Mike you are referring to different vehicles probably made with different motors in referring to motors made where the 5w-20 weight is a recommended oil. It gives you the option. Your original statement was that no manufacturer that says you can use two different oil change intervals for mineral and synthetic oils. Toyota does in your manual if you please read the statement of using Toyota or equivalent oils, which you still do not refer to.
Toyota makes synthetic oil in 0w-20. Their other viscosities are mineral oils.
You are now throwing up a smoke screen that has nothing to do with our two cars, and many Toyotas made using your motor options. 0w-20 is not an option in your car, itâs a preferred or recommended oil. In which case, 10k is the recommended oil change interval. If you use 5w20 Toyota oil which is a mineral oil, you must change it in 5k miles. But if you use an equivalent oil, which is also a mineral oil, you still change it in 5k miles. Because it says in your manual. You should use Toyota motor oil or equivalent oils.
Bottom line, it is giving you two recommended oil change intervals, one for a synthetic oil and one for a mineral oil.
And, your manual refers to a synthetic when it says 0w-20 and a mineral when it says 5w-20âŠ,. Because Toyota oils are and their equivalent oils are as well.
@Triedaqâ
The old rotator cuff surgery is becoming a habit with we older folk. You must be the one who puts the dishes away on the top shelf. tell the Mrs I am one behind in each: one foot and one shoulder. But, my orthotic has allowed me to do anything, short of ballet. I have faith in you keeping it the mower going. Itâs good to milk it. The newer self propelled ones weigh a ton and if they ever break down, you have to push them regardless or call a tow truck. I would definitely try synthetic if money were on the line.
It doesnât matter to me what the manual says. I change at 5000 miles with full synthetic.
As far as lawn mowers go, there are two steps to changing oil. Step one, drain old oil. Step two, put in new oil and donât let brother in law distract you. The mower only ran for a couple minutes anyway before I discovered the oil container marked âpush mowerâ still full. Runs fine though and no smoke so donât tell anyone what I did. Getting old is not fun.
Toyota does in your manual if you please read the statement of using Toyota or equivalent oils, which you still do not refer to.
Again your WRONGâŠ
Toyota does in your manual if you please read the statement of using Toyota or equivalent oils, which you still do not refer to.
You know that statement is completely false. Talk about smoke screen.
I quoted directly from my owners manual.
But if you use an equivalent oil, which is also a mineral oil, you still change it in 5k miles.
Again youâre trying justify your argument by skipping around itâŠâWhich is ALSO mineral oil.â I NEVER EVER SAID IT WASNâTâŠBut it can be Synthetic oil. Why do you insist that 5w-20 IS MINERAL OIL.
Any oil that meets the ILSAC GL-5 api standard oil is a Toyota Approved oil.
So againâŠmy manual says I can use any ILSAC GL-5 approved oil. 0w-20 is recommended. But if 0w-20 is NOT available then I can use 5w-20, but must change it out at 5k miles. After further digging I could NOT find any mineral oil thatâs ILSAC GL-5. Which means that Toyota is mainly concerned about the weight 0w-20. The 5w-20 weather Synthetic (which is seems is the only Toyota approved oil)âŠor mineral it must be changed at 5k miles. How you can possibly insist that itâs Synthetic vs Mineral oil is beyond me. But youâll twist the facts or blow smoke againâŠwe all know that.
@MikeINNh âAbsolutely NOT. No manufacturer that I know has different oil change intervals for Synthetic oil or Dyno oil. The oil change interval will be EXACTLY the same no matter what oil you use.â
Obviously we read things differently though we generally agree about 90% of the time. My only problem, is when a statement is made to be all inclusive where everyone is pigeon holed in one camp or another. I read your original statement that way. We donât seem to be getting anywhere reading from eachâs manual as they seem to be different. But really, all I have to do is show one instance where any manufacturer recommends a different oil change interval when using a full synthetic vs a mineral oil is used to show your all inclusive statement needs to be added to.
After my second conversation with a service department rep. this is what they said in general which is what I have repeated to you. Toyota recommends you use the oil that came with car. For ours, it is 0w-20 synthetic oil. If you need to use the weight 5w-20 either synthetic or mineral, the oil change interval is 5k miles. The reason is, BOTH factors are important. Itâs important that it be synthetic AND itâs important it be the right viscosity. I have alluded to both reasons in my responses. âMineral oil breaks down faster, so it needs a shorter interval and a different viscosity has different flow characteristics which doesnât comply with Toyota recommendations.â, their statement. If either of these are not in place, then itâs 5k miles.
