Oil change intervals

[pefriend3]

Im getting a new Tacoma and this will be my first vehicle that uses full synthetic oil. They will change the oil every 10,000 miles for three years. But it’s hard to imagine going 10,000 miles on oil even though it’s synthetic. I’m old school and my thinking is I could change it at 5,000 and then they change it at 10,000 etc. Then after the three years of free oil changes I would then change it every, say 7,000. Is my thinking wrong?

Have a 4cyl nissan frontier. Used synthetic oil from first change. Changed at 10,000 mile intervals, occasionally maybe longer. Had a t-stat induced failure and had to open engine up at about 160,000 miles/14 years. Final polishing marks still clearly visible in cylinders. Engine looked practically brand new inside. I'm a very firm believer in synthetic oils (an aside, my grandfather worked with Mobil and was involved in early development work on synthetic oils during WW2).

Paul

Ps: Congratulations on a very nice new truck. Due to nissan body issues it has been essential replaced by a 2003 Tundra V8, an absolute tank.

 

[rocco611]

10k oil change may be ok since that's what the manufacturer recommends but check the oil frequently , if it turns from dark brown to black and thick before 10k change it. I have a Harley roadglide , during the summer months the oil turns dark and thick at about 2500 miles , during the winter oil lasts about 5000 miles before needing to be changed. I have a chevy cruze turbo, 6k synthetic oil change recommended by the manufacturer. I ran the car 6k from new with the factory fill. The oil was dark but not black. I sent a sample to blackstone labs, they said oil was still ok but did show some contaminants that were consistent with engine break in. My Kubota B7800 has 400 hours on it in 18 years, I change the oil every three years. Bought a new Jeep.it came with 0w30 , it used a quart every 800 miles. dealer said that was considered acceptable. I switched to 5w30 synthetic , no more oil consumption between changes. next oil change, lube stop put 0w30 in it, oil consumption returned. since then I have always used 5w30 the 5w30 hasn't caused any issues with the variable valve timing or fuel economy. So my point is keep and eye on the oil level and the condition, let that be your guide as to when to change the oil.

 

[connaway]

As crazy as some of these stories sound, I have no doubt this happens more often than you think. I have drilled it into my kids, as my dad did me, about how important oil changes are and I still had to remind my boys to do it or have it done.

They finally started having it done but usually won't do it themselves. Fine, just get it done. I pay to have mine done now to.

However, I'm seriously entertaining buying a lift for the barn and if I do, I will be doing my own changes again. I'm tired of paying for crappy service at these places. I just don't like climbing under cars anymore.

I got a 10k Bendpac lift a few years ago and love it. All work on vehicles is so much easier and I find I use it for lifting many other things in the shop. I do all of my own oil changes which keeps me busy with 6 vehicles, 4 tractors and too many small engines to count on the ranch.

I would say it's paid for itself except for the fact that I had a warranty claim for a new engine denied on my wife's car. Was still under manufactures warranty when engine died. They claimed a piece of foreign metal had been introduced when I changed the oil myself. Anything is possible but I'm very careful and believe I do a better job than the dealer would. Ended up costing me $6,000 so there went a lifetime of savings on DIY oil changes but I still am doing them.

 

[Geunther]

Built Toyotas for decades. You will never find a cleaner powertrain plant than a Toyota engine facility. While you might think, 'so what', A clean facility produces a clean product. The Toyota engines are manufactured to ridiculously tight standards. Even the tolerance stacking is kept to minimum, for no other reason than to make sure there is minimal 'play' in their design. I wouldn't give the recommended interval a second thought. You will be fine at 10,000 miles. I had a Coralla that had over 250,000 miles on it (30,000 a year). When the vehicle was totaled (rear ended by an idiot kid texting), the engine oil was still clear. I changed it every 10,000 as recommended, and it was due when it was destroyed. Used synthetic for the life of the car. Keep the fluids full, the tires at pressure and plan on changing the battery every 5 to 6 years, and that truck will last for a very long time. Congrats on the new vehicle.

