I have an 07 camry 4 cylnder in the pacific northwest and it calls for 0-20 or 5-20. Which weight is better to use?
It really doesn’t matter.
The only difference between the different weights is, the 0W-20 oil will flow faster than the 5W-20 oil when the engine is started cold. Once the engine warms up both oils flow like a 20 weight.
Tester
The only reason to chose one over another would be weather conditions. One is not “better” then another unless you consider cold weather. Then, 0-20w might be preferred.
To the best of my knowledge- which may be flawed or out of date- 0W20 is only available as a synthetic, where 5W20 is available as good old dino or synthetic. So cost and how often you change it (and if you change it yourself) might play a role in your decision.
A compromise might be to use the 0-20 in the winter, and the 5-20 in the summer. I wouldn’t switch summer to winter however unless both summer and winter versions are available in the same type (regular/synthetic) and the same brand. All the major oil brands and types are fine as far as I can tell, but once you choose a brand and type of oil for the car, it is better to stick with it.
Also, verify whatever you use is among the choices in the owner’s manual.
Toyota official word is if it says both 5-20 and 0-20 on the cap, they want you running 0-w20. Better cold engine flow, faster engine heat up, less time in open loop, less emissions. Plus like mentioned above, 0-20 is synthetic only with a 10k change interval. But, it costs more. That all being said, either one is fine.
It’s a meaningless difference for someone living in the Pacific Northwest. It’s probably a meaningless difference for someone living in Alaska. Don’t concern yourself with it and buy either, or whichever is a better price. I have the same car and have never seen 0w20 for sale in our local parts stores but find 5w20 in all of them.
Toyota’s rec oil change for EITHER 0 or 5 weight is 5k miles, not 10k.
I agree with fatrap. The difference is meaningless for you. Use whatever your pocketbook wishes.
Toyota’s oil change interval for those year was 5K miles. They suddenly bumped it to 10K miles around 2010.
You might get slightly better fuel economy with the 0W-20 oil.
Plus like mentioned above, 0-20 is synthetic only with a 10k change interval. -
I know of no manufacturer that has different oil change recommendations for using conventional or synthetic oil.
Our 2010 Camry said 0-20 only. Am dubious oil fill cap says 0-20 OR 5-20 is ok. Whichever u have access too?
I bet it’s like my Civic. My oil cap says “5W-30,” but the owner’s manual says “5W-30 or 10W-30.”
I bet the OP’s oil cap says “0W-20” and the owner’s manual says “0W-20 or 5W-20.”
My 2007 Toyota started out with 5W30 in the manual. Then later, a bulletin said that 5W20 is OK. Since that time the dealer is really pushing 5W20 since that’s basically all he stocks in any quantity. I now use 5W30 in the summer and 5W20 in the winter. I could also use 0W20 SYNTHETIC if I wanted to.
In short , don’t lose any sleep over this, and look for the shop’s hidden agenda.
ah, conspiracy theories. turns out the shop owner only stocks 1 oil
Similar to the automobile shops agendas, a local clinic insisted that MRIs were costly and superfluous until one was bought. Suddenly everyone critically needed an MRI.
With ambient temperature between 20* and 100* F 10W-30 would be as good as any, better than many.
Yeah, now that I have a pacemaker, and can’t get an MRI, it’s amazing how adequate other imaging techniques suddenly are.
@cavell Not quite! Dealers usually change your oil from a bulk tank which gives them very cheap oil changes, compared to the stuff out of the bottle. Recently nearly all Toyotas have switched o the 5W20 or 0W20 synthetic oil, which now fills their tanks. If I want another grade of oil, it will likely come out of the bottle, reducing profit. I have never seen a non-Toyota vehicle in this shop.
If I had asked for 5W20 9 years ago there would have been a howl of protest form the service writers who know very little about oil.
No conspiracy here, just a good profit motive. It’s interesting that this dealership is owned by a family who also own a large GM (Chevy/Cadillac) dealership and gives less than good service from personal experience.
The Toyota service is good but the service writers are constantly trying to upsell and push all those flushes. So far I have turned down at least $400 worth of “necessary” work.