quote:

Originally posted by amals:

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:
...I change the oil on my new cars after a couple thousand not because it needs it but because I want to get my choice of oil and filter in there.
...

And, out of curiosity, what is your choice of oil and filter? You figure they are better than Toyota brand (would not be surprising to me)?

I like Amsoil oil and filters.

quote:

Originally posted by pedropcola:
I just traded in my RAV4. Toyota Care at 5000 is a tire rotation and check levels. They will change oil/filter at 10.

Maybe it's something our local dealer is doing, but the new Corolla's maintenance schedule is showing an oil/filter change at 5,000 miles. Here's a screenshot (the dealer connected the vehicle to my Toyota app).



The receipt from my Tundra shows they did an oil/filter change at 5,000 miles on that one too.

quote:

Originally posted by mrvmax:
This has been discussed here before and we have the same responses. I will add what I have before from a few local ASE mechanics from different shops in town that have (or had, not sure it is on anymore) a car repair show on am radio. They state that manufacturer recommendations for service are only designed to keep the original owner happy with no break downs and low maintenance costs since most car owners only have cars for a couple of years on average before trading. Manufacturer recommendations are not to get 200,000 miles out of their vehicles, they care for the first owner, not any after that.

So if you do not plan on keeping it until it falls apart then do as little as possible. If you plan on keeping it, spending and extra $50 every 10000 miles is not breaking the bank but it can extend engine life. Oil get contaminated and does not go bad, keeping it clean extends its protective properties. Even modern technology lets particulates through filters and does not remove all contamination that can accelerate wear. Me, I change my oil at 1000 on my new cars, I can afford the $50 for an extra oil change. I change mine every 3000 miles too, it is not a lot of extra money since I do it myself....

This makes a lot of sense to me. My practice is to buy a new car once in a (long) while, and keep it a long time. My average is probably more than a dozen years apiece. When I was younger, I did all the work myself; my '69 VW Beetle, and my '85 Toyota 4x4. Minor stuff on my first Corolla, less on the second. This is the third. I expect to let the dealer do it while it is under ToyotaCare program, then...we'll see. It's gotten a lot more complicated as the years go by, and the cars need less routine service, but like you, I don't mind doing oil changes and other smaller jobs that don't need special diagnostics and equipment. It's good to have a closer look at things once in a while.

quote:

Originally posted by Edmond:

quote:

Originally posted by amals:
...And, out of curiosity, what is your choice of oil and filter? You figure they are better than Toyota brand (would not be surprising to me)?

I like Amsoil oil and filters.

Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by amals:
And, out of curiosity, what is your choice of oil and filter? You figure they are better than Toyota brand (would not be surprising to me)?

After the Toyota care expired, I settled on Mobil 1 0W-20 with the green label (states on the label suitible for Mazda, Toyota, ...) and a Toyota branded oil filter cartridge. Both regularly available at Walmart for a reasonable price.

^^^ Thanks.

quote:

Originally posted by ShouldBFishin:

quote:

Originally posted by amals:
And, out of curiosity, what is your choice of oil and filter? You figure they are better than Toyota brand (would not be surprising to me)?

After the Toyota care expired, I settled on Mobil 1 0W-20 with the green label (states on the label suitable for Mazda, Toyota, ...) and a Toyota branded oil filter cartridge. Both regularly available at Walmart for a reasonable price.

amals, I did something very similar to ShouldBFishn. Mobil 1 from Wal-Mart and Toyota filters bought in bulk 6 packs. Same for air and cabin filters just find a dealer and buy 'em cheap, stack 'em deep.
These guys have done me right. McGeorge Toyota Parts Dept.

For my '06 Camry with the 2.4L, I didn't do anything special. At the time, the initial oil service was @ 5K which is what I went with. Trust Toyota in regards to their service intervals, they've spent lots of money figuring out the most cost effective intervals for the customer without creating warranty issues for themselves to deal with. I bought a '19 4Runner at the end of 18 and the first service was at 10K. I'm nearly 40K in now and just do the recommended services at their recommended intervals. Everything is as it should be and I have no doubt that the 4Runner will make it to 300+. Hope there was some helpful info in there for you.

Just one more FYI: I have a cousin that purchased a new Ram pickup not long after I did. He changed his oil at 500 and then again at 1000 with oil samples sent off to be analyzed. All that he found out was he wasted a bunch of money doing that . Both samples were unremarkable (no foreign material was present).

