I started the process with the Auto-Rx. I have driven so far 400 miles, waiting until 500 to change the filter. The car is driving fine. I feel like I am getting less smoke out of the tailpipe. It usually only happens now when I start the car and not happening when I am driving. However, some of my lights on the dashboard are on, check throttle, slippage light is on. I find that strange. Has anyone had similar experience...
It's a 2008 RX350. IT has 38,000. All the lights on the dash board are on like something is wrong, but it is running fine. Still getting smoke out of the tailpipe, but not as often. Mostly just when I start it. It's a leased car, and I need to turn it back in at the end of October. Do not want to pay the $6,000 they want to clean the engine so am trying AutoRX. Any other suggestions.
They will not cover any of it unless I come up with oil change receipts. I travel all over the State of New jersey for work and get my oil changed whereever I am. I have only two receipts that I found....am not going to fabricate receipts. I feel the car is too new and they should cover it.
Realistically, how often was the oil changed during the last 38k miles? I mean, like, what was the schedule you were following, like every 5000 miles? I know several Toyota owners who follow this schedule, which coincides with the oil change reminder that Toyota has in the instrument cluster. Oil change places always add 3000 miles to your current odometer reading when printing out your windshield reminder sticker. Most people end up going 4-5000 miles or longer before dropping back in for the next oil change.
Or was it more like every 10k miles? I know that me asking you this is not actually helping you get results, but if you answer as accurately as possible, it will help me to know better how to advise you, based on my experiences with older versions of your engine.
Right now, you need plenty of long, hot-engine trips, with somewhat shortened oil and filter change intervals, using a good non-synthetic, non-high mileage oil like Castrol GTX or Mobil 5000. These are both oils that I have had good results with during Auto-Rx clean and rinse cycles. Add Pennzoil to that list. This is your best bet at this point of doing some good inside your engine, while treating it with Auto-Rx.
I have also sent you a PM.
-- Edited by bmwtechguy on Thursday 17th of September 2009 09:53:54 PM
The oild was probably changed every 10,000 miles. The lights finally did go off in the car, and it does not seems to be smoking as much or as often as it had been. I really do not want to pay $6,000 to clean the engine on a leased vehicle.
Thankfully I drive A LOT for work so have been putting the miles on quickly and changing the filters. I changed the filter once at 500 miles and am almost at another 500 in which I was going to change the filter and oil for the maintenance cycle.
Any advise you can give me to fix this problem would be great. If it's even fixable at all. I do not want to turn the car back in and get a bill for $6,000. How can I tell if it's working?
Wow dude. You probably did a bunch of damage to the engine that can not be fixed, worn out metal parts cannot heal themselves, but some of that damage probably can be helped a little.
Will it save you 6K? I have no idea. But if there is a engine cleaner out there that can help you it is Auto RX.
I have used it on 5 vehicles and all have seen improvements. BMWtechguy is the guy to talk to about sludged engines. He has handled a few.
Read up on this site and follow the directions. I would recommend some long weekend trips in your car before winter. Auto RX works best when you get the engine hot, and it just takes longer in the winter for the entire engine to get up to temp.
My best advice is FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS. You dont want to dump it out too early, and you dont want it in there too long.
You are doing the right things already. Are you having to add oil besides replacing what was lost when changing filters? The sludged Toyota engines I have had experience with have had oil consumption ranging from mild to extreme (1qt oil burned every 200 miles and NO leaks!) You will know Auto-Rx is working as the smoke coming out the exhaust becomes less or stops altogether. Any unusually high oil consumption should subside once things are cleaned up inside. You said it has gotten better already, so I would just keep on track with what you're doing.
Anyway, Maria, as BMWtechguy says, you're doing the right thing. The only thing in question is if there's enough time to get it back to normal (enough) to satisfy the dealer.
No matter what don't let the dealer take the ball out of your court, so to speak. Leverage another lease in the balance of what they attempt to extract out of you in some form of penalty (if any) on THIS car.
This is quite the nightmare. Sometimes it seems like the smoke really has stopped then it starts up again. I am now at the point where I've driven 1,250 miles and have to change the oil. Then do the maintenance. I am not sure if this is working. I might just lease the car for another year so it gives me more time. We'll see what happens.
Isn't that what the directions say...change filter every 500 miles, 1,250 change the oil and drive another 2,500 for maintenance. I am just about at the 1,250. Should I not change the oil, just keep topping it off?
Yes, Maria. You're doing the Fast Track method. Change the oil.
If this car is otherwise giving you good service, then leasing for another year might make sense in avoided losses. For example, when we had a choice between buying my wife's jeep or leasing it, we had already concluded that we were going to keep it. So, it was a difference between a $600/month payment for 5 years ..or a $300 payment for 5 years with a 11.5K residual. No brainer beyond buying an expensive used jeep. The $300/month in savings for 5 years was about the same as the residual. The only difference was paying 9% sales tax on each payment instead of 6% on the full sale price.
The mileage penalty would have been $4k to turn it in ..and the jeep was worth more than the residual minus the mileage penalty.
That is, is the year's lease $6000 ($500/month)? If you get charged that much to turn it in, then you're paying for a year's worth of lease that you're not driving it.
With a full year to complete multiple treatments, I'd be confident that this condition can be corrected.
-- Edited by geeaea on Saturday 26th of September 2009 09:50:15 AM
You're exactly right. I pay $450 a month payment. I owe 3k for over mileage and am afraid if I turn it in I will be charged 6k for the sludge.
Somtimes when I start the car it does not smoke at all for the entire day. Any explaination why? Just when I think it's better, then the following day I will see smoke again.
It's an ongoing improvement, Maria. It will be variable as you transition through this. There may come a point where the valve seals need to be replaced, but I think that this is a not all that expensive a repair ..though admittedly I don't know on YOUR engine. At some point you need to view this in terms of "avoided losses". Ride it out. I know that the smoking will improve greatly as you move on here. It may not be completely eliminated. For example, my Mitsubishi engine was a confirmed 24/7/365 fogger. Every stop light or idle situation was a cloud formation behind me. Auto-Rx eliminated 95% of that. After the treatments it only occurred (and not all times) when idling was extended. Otherwise, it was gone.
I think if you note the differences in when it happens you'll recognize a similar pattern. The start up smoke might pass with time. It may indicate that a certain valve is in the right position at shut down. Most engines stop at the same set of positions. What varies is the stroke (same position, different set of valves open/closed).