 

[artf]

Change the engine oil early at 1500 miles or so. Next one at 10000 on the odometer. Then every 10 on the odo, 20, 30, 40… easy peasy. Change the axles and transfer case oils at the first 20 then at 50, 100… I’ve been driving Tacoma trucks since 1985 and can’t drive anything else. The best there is. Most of mine went over 500kms (Canada) commercial use and one I sold went 770kms when I lost track of it. All manual 4x4 trucks and Amsoil in each one, every lube location front to back…

This is my approach knowing the shavings remaining after the manufacture & assembly process. I want those out, not floating around or hanging on to a magnetized part for another 10k miles.

Service Techs & Managers always argue when I want the first oil change at 1000-1500 miles. It kinda stopped after the 2000 Toyota Avalon V6 sludge problem, but I use the direct, first-hand experience to remind anybody who disagrees. I ignored the service schedule and changed oil every 3000-4000 miles at the Dealer during the lease. Intention was to keep the car long term.

Still love Toyota.

 

[Gord Baker]

Mine has 240,000 miles. I add and keep the oil topped off. Check it every few months. It's probably needing to be changed. I've never changed it. Just drove it 2 1/2 hours one way, two trips back to back, helping someone move, pulling a 16' trailer. I guess if it'll do that, then it's still good. If I don't wreck it, I plan on hitting 500,000 miles in it. Last one is still here and still runs, but I hit two deer 8 days apart and smacked it up pretty good, so I parked it. I was lucky and a fella paid me to change oil in his generator at a farm. It had only ran once a week for 30 min for a year. So I took a clean 5 gal bucket and cleaned oil pan good so I could save the oil. It was still clean. So I'm good on top off oil for a good while now. My lawn mower cuts maybe 8 acres when I cut it all around here. 22 years, still runs like a top, no smoke, has the oil that was in there when I got it 22 years ago. Pull out the stick, still clean oil.

I hope you at least change the Filter. That is no way to treat a precision piece of equipment.

 

[mo1]

Im getting a new Tacoma and this will be my first vehicle that uses full synthetic oil. They will change the oil every 10,000 miles for three years. But it’s hard to imagine going 10,000 miles on oil even though it’s synthetic. I’m old school and my thinking is I could change it at 5,000 and then they change it at 10,000 etc. Then after the three years of free oil changes I would then change it every, say 7,000. Is my thinking wrong?

Modern oils are a whole lot better than what they used to be, manufacturing is done to tighter tolerances, metallurgy is better, and engine operating parameters are much more tightly controlled than in the old days. All of that adds up to oil change intervals safely being able to be longer. I change mine when the ECM says to, which can go up to 10,000 miles or one year, depending on how much I tow. More towing = shorter oil change interval, but I have never had to change it at less than 7000 miles from the last oil change.

Tractors also have had a significant extension in oil change intervals as well. They have extended for the same reasons that gasser vehicles have, but the biggest reason the oil change intervals in tractors have been extended is because the amount of sulfur in the fuel has been massively reduced in the last dozen years. This leads to less sulfuric acid developing in the oil and thus the neutralizing capability of the oil (TBN) persisting for longer.

 

[ROUSTABOUT]

I hope you at least change the Filter. That is no way to treat a precision piece of equipment.

You say that, but my stuff seems to last a lot longer than the stuff of others. I just replaced my truck transmission. I was hoping it would last 40 years. Finally changed it at 42 years. Old one still worked, but I'll put new parts in and freshen it up.

 

[priberc]

Im getting a new Tacoma and this will be my first vehicle that uses full synthetic oil. They will change the oil every 10,000 miles for three years. But it’s hard to imagine going 10,000 miles on oil even though it’s synthetic. I’m old school and my thinking is I could change it at 5,000 and then they change it at 10,000 etc. Then after the three years of free oil changes I would then change it every, say 7,000. Is my thinking wrong?

If you are worried about using your oil that long you can always do an oil analysis and see what kind of shape it is in at 10k

 

[ranchito]

The best advice on a new ride is to check and see what the techs say. Whether that be at the service counter of the dealership, checking you tube re engine failures for your particular engine. Sounds strange, but there are good techs that put info out there.

