How can you distinguish 0w20 from 5w20 oil

5W-30 will absolutely do no harm. There will be a small increase in fuel consumption which you may or may not notice.

xW-20 oils are mostly on the viscous side of the xW-20 spec so aren't as much less viscous than a 30 weight as you might expect. xW-30 oils tend to be on the less viscous side of the spec, but not as often as xW-20 oils are on the more viscous side of the spec.

 

The difference is a slight increase in mileage. I intend to go to 0w-20 because it is readily available at the dealer and if I choose to change my own oil, at the local autoparts store.

I don't see how the "thicker" oil can damage the engine. Once a motor gets warm the difference is the very slight difference between 20 weight and 30 weight. From my vast experience using up to 60 weight oil in my cars during high school and college (due to outrageous tolerances created by excessive wear and abuse), I just don't see any possibility of damage, besides, if Toyota puts it in, they can't very well complain.

 

Can anyone tell me whether overfilling oil can affect mileage? My mileage has dropped to 35mpg after i changed oil today. First, i have to check whether they filled enough oil. if they did, then i have to check whether they filled it more - i remember on the service sheet, it was written 5 qts oW20. If they overfilled, is there a way to remove some? As a side note, when i took the car in for service, the sales person mentioned that my car would be switched to OW20, and the service frequency increased to 10000 miles. I told her that this car always has ow20, and she was perplexed. Not sure what to make of these people?

 

Absolutely, how much it effects mileage will depend on how much it's over filled, the engine and your driving( more engine revs, more loss). You didn't say how much mpg you lost or how you determined the loss, but if you lost more than 5 mpg, something is grossly wrong.

They have lot of different models and years to deal with, as long as she knows what your car is supposed to get, don't sweat her lack of historical trivia knowledge.:rockon:

 

Sorry to revive an old thread but since I'm planning to get the first oil change to my new Prius I'm researching what to do to ensure I get 0w20 synthetic oil from the dealer, so I read this thread in its entirety.

Then I Googled "Toyota Canada synthetic" and came up with this page: TOYOTA CANADA : Promotions > Parts & Service

So if Toyota Canada has a promotion on this 0w-20 synthetic oil the dealer better has it too, or else! I guess I'm going to bring my Prius owner's manual, highlight the specs about 0w-20 grade and 4 litres requirement, and print this web-page to show the dealer maintenance guys.

I'll demand for them to show me the actual oil they're going to use. If they refuse I'll go somewhere else, or just buy the bottles from their parts department and change it myself, or take it to Walmart's oil change service where they welcome customer brought in own oil.

I think 0w-20 synthetic is VERY crucial for the sub-zero Canadian winter for the Prius. If they don't meet this basic requirement for their own cars they don't deserve my business. I'd rather forfeit the 2 free oil changes worth 2*$48.95 than risk loosing mpg or even hurting the ICE bearings for the long run.

I intend to keep my Prius for at least 15 years+. If I could keep my Honda Civic for 15 years, I don't see why the Prius can't match that provided I insist proper maintenance such as proper oil change with the CORRECT oil grade and amount as specified in the manual.

I wouldn't worry about how to save face for their ignorant maintenance staff. If they're ignorant about their own products they don't deserve to be treated politely. I might even demand to talk to their manager/owner and make a big fuss about it.

Ok, enough of my rant about some imaginary bad scenerios. Wish me luck

 

I agree 100%. But as I pointed out in the other thread, Toyota Canada can really drag its collective heels on these issues

I used the example of early build FJ Cruisers with the weak rear axle. Those were factory filled with straight SAE 90 gear oil and shipped to Canada, a country that can easily experience -40 winters

Late 2007, a TSB was issued in the US that mentioned all factory fill would be a special Toyota synthetic 75W-85 gear oil, and all dealerships were to use this new gear oil pronto

Yet many dealerships here didn't appear to get the message. Some FJ owners who took the initiative and changed their own gear oil to a synthetic 75W-90 received snarky letters "Synthetic gear oil used, warranty void."

Because if you follow the 2007 FJ maintenance requirements to the letter, that rear axle is supposed to use SAE 90 above 0 F, and SAE 80W-90 in temps colder

What that manual doesn't mention is that a conventional SAE 80W-90 gear oil turns solid at about -30 F. I guess you're supposed to leave your FJ Cruiser parked the rest of the winter?

