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Slick 50 Oil Treatment on Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by rcshaw777, Feb 6, 2012.

  1. rcshaw777

    rcshaw777 Junior Member

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    Hi all,

    Just to share my experiences, I added Slick 50 Synchron after running 20k km on my Prius.

    After driving for 1000km, I noticed some differences. The engine runs smoother and the fuel economy improved by average 4.4 l/100km to between 4.1 & 4.2.

    I find this treatment is necessary especially Prius engine will relatively go through more stress than other gasoline powered vehicle because the hybrid engine switches off/on many times per trip.

    I wonder how many Prius III owners have tried similar oil treatment?
     
  2. The Critic

    The Critic Resident Critic

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    A warm engine being shut off/turned off is really no harm.

    BG MOA is the only additive I would consider, even that isn't necessary at all with a good oil. I believe Slick 50 used Teflon at one point, but I am not sure if they still do.

    The reason why you are noticing an improvement in drivability and mileage is likely due to the added friction modifiers and/or the viscosity increase (smoothness).
     
  3. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    There is another recent post about Slick 50 on the forum at the moment. Personally I wouldn't touch the stuff having heard horror stories from fellow taxi drivers, though some also swear by it. :confused:

    The Prius has been designed with very very tight tolerances which is why Toyota specify the very thin and very expensive 0w20 oil. They designed the car and appreciate that the engine will switch on and off many times per trip.

    In the UK Toyota give the car a 100,000 miles (160,000 km) full warranty, including the engine and including taxi use! They also specify a 10,000 miles (16,000 km) oil change interval using 0w20 oil. If they're confident enough to give that sort of warranty, then they are sure the car will be ok. My engine is now at 105,000 km of hard taxi miles and is still as sweet as new. I didn't use Slick 50.

    Sorry if this rains on your parade but Slick 50 is just not needed these days, esp in a car like the Prius. A 1976 Datsun maybe, but a 2012 Toyota no way.
     
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  4. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Feel free to point out where the engineers who designed my car thought this could be a good idea. Any Manuals, TSBs, personal testimonials in Japanese, etc.
     
  5. LTZR1

    LTZR1 Member

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    Using a top tier oil such as Toyota's superb 0W20 in your engine does not necessitate the use of ANY additives, most especially Slick 50 which is considered by many as nothing more than "snake oil."

    And "The Critic" is absolutely correct, there are no extraordinary concerns about wear with the start/stop operation of the Prius ICE when the engine and oil are WARM and at operating temperatures.
     
  6. Dark_matter_doesn't

    Dark_matter_doesn't Prius Tinkerer

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    Based on prior information about Slick 50, I'd say you're taking a very costly risk with your vehicle. You should reconsider, and immediately replace your oil/filter without any additive.

    YMMV
     
  7. El Dobro

    El Dobro A Member

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    Slick 50 has been known to be a proven wallet lightening treatment.
     
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  8. bedrock8x

    bedrock8x Senior Member

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  9. jadziasman

    jadziasman Prius owner emeritus

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    Engine oil and fuel treatments probably do no harm. No worse than giving a patient a placebo as long as they're used as specified by the manufacturer.

    They are, however, very effective in removing $$$$ from wallets of people who aren't satisfied by just doing the scheduled maintenance on their vehicles.

    Better to spend your money on engine oil and gasoline. They cost enough as it is.

    I hope I can pick up a Leaf or Volt cheap in the next few years. Then it's possible I won't need any of the above!
     
  10. bedrock8x

    bedrock8x Senior Member

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  11. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

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    There is an easy way to tell if your car should get a Slick 50 treatment.

    1. Open the hood
    2. Look at the twist off filler cap on top of the valve cover
    3. If it says "Engine Oil" use the manufacturers recommended viscosity and specification of engine oil. Note: some cars have a 710 fill cap instead of an oil fill cap. They still require the use of the manufacturers recommended engine oil.

    or

    If the cap says "Pour any old shit in here", use the recommended dosage of Slick 50 or whichever magic additive you are inclined to use.
     
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  12. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    We get this in the motorcycle community a LOT, especially with the Harley set.
    I don't think that adding the stuff (after say....20,000 miles of run-in) will especially harm your engine per-se, but I'm also agreeing that with this application it's not going to do any good either.
    Yeah, you're starting and stopping the G3 motor more than you would if the same engine were in a Corolla...which in fact....it is, but I don't think that it causing a higher failure rate for motors than other cars suffer.
    It's 2012. Motors just don't break that often before cars reach the end of their service life. With slick-50, without, or even if you're a little remiss in following the exact maintenance schedule, as recommended by the manufacturer.

    When was the last "My Prius just sucked a valve!!" post?
    How often do you hear of G1, G2, or G3 owners having a motor replaced due to an oil related failure? Some G1's are 10 years old. You'd think that there would be a bunch by now, huh?

    It just doesn't happen that often if my suspicions are correct.
    Heck...even the fleet trucks in my company get 200+ thousand miles of very rough use and let's just say that they don't follow every single line item in the mt'ce sched.(Nothing handles quite like somebody else's car... :D )

    You want to GUARANTEE that your "baby" will see 300,000 miles?
    Well....it ain't gonna happen...the guarantee part, that is.
    However (comma!!!) If you just follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule, you stand a pretty good...actually a VERY good chance of seeing all of those zeros in your MDF.

    It's as easy as that.
     
  13. rcshaw777

    rcshaw777 Junior Member

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    Thanks for feedback. I agree synthetic engine oil is more than enough to protect the engine.

    My decision to try Slick50 treatment is simply to gain smoother drive especially during heavy traffic condition under hot weather.

    So far so good.... I often use ECO mode; and doesn't experience performance lag. In fact now it is my preferred driving mode. :cheer2:
     
  14. Central Virginian

    Central Virginian Junior Member

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    What is ECO mode? 0w20 oil? My Prius calls for 5W30, unless I've read it wrong somehow.
     
  15. cdltpx

    cdltpx Junior Member

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    I too have never used anything other than the proper weighted oil and change the oil on time. Each change I wrote date and mileage on the top of the engine . Never had my engine go bad using this system.
     
  16. cdltpx

    cdltpx Junior Member

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    5W 30 is gen 2 prius gen 3 goes with the 0W20. The filler cap on your engine has the proper weighted oil listed.
     
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  17. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    Slick 50 is basically Teflon (PTFE) which tends to coat some of the metal parts.
    I certainly would NOT be using it in any engine that has a history of the rings gumming up.
    Personally, I wouldn't use it in ANY engine.

    (Yes, I know this thread is 8 years old.)
     
  18. cdltpx

    cdltpx Junior Member

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    I just watched a video on the product ,Scotty Kilmner highly recommend it. He was not referring to hybrids thought. I wanted to see if the forum covered this product. My 2012 V has a 2017 V engine. I was hoping to keep it in tip top shape. Looks like for me that will be one oil change a year.
     
  19. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    So what happens when you run out of writing space?
     
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  20. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    He never use jack stands in his video so he doesn’t recommend jack stands
     
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