Is Toyota 0W-20 Full Synthetic?

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The dealer made a mistake, next oil change should be in 10k miles, although they recommend a service every 5k. The 5k service is mainly checks and a tire rotation. I believe all Toyota 0-20 is full synthetic. Doesn't it say on the label?

 

Toyota 0W-20 is actually a full-synthetic

 

Scheduled visits are still every 5k. Oil changes are every 10k. Every 5,000 miles, per the manual, you are supposed to do a tire rotation and vehicle inspection, and reset the maint message.

Both Toyota and Mobil 1 0w-20 are marketed as full synthetic oils.


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All 0w-20 regardless of brand is marketed as full synthetic oil.

 

Even "full synthetic" motor oils are still made from crude oil. The term seems to note a grade or class.

 

This chart is handy comparing the various brands including Toyota's.

Recommended oil -- SAE 0W-20?? - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Mobil seems to be a great alternate.

 

Not so. Full synthetic is made from Methane. They really do synthesize the appropriate carbon chains which resist shearing more than non synthetic.

 

In the US Warranty and Maintenance Guide, page p56:

The main thing I glean from that is the shorter oil change interval is predicated by the oil grade, not synth vs non-synth. The waters are muddied a bit though, by the mention of "mineral oil", in reference to the 5W20.

I'd talk to them. If they verify they used the 0W20 you supplied, I'd stick to 10K mile interval.

My 2 cents: it seems awkward in your situation, to buy the oil there, then hand it to them and ask them to do the change. At least at our dealership, they have the same stuff in bulk, and just pump it into measuring pitchers, accurately measured for customers' oil change.

If you're insecure about their honesty, talk to their Service Manager, level with him. If you still don't trust them, maybe switch to a third party mechanic. I can't see using them on an ongoing basis if you're that suspicious of their integrity. You're not alone though...

Personally, I buy liters of Toyo 0W20 through the parts department, and change it myself. Also, in Canada, the regular oil change interval, with the 0W20, is 8000 kilometers (roughly 5000 miles) or 6 months.

There's more politics and salesmanship than engineering in the setting of the interval, imho.

 

The shorter oil change period is predicated by the use of Mineral oil.


Interesting. In Australia our intervals are 10,000 Kms and dealers generally use 5W30, fully synth.

 

All my cars are using 0w-20w per manufacturer spec Mazda CX-5 [7500k change] and Prius [10k change] plus I put a squirt of Marvelous Mystery Oil at time of oil change..............
2012 Prius 4 Liftback 56mpg
2013 Mazda CX-5 33mpg

 

Yeah, with our last vehicle I tried sticking to the dealership during warranty. And wouldn't you know it: with a spec'd fill amount of 3.2 liters (diminutive 1.3 liter civic hybrid engine), they were dumping in 4.0 liters, oil change after oil change. Finally woke up, got frustrated about the situation, and went back to doing my own.

You're not obligated to have them do the changes in the warranty period, there are legal precedents allowing owners to do basic maintenance themselves. In particular if you buy the oil and filter from the dealership's parts department, close to the actual oil change date, you've got a very good paper trail.

If you're considering DIY, again, maybe talk to the service manager, see what they say. In my experience the response is usually something along the lines of "just keep your receipts, keep a log, and bring it in once in a while, to see if there's updates or whatever".

It can depend on the dealership. Some are on the level, common sense. Others are by-the-book (the bs book), confrontational, you have it. It really depends on the management style.

 

I luv these guys..............

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I wonder if they'll fix oil leaks for free?

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Some years back the makers of Castrol were sued by the makers of Mobil 1 for labeling some of their motor oils as "synthetic", when in fact it was ordinary mineral ("dyno") oil that was subjected to extra refining to remove more of the waxes and impurities. Unfortunately, the judge agreed with the makers of Castrol that their extra refining was sufficient that their product can be considered "synthetic". Guess what?! The makers of Mobil 1 promptly reformulated most or all of their products, started using mineral oil as their base stock instead of the more expensive poly alpha olefins (the real synthetic stuff), and changed their labeling, advertising, and pricing not one whit! Thanks to a Federal judge, we can no longer look at a label and know what we're getting. When I called Mobil 1 to inquire which of their products might still have poly alpha olefins as a base, they said, "We're too busy engineering superior products to answer your question." Answers the question, doesn't it?

 

OK, if you define "full synthetic" as such, then most oils sold in USA as "full synthetic" are not "full synthetic."

Sorry to burst you bubble, BTW.

 

Interesting info:

SYNTHETIC LUBRICANTS WHAT ARE THEY
The production of many synthetic lubricants begin with base stocks which are synthesized from high volume hydrocarbon intermediates. For example, AMSOIL polyalphaolefin (PAO) base fluids are synthesized from ethylene. Others synthetics however, start with very basic raw material.
There are five specific categories of base oils. These categories define the type of base stock the oil is formulated from. The categories are as follows. Note that the base oil group category is followed by the manufacturing method (in bold print) and then a description of the oil characteristics for each category.
Group I - Solvent Freezing: Group 1 base oils are the least refined of all the groups. They are usually a mix of different hydrocarbon chains with little or no uniformity. While some automotive oils on the market use Group I stocks, they are generally used in less demanding applications.
Group II - Hydro processing and Refining: Group II base oils are common in mineral based motor oils currently available on the market. They have fair to good performance in lubricating properties such as volatility, oxidative stability and flash/fire points. They have only fair performance in areas such as pour point, cold crank viscosity and extreme pressure wear.
Group – III Hydro processing and Refining: Group III base oils are subjected to the highest level of mineral oil refining of the base oil groups. Although they are not chemically engineered, they offer good performance in a wide range of attributes as well as good molecular uniformity and stability. They are commonly mixed with additives and marketed as synthetic or semi-synthetic products. Group III base oils have become more common in America in the last decade.
Group IV -Chemical Reactions: Group IV base oils are chemically engineered synthetic base stocks. Polyalphaolefins (PAO's) synthetics, when combined with additives, offer excellent performance over a wide range of lubricating properties. They have very stable chemical compositions and highly uniform molecular chains. Group IV base oils are becoming more common in synthetic and synthetic-blend products for automotive and industrial applications. The future belongs to the Group IV base-stocks (Synthetic Oils are Group IV Polyalphaolefins).
Group V - As Indicated: Group V base oils are used primarily in the creation of oil additives. Esters and polyolesters are both common Group V base oils used in the formulation of oil additives. Group V oils are generally not used as base oils themselves, but add beneficial properties to other base oils.
Note that the additives referred to in the Group V description are not aftermarket type oil additives. The additives referred to are used in the chemical engineering and blending of motor oils and other lubricating oils by the specific oil company that produces the finished product.