BG Products

Keep us posted

FingerLakePrius

 

Yes, I've recently used one of their products.

No, I've never used their warranty service before as my mileage and product usage would preclude me from doing so.

 

I’ve used 44k, EPR, moa as well as Extended Life moa. They work well.

EPR gets a lot of deposits out and MOA’s keep the oil basic, which is key as the engine ages as tolerances will grow and gas will get into the oil and make it slightly acidic which can then attack the rubber parts.

Never used them early enough in the cars life though to know about warranties .

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

I’d read BG’s program terms carefully before assuming that’s true. Note that the covered “Transmission Service” requires the use not only of a BG transmission fluid but also of “BG 106 and 310,” their cleaner and conditioner. The repair coverage excludes “electrical components” and also allows the use of “replaced parts of like kind and quality”; for a costly claim, I’d expect their third-party administrator to interpret these provisions strictly.

Toyota specifies the use of only Toyota Genuine ATF WS transmission fluid; see page 729 of the Owner’s Manual (PDF) for 2017, for example. For engine oil, coolant, and brake fluid, Toyota acknowledges that third-party products meeting the specifications may be used, but no such statement appears about transmission fluid.

Even if you accept BG’s claim that their BG Low Viscosity Full Synthetic ATF (315) “meets or exceeds the performance criteria of...Toyota WS,” the same cannot be said of the BG cleaner or conditioner, without which there is no coverage from BG. In my opinion, Toyota would be within their rights to deny a claim under the hybrid system warranty for a failure in a transaxle into which such a foreign substance (i.e., anything other than ATF WS) had been introduced.

I have no brand preference for engine oil, but I also wouldn’t use BG’s 0W-20 oil in a Prius car. It may be a fine product, but BG doesn’t say it complies with the ILSAC GF-5 standard specified by Toyota (explained in my previous posting), nor is it listed in the American Petroleum Institute’s EOLCS directory.

 

BG makes various service machines for fluid changes -- I'm not sure how the various manufacturers view the fluid products when cars are under warranty. I know my local Jaguar dealer will use the BG machines for coolant and brake fluid when doing a full flushes after cars are out of warranty. The brake fluid needs to be changed out every two years. Frankly -- it's a money maker for the dealers ... with proper refresh you don't need or want flushes.