Originally Posted by gamma742

How long,, or maybe I should ask.. How many miles are you planning to put on this vehicle before replacing it?

Originally Posted by Raidin

I doubt that sticking with 5k OCIs would have made a difference. The problem occured, it was just exasperated by the long OCI. I doubt much harm was done because of that though. The amount of coolant in the engine isn't going to do much. Remember that I took the car to the shop as soon as this happened, and long OCIs won't cause a head gasket failure anyway (which is due to overheating or age).

Also, using some rough math, had I stuck with 5k OCIs since day one, I would have spent just above $3,000 more than I did. A head gasket job is just over $3,000. I paid more because I fixed a few other things as well to save on labor down the road. I feel I basically got a free head gasket job thanks to what I saved with my long OCIs. I'd do the oil changes myself, if I had the time, but unfortunately I work too much, and am not allowed to do it where I live anyhow.



The manual calls for 10k OCIs, and synthetic is the only oil you can use anyway (0W-20 is synthetic only). The oil I use is rated for 15k OCIs (which is the OCI I will switch to now).

Originally Posted by Raidin

There is no set number. I plan to drive it till it's dead, or too expensive to keep running compared to a new car. The idea is that replacing things like the engine and transmission is cheaper than buying a new car, thanks to how long the powertrain lasts.

Originally Posted by synrgy350

Thanks for posting such detailed information on your car Raidin! I sometimes lurk over at priuschat, and noticed a lot of people blaming clogged EGR systems for head gasket problems. Apparently when the EGR pipe and cooler are clogged, the temperature in each cylinder can increase by a lot, causing head gasket problems. Hopefully your mechanic cleaned out the EGR cooler, valve, and pipe for you.

In regards to your oil change interval, considering how you drive the car I don't see a problem with extended oil change intervals, as long as you are using a quality synthetic. I think 15K is a totally acceptable interval, though your previous 25K interval would make me nervous without doing an oil analysis.

Keep us updated on how your car is running! Based on your post, I'm going to change out my waterpump at 100K miles, since its so cheap and easy to do. You can get it on amazon (original Aisin) for under $250.

Originally Posted by chargerfan

raidin, how is your car doing as far as oil consumption?

Originally Posted by Raidin

Thanks a lot, Vegas. Gonna go look at everything now.

I also wanted to update that my mechanic discovered that there are certain cases mentioned by hybrid mechanics who cited the water pump allowing for intermittent overheating leading to head gasket failures. The claim is that the water pump, once it starts going bad, will intermittently fail, where overheating occurs just below the temperature that the warning light comes on at, so there's no real warning. Over time this has caused head gaskets to fail in 3rd gen Prius models they saw. With this in mind, we decided to replace the water pump, since there's no labor involved while the head gasket job is being done, and since I plan to keep running the car for much longer.

FYI: cost of the pump is roughly $500, labor is almost the same on its own (RepairPal confirmed this).

Originally Posted by E46CT

What did I miss? Your car is still running after the engine refresh right? Just have a driveline vibration now?

Originally Posted by E46CT

That's good. Was just asking cause suddenly i saw all this talk about getting a Subaru. Can you post some updated photos of your car? I miss my blue CT. I have a white F Sport now. not as exciting looking as the blue. and 5k is still cheaper than a new car. you are doing great.

Would love to see how a 443k CT looks. outside and inside =)

Originally Posted by Raidin

Now that Toyota released the info on the redesigned Rav4 Hybrid, that's my top choice.