Now, the big problem again you may think is mine because I take statements literally as written. If you had stated that âThe oil change interval will be EXACTLY the same no matter which oils you use.â it would be apparent as to what you are referring to synthetic vs mineral. But âwhatâ usage means just thatâŠregardless of any characteristics.
The bottom line is, according to everything I have read and my conversations with the service department and earlier a parts department person. Toyota does recommend different oil change intervals between synthetic and mineral oils on different motors, esp ours from 2013 on⊠Just because they do for other reasons including viscosity as well, does not mitigate this fact.
Notice I am not saying you were wrong like for some reason you want others to be, only that your statement was incomplete
@dagosaâ
". But, my orthotic has allowed me to do anything, short of ballet".
I wear orthotics in both shoes. I also have all kinds of problems with my teeth. When I talked to our family doctor about my problems with my feet and teeth, he diagnosed my problem right away. He said, âYou have hoof and mouth diseaseâ. Isnât old age wonderful?
I blame the car manufacturerâs for trying to make this universal change interval easy for consumers to understand and apply. People here are comparing a wide variety of vehicles and the application they are subjected to, equally. âMy car sludged up with 5k mile change intervals so thatâs no good!â âI go 15k miles on synthetic so thatâs OK for everybody to do soâ. The fact is, common mileage based change intervals are not really applicable unless you are going to err WAY WAY on the side of caution and set them based on worst case. If you do, then statistically, a large percentage of vehicles will be wasting valuable resources with an overly aggressive change schedule.
One example- my Trailblazer typically goes 12k miles before it recommends an oil change. I drive mainly expressway with very little stop and go traffic. My commute is around 35 miles one way. This truck engine runs on the cool side, it is not hard on oil like some designs that are prone to sludging. Couple that with the fact it has a 7 quart oil capacity! All things considered, would you lump that vehicle into the same category as a 4 banger Camry that sees mainly city driving? Of course not (i sincerely hope). There are far too many variables, from engine design to driving conditions, to be making these comparisons as if everything was equalâŠ
My only problem, is when a statement is made to be all inclusive where everyone is pigeon holed in one camp or another.
My statement was that I know of no manufacturer that has a different oil change for synthetic or dyno. In Toyotaâs URL I posted I showed that even Toyota states that when using synthetic you still maintain the same oil change interval.
Now I may be wrong. But I havenât seen it yet. The only people who claim the extended oil change intervals is the oil company.
I also stated that I will NOT be doing the recommended 10k oil change interval. Iâm going to stick to my 5k. I know it worksâŠso Iâm sticking with something thatâs proven to work. I want to get the most out of my enginesâŠnot my oil.
Personally, I doubt that the use of 0W20 oil, irrespective of climate and driving conditions, is truly the best choice. And if I lived in 29 Palms California I would likely use 10W30 in whatever late model car that I owned. Isnât it somewhat certain that factory recommendations for oil viscosity are the result of committees and the votes are never unanimous. Was the deciding factor fuel mileage ratings? As in so many questions here opinions vary and we will never know for sure how the long range results of our various opinions will play out. So Iâll just carry on.
If Toyota gives me two different oil change intervals, 10k and 5K and the 10k MUST be synthetic and cannot be mineral and the 5k may be mineral, I think it logical to assume that they âhaveâ given me two different oil change intervals based on mineral vs synthetic.
I agree with @Uncleturboâs assessment for myself. I then probably disagree very little with you in practice as well. I will not âjumpâ to 10k and may never but will change at the up coming 5k, then extend to 7.5k and evaluate for myself. Because I now drive the cars total fewer then 20k miles, it may go to a year change regardless of mileage. But, different from your point of view here, I will feel safer about not worrying about the extended Toyota recommendations as long as I donât exceed 10k with synthetic. If I am on a trip or busy, a 5k is no longer a necessity to feed my fetish. I trust the 10k at least to a point certitude and ANYwhere between 5 and 10k works now for me. I now am more creature of convenience and not one of necessity, tied to an oil change schedule. I think that a more
rational approach for me. I have grandchildren and golf match schedules that are much more pressing.
If Toyota gives me two different oil change intervals, 10k and 5K and the 10k MUST be synthetic and cannot be mineral and the 5k may be mineral, I think it logical to assume that they "have" given me two different oil change intervals based on mineral vs synthetic.
