More On OW20 Oil Confusion

The engine may require 0-20 but I think that it is a rip off to charge double the price of regular oil. $80. per oil change is a lot of gas you can buy for $80.

Sounds like Toyota is the only one that supplies the oil, that means they can charge their 85. hr labor.

 

A new tightly assembled motor will be fine with a lighter viscosity. Eg my '04 Prius ran most of its life on Mobil 1 0W-20, with exceptional used oil lab reports. One summer run with Esso XD-3 15W-40, a highly rated heavy duty oil, didn't change the numbers one bit

I doubt oil drains off as quickly as asserted. The primary wear component for a conventional motor - not the Prius motor - is start up, as it takes time to pump up the oil pressure

There are plenty of Ford motors, including heavy duty 6.8 litre V-10's, running on 5W-20 with good life. Especially in short trip city driving, a lighter oil is almost always a better choice over a heavy oil

Overall, using a lighter oil might - or might not - increase long term wear and possibly reduce engine life. At the other extreme, say -40 and colder, using too thick a motor oil will cause catastrophic and almost immediate motor failure

Some motor designs appear to benefit from a heavier oil. Eg my FJ gives much better results, with NO difference in fuel economy, running the made in Germany Castrol Syntec 0W-30, or Mobil 1 0W-40

 

Where in the world did you get that idea? Lots of threads here talking about 0W-20 oil and sources for it other than a Toyota dealer.

 

I know its a lot of posts to read, but in this case its actually worth it. You will learn a lot from some formidable experts. Jayman is trying to tell you, the Toyota oil is not needed.. there are actually better oils.. much better... rated up to 35000 miles if you dare.. but before you ask a bunch of questions about such wild outlandish claims.. read the thread.. you won't regret it!

 

At the very least, if you're having a hard time falling asleep, this thread should put you out like a light. My long boring technical discussions appear to have that effect on people

 

Is there any advantage to using 0W30 vice 0W20 in the summer? or all year around? any disadvantage?

The owner's manual hints that heaver oil might be advisable on page 560, "An oil with a higher viscosity may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at higher speeds, or under extreme load conditions."

Anyone have any idea what that actually means? Is 75 or 80 MPH a "higher speed"? is climbing a steep hill when it is 90 degrees out considered "extreme load"?

 

New oil recomendation for 2010 Prius. I just called the Local Toyota dealer for an oil change, I was Told they just received a notice from Toyota recomending 0W-20 synthetic oil at 10,000 miles or one year intervals.

They did not say what manufactures oil they recomend.

Barn

 

I used to use 15W40 Rotella-T synthetic in my old car (2001 Mazda Protege) and I use it in my motorcycle 1995 Honda CB1000 -- would love to not have to buy different oil for the Prius. (What was great was those two vehicles also used the same oil filter.)

It's still hard to find the 0W20 around Los Angeles -- lots of 5W20 and 0W30

 

That would be great news about going to 10,000 mile intervals. Can you get any details on the notice? I just had my oil changed this morning and they didn't mention it and the paperwork attached still referenced oil changes every 5,000 miles.

 

Well, they allow just enough "wiggle room" to leave it up to you. If I lived in a hot climate, and/or heavy driving (Eg, mountain driving) I'd probably run a heavier oil.

But keep in mind I ran my '04 Prius most of its life on 0W-20 with excellent results. This is one of those situations where YMMV

Something like the Prius motor, the only time you'd have to look into something like a 15W-40 or 5W-40, is if the motor was already burning oil.

I sure wish Toyota Corp would just issue a blanket statement on this issue. It's getting irritating

I like 15W-40, as even cheap heavy duty motor oils must meet far stricter standards than for passenger vehicle use.

Eg far higher detergent levels to keep the motor clean, better boundary film protection, more zinc for antiwear (Note the newest CJ-4 oils have had to cut back on that due to the use of DPF)

At a Wally, I recently got four 5 litre jugs of Mobil Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40 on sale. I intend to use it in my FJ as a "summer" oil

Oh, neighbor of mine got a 2010 Subaru Outback last month, with the H-6 motor. He knows my background, and it didn't take long for him and the missus to call me over for a beer

They were quite confused about their owner manual. They assumed they would run a 5W-30 all year round, but in the Maintenance section Subaru hinted that a heavier oil would be more appropriate in summer, or oil consumption would result.

