Silicon in the engine oil, 2018 corolla, 7000 miles

#1
Dear forum,

Happly bought a brand new 2018 corolla L,

After 7000 miles, no problem, i guss i got board, ( prevuse car Mercedes 300SDL 1987)

I checked oil, it looked bit cluady ,

Took a sample, and send to SOS caterpiler,

Answer was all ok , Silicon(dirt) is high,211 ppm,(normal 20-30ppm)

Went to Toyota dear, chaned oil+filter,

Did add this complan+ oil analysis page, as a record for the futuer,

My thinking is: silicon can add to the engine wear,

Took anther oil sample,

Results were good,

will replace oil+filter after 2-3K,and send a sample,

is the engine made in China?

thanks
 
#2
I always change my oil on a new car at 1k miles, then again at 5k miles. After that I change it every 5k-7500 miles or 12 months whichever comes first. I don't think that the engines are made in China, I believe they are made in Japan but I'm not 100% sure.
 
#4
I always change my oil on a new car at 1k miles, then again at 5k miles. After that I change it every 5k-7500 miles or 12 months whichever comes first. I don't think that the engines are made in China, I believe they are made in Japan but I'm not 100% sure.

engine is manufactured in:

Toyota Motor Manufacture West Virginia, Inc (TMMWV)
 
#5
engine is manufactured in:

Toyota Motor Manufacture West Virginia, Inc (TMMWV)
When my 2009 Corolla was made it was at NUMMI in CA which is no longer. Some of the 10th Gen Corollas came built in Japan. I know that my 2017 Corolla iM was built in Japan as was the engine so there are several different plants around the world but Corolla built in NA would have the engines coming from WV as you said.
 
#6
What would it matter if the engine is built in China? It would have to meet Toyota specs before it gets used. I'm fairly certain Toyota would not want to potentially ruin their reputation over an engine that is poorly built. I am sure there are Toyota engines that are built in China, they would likely be used in other parts of the world but at any rate, don't just assume if made in China it is crap. Silicone can be an issue on any engine. I would try to find out if there was any work done on your engine, valve cover, any small thing like that. It could be that silicone was used as gasket material and too much of it used. Just saying the source could be anything,
 
#7
Silicon and other elements are combined with aluminum as part of casting process. Since most engine blocks, heads, oil pans, etc. are aluminum these days, it makes perfect sense to see trace elements show up in an oil analysis. I wouldn't sweat it. First off, don't waste your money on an oil analysis. For the typical consumer there is no value. People freak out on negative results, in conjunction with comments from non-technical people. This gives people a false sense of security that something catastrophic is about to happen. I've been an engineer for more than 30 years and the stuff I read on various forums is really entertaining.
 
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