I have two change intervals alsoâŠbut it clearly states one is for 0w-20 and the other is for 5w-20 (which comes as Synthetic OR non-synthetic). So I donât come to the same conclusion.
@MikeInNHâ
But, you should also add that0w-20 weight ONLY comes in synthetic to be complete.
Or course you are correct on this reading but Toyota doesnât bother saying anything about 0w-20 weight as it is always synthetic. Somewhere in your book it also recommends you use Toyota motor oil or equivalent. Their 0w-20 is always synthetic as is the Castrol equivalent for Toyotas used by my dealer. Going to 10 k is all about it being synthetic. The reason I am so sure is the answer I got when I asked this question. What would the oil change interval be if miraculously, some one came up with a mineral base oil in 0w-20 weight oil ? 5k of course was the answer. So, just being one or the other isnât sufficient. You need both. Of course, but a lot of cars in the past stipulated you could use for example, 10w-30 weight temporarily but must go back to 5w-30 weight ASAP. Nothing new. They needed the correct weight to go to 5k too. But, if you want to get to 10 k, the weight is not the determining factor. Itâs the weight and it being synthetic. Just talk to a Toyota repâŠlike I did.
@RodKnox
I hear what you are saying. It used to be that thicker oil maintained itâs viscosity better at higher temps so heavier weight oil was preferred so the would not break down, but mainly in mineral oils. With synthetics, even at 20 weight it will not break down. This is an advantage because a thinner oil that does not break down at higher temps in motors with closer tolerances, actually helps cool the motor better then the 40 weight oil. Itâs flow characteristics are more constant throughout the temp range it operates at. In addition, todayâs motors do a better job of maintaining a consistent engine temp. The wider range is not as necessary. So both problems are mitigated.
These motors are given extensive wear tests under all conditions. I donât doubt that some politics plays a role but the engineers still have the final say. Everyone could make cars that last longer in every way then they do. But Honda and Toyota have a history that tends to support the idea that their engineers know what they are doing when it comes to motors. I have no problem with their recommendations .
But, you should also add that0w-20 weight ONLY comes in synthetic to be complete.
Or course you are correct on this reading but Toyota doesn't bother saying anything about 0w-20 weight as it is always synthetic.
YesâŠit DOES get confusing. I didnât know 0w-20 was full synthetic oil until I needed to buy the stuff.
Going to 10 k is all about it being synthetic.
Iâm still NOT convinced of the 10k oil change interval yet. It may be perfectly fine. But for now Iâm sticking with my 5k oil change using the recommended 0w-20. Maybe Iâll switch to 10kâŠheck I use to do 3k. I know that BMW has had some problems with their extended oil change interval.
Donât get me wrong neither am I a fully contented camper about it either. But like I said before and am repeating myself, I will no longer miss any sleep if I go a few thousand over the 5k oil change. Am I prejudice because in favor of a Toyota and not a Ford or GM ? Yep.
My other history is knowing all the state vehicles who for years used synthetic and 10k oil changes long, long , long before car makers recommended them. They all were successful endeavors .
The main reason Iâm not convinced yet - is because I tend to keep my vehicles 300k+ milesâŠThe 10k interval might be great for the first 200kâŠbut NOT the next 200k. I donât want to find out. Oil is cheapâŠengines arenât. Iâm still physically capable of doing my own oil changes. Iâm sure I donât have the skills anymore to rebuild an engine.
Your experience with high mileage cars definitely gives us a different POV. Mine are now just stroking along at 10 k per year and the 2004 4Runner survival will be measured how well I can keep it from rusting in the next 5 to 7 years. I will never get to 300; probably not to 200 in my ownership. But, like yours, the recommendation is 5k on mineral oil and yourâs has twice the mileage. These 10k intervals are quite motor specific and mostly on 2013 and later models. Like I said early, the lifetime transmission fluid has me worried more.
@VDCdriverâ
This isnât a dance. Youâre welcome to cut in or go to another venue. I hear the Grateful Dead are playing next door.
tell the Mrs I am one behind in each: one foot and one shoulder. But, my orthotic has allowed me to do anything, short of ballet. I have faith in you keeping it the mower going. Itâs good to milk it. The newer self propelled ones weigh a ton and if they ever break down, you have to push them regardless or call a tow truck. I would definitely try synthetic if money were on the line.