Apologies if there’s already a thread for this. When I first got my car and learned about the carbon buildup issue, the first thing I thought was, “Well, is there something that can be done to reduce or eliminate it from happening in the future?”. Aside from a few snake-oil tricks I’ve read about, I have yet to hear an actual professional opinion on the matter.
Some theories I’ve read:
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Vent the crankcase to the atmosphere instead of back into the intake, using an oil separator to prevent oil from getting everywhere under your hood. Obviously this could create an emissions compliance problem.
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Coat the valves in something so carbon can’t stick as easily.
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Drive the motor hard regularly, as gentle driving allows carbon to build up faster.
Is there any truth to any of the above theories? I have no idea. But it sucks to have a known problem like this, and no way to reduce or eliminate it. Or is this just something we all need to learn to accept - that each and every one of us needs a $1k cleaning performed annually?