No Oil Change at 5,000 Miles?

2011 Tacoma DC SR5 Pre-Runner 2WD 4Cyl 2.7L

So I went to the Toyota dealer where I bought my truck today for the first service covered under Toyota Care. I waited and 1.5 hours to find out that the only thing they did was rotate the tires...they said there was no need for an oil change til 10,000 miles because it's synthetic oil....I bought the truck brand new so I have no clue what oil is in there.

This sounded wrong at the time but I just wanted to get out of there since I'd been waiting forever...and my maintenance booklet even says at 5,000 miles their supposed to:

Check installation of driver’s floor mat
Inspect and adjust all fluid levels
Replace engine oil and oil filter
Rotate tires
Visually inspect brake linings/drums and brake pads/discs


Does this sound wrong to anyone else?

 

yea its true about some vehicles going 10k before oil change, the've got 0w-20 syn oil in them. regarding the tacomas, never heard of them going 10k before service. only ones i know of are camry's, fj's, 4runners, 4.6l tundras, new scion tc.

 

Synthetic can go 10000 miles and Toyota has been allowing that on some models. If you doubt it, ask them to show you the TSB because it's your truck.

If you don't want 10000, then change at 5k. But then don't use synthetic oil either and save the money.

 

i would do what the owners manual says, but if it says but full syn in the engine, PUT FULL SYN IN!! we had one guy come in for a MIL light (oil control valve) we figured it was oil and sent a out for an oil test, came back as 5w-30, Toyota void his warranty cause he didn't but the right oil in it

 

even if it is synthetic oil in there, wouldnt it make sense to change the oil at 5k anyway to put some frsh oil in there after the first 5k driven? I dont know what the "break in" period is on the tacomas but i would think it would be something you would want to do. I could be totally off track but i would change it after the first 5k driven in a new vehicle. I dont think it would hurt it or anything if not, but just for the fact of getting fresh stuff in there.

 

Nothing in the manual says anything about synthetic oil...they only recommend "Toyota Genuine Motor Oil" (SAE 0W-20 or SAE 5W-20).

Do Tacos come direct from the factory with synthetic oil in them?

 

My experience was similar to yours. I read several post on TW that dealers were changing oil at 5000 miles but if they are according to Toyota that is on their dime to keep a customer happy. I pointed out that my owners manual on my 2011 Tacoma states 5000 miles as well and I was told they just carried the book over from 2010 year and failed to modify it. I then called Toyota Care who told me to follow my owners manual requirements so I shared what they told me with the dealers service director because I felt like I was spinning my wheels. From what he told me, Toyota of Japen is sticking with the 5000 miles intervals on Tacoma and some other models however, Toyota of America will follow EPA guidelines which are apparently attempting to reduce old recycled oil therefore require 10,000 mile changes. Anyway, the bottom line is; I own a 2011 Siena Van and 2011 Tacoma Pre-Runner Double Cab 2.7 and I complained to Toyota Care about all the confusion and the lack of comunication with the customer about oil change intervals. I later received a call from the dealer appologizing about my issue and provided me a free oil change to add to my free 2 year maintenance. My selling dealer Service Director advised me that he also believes the 10,000 mile interval is too long and Toyota may suffer from this long of intervals, he has already heard about documented engine failures but that's another debate. Personally, I will change my own oil every other time at no later than 5000 miles because Oil changes are really a cheap investment and good piece of mind. I'm not interested in jeopardizing the reliability of my vehicle and a potential long life to satisfy the goverment's warp way of thinking! Proper recyled oil has its place too.

 

Was just at the dealership last week and asked about these oil changes, the service manager told me that I should change my oil every five thousand miles. They do have some vehicles that they are using synthetic oil.

I am just going to stick with the 5k plan.

 

You guys are forgetting it's 5000 miles or 6 months, which ever comes first. It would take me a year to reach 5000 miles so I go with the time interval instead.

 

On all my new vehicles I've ever purchased, 1st oil change at 600 miles no matter what was put in in the factory. Synthetic or dino. This is the time to get rid of all the loose machining debris out of the engine. Next change at 5k. After that I go 10k between changes with synthetics or 5k on dino. All of my vehicles have gone well over 300k miles with no engine work EVER. Spend the 200 bucks in the beginning and you will be pleased when you see 300k on the clock and you have never had a problem...Cheap insurance

 

If the maintenance manual says 5,000 miles, make them change it at 5,000. If something goes wrong with your truck, the first thing they always bring up is the maintenance schedule... If they failed to reprint the schedule, that's their problem, not yours. Oil is cheap insurance for your engine.

 

Take a look at this:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/48798088/T-TT-0005-10

 

I was wondering that myself. Does this still apply to new vehicles? I remember dealers telling me to bring in the car after the 1st 1k miles. Now the dealer says 1st 5k. Been wondering about the machinery debris, etc. I think I will change mine now for peace of mind.

 

Thanks. This helps a ton...will call the dealer tomorrow since it states that "The 2TR-FE 4-cylinder engine (4Runner and Tacoma) is an exception to this new change interval program; this engine has not been approved for the 10,000 mile interval at this time. A 5,000 mile oil change interval is still required for these vehicles."

 

Manual says to put oil of a certain spec... GF-5 or GF-4 maybe. You can get that in non-synth too, just cause the Toyota dealership wants him to use synth doesn't mean he has to. No reason to waste money if he wants 5K oil changes.

Besides: there is no definition of 'full synth' oil. It's marketing babble.

 

Why is it a big deal for the dealer? He should do what you tell him to... if you want 5K then you're paying for it. Right? or do you have some kind of free-service deal going and he's trying to skip on his obligation?

 

I think you have the right idea. I was taught "oil is cheap, metal is expensive". Oil is not as cheap as it once was, but engine replacement cost more than they ever have! My girlfriend has a mini cooper with almost 8K miles on it. She's had it almost a year, up till a month or so ago she had never even checked the oil. According to her dealer, drive it until the maintenance light comes on! Not on my vehicles!!

 

Anytime any sort of machining is done there is loose metal debris. I am sure there are quality controls to make sure that they are as clean as they can be but I know one thing, no one is perfect. The $30-40 it costs me to change my oil is certainly a very small price to pay for peace of mind and besides, how long does it take to change the oil? 5 minutes? Takes me longer to fill the car up than it does to change the oil.... I'm talking about actual physical time I'm under the car.

 

when i bought mine they told me to let them knoew when i had 5000 miles on it. i thought that it sounded f@#$%ed up, but i have a warrenty. no worries here!

 

I'm old school so I do what I think is right and that does not include 10,000 mile oil changes. If I were leasing or going to buy new every 3 year I would go with their schedule but I'm protecting a $30,000 investment that I want to last 200,000 miles or more and I'm not going to jeopardize that goal to save $20 or $30 on a oil change. Lastly, if they are recommending the first oil change at 10,000 miles - that is ridiculous. The first oil change should be between 500 to 2500 miles according to who's opinion on TW you respect.