Why is the oil change interval so different GEN 3vs4

Oil consumption

 

Depends on the country - not sure what country you're in, as your profile doesn't say.

I can understand it with a high-powered, highly stressed engine. But hybrid engines almost never run at full power, and only about 70% of the time.

My cynical guess is that they grab a coin, flip it and go with it. Here, all TOYOTAs were 10,000km/6 months. But, they've been slowly moving them, at random, to 15,000km/12 months. There have been no effective changes - just they're re-flipped the coin.

Actually - I suspect it's as a response to complaints, and the opposition have been 15,000/12 months for quite a few years.

But - dealers like the $$$ from services.

 

OP's in Barrie, Ontario, Canada I think. Here third gen was 8000 kms (~5000 miles) or 6 months, and fourth gen was 16,000 kms (~10,000 miles) or 12 months. Yeah it IS a big difference, 100% increase. And the engine's essentially the same. Showmanship? Getting in line with the Yanks?

Bottom line still: it's your car, you can be more conservative if you like. I like 8000 kms or 6 months. With us it's always 6 months that governs. By a lot. So much I don't care to divulge.

 

yep, thought yours was 16,000 kms /12 months I haven't had a car with 6 monthly services for at least a decade, maybe nearly 2 - and suddenly realise my PRIUS they want me every 6 months. I wasn't happy. Still grizzle under my breath when I take it in and sit waiting.

I guess I could understand if I lived in the outback, dusty unsealed roads, temperatures in the 40°s for months on end. But other cars had an supplementary in-between service for those conditions.

 

Pretty well describes the climate here - hot and very dusty (sand storms).

Our service intervals for both Gen 3 and Gen 4 are every 15,000km (a bit under 10,000 miles), or once per year

 

shadow4478
In the US, Gen 2 was 6 months/5000 miles (8000 km) on a thicker, non synthetic oil. Gen 3 came out on a thinner, synthetic oil and within months of the introduction, the OCI was bumped to 12 months/10000 miles. (16,000 km) I am not aware of a change in the US between Gen 3 and Gen 4.

In Canada, you have two competing issues:
Vast stretches of the far north are a pretty hostile environment for cars.
2/3 of Canadians (and their cars?) live within 100 km of the US border. So 5% of Canada has 2/3 of the Canadians.

(By road, Barrie is 215 km from the US, but quite a lot of that is driving around Lake Ontario, Barrie is perhaps 120 km from the border in the middle of Lake Ontario in a straight line. Under 100 km to the Canadian shore.)

I last visited Barrie in 1987, it has probably changed.

 

Yep

 

You mean that the Gen 3 used more oil than the Gen 4? I've only done 51,000kms and mine hasn't used any oil. Not that any of my new cars in the last 25 years have.

Not like in the '70s and early '80s (or Dad's '40s and '50s cars).

It can actually be a problem with the odd car today which, for some reason, uses oil. People have got out of the habit of checking their oil because it will almost always go 10,000km (or 15,000 for longer Ford or Kia frequencies). We used to always keep a spare bottle of oil at home - in some cases in the boot. And water. And spare belt, plugs, points etc.

His '49 Austin said this - and meant it!!!

 

i thought in the u.s. the oci was 5k when gen3 first came out, and was later changed to 10k.

 

Does your oil fill cap say "0W-20" or "5W-20"?

 

Very similar here 10K miles/12 months Gen 3 & 4

 

I don't think Toyota makes any sort of statement regarding conventional vs synthetic oil. There are synthetic 5W20 oils available. I guess what I'm saying: they changed the oil weight spec, but that's all. My take: they went to thinner oil to squeeze a bit more mpg, and the longer oil change interval was more-n-likely at the behest of the sales department??

Yeah virtually all Canadians are clinging (like barnacles...) to the 49th parallel. And my case, winters in Hollywood North on the west coast, vs North Dakota: no contest. And then there's Alaska...

 

You could pour 5W30 in there, and the engine would be happy as a clam I think. I guess what I'm saying: Toyota "says" to use something, but it's not a go-no-go situation.

Is the stuff even available? That's likely a non-starter for most owners. It is essentially the same engine. Also, see above.

 

0W16 is mentioned as the spec'd oil, somewhere in Owner's Manual, and/or Owner's Manual Supplement (CDN) or Warranty and Maintenance Booklet (US). And it's somewhat contradictory, didn't really get an editorial review.

Bottom line, they do a fair amount of flip-flopping. It'd be refreshing to hear straight from the engineers.

Again, you can get synthetic 5W20, 5W30. I'm not sure it's the synth that's driving the interval. Toyota never mentions the word "synth". Well they do, but regarding upholstery material IIRC.

 

Would it hurt to use 5w-30 instead of 0-w20? Wouldn’t it coat the parts and therefore better protect the engine? Or is the lighter weight (like someone said) used for the higher mpg, and because the car starts and stops a lot so need fast flowing oil?
I’ve been putting 0w-20 in mine and even after starting it over night you hear the engine for a half second sound chattery as hell, then quiets down almost basically immediately... 2016 gen 4.

I also use Mobil one synthetic extended performance and change it about every 7500-8000 miles and it’s a 15,000 guaranteed oil. Still looks pretty good when I change the oil but I do it more for my own safety than anything, I’m sure no doubt it could go the 15k as I’ve done it on my other cars before in the past

 

Well yeah, my 2019 says every 10K... But I'm thinking I'll do mine at 7500 to 8k.... Which for me will be about every 6 weeks.