Yes, and a Toyota specialist on YouTube is Car Care Nut. He is a very knowledgeable mechanic with years of experience on Toyota products and he disputes the 10k change interval in the owners manual. He has personally seen problems with oil control piston rings on engines serviced with the longer change interval. Factory recommendations are set to maintain the warranty, not to maximize the life of the engine. As he states, you can buy a lot of oil in comparison to the cost of a replacement engine or vehicle. I took his advice and use 5k oil and filter changes in our Camry and look forward to running the car for over 20 years here outside of the rust belt.

 

[ranchito]

Buy the lift, my only regret - not buying it sooner. I have a 4 post BendPak 9000xw. When not in use my ZTR sits on it, saved me from putting up another garage....

Yep, first item installed in the new barn. I went with a BendPak 2 post asymmetric and leave a car in the space. Even handy for stacking cars with the less driven car on top. I even lift a vehicle for a wax job. Sure beats bending over at an advanced age.

 

[bmg88201]

Wow, a lot of good advice and experience posted about oil change intervals. I will do the first oil change at 5,000, then Toyota does the first free one at 10,000, then I change it at 15,000 and they do it at 20,000, by that time the 2 year free oil changes are probably done and I will change it at 5,000 - 7,000 (have’nt made up my mind yet) from then on. That’s my plan. Can’t help myself, my OCD kicks in when taking care of my cars.

 

[big bubba]

a question for the oil experts that i haven't seen addressed: on a smaller truck engine (4.5 qts w/filter), do the same recommended oil changes intervals w/synthetic apply the same as the bigger sump capacities of today's truck engines? so simply by virtue of sump capacity, will a 4.5 qt capacity accumulate contaminates faster than say a v8?

also, agree changing according to severe vs normal service. to me, strictly town use, cold starts, mall cruising is more severe than longer runs, & should be changed more often. strictly my opinion.

as a footnote, my 4cyl Toyota 4x4 (prior to Tacoma) purchased new in '92 (only new i've owned) single owner, currently has 298K on original engine/drive train, never been broken into, uses qt or less every 5k change. i would never dream of going 10k on a change. i go 5k
is this flawed thinking on my part to change more often on a smaller engine. thx in advance. i'm looking forward to joining the 300k club 30 yrs in the making, regards

 

[tomplum]

Oil threads seem to bring out the opinions from everyone, not sure how many of us are oil experts! I'm sure there are many factors in determining when to change your engine oil. But I think certain engines need a bit more care in that department. These newer boosted engines seem to be happier with more frequent changes as an example. Does size matter? The age old question....

This was interesting:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Justrolledintotheshop/comments/xfcflt

 

[Cougsfan]

I find it amazing that so many people don't trust the manufacturers advice about oil change frequency, what grade gas to use, proper air pressure in tires, etc. With virtually no expertise, they somehow think they know more than the experts. My experience is just the opposite. If anything, the manufacturers recommendations are usually on the conservative side. They certainly don't want their reliability reputation tarnished by offering bad recommendations.

But people will still change their oil way too frequently because of good, but misguided intentions and bad assumptions.

 

[ASGAR]

