I remember the debate over 50 years ago as to whether one should use straight weight or multi-viscosity oils. Ten years before that the debate was between using detergent as opposed to non-detergent oil. I am glad we now continue the tradition with the debate between synthetic and dyno oils.
@VDCdriver, no, please donāt stop the discussion. Iām enjoying it.
The only use I have for synthetic oil is in my air cooled motorcycle (a 2003 Honda Nighthawk 750), and Iām thinking I should stay with the Hondaās 4,000 mile oil change recommendation.
āā¦the lifetime transmission fluid has me worried more.ā
I have no doubt the fluid will last the life of the transmission. But the life of the vehicle? Doubtful.
Hey, guys . . .
Just for the record . . . it wasnāt ME that asked that this thread be closed
Unlike some other times . . .
LOL . . . ?!
@VDCdriverā, nah, Iām gonna leave this one alone. Itās topical, insult-free, and enthusiastically argued. My moderator heart is warmed.
@db4690ā, I thought the same thing. 
...the lifetime transmission fluid has me worried more.
Yeaā¦Iām not convinced as well. I change it out in my 4runner and wifes Lexus every 50k miles. Although there are some guys on the 4runner forum that have well over 200k miles without ever changing it out.
Just to add a little more confusion, the Honda/Acura branded oil in 0-20 is both a blended synthetic and full synthetic depending on what they have in stock. Thatās why I just get full syn Mobil 1 for the same price and do my own oil changes.
I also change the lifetime synthetic trans fluid at 30K intervals.
Check your car newer Toyota owners for a trans dip stick ( I was told). If it doesnāt have one, it is a really tedious and expensive job changing transmission fluid. Need a lift too. This becomes much like rear differentials without drain plugsā¦messy. Would hate to think even motor oil changes are headed that way. When I had a trans leak in a car with a stick I had serviced, a friend caught it while using it while we were on vacation. Otherwise, it could have been worse possibly.The dip stick was the only way we could determine if the car was safe to drive and became the fill hole to top it off. Now, many cars donāt have even that.
You spot a leak without a stick in a transmission ( and possibly down the road with the motor oil) what do you do ? Call a tow truck ? Canāt even get a tow truck w/o 4 wd into my house if the leak occurred there. It never occurred to me to check this when I bought the car. If I had other options, it could have been a deal breaker for this car. Is this normal for other cars too ? And, btw, we may be using this trans ādip stick lessā thing for towing !
Check your car newer Toyota owners for a trans dip stick ( I was told). If it doesn't have one
My 05 4runner, Wifes 07 Lexus and my new 14 Highlander - neither has a dip-stick.
If it doesn't have one, it is a really tedious and expensive job changing transmission fluid. Need a lift too.
Itās not that difficult to change, but you do need a lift. So I take mine to a transmission specialist. The cost is under about $120 - using Toyota WS fluid. There are other WS fluids made you can buyā¦but itās just as expensive.
Thanx
Donāt feel quite so bad about a changeā¦but the other issues.
Just to add a little more confusion, the Honda/Acura branded oil in 0-20 is both a blended synthetic and full synthetic depending on what they have in stock.
What oil company makes a blended synthetic in 0w-20? All 0w-20 oil Iāve seen is full synthetic.
I canāt wait for the 0w-0 blends at $100.99 per quart. Or is that straight weight 0 and we have come full circle away from multigrade oils ?
Everyone rushes for bragging rightsā¦ āMy oil is thinner than your oil.ā
Bragging rights? Thin oil is not necessarily a good thing. Letās not forget that it was only formulated to increase fuel economyā¦not engine life.
Thinner oils are actually more necessary for longer engine life on motors with closer tolerances. High temperatures are no where near the factor in modern cars as the computer monitoring temps are kept much more consistent with oil flowing through the system much more rapidly with thinner oils which also aids cooling. Synthetics have better shear and cling properties which makes them a superior lubricant which also mitigates the need for heavier oils in general . No, new motors will last longer with thinner oils when they are mutually deigned for each other. Motor and motor oil comparability where they are matched is much more important then general recommendations in years past of using different grades by weather and outside temps. Not that that is not important but only within the parameters determined by comparability factors. That 10w-40 is a better warm weather oil does not take into account that some motors canāt even be fully lubed by that grade regardless of the temp.
@dagosa: So, when a foreign version of the same car calls for a heavier-weight oil, does that mean the internal clearances are largerā¦or that they donāt have CAFE to worry about in that market? Xw20 oils are all about maximizing MPG while maintaining acceptable wear. For acceptable MPG and minimized wear, well, I know what Iād do. (You could always just add an oil gauge and titrate viscosity by PSI if youāre that anal.) EDIT: I meant, āOne could always add an oil gaugeā¦ā wasnāt calling you out specifically, dag.
There seems to be a great range of ācorrectā viscosity oils for Toyotas relative to geography and politics
A surf through automotive service centers in the United Arab Emirates finds they feature 5W-40 and 5W-50 oils for Lexus, Mercedes Benz and BMWs.
Honda offers two different 0w20 oils depending on model year, 2007-2009 CRVās use the blend and 2010-2011 use full Synthetic. http://www.handa-accessories.com/crvmaint07.html I Donāt know who actually supplies the oil.
This has been a rather chronic topic on Cartalk. So, a few years ago, I decided to find out the truth.
I put 8800 miles on Mobil-1EP on my 2002 Sienna, high mileage car, non snow zone driving. I did not change the filter before the oil.
Blackstone Labs showed all parameters, acid control; contamination; in fact all parameters still usable, and calculated out to good for 10,000 miles or more.
Now that my driving in Mexico is very low, maybe 5,000 miles a year or so, I simply change it once a year when I am back in McAllen.
People with different driving conditions may have different results.
Let me note that at that time, I also did extensive searching for sludge, and every professional mechanic with a URL said synthetic oil is on the list of preventions for sludge. It was not clear that it 100% eliminated it, but for sure at least it drastically reduced the probability of sludging, which alone justifies using synthetic all the time on all cars.
Let me also add that I normally pay less then $30 for a five quart container of Mobil1 EP which makes an oil change well below the $75 listed on one posting.
In my opinion, those who do not actually have their oil tested are purely guessing. And, if you are guessing, of course you should change the oil more often.
There are a number of valid choices. Change every 5,000; change every 7500 miles and have the oil tested ONCE to see if it is still good at that distance; then find out if you can go 10,000 miles on your driving conditions.
IMO, modern good oil lasts a lot longer on a car in good condition than people imagine (or guess.)
If I ever get a newer car which recommends 0W-20, I will almost certainly change at 5,000 miles, even after the warranty expires. And, of course, always one should comply with warranty requirements, no matter what they are. In my case, my motor is long ago all mine, and I can do what I want, based on my oil test.
Yeah my Pontiac has no dipstick. The fill plug is somewhere around the axle but Iāve never found it. So its just take it to the trans shop for fluid changes.