Auto shop employee tends to a Toyota and finds the winner ‘if sludge build up was a competition’

A Jiffy Lube employee noticed something shocking in the middle of a Toyota oil change: a Walmart sticker stating the next oil change should happen at around 209k, but the car’s odometer says more than 300k miles, making the oil change nearly 100k miles overdue.

The Jiffy Lube worker, @Gaugesgarage1, shared the experience in a TikTok post captioned, “if sludge buildup was a competition.” Gaugesgarage1 never shows the engine in the short clip, but if a Toyota engine — or any car engine — is even close to 100,000 miles past its last oil change, you’re no longer talking about “dirty oil.”

You’re talking about an engine that has likely been running with no meaningful lubrication for a very long time. At that point, severe internal damage is not just possible, it’s very likely already happening or done. On this note, one comment said, “The fact it drives is miraculous 😭 even a Toyota.”

Is there a more reasonable explanation?

Eagle-eyed commenters noticed something, though, that might explain what happened, besides the car owner being seriously overdue for some routine maintenance. The Walmart sticker indicates the last oil change happened about a year earlier, and many found it unlikely, though not impossible, that the owner of the vehicle drove that much in 12 months. One comment noted, “Gotta be a [typo] or misprint cuz no way they could drive 100k miles in that time.” Another added, “Walmart stickers do missprint sometimes.” But still, another said, “Those dates are usually 6-12 months out… they drove 100k miles in less than a year…. DAMN.”

Did the driver go DIY?

Meanwhile, others speculated that perhaps the driver changed the oil on their own, between their Walmart visit and their trip to Jiffy Lube. “Maybe they started changing the oil themself,” one response said.

Moreover, someone else claimed that delayed oil changes aren’t always a death sentence for a vehicle, saying their mom goes 100k miles between oil changes, and “opened the valve cover at 100k and it was barely varnished.” They added, “Yet I open up a Kia motor after a 10k oil change and it’s sludge heaven.”

What was generally agreed upon, though, is that Toyotas are reliable vehicles regardless of how well they’re taken care of. “My cousin drives a 2019 Toyota camry with 310,000 miles😭,” one comment said. And without specifying the brand, another added, “My truck got 375k.”

@Gaugesgarage1 may or may not have found the sludge build-up champ, but regardless, we don’t recommend challenging whoever it is for their crown. Most modern vehicles running synthetic oil can typically go 5,000 to 7,500 miles between oil changes under normal driving conditions, while some manufacturers allow intervals of up to 10,000 miles depending on the engine and oil type.

Older vehicles or those using conventional oil often require more frequent changes, usually around 3,000 to 5,000 miles. Even if you don’t drive much, experts recommend changing the oil at least once a year because oil degrades over time from heat and contamination.

Toyota and other manufacturers stress that drivers should always follow the specific schedule in their owner’s manual, and many newer vehicles use oil life monitoring systems to determine the ideal time for service based on real driving conditions rather than a fixed mileage number.