BG Hybrid Repair Kit Saved My Toyota Prius

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If your Toyota Prius is an oil consumer, I have great news for you. The results are in, and we finally have answers on how to reduce or fix your issue. Here are the results of my test with the BG Products Hybrid Repair Kit.

This is the moment we have all been waiting for, the final word on the oil consumption test for the BG products hybrid repair kit. I have to say, I am impressed.

If you have not already read the previous stories, please check out the first one here, where I write about the oil consumption issue that is plaguing our wonderful Toyota Prius cars.

I did some research to see if there is any other way to either help or reduce the amount of oil consumption that our owners are having. Here are my results.

The Toyota Prius Has An Issue With High Oil Consumption

The Toyota Prius is one of the most reliable and durable cars on the road today. That does not mean that is without problems though. Prius has quite a few common problems, 5 known ones can be found here.

Watch 3 reasons you should consider selling your Toyota Prius and click to subscribe to Torque News Youtube channel for daily automotive news and analysis.

Among those 5 common issues is oil consumption. This issue has been part of Prius since the inception of it way back in 1997. The rigorous start and stop that the engine does, breaks down the oil. Over time this causes hardened carbon to get caught up in the piston ring lands. This then causes engine oil to get caught in the combustion chamber and burned rather than scraped off and allowed to return to the pan.

Because of this, the Toyota Prius then can face serious issues including total engine failure due to lack of lubrication. This is no small deal, it is a huge problem. This problem causes Toyota Prius owners to relentlessly check the engine oil and have to add more, in between changes.

When I bought my $1000 Toyota Prius, I faced this issue. I was consuming 3 quarts of oil per 5,000 miles. This is utterly ridiculous. My 2007 Prius only needs 3.75 quarts anyway, so if I am adding that much oil every change term, it is almost as if I am not even changing the oil at all.

This consumption is very unhealthy. Oil consumption is detrimental to the life of your catalytic converter, which can cost quite a lot of money if you have to end up replacing it, which many Prius owners end up doing. They have to because they are not fixing the root cause of the problem, which is the carbon coking up the piston ring lands.

Once I figured this out, I went on a witch hunt to figure out how to get it fixed. I had done this before when I was repairing the infamous P0A80 replace battery trouble code as well. So in a like fashion, I became determined to figure it out.

BG Products, The Savior For Hurting Hybrids Like The Toyota Prius
I have many friends in the automotive repair part of this industry. When it comes to me figuring out what is going on with a particular issue, I reach out and ask. I have found that everyone wants to help and are usually very willing to do so. \\

Watch our 3 reasons that you should consider selling your Toyota Prius and click to subscribe to Torque News Youtube channel for daily automotive news tips.

When I called up another trainer, I had to laugh. He had also been hunting for an answer for the same issue that I was. He had gotten farther than I did though. This is where he put me in touch with a BG representative. After a few emails back and forth, I was directed to use the BG Hybrid repair kit. This kit, also found here on Amazon, consists of a 3 part battery of chemicals claiming to either reduce or completely fix the oil consumption issue altogether. I was skeptical.

I have heard of stuff like this before, pour in a product that "fixes" your issue. Give me a break, what kind of snake oil is this company selling now? The thing was, it was either try this combo, or overhaul the engine, and I was not about to go deep into an engine overhaul.

I did as the kit said. Flushed the engine, poured in the fuel additive, and the oil system treatment. Then I drove. I drove 1000 miles. No consumption. I drove 2000 miles no consumption. I drove 3000 miles, 1/2 quart loss. 4000 miles 1/2 quart, and att the time of change, it could have taken another 1/2 quart, if I wanted to keep going.

This means that I used a total of 1 quart in 5000 miles, which is actually within the specs that Toyota has set forth. This is a total win. This stuff works, and it works well. I am very happy with the results. Seriously one of the best hacks I have found to date for these cars.

Conclusion
If you are having oil consumption issues with your Prius, this is the best $50 bucks you can spend before doing anything else. It reduced my need for oil during a change by 2/3rds. This is remarkable. You can keep that high mile Toyota Prius on the road and sipping fuel for even longer knowing this one trick.

Thank you for reading, please feel free to drop me a line on Twitter, Facebook or even Linkedin. I am happy to explain and help anyone with a hurting Toyota Prius.

Be sure to check out my other article, 3 Solid Answers To Why The Toyota Prius Has The Best Resale Value Of Any Hybrid

Also Watch New tech means more MPG from your Toyota Prius and Click to Subscribe to Torque News Youtube Channel for Daily Toyota Prius and Automotive News.

Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He is an automotive technology instructor at Columbia Basin College. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Adjunct Instructor of automotive technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter.

Submitted by Bill (not verified) on October 18, 2019 - 2:05AM

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"Hybrid" fix? Look it's good to know there is something that could help with Toyota's poorly designed engines, but that this product is hybrid-specific? That there is something about a hybrid motor's gas engine that is different than other Toyota gas engines? That's just hogwash and I wish Torque News would see thru that. Otherwise this article just seems like an advertisement.

Submitted by Brandon (not verified) on October 28, 2019 - 8:59AM

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Peter - Interesting article. Couple requests: Can you provide the readers an update on oil consumption after another 5k miles. Does BG have a spec sheet on the chemical's impact on the rest of the engine components (i.e. don't want to damage main bearings in order to repair carbon buildup on the rings)?

Submitted by Lynne (not verified) on October 28, 2019 - 1:02PM

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I have a '12 Prius just coming up to 100k. I have all service done at the dealer (cha-ching) and haven't had any problems with the car, although my mileage is slipping. I had attributed that to being less careful, but maybe something else is going on. Would it be helpful to do this BG clean out even without a known oil consumption problem?

Submitted by Robert Starinsky (not verified) on January 19, 2021 - 4:52PM

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Does the oil consumption issue affect other Toyota hybrid models? I am guessing it will since the same start/stop wear and tear cycle on the oil occurs in a highlander or Camry any thoughts?

Submitted by Wally Beck (not verified) on July 15, 2021 - 12:13PM

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Thank you for a great article. I would be GREATLY interested in regular 5,000 mile updates on your car in regards to oil consumption. Would the BG Hybrid repair kit continue to work and keep your oil consumption low? If so, what would your oil consumption be every 5,000 miles. It would also be great to hear from other subscribers who tried this product. Please keep us posted, perhaps with a video.