Quote:
Originally Posted by Dake
Is it really staggering or is it just we only hear about those and not the vast majority that have lived uneventful lives? I think it's the latter personally.
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I used to agree with this, but over the last 15 or so years of doing this, I've spoken to many service department managers and some Subaru Tech training center managers about this.
The big topic was always the EJ Oil Pickup failures, which is often catastrophic, and how common is it really? We obviously hear loudly on forums and social media from the enthusiasts. What we don't hear is about the non-enthusiasts car guys. The guy that loves driving these cars, but take it to the dealer for every inspection, oil change, tire rotation, blown parking light bulb, etc... Heck, as much as I want my kids to be 'enthusiasts' they fit into this category of loving the driving experience (going to Auto-X, rally, cruises, etc.) but want nothing to do with getting dirty. It makes no sense to me, but who am I to judge. I sometimes see these people at Auto-x and track events, and when they want to go faster or handle better, they go to a shop and get recommendations and have it installed. Still strange, right? lol Anyway, this 'other' group is not insignificant. Unfortunately, as much as I've asked, I can't get any data from any dealers in regard to how often a car has failure or issue X, Y, or Z. I get 'yeah we see that happen', but little else. Understandable considering what repercussions that could have. My point is, assuming is not reality.
MY assumption as that there is even a bigger demographic that fits neither of these. They enjoy the cars, but not beyond their 'normal' lives and routines. Go to independent shops for service and Jiffy Lube for oil changes. I know, cringe worthy, but maybe true?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NoHaveMSG
Out of curiosity, do you find DI cars have less dilution?
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No, but I'm assuming all DI setups are not the same aside from the premise of operation. The 911 and AMG guys are pretty fanatical about E85 oil changes, and I've seen UOAs that support that. Also, easy to search out if you dig through the forums. We definitely saw fuel dilution on our shop mule 911 on E85, but we didn't run it often enough to where I saw conclusive data, and it was used primarily for product testing on the dyno. I follow some RS3 groups, and I know E85 is popular there too, but I've not followed closely enough.
Fuel dilution is not just due to the fuel type, but the A/F mixture, ring pack, piston material, PCV design (those other cars have an AOS from the factory), piston-to-wall clearance, etc. so there is certainly opportunity for some engines to be less prone to dilution than others, which is why I'm keeping an open mind about it.