less recommended oil changes with synthetic?

So I have a 2010 Tacoma with the V6.... A friend of mine just bought an FJ, which I believe has the same V6 engine. He told me Toyota sent him a memo the recommended 10,000 mile oil changes vice 5,000 mile oil changes because he is running synthetic oil.
I tried to search for this online, but I have found nothing. Can anyone elaborate?

 

depends on driving conditions/habits. location.. etc.. if you run a pos filter i would change it every 1k mi... i watch what my oil looks like on the dipstick to determine when to change but never go over recommended change intervals.

 

Wolf hit it perfect- Oil Analysis is the only way to tell if you are in a good place to extend your change intervals or go with filter only swaps.

Get a good report back....extend the interval....get another report and see what it says. Go from there. I don't think I'll ever go past 5K tho...

 

Check out http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/cms/ forums. 10K is routine for those guys and generally considered safe without analysis. If you want, change the filter and top off the oil at 5k, just to be extra safe.

VW's recommended OCI is 10K on their 2.5L 5 cyl. and 2.0L Turbo engine; BMW and Mercedes have similar regimes. In Europe, they've been doing extended drains for a long time, up to 20k based on driving conditions the computer tracks.

Be sure to use a high quality fully synthetic oil like Mobil1 (there are others). It's good for your pocket book, good for the environment, good for your motor. Just make sure Toyota approves, so as to keep warranty happy, which it sounds like they have for your friend!

 

I was going to do the oil analysis but since it cost over $20 I figured it was cheaper to just change the oil and filter. Anyone here do the analysis? Results?

A friend on a motorcycle forum used to send his oil off for the analysis and the results said that he didn't need to change his oil as often as he did.

 

toyota has gone to using synthetic oil in most of the 2010 engines.....

thats why you will see one 2010 camry with 10k oil change intervals, and another idetical to it with 5k oil change intervals.

your friend's fj came from the factory with synthetic....so the book is going to say 10k intervals. tacomas all are 5k......the new 4runner is 10k (dual VVT-i)

 

I change my oil every 5-6K, depending on where I am driving. I only use Mobil1 Synthetic and OEM oil filter. 10K seems kinda long, but like someone mentioned, get the analysis to see.

 

There will be many answers to this thread, but what it comes down to is this. Every owner has look at their own situation. Environment, choice of products, driving style, and the engine itself will dictate different answers for different people. In my case I use synthetic oil, a quality oil filter, and do a 50/50 mix of highway and town driving. Based on this info and the fact I put about 8000 miles per year on my truck, I can change my oil once per year. However, to keep Toyota warranty happy, I'm currently changing it every 6 months or 5000 miles. Once the engine is out of warranty, I'll extend my oil changes. In the end, as long as you care about maintaining your truck, you will be fine. JMO.

 

Every major trucking co. including UPS , FedEx or Roadway uses oil analysis
Always a great way to go, get into your routine with a few oil changes and then have it done... I use Blackstone on a yearly basis...

 

4.5 years old... not bad.

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