Unreal

 

for a new car, i would say its not much of a difference, 0w is more runnier than 5w, older cars, i would say best to use is 10w, but since you're car is fairly new, it should be fine. dont worry about it.

but i would not recommend mixing different spec oils.!

 

Do you mean different weight oils or oils manufactured in accordance with different specifications? If you meant different weight oils, why not?

 

Forgive me to be so blunt, but am I supposed to believe your comments as a total stranger to me, or should I stick to the specs in the Prius owner's manual?

Thanks for the help but no thanks, I'm not taking any risks with my precious Pearl Prius based on a stranger's "i wound say" comments without any scientific reasoning to back it up.

If I "don't worry about it" and let the Toyota dealership put whatever oil in my Prius, and a few years later serious wear and tear develops in the bearings, are you going to buy me a brand new Prius as a warranty replacement for your "don't worry about it" comment?

I bet not.

 

well, I'm just stating my opinion. I am a mechanic for ten years and have driven toyotas for a few years. I have my own shop in San Francisco. You dont HAVE to believe in me. Of course, in my prius, I would stick with what the factory or alldata recommends, but I what I am saying is, if this situation has happened to me, I wouldnt be too worried about it.

 

Keep in mind that operation in a cold climate is far different than in a moderate or hot climate. Not too many conventional oils can handle the extreme condensation and acid buildup that occurs when operated in temps of 0 F to -40 F

For those temps, I much prefer a high quality synthetic oil to handle the acid buildup

For some reason, my FJ is particularly hard on oil. If I put in a EU spec oil, like the made in Germany Castrol Syntec 0W-30, it handles the nitration just fine. A conventional oil is done at 4,000 km (Sky high nitration, zero TBN, etc)

 

I hope you're not a mechanic working for Toyota dealerships. Oh wait, isn't it true that people's been posting here saying the Toyota dealership mechanics were just telling them to "don't worry about it" when they stuff any bulk dinasaur pork-belly oil in their Prius?

What I'm saying is "I don't want to worry about it" so "I'm making sure it won't happen to me." I'm afraid if I don't make a strong stand in the beginning and let those "mechanic experts" do whatever they want and accept whatever they say based on their "years of experience", I'd end up visiting them way more often and paying way more maintenance fees unneccessarily.

This is a true incident 5 years ago. I took my Caravan to the dealer and tell them there was some rythmic tire noise at low speeds. They recommended changing the bearings on both front wheels. after $600 the rythmic tire noise still remains. So they recommend another $1000 worth of treatment I don't remember what it was (I was too angry to listen anyway). I took it to an independant garage and he told me with just a quick look, free of charge, to just change the tires, as the threads on the tires were nearly worn and the years of use made them bulging and rubbing on the wheel well. Sure enough that was the real solution.

I'm not saying experience doesn't count. I'm saying the dealer mechanics' hidden agendas are not trust worthy. I'd rather do my research and trust myself.

 

Yes, in most cases there are agendas at dealerships - and other car repair places - that run counter to the customers best interests

 

hi teeasal, i totally agree on you about mechanics in dealerships. before i thought they were the best mechanics you can find, since they work only on toyotas, and nothing else. however i have found out that some dealers do have some dishonestness in them, and everything is marked up too high. i understand that they have to make a living, so marking the prices up will be inevitable, however, they have done it so much that the customer feels like being ripped off. besides, i have worked at a place where they dont hold a lot of stock, if the customer requests 5w and we only have 10w, they put in what they have and show them the empty 5w bottles

thats kinda why i've opened my own shop, so i can make sure none of this shit is happening here. for me, myself, i dont worry about it, but for my customers, they have always been coming to my garage for any kinds of service, and i believe that this is based on mutal trust. i dont want to break that bond.

 

Trust is hard to earn and very easy to lose

 

true, thats why i make sure everything is done right before the car leaves my shop
thats what i tell my employees too!

anyways, just keep in mind that the dealers do not always tell the truth. there are some things that they hide from customers too. if you want to make sure that you get the best quality out of you're service, its better to do it yourself.

 

I am using Prius 2010, 1.8 in Pakistan where average temperature is 4o degrees C in Summer and in Winters its 1-10 degree C. What should be my choice 0w20 or 5w20 or some other