1st oil change?

On another note, is anyone else bothered by the fact that the 'Maint Required' light (or whatever Toyota calls it) comes-on at pre-set intervals as opposed to based on mileage/use? My '04 Silverado's 'Oil Change Required' comes-on based on actual use (has some sort of an algorithm it uses based on driving/use), which I like. I tested that theory when I had a family member who also owned a Silverado (which I did maintence on). My Silverado is my tow rig and rarely gets driven around town; generally it's towing moderate loads a couple of hundred miles (a couple of times a year maybe a couple of thousand) miles at a time. Lots of highway miles. Conversely, my family members Silverado was only used primarily for city driving, never went on any long trips or hauled anything. It's oil change light came-on in about half the time as mine does.

 

Do whatever you want, but if you say the engineers of the oil company and manufacturer are wrong, expect a fight.

I do 7500 mi due to my usage and schedule.

 

Costco full synthetic is 12 dollars for 6 quarts. So 20 bucks for an oil change.... my truck gets beat a little so 5k oil changes it is for me. If I was running amsoil I'd be doing 15k oil changes.

 

at the very least, Change oil per manufacturers recommendations.

 

From what I've always heard (no idea if it's true or not, but seems to make sense) gunk is generally the sign of an engine which is driven on lots of short-trips around town. One way to check for that is to look at the under-side of you engine oil cap; if it's clean then likely the engine is to. I've seen that to be the case on other vehicles I've owned or worked-on but I'll admit that it's anecdotal at best.

 

understandable. I wonder of the gunk build up or lack of using Synthetic oil under Toyota's recommended 10k miles, noth'n about time interval. Another manufacturer recommends 10k miles or yearly whichever comes 1st, my guess is to have those low mileage vehicles change oil at least once a year for some reason

just wondering

 

I've always heard that it's a good idea to change the oil annually if you don't hit the mileage (or hour) interval. I generally follow that, especially for my motorcycles which never get ridden the recommended number of miles in a year.

 

Synth has detergents specifically to reduce and/or eliminate build up.

 

Yes and so did/does some Conventional motor oil back in the day. I know Haveline was one iirc, lol

 

I agree with trust the engineers which is why I change mine at 5K..........for my driving habits the engineers do recommend 5K.

 

Let it rip...check n fill as needed....that what doesn’t kill it makes it stronger

 

I like 7500mi oci since it gives a margin in case you forget or have to go over.

 

Regardless of the oil type, sludge builds up over time and at the same rate if left unchecked. It is an unavoidable byproduct of internal combustion. Like burning a log in the fire place and creosote in the chimney is a byproduct of combustion.

And what happens when left unchecked? Google is you friend my friend

Hope that helps

Cheers!

 

Um..your last line..”.just quit trying to prove everyone wrong people-quote... “...
Time to time I do get things wrong...ever happen to you..?
Aloha,

 

I like guys like you.... the ones who pick and choose what facts to believe.
The Ford Pinto gas tank debacle resulted in 27 total deaths... out of 2.2 MILLION vehicles. Statistically that is a lower death rate than their competitor's failures but man... it was spectacular when it happened and that's what we all remember. Total number of explosions was under 20.
We get a bad rap because when something fails it usually has devastating consequences... but the failures happen so infrequently they always make the news.
In addition, it usually is not the engineer's fault until profit and money get in the way. The most recent debacle was the airbags for many manufacturers. The engineers wanted to fix it but the recall would ruin the company so they stayed silent... the engineers blew the whistle and the bosses committed suicide.

My point is this...you and billions like you don't think twice when you step on a brake pedal, flip a switch, turn a steering wheel, hit a pot hole, go across a bridge, ride an elevator, take off in a plane, walk up steps and thousands of other things people do that engineers designed. Just stop and think everyone... how many things do you use every day that engineers designed? Now how many things do you do every day that don't work because of bad engineering? Now multiply that by seven billion people...

Listen... engineering is not like school teachers or union jobs. The bad engineers quickly get sorted out and moved out of design. Engineers are a tight knit group that do not tolerate shit designs, especially when it comes to safety.
Think for a minute... don't you think the news would report it if 100 wheels came off vehicles per day, a wing fell off a plane or 15 bridges collapsed?
You can think what you want, but try to get your facts in order and when it comes to OCI, 10K oil changes are normal and anyone with any knowledge will tell you that. If I followed your logic... or lack thereof... I would change the oil every 100 miles because I can afford it...

 

Doesn't matter when you use your one or two "free" factory oil changes, so do them when you want to. I've had my new 2019 for a year now and it only has 4k miles on it and going in this week for my 1st.

As far as "changing too soon!1!11!!1!!" it doesn't matter at all since the oil is doing what it's supposed to and all you might be wasting is your own money. In the scheme of life it isn't a big enough deal to worry about. Just make sure to change it at least once a year regardless so the yucky acids don't sit in there too long because they're nasty.

 

This thread makes me want to start a new thread: "When to replace your tires...Do you wait for the wear indicator?" LOL

 

That's what I did... I have no prob going 10K miles between oil/filter changes, after the initial engine break-in.. (Sorry, I still feel .. Yes I'm a Boomer/Geezer .. The oil/filter should be changed sooner than what Toyota says on a new engine .. So sue me ..)
I changed my own at 3K .. Also made sure I used a Toyota filter, so when I go in for my first 'freebie' at 10K, nobody could say 'Hey ... What's THIS??' .....
I have zero probs with going 10k miles now with synt oil and much better filters than we had even 20+ years ago ... But it was just the 'old school' in me about initial engine break-in, that I can't shake. OTOH, nobody has ever regretted changing their oil/filter too often either. Cheap insurance and peace of mind.

 

So I’ll tell you guys what I practice and what I tell my customers. Replace cabin and air filters as needed if you live in dusty conditions or just follow the factory schedule. Pretty much same goes for spark plugs, just follow the factory schedule and use factory plugs. Some cars don’t have transmission or other fluid intervals only “inspection” intervals and it’s sort of up to the mechanic to recommended service. Well, if you barely put miles on you car then just service something like the tranny every 30-40 or maybe 50k miles? That could barely be every 5-6 years for some people, really not a big deal. For people like me, I just rack up miles like crazy but I don’t ever really “heavily use” my truck then I’ll stretch it out IF there isn’ta recommended interval. As for oil changes? I do those every 5k. Using the correct specification oil and good filters matter big time. Oil will more or less always lubricate but it’s the additives that wear out. Not only that but the oil gets dirty from blow by, the PCV system and so on. My philosophy is this, changing your oil every 5k vs every 10k won’t solve all your problems but it’s like eating healthy...I just helps.

Just my two cents.

 

If I'm not slipping sliding I'll get my monies worth out of them.