.bestoilaround.com and buy some of this alleged bunk product that has been around for years. :baby04:

tiogacounty, a few other things I do want to add however...

GM does in fact have synthetics in the crankcase of every Corvette that rolls of the line. They have been doing it for a few years now.

I have two engineers that buy from me, they must be poor engineers according to you.

And Amsoil takes great pride in being American owned and American made. They WILL NOT ever sell in Walmart or the like and they place limits on their dealers to whom can have a Retail on the Shelf account. No big box stores will sell Amsoil unless they are independantly owned. That moral high ground was another thing that appealed to me.

If that means you will look down upon the product because it is sold as home based business, I guess you do not condone buying anything from any of the homesteaders on this board either as they also 'sell out of the basement' as you put it.

If you would like to make a concrete argument against a product, you should have concrete proof, not one example that could be the exception to the rule. It's like saying that all TVs are worthless and junk because your neighbor's cousin had one delivered that was dead upon arrival.

I'm glad to hear all your high mileage stories--I'm test driving a 2000 Chevy Silverado 1500 tonight with 162,000 highway miles (supposedly) on it. I don't put many miles on vehicles--my 97 car I bought new has 65,000 miles on it now--so this'll be a good deal for me if it'll run strong for at least another 50,000 miles.

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And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb.. And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.. They shall not hurt nor destroy In all my holy mountain For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord.

Red Devil, thank you. you do a fine job of pointing out that any discussion of oil will bring out the brain washed Amsoil preachers from their basements, opps I meant "showrooms". Twist what I say as much as you want, it won't change reality. Anybody who is posting that they are running 30K between changes and notes no other information other than the use of synthetic, is probably in over their head. As for the corvette, so what? When they factory fill a Colbalt with synthetic, and tell you to leave it in for 25K. then it will be impressive. Bottom line, once you stop twisting the truth, is that most major manufacturers will not support extended change schedules regardless of what the synthetic crowd has to say. So you are more knowledgeable than the vast majority of the automotive industry? As for your claim that I'm potentially damaging a vehicle with a 5K change interval, get a life. This is the kind of stupid garbage that true salesmen spread, it does nothing but damage your credibility. That engine is tested at Blackstone, and looks great, with wear indicated far below a statistical control model. Is Amsoil a better product than the average "dino" oil? ABSOLUTELY. Is it a miracle product that will allow greatly extended use schedules, yes and no. If most manufacturers refuse to accept extended schedules , my opinion is no. So, therefore it's a waste of money. I find your dismissal of the Camaro testing to be very revealing. The test proved that Amsoil was a better product than Mobil one, and that it could test sucessfully in excess of 10K with a basic filter. However, you quickly dimiss the viscosity shift, when IIRC he noted a serious drop in fuel economy because of it? As for you inability to find the info on preferences of the Blackstone employees, they have several tests of their own vehicles with plain old off brand dino juice. Huh, I guess they didn't see the Amway, opps Amsoil pitch....... Seriously, If you are a true believer, I don't want to hurt your feelings. I know it's a good product, it's also terribly expensive and in the opinion of the vast majority of the buying public, not worth the extra cost. I work with a lot of really cheap guys, myself included. I know many of us have driven vehicles to extreme mileages without the need for internal engine repairs or synthetics. If you can take a typical small block chevy, change the oil regularly, and drive it for 300K. What is the point of spending $8 a quart for synthetic. The motor is quit capable of outlasting the rest of the truck, why bother?

My husband and a couple of guys around town have a little high mileage competition going on.

Our Saturn wagon just died with 245K (of course my husband blames it on the employee that was driving it at the time!)

He bought a Ford ranger p/u from a sales rep for $300, with over 300k on it, which put him in the top spot for a while....

Yep, discounting all the home businesses in the process. Thanks.

I? I don't think so, you are making a very bold attempt at that in your post, but I'll try and remedy that. Maybe you should try reading with an open mind instead of starting predisposed to a position...