For them, I also recommended the 5W-40.

 

I am out of town for a week but after the holidays I will try to get a copy of what the dealer is saying about 10K on synthetic oil. It be be only the synthetic will be recommended for the extended time and mileage. Does anyone know if Toyota sells a synthetic oil with their name on it. WalMart gets 6.29 a qt for 0w-20 mobile 1.

Barn

 

Actually, just got back from a neighborly visit - eg Holiday Boozing - with them. Got out the owner manual for his 2010 Subaru Outback, found some VERY interesting parts so made note of it

First of all, that Subaru has an electric parking brake. If it goes haywire, there is a special tool that must be used, underneath the car. You remove a rubber plug, stick this tool in, and turn 150-200 turns to release the parking brake

That would be a fun job at -40!

Second, the owner manual shows you how to do routine servicing, like changing engine oil. With the routine warnings about death and destruction

Third, their H-6 motor holds a huge amount of oil, 6.7 US quarts.

On page 11-16, the ambient temp chart appears to indicate that 5W-30 should be used below +50 F. A 5W-40 can be used far above that temp, along with 10W-30, 10W-40, or 10W-50

The next page had an interesting comment about severe driving conditions: desert driving, very hot conditions, towing a trailer, etc all require a heavier motor oil

They suggest a straight SAE 30 or 40. I know those are available as Heavy Duty oils. They also recommended a 10W-50, 20W-40, or 20W-50

So overall it was a very interesting visit. Though I'm pretty sure I badly staggered from their house back to my house.

My head hurts

 

Yes Toyota does sell a 0W20 with their name on it. It costs a bit more than the Mobil 1 price at WalMart. Of course they have to have it made by someone and the head mechanic at my Toyota dealer tells me it's made by Mobil in the U.S. I can't confirm that, however someone on PC said it was written on the container?

 

I thought it was from Nippon or Eppon or something

 

Eneos

 

Just got my first 5,000 mile service and presented the service reminder letter that had been mailed to me with a stated charge of $48.94. The service tech advised that price was a misprint as all 2010 Prius' require synthetic oil which would bring the total bill to close to $70. He further explained that the cost of the oil alone was $50. I declined. He then relented and provided the synthetic oil at the original price they offered.

I then considered doing my own oil changes in the future using Mobil 1 synthetic but found in the "do it yourself maintenance" section of my owner's manual a warning against using the jack that was supplied with the vehicle.

Finally, I have now read on this forum that the maintenance interval is being changed from 5,000 miles/6 months to 10,000 miles/1 year and that those of us who have already paid for a 5,000 mile oil change may receive a free oil change next time.

I have decided to write Toyota to attempt to verify the above service interval change, verify exactly what weight of oil is required for those of us living in warm climates under "regular use" and determine if warranty coverage will be affected by use of regular oil instead of synthetic.

I would like to hear from anyone who has received a response from Toyota on these issues.

Hapy New Year

 

IN and around LA go to Wallmart or Autozone...

 

FYI--I bought a quart of the Toyota branded 0W20 full synthetic at the dealer and it was something like $6.66, so for 4.5 quarts, it's under $35 total (rounding up). Plus the base oil/filter service includes conventional oil. My dealer charges the difference between 0W20 and their "standard" oil (~$16 from memory) as a premium for synthetic oil change.

 

There is a good pdf oil change guide with pictures here: John's Stuff - Toyota Prius and more

I use Mobil 1 0W20 from Wal-Mart and Toyota filters from here: Genuine Toyota Cartridge Oil Filter FREE SHIPPING! 04152-YZZA6-CASE10 they are $46 for 10, free shipping.

Be sure to let us know what Toyota tells you about heavier oil, I have been considering going to 0W30 or 5W30 for summer. As far as I know the 10K mile oil change interval is still in the rumor stage so it will be interesting to gear what they have to say about that as well.

 

In the fall/winter culb toyota mag ( in Canada) there is a story pg 44 that most new Toyotas starting spring of 2010 will have 0w20 as standard oil