It’s your dealer. Literally do what I just did. Go to Toyota.com. Go to ToyotaCare. It is very clear. Tire rotation and check fluids at 5k. Oil filter/change at 10k. It’s all there in black and white. Actually it’s in color but you get my point.

As for you guys with big opinions on this. So if I understand correctly you change at 1k, 3k, 6k, 10k, 14k. That’s fucking retarded. You could convince me perhaps to remove the possibility of metal particles after 1k. Maybe. But then your own interval shifts between every 2-4K miles. Why? Besides which even if you do your own changes you are spending a fucking small fortune. The “idiot” who follows the factory maintenance schedule has done 1 oil change. You have done 5.

There is being proactive and there is just being stupid. Modern cars like this guys Toyota will go hundreds of thousands of miles following the manual. Changing the oil on the old schedule from your dads Buick in 1970 certainly won’t hurt. Yet you also aren’t getting some magic elixir you think you are.

Change the oil every week. It’s your time and money. It’s wasteful and silly but knock yourself out.

mutedblade
Thanks for the info, including parts source. I have done well with these folks before:
https://www.conicellitoyotaofconshohocken.com

and have heard lots of good word on the Tacoma World forum about this place:
https://www.camelbacktoyota.com/

but it's always good to have another option.

If you decide to change the oil early, the worst that you could do is be out of thirty bucks?

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
If you decide to change the oil early, the worst that you could do is be out of thirty bucks?

That is one of the things I am trying to determine. As I mentioned earlier, it is my understanding that at least one carmaker (Honda) put things in there that they intended to stay till the first oil change. Kind of like a Glock, with that copper lube on the rails; you're not supposed to get rid of it too quickly.

quote:

Originally posted by amals:

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
If you decide to change the oil early, the worst that you could do is be out of thirty bucks?

That is one of the things I am trying to determine. As I mentioned earlier, it is my understanding that at least one carmaker (Honda) put things in there that they intended to stay till the first oil change. Kind of like a Glock, with that copper lube on the rails; you're not supposed to get rid of it too quickly.

Pull an oil sample with the oil relatively hot. Send it off to a lab to be analyzed. It will tell you if there is any unusual wear AND the condition of the oil. It will cost you the same as changing the oil, BUT you will know exactly what is going on with your engine and if there's a problem with it.....high iron....high copper..... etc.

I’m all for doing things smart but this seems to be stretching the definition. The “rules” that we followed when we we young were because the engines basically sucked. They were roughly made, lax tolerances, you used heavy grade oil because thin synthetic stuff we use today would leak out, etc. Those old rules of thumb didn’t mean your car would last, it just lessened the chance that you would shit an engine going down the freeway.

I have 4 kids and a wife. We’ve had Jeeps, Chrysler’s, Ford’s, Toyota’s, Honda’s, Kia’s, Hyundai’s, Subarus’s. Longest one I kept was 14 years. Current longest is 8. With the adult kids an accident is way more likely to take out a car than a mechanical.

On the cars I have been directly responsible for, they get regular maintenance basically following the book. I have never changed a cabin air filter in the 35 years I have owned cars. I think that it is a scam, I don’t have allergies and drive with the windows open a lot so I don’t give a fuck about the cabin air filter. At all. And yes I know where it is and how to swap it, still don’t give a fuck about it. It has never caused an issue in any car I’ve owned. Other than that I have never had a car die or get sold/traded due to mechanical problems besides the Jeep and the Chrysler (not engine related but suspension).

I am very comfortable telling my children, who if their car blows up I somehow might find myself on the hook for fixing it with a couple of them, and you, that if you just follow the manufacturer’s recommended service you will be fine. As in, that car will last a long long time.

Of course it is your car, your time, and your money, do as you feel best. Know that it is a labor of love more than practicality though.

Get an oil sample, change the oil 5 times for the recommended 1 time. Or spend your time and money doing something productive.

Show of hands time. Guys with newish cars (not old cars that aren’t part of this discussion let’s say 10-15 year old tops), that basically follow the book are you having any mechanical issues that you can connect to not changing the oil enough? No? Didn’t think so.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
If you decide to change the oil early, the worst that you could do is be out of thirty bucks?

Not just that but his time counts for something. For those who don't do their own work, sitting at the dealership while they're changing your oil doesn't sound like an ideal way to spend their time off.