Who pray tell has stated that in this thread? I stated that Amsoil had tested out to 50,000 miles.

You asked, not I. Comparing a high performance, high spec machine to a disposable is asinine. That I brought an example disproving your 'theory' is conveiniently overlooked. Now the use has to go hand in hand with a long OCI recommendation from the factory. Never mind that the motors are not fully broken in...

Actually, they do recommend extended OCIs... in Europe. They are starting the push here as well. Look into the newer vehicles and the on board oil ana;yzer. The vast majority of the buying public still remains ignorant of the advances in ALL lubricity technology of the past 35 years. Why is it that conventional oil test well out to 7,000 miles, on the manufacturer's equipment, yet they still recommend 3,000 mile OCI? And, if you read up on it a bit, the manufacturers don't recommend it, however, nor do they discount it. IIRC they also recommend to use only dealer supplied parts as well. As for 'support' it, they have no real choice, they have to.

Did I say I was? No. Do I have more experience than the average Joe. Yes. As I've seen a few hundred tear downs I think I am in a position to relay my experience. Maybe you should also read up on some SEMA material. Or do they not know anything about the automotive industry either? lmao!!!!

I didn't claim a thing, I quoted the site you posted 'proving' that Amsoil was a waste of money (notwithstanding there was no such proof). So if that conclusion/fact that they posted is incorrect does one assume the rest is?

Who called it a miracle product? You continually fail to put things into context, rather, you seem to love taking things out of context to prove your point. EVERY true PAO synthetic (should we bring this up too?) is better than dino juice. Plain and simple.

Who? When? How are they above the Magnusson-Moss Act? Do we really need to ask if you buy only factory certified parts from the dealer?

I did not dismiss it, merely put it into context. It is but one test. Good or bad, you can not consider it the be all and end all of testing. They had self-admitted problem in testing as well. As for the viscosity shift, I did not dismiss it, rather I noted the fact that it has been seen before. And the fuel economy issue, the testers THEMSELVES did not know why. Nor do they mention it again after the switch to Mobil again.

That does not express preference. There was nothing in their FAQ where they discuss the question of oil preference.

True believer in what sense? I do believe that synthetics are far superior to conventional oil. One of the main reasons it is recommended AGAINST for breaking in a conventional flat tappet motor. On the other hand, unlike the conventional oils out today, Amsoil and IIRC Red Line and Royal Purple all still have the ZDDP additive. If you have noticed in the papers and magazines, there have been numerous camshaft/lifter failures attributed to the loss of that additive in most all volume gasoline oils. As for not using synthetics, I have for YEARS and have noted a lot more than the lack of failure of parts… but you don’t really want to hear that.

Do as you wish, I've seen far too much for synthetics than against.

Red devil, you have convinced me of one thing. You desperately need a hobby. You are willing to take huge amounts of time to spin the meaningless into fact. The origin of my comment was ANOTHER member who claimed that she was running 30K between changes, not YOU or your amazing product. If you are a believer, Hoorah for you. The vast majority of the public will not jump on board, because the product you worship is expensive and not necessary for the long and reliable life of their vehicles. The bottom line is the bottom line here. The vast majority of gas engines, using dino oil on a reasonable maintainence schedule, will give reliable service without oil related failure for the service life of the vehicle. It kills you Amsa-drones to admit the fact that there is no logical reason to pay eight bucks a qt. for a product that provides very little benefit. Hey, I do the testing and regularly maintain my gas engines. I know what the numbers look like, I know how to do a quality oil change for seven bucks, not seventy. Face it, the numbers don't add up. PS, I can't believe you can't find the info. I have referenced on Blackstone, some researcher, eh? You really think they are going to irritate a core customer group of synthetic techno-weenies by telling the truth about syn. in the FAQs, I know they aren't that dumb. Go to the profiles and look at their personal car oil tests. At one point one of the guys was even running a drug store oil.