I have a 2016 Toyota 4Runner that pulls 3-4K trailers about 15% of the time and mixed driving for the rest, some woods. This was my first '10K' oil change interval car and it bugged me to no end. After trolling the internet it seems like the oil filter will filter the oil during use to a level that it has less big particles then it had when new in the jug, viscosity does not break down over time (if the engine is not leaking fuel into oil) and it comes down to the amount of particulates the oil can suspend before sludge forms and when the additive package becomes used up and acids start to form which attacks the bearings. The additive package / resistance to acid forming can be measured as a 'TBN' number. I use a real toyota filters and Mobile ! 0W-20 (normal 10K interval) oil. My 60K mile oil change oil analysis came back today. This oil ran 10K miles and 14 months, no make up oil was added during this time. Everything in the analysis was typical for this engine baselined on 6k mile intervals. The TBN number was 4 times higher than the minimum expected. No abnormal wear profiles. The oil analysis lab recommended going to 12K next time and sample. End result, the oil was fine, plenty of additive package left. But... that is with an engine in really good shape, no ring blow by, no antifreeze seeping in, no fuel contamination etc. The reason I spent the money on this was I have two other cars in the family that I maintain that run 0W-20 and 10K intervals. I also did not have any confidence that Toyota was not pumping up the interval miles to make the car look like it had less operating costs. In Canada and Japan the same car has lower oil change intervals, closer to 6K from memory. So, bottom line for me with these modern cars is to enjoy the savings and run the cars to the 10k change intervals. For my marine and tractor diesels, 85 diesel squarebody, old jeeps etc I change yearly regardless of hours or miles. Usually low miles and hours for these but they do a lot of sitting around, condensation, dirty environments etc. Small engines I change when I feel sorry for them or it has been a few years and I have a qt or so of oil on hand. Motorcycles I change often due to the wet clutch and I ride pretty hard and very inexpensive to change. Cheers!

 

[Bob Rooks]

A wise person that believes in science instead of wives tales, hearsay, sales pitches, and glossy brochures, will change oil by analysis.

 

[greenman48]

Im getting a new Tacoma and this will be my first vehicle that uses full synthetic oil. They will change the oil every 10,000 miles for three years. But it’s hard to imagine going 10,000 miles on oil even though it’s synthetic. I’m old school and my thinking is I could change it at 5,000 and then they change it at 10,000 etc. Then after the three years of free oil changes I would then change it every, say 7,000. Is my thinking wrong?

As someone who has been using synthetic lubricants for over 20 years, here is a common mistake that many people make when using synthetic: Don't use a regular/standard oil filter. Use one that is SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED for synthetic lubricants. The reason is that synthetic lubricants have a smaller molecular diameter than petrolium-based oils so much smaller contaminates are trapped by the filter than a regular filter (the oil doesn't break down as fast as patroleum-based does). Needless to say, there is a definite science behind lubricants and there is a great deal of misleading info out there that could cost you big bucks if you aren't aware of it. Petroleum-based oils start breaking down noticeably after 3 thousand miles because of heat and friction whereas synthetic doesn't until 10+ thousand miles. Your engine is only one part of the equation when it comes to wear and tear on your drive train. I have synthetic in my engines, transmissions, differentials, and even my wheel bearings, which all contribute to the wear and tear on the drive train as well as how you drive and use your vehicle. This is why jet aircraft have been using synthetic lubricants for decades. I even use synthetics in my small engines as well as my gas and diesel equipment. If you are crazy enough to want more info on this subject, drop me a line.

 

[big bubba]

I find it amazing that so many people don't trust the manufacturers advice about oil change frequency, what grade gas to use, proper air pressure in tires, etc. With virtually no expertise, they somehow think they know more than the experts. My experience is just the opposite. If anything, the manufacturers recommendations are usually on the conservative side. They certainly don't want their reliability reputation tarnished by offering bad recommendations.

But people will still change their oil way too frequently because of good, but misguided intentions and bad assumptions.

good points....my '92 orig owners manual recommends 3k oil change intervals. understandable for the time
i now use full syn & go 5k. but yes, think we'd both agree that oil analysis would be the best guide on change intervals given one's own use. @ 4.5 qt capacity, & doing the change myself, will continue w/5k changes @ around $35 w/oem filter per change. thx for note

 

[Yander]

I run full synthetic in all of my vehicles and change them between preferably 6k but sometimes as long as 8k. Depending on when I think about it and get it in. I used to do it myself but now I take it in for an oil change. When I get my lift, probably next spring, I will be doing them myself as well as brakework.

I had some nuckleheads mess up my brakes on one of my cars, took it to them twice before realizing they don't know what they are doing, then took it to a dealer and they still are not right. I mean it isn't that hard, I think they used the cheapest crap brakes and parts. I will be re-doing them myself when I get my lift. I need to bleed them before that though. They feel like they didn't get bled right.