However the evindence I have seen indicates that it is so rare that it is not worth a worry.

If a person worrys about a 1 in 10k chance there is NO car anywhere they can buy.

None of the vehicles listed in the information I saw (incl. VW/Audi) were more than 3 digits in numbers except chrysler.

The Myth is not the existence of the problem, just the likelyhood.

Anyway, this thread is dead. Won’t be checking back.

Those of us wo were aware of the problem did two things: changed the oil every 5,000 miles and used Mobil 1. As far as I know, no VW/Audi engine operating under those conditions had any sludging problems.

But the problem did exist and was neither insignificant nor a myth.

Still don’t see what your getting at.

Again: people make a lot of noise about Toyota “sludge problems”. Statistically they are insignificant.
Point is that it is a myth that sludge is a big reliability issue for TMC.

Peace friend,

Bunter

Fail to see your point.
I am talking about sludge and am aware of the diff.

i’m talking about oil getting into the combusion chamber and being burnt away. completly different to oil sludge

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=42950&hl=
http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t51174.html
http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=59148

and the obvious google link
http://www.google.co.uk/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&client=opera&rls=en&hs=H7d&q=avensis+high++oil+consumption&btnG=Search

My favorite (or rather least favorite) Myth: that rwd is always better than fwd. A short wheelbase car should always be fwd (if not awd). Just watch the episode of top gear on the golf w12 to see why.

Also I recently watched Skip Barber: Going Faster. Was pleased to see the section on fwd racing where the instructor debunks that you can’t go fast in a fwd, then shows how to get through corners quick using the handbrake to initiate a bit of oversteer (something I’ve been doing for years). Highly recommended viewing for people who love to drive.

Fail to see your point.
I am talking about sludge and am aware of the diff.

The stats I have seen indicate that the problem, while very troublesome to those that experience it, is veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery rare in Toyotas.
The same agency (sorry, can’t recall their name) had about 2000 complaints on Dodge 2.7 v-6s.

My point is that this is so rare, inspite of the brand zombie fixation on it in internet sites, that it is a non-issue.

Cordially yours,

Bunter

It’s even simpler than that; torque steer is caused by the thrust acting on the wheels in the direction of the steering axis, which is inherently unstable. Kind of like standing on skates, it requires constant corrections.

The exact same forces are at play when reversing quickly and hitting the brakes; the steering squirms all over the place, even on RWD cars, so clearly the driveshafts play absolutely no role in that. (For those of you who want to try it at home, remember not to sue TTAC after you crash just because you literally couldn’t handle the truth.)

I had a pair of mechanics try to pull that one me once. Couldn’t believe my ears. I wonder how many suckers they got with that service?

and engine ignites on fumes not liquid. … and the point is [???].

Nice one, mdaffronte!

Recent report from an agency that tracks this found only a few hundred (300?) Toys with a sludge complaint in all the millions (3.5?) with the potential.

.009%! Boy that’s something to worry about, les than one in every ten thousand.
Could the brand whiners just shut up about this now?

That’s the kinda’ quality problem the Debt3 wish they had.

Bunter

Silly…it’s the rate of decelration from speed.

Bunter

Bunter

Indeed, that has to be the number one automotive myth.

Are you referring to the engine sludge thing? Just wondering, because I have a 1ZZ. No sludge or anything else so far.

quite a few of the 1ZZ-FE engines that get put into the Avensis over here consume a shed load of oil. my dad’s avensis has a mere 28k in 6 years yet it gets through about a litre and a half in a year.

whereas my 306 has 99k miles and uses less than 500mL every 15k

I reset the trip computer, then set the cruise at a steady 82 on a ‘97 ‘Vette for about 25 miles of flat-ish interstate to see what sort of mileage I’d be looking at. At the end of the highway run it said 33 MPG for the section. So it is possible. On the other hand, use of the car’s epic fourth gear will reduce mileage quickly :)

I’ve heard almost enough anecdotes about high mileage for Corvette manuals cruising in sixth to call it data. It certainly makes sense. The LS1 is a very energy-efficient engine, and a Corvette is a very slick car that doesn’t weigh too much.

When I was a kid, we would often pass by the Ford proving grounds in Dearborn. It was surrounded by a high wall so passerbys could not see the track.

My father used to tell us that it was SO secret that Ford had to employ sophisticated defenses — would shoot down any helicopter flying over it.

We seriously believed that for years. Everytime we would see a helicopter in Dearborn, we would hope it would stay away.

I did get 20 more miles out of that tank than I do a normal tank. Is it worth an extra five bucks at every fill up? Doubt it. But still, after doing it three times on seperate occasions, it did work.

Sorry but that’s true at least for the 1992 Buick Roadmaster. I attribute this to the fact that the drivetrain is geared very low. At 60 MPH the engine is so far below it’s torque range that the volumetric efficiency is poor.

We verified this on a 4-hour highway trip. On the way there my dad drove at about 65 MPH. On the way back I drove at 80 MPH. The ground was not hilly, we used the cruise control both ways, and weather conditions were clear. He calculated almost 2MPG improvement on the return trip.

Of course it might’ve helped that people ahead of you see a large white car approaching rapidly in their mirrors, assume it’s a police car, and get out of your way. :) I don’t think I had to let-off the cruise control once on that drive.

I was an SA at a Ford dealer when the father whose son’s 2004 40,000 mile Ranger w/4cyl was brought in on a hook, was found to be full of sludge and having spun a cam bearing. He insisted he never changed his oil on his Dodge.

“Stephan Wilkinson: i6 sez “1- Torque steer is caused by unequal length driveshafts.”

That, in fact, is exactly what causes torque steer.

Most modern vehicles have equal-length drive-shafts, and torque steer is still all-too common. There are a number of other factors that contribute to torque steer.”

Paul’s absolutely right and I’m absolutely wrong. Checked with Don Sherman, who basically said that virtually every component in the steering, suspension and power-delivery systems of a front-drive car can contribute to torque steer.

In Toronto, the answer to that question for the vast majority of the population is a definitive no. For BMW and G35 coupe drivers, it’s 100%.

I am sure you have all seen this…the CD hanging from the rearview mirror? That is also supposed to defeat radar. Which it doesn’t.

I had a neighbour who drove an mid-60s Fairlane with a 289. Comfortable car, but I often felt ill while driving with him because maintained that: speeding to 5mph over the desired speed, then coasting to 5pmh under the desired speed, repeated over and over saved gas. The coasting part did to be more precise. Damn, those were long drives.

An interesting requirements of all new cars sold here in Australia is that they must display (prominently on the windscreen) the Highway, City and Combined-Cycle fuel economy figures as tested according to the Australian Design Rules criteria. Although not necessarily correlating to real world fuel economy it does provide accurate comparisons between vehicles. Moreover it takes away the sculduggery to which manufacturers are inclined when testing to their own standards.

Is there anything similar stateside?