oil change price and type of oil

I called my local Toyota dealer in town and told them I bought a used 2008 Tacoma and its time to do my first oil change and I asked him how much and he said around $44. I said is that with regular oil or synthetic? He said regular and I asked how much was the synthetic and if he recommended going sythetic. He asked how many miles I had on it and I told him 70,000 miles and he said with that many miles he would NOT switch to synthetic b/c he has seen people switch and the vehicles start smoking. My Main req. light is starting to blink so I'm going to make an appt for an oil change thought I would ask your opinion. Also, is $44 about right?

 

Pff on the synthetic, I changed mine over when I bought it with 141,000...

Not a drop lost or burned, when I spose a little, but never have to add, I go 7500 between changes, use the Toyota filter, best one there is right now, about $5.41 at the dealer...

and, do the oil change yourself, you can do the syn + OEM filter for less than $30 if you look at the ads....

add at least $20 for synthetic, so prolly $65 at the dealer....I prefer to keep the dealers hands off the truck unless absolutely necessary..

the code you can have read for free at any Autozone, Advance or O'Reilly's....your stealership will take a whole lot of your hard earned...it may be a easy fix, saving you $$$$$

just sayin'

 

I thought I read when your maint req. light starts to blink its getting close to needing an oil change. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong. Its NOTthe light that looking something like this (!).

 

Wow, that's a first. I've never heard of this nor seen such rubbish in print before. I call BS on that.

I just changed over from the stealer's dino oil to Mobil 1 on our well-used '06's V6 with 84K miles. I've done this on many other cars & trucks and none have ever smoked. Personally, I think a stealer's profit margin must be MUCH higher on dino oil than synthetic since they buy it in 55 gallon drums for almost nothing.

 

sorry, I thought you meant the check engine light, 1st gens don't have a 'reminder' light for oil changes...still, do the oil change yourself, switch to the syn....

then if you insist, have the dealer look at it....

 

You can use regular or synthetic, neither will make the truck smoke. Your dealer is either a fool or very mis-informed - whichever it is I would be very leary of that dealership. These vehicles are the easiest of all types that I had changed oil in - 25 minutes tops, a little more with tire rotation. Have been using Mobil 1 synthetic since it had 45K on it (almost 60K) now and there was never a hint of smoke. Something isn't right about that dealer - but, at the end of the day it is your truck so do what you think is right...

 

The maint. req'd light is basically a mileage counter. At 4500 miles since it was last reset it will start blinking on startup. 500 miles later at 5000 miles it will continue to stay lit up while driving.

 

Sheew thats what I thought on the light. Yeah the dealer said if the truck would've had synthetic from the get go then I could have synthetic. I wouldn't mind doing the oil change myself, BUT I'VE NEVER DONE AN OIL CHANGE ON ANY VEHICLE I HAVE EVER HAD I'm always scared I'm going to screw something up.

 

You can switch to synthetic at any time...and back again, too...There is an excellent write up over in Technical Chat, I believe, on how to do it - and it even has pics...will look for it and add it to this...

That dealer is an IDIOT.

Here is the write up for the 6 cyl, there is another one for 4 cyl also. Its so easy its almost laughable!

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/technical-chat/11201-4-0l-1gr-2nd-gen-oil-change-guide.html

 

Yep. For me synthetic seem more smoother when shifted,plus I want the best for my truck. If i'll take good care of her,she'll take good care of me...

 

$44 seems expensive, I get mine done at the dealer because it only costs me $28.

 

^This. Also helps on startup in coldweather, too. What strikes me as odd is the dealer's response. Something just insn't right there...

 

May want to check and make sure they change the filter and don't over-torque the drain plug...

 

Yeah, you do want your truck to last longer. I spent almost $65 per oil change,I do it every 3000 miles. What kind of oil change for $28 ?

 

I'm guessing the mechanic was an older guy. Years ago, when you switched a vehicle from dino oil to synthetic, it played hell on the seals and the engine would start burning oil. Even switching back to duno oil would not help the problem. It was an issue with the old synthetics, and that issue no longer exists with modern synthetics. That being said, use whichever you like, neither will hurt your vehicle or cause any damage as long as you're using quality oils. $44 doesn't seem too far fetched but is at the upper end of what I'd expect to pay for an oil change. It should be closer to $30. If you buy the oil and filter yourself, a synthetic oil change can be done for around $30, dino a bit cheaper.

That 'Maint Req'd' light is just a reminder. It is based on mileage only and is not reading engine oil life like the Chevys do. I believe it starts blinking at start up around 4,500 miles after it's reset and stays on at 5,000 miles after being reset. It's a nice reminder but it is only a dummy light, doesn't mean anything is wrong with your truck.

 

You spend $65 per oil change?!?! Someone's laughing all the way to the bank when they see you coming. If you're buying premium oils (which I'm assuming you are since it costs $65), unless you're racing, changing the oil at 3,000 miles is a waste of money. I'd go back to dino oil if you're going to change your oil that frequently.

 

6 qts of Mobil 1 will barely reach $30, plus a $4-$5 oil filter (ordered some online for like 3 and change)...Do you do it yourself or have someone else do it?

 

Yep, I like to take pride in my work premium all da way. I work 7 days a week, putting more then 300 miles per work,so I like to be kind to my engine. $ 65 oil change,just because I can afford it. May be switching to Dino oil in the future...but now premium is where I'm at....

 

Are you paying someone to do it? I use Mobil 1 and don't spend that much on each oil change. Even paying someone to change your oil with Mobil 1, you're getting screwed paying that much unless you're either in Canada, Hawaii or some other place where things are just generally more expensive.

 

No, DIM ( Do-it-myself). $65 breakdown to Premium Oil,Filter,Air Filter. I might look into Mobil 1 per your suggestion later,though.