the service manager where I bought the car told me that I should have my oil changed every 10,000 miles with 0w-20 or 5w-20 full synthetic Toyota/Mobil 1 oil. Scion USA (and my owner’s manual) told me to use regular 5w-20 oil and get it changed every 5000 miles. The oil cap has 5w-20 or 0w-20 written on it.
what do you guys think?
A few months ago, I read the maintenance schedule for my friend’s 2014 Scion, and–IIRC–it specified a 10k oil change regimen with the recommended 0w-20 synthetic oil, and it also mentioned that if 0w-20 was not available, regular 5w-20 oil could be used–but to change the 5w-20 after 5k miles. I believe it also said that the synthetic 0w-20 was preferred.
Please do us a favor and re-read exactly what the manual states, in order to verify or disprove my recollections.
That being said, unless you do exclusively highway driving, I would suggest that you NOT stretch your oil change intervals to 10k miles, no matter what type of oil you are using.
It depends on where you live. In the northeast or other areas that use salt brine on the roads, your car will rust out long before the motor fails from loo few “oil changes”. You can never go wrong doing exactly what the manufacturer recommends. Of course, they could recommend you change your oil every 2500 which iis a “used to be practice” but 10k oil changes with synthetic recommended oil have been around for a long enough to show that the car motors last just as long (or longer) as mineral used in 5k interval, regardless of your driving habits. The exception some make is 10k or one year which ever comes first. Then, everyone is happy…
My 2009 Rav4’s manual says 5w20 every 5,000 with the option of 0w20. But, it doesn’t say to increase oil change intervals using 0w20, which is mainly found as synthetic. To reinforce the 5,000 mile interval, they included a ‘service minder’ light on the dash that lights up every 5,000 miles and needs to be manually reset. Besides, at 10,000 miles vs 5,000 miles, you’d only save $50 a year at most?
@BustedKnuckles–I was astounded that my friend’s 2014 Scion’s maintenance schedule called for 10k oil changes with synthetic 0-w20, but…it did.
Because the last car that he had owned was a '59 Dodge (no that is not a joke!) I gave him a good orientation on modern car maintenance. He is extremely “thrifty”, but I think that I was successful in convincing him that, because he does almost entirely short-trip local driving, he should change his oil every 5k miles.
Part of that mfr recommendation is undoubtedly the fact that Scion pays for those 12 month/10k miles oil changes. Hopefully I have convinced my friend to pay for oil changes every 6 months, in light of his driving patterns.
Toyota started to recommend 10,000 mile oil changes on some of its 2012 models. By 2013, more had moved to the 0w-20 10,000 mile oil change. I suspect now, 2014, most of their fleet has switched to this recommendation…But only if you use the 0w-20 synthetic oil. In many of these cars, the oil change reminder light still comes on at 5000 miles which many owners find confusing… There is also something unique about that 0w-20 grade of oil…It’s the most expensive oil on the shelf, costing double what some of the other synthetics cost…$7-$8 a quart…
Well, I just changed the oil in my Rav4 to 0w20 for the upcoming winter. It was priced the same as other synthetics at my parts store. And, as part of an oil change special, 5 quarts and a filter ran me $33.95
I’d be inclined to not go longer than 5 or 6 thousand miles between changes, or less if the owner’s manual says less, and choose an oil that meets the owner’s manual specs, then stick with that same oil, including the same brand for every oil change.
@Caddyman.
Some drivers don’t get that it’s a service light and not an oil change light. It’s suppose to remind drivers to rotate tires and top of fluids. This is stuff you and I and those here take for granted. When I have the synthetic oil change done at the dealer, I get a rebate slip. It makes the change LESS then that with mineral oil. So doing changes every 10k miles saves money. Enough to make me do it ? Not quite. I am up to 7500 mile on wife’s car. I need to be “broken in too” to the higher levels. But I will get there.
Btw, not all their motors are ready for synthetic 10k intervals. My 2015 Tacoma 4.0L six, is not. It’s an older motor and has not been certified for it. 5k on mineral oil. The four cylinder in the Tacoma has been certified and gets the 10k synthetic option.
For the 2011-2015 Scion vehicles;
tC, xD, iQ use 0W20 synthetic,10,000 miles/ 1 year
FR-S use 0W20 synthetic, 7,500 miles (except special operating conditions)
xB uses 5W20 or 0W20, 5,000 miles