The Toyota Scion Story

[joec]

What you said was mostly true but I have a few corrections. The engine you refer to was one of Toyota 2.4 litre engines that was used in some Toyota Camry, Rav4 , Corolla and Matrix also Scion TC and XB. We had two Scion TCs in our family and I owned one of them I bought new. The term of notification is TSB for Technical Service Bulleton.

We were both notified of the oil burning problem by mail. Me being the original owner and my family member being the second owner. This was done after a class action law suit from owners regarding this problem.

The TSB was to warranty the engine up to 10 years or 120K miles based on a check of the oil burning problem. Toyota/Scion check the oil level and seal the dipstick and have you drive 1200 miles and come back in. If the car burned more than a quart of oil, you got a free rebuilt bottom end of the engine.

Both our cars burned oil and I did my own check and our cars used a quart in about 2000 miles so we didn't qualify for the rebuild.. I started using high mileage oil and that did slow the oil use. If you kept oil in the engine, they would run a long time.

I sold off my Scion in December because of rust. The body was fine, all the suspension, lines were gone. Everything was original except brakes, tires, gas cap and a battery that lasted 14 years. I figured between the rust and having to replace all the stuff that lasted 14 years and over 125K miles, I would be buying a new car piece by piece.

Scion was created by Toyota to bring in a younger crowd but a lot of the buyers were actually much older than their target. Scion did well for the first couple years but were later far out classed by Civic SI, Subaru WRX, VW GTI, etc and Toyota gave up on Scion about 12 years ago.

[Descant]

Doesn't anybody use STP anymore?

My college roommate had an old Oldsmobile wit 500-600K (once the clock rolls over, it's hard to remember) and he'd ask for used oil. Free. And add a few quarts whenever he got gas. In those days the crankcase held 8 quarts or so, giving a little more slack if you were down a quart or two.

For those who don't remember, oil was $0.35/qt at the gas station and less at a discount store (Bradlee's). Walmart had not been invented yet on a national basis.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Descant

Doesn't anybody use STP anymore?

My college roommate had an old Oldsmobile wit 500-600K (once the clock rolls over, it's hard to remember) and he'd ask for used oil. Free. And add a few quarts whenever he got gas. In those days the crankcase held 8 quarts or so, giving a little more slack if you were down a quart or two.

For those who don't remember, oil was $0.35/qt at the gas station and less at a discount store (Bradlee's). Walmart had not been invented yet on a national basis.

Oil has gotten thinner not thicker! Many of the new cars use 0w20 which pours like water. If you're using STP you have a real problem.

[fatlazyless]

Is interesting that what finally killed my 221,000-mile, 2013 Scion xB with the oil consumption problem, and the Takata exploding air bags ..... www.toyota.com/recall/takata ..... was an Allstate-$1935 check-in-the-mail to pay for two right side doors damage from a hit & run collision with some old guy in Plymouth NH in February 2020. I just could not see spending the $1935 on fixing this car, and it was able to get a NH inspection sticker in September at Valvoline Instant Oil Change-Laconia with just ten dollars of bondo and silver spray paint to fill in the four small holes in the doors from the collision. Another new problem; now, the doors were no longer tight and rain would drip inside.

Hey Professor ...... let me take a guess on your Scion buy ...... you got a 2010 or 2011 Scion xB with an automatic transmission ......... correctimondo? ....... and, for what price and how many miles on it? Maybe $3000 and 125,000-miles?

Who knows ....... maybe you you actually bought my old 2013 silver Scion xB ....... because used Scions never get junked ..... they just get fixed up and resold ..... again and again ...... no matter what damage or miles!

[Descant]

Originally Posted by Biggd

Oil has gotten thinner not thicker! Many of the new cars use 0w20 which pours like water. If you're using STP you have a real problem.

Exactly. Engines are so much bettter now, nobody talks about ring jobs anymore.

[John Mercier]

If Toyota had used the correct rings initially, no one would be discussing a ring job.

[TheTimeTraveler]

Scions were sold up thru 2016 Model year (seven years ago). If you go on eBay you will see various models up until that final year.

[bigdog]

Nothing to do with Scions' but oil being used.

Back in the days I was in the military, we use to add 'Marvel Mystery Oil' to all gasoline engine vehicles at oil changes. The Govt use to buy MMO in 55 gal drums.

Totally not sure what's in this stuff, but been adding to oil and gas for year.
Engines seem to run smoother and quiet, and so far no problems.
I also add a little to my 5 gal gas container I use, for filling up snow-blower, lawnmower, chain saws, etc

People seem to swear by this product.

[ApS]

Originally Posted by Descant

Doesn't anybody use STP anymore? My college roommate had an old Oldsmobile with 500-600K (once the clock rolls over, it's hard to remember) and he'd ask for used oil. Free. And add a few quarts whenever he got gas. In those days the crankcase held 8 quarts or so, giving a little more slack if you were down a quart or two. For those who don't remember, oil was $0.35/qt at the gas station and less at a discount store (Bradlee's). Walmart had not been invented yet on a national basis.

Back in the 1980s, STP was riding the oil-benefits wave. Casite "Motor Honey" which, except for its color, resembled STP, and was a minor competitor. (Maybe it wasn't purple)?

I used STP for rebuilding engines against "the latest advice" not to.

In the 1960s Valvoline was reducing oil viscosity recommendations, against the intuitive feeling that was bad advice!

Check out the parking spaces at Black's Gift Shop in Wolfeboro from the 1950s and 1960s post cards. Accumulated oil drips in those days made the spaces the equivalent of California's La Brea tar pits!

Originally Posted by bigdog

Nothing to do with Scions' but oil being used.

Back in the days I was in the military, we use to add 'Marvel Mystery Oil' to all gasoline engine vehicles at oil changes. The Govt use to buy MMO in 55 gal drums. Totally not sure what's in this stuff, but been adding to oil and gas for years.
Engines seem to run smoother and quiet, and so far no problems.
I also add a little to my 5 gal gas container I use, for filling up snow-blower, lawnmower, chain saws, etc. People seem to swear by this product.

MMO is ATF (automatic transmission fluid), with a nice minty odor added. I use it a lot.
MMO, with its relatively thin viscosity, can be sprayed from a hand sprayer.

Its primary benefit is to act as a detergent, so as to hold contaminants in suspension until the engine oil is changed (out).