My comment about oil was related to contamination issues and oil change regimen, etc.
As for the VW glow plug fuse situation, the thousands of VW diesels towed in for a no-start condition all had owners who felt that the fuse was a problem. No fuse is going to sustain a substantial surge for very long.
The Griswold Christmas Vacation thing does not work in the real world.
Point being, the engineers do not always know best. If the engineer is overruled because of budget constraints he or she needs to move on or accept being part of the problem.
Where exactly did you find this? This is basically what I concluded from manual recommendations, but Iâve never seen it worded this way by Toyota regarding conventional vs synthetic.
Edit that lol. I read it wrong. Itâs cover Toyotaâs behind BS. They required 0w20 on new models that had the same engines as previous models that were recommended to run 5w30.
Weâll still have to read between the lines or play it safe.
Hereâs a funny story: I joined a 3rd Gen Tacoma forum when I bought my '16 Tacoma. The manual has a synthetic oil change interval of 10K miles and the dealer does the first one free. At 10K the oil was at the full mark and still clear.
In an endless oil thread one commenter said he changed his own oil and filter at 5K. Mind you this is fairly expensive with synthetic oil and a premium filter. I asked him why he would do that considering the oil was on the top line and clear and Toyota would do it for free at 10K. He said it was for peace of mind.
Thatâs as good a reason as any to ban oil discussion threads.
I did the same with our Highlander when it was new. Toyota wouldnât change it at 5k for free, so I did it myself. They changed it at 10k for free. Possibly a waste of oil. Who knows? Itâs all in what youâre comfortable with. Iâm still of the opinion that the extended 10k interval is because the recommended oil is synthetic rather than some magical engine design change. 5k woks fine. 10k probably does too. Iâd just rather not gamble if Iâm footing the bill later on.
Itâs not very expensive with Supertech oil and filter, though. Iâd gamble on ST at 5k vs Royal Purple (or Mobil 1, or Penz Platinum, or Toyotaâs swill) at 10k. Thatâs just me, though.
This is why oil discussion threads get banned. Half the commenters say follow the manufacturerâs schedule regardless of oil type and the other half says donât believe the manufacturerâs schedule, they have devious motives.
lol ⊠Engine oil has always been a controversial subject. Not exactly sure why. Maybe it is a Ford vs Chevy thing, or the weather, just something to talk about. I recall heated kitchen-table discussions around the time of the first moon landing between my dad and my brother in law on the topic: Does engine oil actually âbreak downâ, or do you replace it simply b/c it is dirty??
I wouldnât say manufacturers have devious motives, necessarily. I would outright say that they donât particularly care if your engine lasts 150k or 250k. No skin in the game for them at that point. And less frequent maintenance is appealing to potential buyers. Do you plan to ever change your trans fluid? Toyota says itâs a lifetime fill. I change it anyway, although I waited until 100k.
I may well wind up changing engine oil at 10k rather than 5k in the future. Iâd just rather be a late adopter and er on the side of caution. If the 10k interval proves itself over several engines throughout the years, Iâll probably adopt it. Until Iâm comfortable with that interval, Iâll go with 5k.
To me it seems a generational thing. People my age grew up with 3K intervals. Multi-vis oil was a new thing and engines were machined by hand.
Owners know the engine is the most expensive part of the car. They donât want to get out of their comfort zone.
Then thereâs the paranoia: manufacturers are saying 10K to minimize maintenance costs, manufacturers are saying 10K so they can sell you a new car sooner.
At 10k oil change intervalsâŠwhere will that oil line be at 200k miles. Have you ever owned a vehicle over 100k miles? Probably not. So an extended oil change wonât have any effect on the vehicles you own. Let me know how extended oil changes work for 300k and 400k miles. If you donât know then your argument is moot.
One change that has occurred over the years is the oil capacity in many engines. My inline 6 takes almost 7 quarts. The Highlander with the 6 cyl takes 6.4 quarts. More oil helps to extend the interval.
Nobody ever seems to think about that. Having a crankcase that holds 8 qts of oil instead of 5 gives so much more oil to hold contaminants in suspension and keep lubricated parts cool. That fact alone can greatly extend oil life regardless of the filter and oil spec used.
I suspect the reason Toyota specified 0W20 oil for cars that has the same engines that previously used 5W30 is the 0W20 gave them enough mpg gain to round it up to the next higher number. If they want to use 0W20 oil on the EPA test they have to put in the production cars.
My 2012 Camry has a maintenance reminder light that still comes on every 5000 miles. Toyota claims it is to remind you to rotate the tires. I think it is because the decision to require 0W20 oil was made too late to make changes in the car.
I have no problem with the 10,000 miles or one year oil changes, I only drive about 6000 miles a year so I change it no later than the date I changed it last year. I know I don;t have 100,000 miles left in ME. When the guy at the hardware store asks me if I want the 15 year caulk or the lifetime, I laugh and ask him jf he has any 10 year.
My 14 Highlander which recommends a 10k oil change interval for 0W-20 also has a 5k reminder. Every 10k for oil change and tire rotationâŠevery 5k for just tire rotation.
Personally Iâm not convinced yet of the 10k oil change interval. I know for a fact an oil change every 5k miles will allow me to keep my vehicles well past 250k miles. When I see a plethora of evidence that 10k will do the same, then maybe Iâll switch.
