OK to switch to synthetic?

So I just bought my first Tacoma (from my father). He has been good about maintaining it; bringing it to the dealer every 3,000 miles religiously ($ ouch!) since he bought it new in 06. It has 120,000 miles on it and has gotten whatever conventional oil they use at the dealer since the beginning. Is it ok to switch to Mobil 1 or something similar at this point?

 

Switching over to synthetic in an older vehicle could cause leaks. Just the way the stuff is made (with more potent detergents) can make the seals harden up, at least in a vehicle that is older and has had conventional its whole life.

My experience with Mobil 1 is that its garbage anyway. Not good in my 94 Supra turbo. Castrol Edge worked much better in my Supra.

You're talking about a 198 whp pick up truck here. Bump it up to some good conventional like Castrol GTX. You don't NEED synthetic. Anybody running synthetic in their Tacoma is wasting their money. 911 turbos, Corvette's, and AMGs need synthetic, Tacos don't.

 

i switched at about 150k to full synthetic. i run 6000 change the filter top it off and run another 6000 then do a full change (so it costs about $20 per 6000, $25 for a 5qt mobile 1 and 2 filters. i do the same in my wifes rav4 which only holds 4.5 qts so i really have $80 in 4 "oil changes"). i also put 1/3 bottle of seafoam in the crank case 100 or so miles before i do the full change. i now have 183... and dont use or leak a drop. mobile 1 5w-20. and no offence to 206 but ive always heard castrol was just and should be put in anything but a dumpster myself.

 

It is a personal choice and money issue, but it will not harm or extend your engine life.

 

Castrol is my first choice for engine oil. And throughout the years I've had different motors apart for other maintenance and they look like new inside. Just no problems with it. Also, a contractor I recently hired at work had 475k on his 2001 Ford Focus, says he uses Castrol oil since new and says the car is running like a buttered pig. Whoever is telling you that Castrol isn't a good product is just not informed.

But who cares, right? That's off the topic and not worth starting oil debates lol.

As far as OP goes, if it ain't broke don't fix it right? Just stick with regular oil.

 

LOL another oil thread! Oil is like religion to some folks...

I use synthetic. I buy the cheapest synthetic I can find. Usually O'reilly auto parts brand, sometimes Walmart. My cost is about $25 for the oil. I use the Toyota filters. Truck works great!

 

You can use synthetic if you want, but it isn't necessary, and it certainly won't cause any leaks.

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/switch-to-synthetic-oil1.htm

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/AskMobil/High_Mileage_Vehicles.aspx

 

I use the O' Reilly brand oil full synthetic and wix filter and have not had any issues. Change at ~5k miles. Truck has yet to implode.

 

I put Castrol synthetic in mine at 30k. Buddy who use to be a mechanic said to use Castrol and not the PA oils. I used Castrol Dino in Sportrac since new. 190k on clock and no oil use at all between 5k changes.