Synthetic oil change every 10k?

I'm leaning at paying the $77 to do the oil/filter change. I just feel better doing it.

My driving hasn't been harsh although, the past couple of weekends I have been launching from signals with the wife sitting shotgun asking, "why are you driving like that?"

Ed

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Topping up windshield washer fluid you can do yourself for 10 cents and 30 seconds of your time

 

Expected that question. Why I underlined the "so often" in the last post...

The lubricating properties of the oil do NOT wear out, but the additive package* can get used up and contaminates can intrude. So a change is factored in. There are also allowances for eliminating a change. As in never change it, and this can only be done with synthetics. So that tells you something about the quality of the oil which makes 5k or 10k changes very premature.
*The additive pkg contains the anti-foam, water dispersant, acid neutralizer, detergent, etc. agents in the oil -can't name them all from memory just now-. About 7-8 of them.??

A great air filter is the single biggest help to stop the majority of the contaminant intrusion.
A great oil filter is needed to catch what the air filter didn't.

So this great oil filter:
To allow the oil to last forever, a VERY fine filter (1 micron) must come into play. With it in place, the synthetic oil does not ever have to be changed. Guaranteed and warranted! And proven since the late 70s. This 1 micron will even filter out water.

Hold your key strokes a minute. Above is true, but...
Such a fine filter would take better than five minutes to get all six quarts of oil through it. That's too long for normal operation and the engine would starve for oil.
So the normal 12-25 micron (depending on brand) filter remains in place and the 1 micron becomes a by-pass filter (means it filters just a little of the oil at a time & full flow filter is unaffected). The full flow still gets changed out at 12.5 or 17.5k interval and the 1 quart of oil top-off still happens.
***That one quart replenishes the additive package.*** Therefore the change interval recommendation nulled out.

The oil doesn't get "changed", but eventually actually will be over a period of years, one quart at a time.
The by-pass filter gets changed when it's plugged and that is evident by being cool to the touch when the engine & oil are both hot.

Synthetic oil is amazing stuff! It is the only things that works in turbines. It works from -45F to +400F. It was investigated by the Nazi's when petroleum was scarce for them. It isn't some "new fangled" invention that is still on the drawing board. It works and we should let it do it's thing and shine. Don't cut it short simply because "I'm used to changing at 3,000 miles." As I said, it is guaranteed and warranted.

Next question will be: "why do Toyota engineers recommend 10k?"... Simply because they have to allow for the lowest common denominator of inattentive, nonmechanical, abusive drivers. They sell to everyone and odds are they'll get those kind of owners. Not all Toy drivers are Tacoma enthusiasts who love, dote on, and pay attention to their ride.

I'm not selling you anything. You will do as you feel is proper. I just like to shout the value of the product. If it saves someone a bit of cash and helps the environment, then lucky me, I can feel good.

 

I do weekly checks on fluids...windshield fluid is fine...radiator fluid is also good. Brake fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid...all should be checked and are ok last time I checked.

I'm anticipating they do a visual inspection on all fluids and if needed...top it up and put it in the notes of the invoice...as they normally do.

Ed

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This guy gives some great insight on oil changes for Toyotas.

https://youtu.be/v4JS7PybV2k

Start at 10:30 if you don't want to watch the whole thing

 

No one is checking your trans fluid. Ps/brake fluid shouldn’t be topped off as they shouldn’t leak. So you’re left with windshield washer and oil…

 

Good points!

I'm anxious for 4pm today. The dealership is 13 miles south of my location.

Ed

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I’m not the one who made that statement. I’m sure eventually even Synthetic oil will ‘wear out’ however based on multiple Blackstone oil analysis reports which have been posted on this forum showing that at 10K miles the oil in these engines is still in good shape, I’m comfortable going 10K miles or once a year with my Taco.

The fact that your thoughts are not based on current, factual information makes them opinion or feeling.

I’m not sure how something written in a manual in 2006 for a different generation of truck with a completely different engine (was the 4.0 an Atkinson-cycle engine? I doubt that it was) is even relevant to this discussion. The owners manual for my ‘61 Honda Sports cub makes a lot of recommendations for service items which the owners manual for my ‘20 KTM Duke fails to mention

 

Some of ya'll need to watch Scotty.

 

He talks a lot.

 

Sure does, but generally has valuable information.

 

He says about 60-70% generic truths and 30-40% BS. Sometimes the latter becomes really fking annoying.

 

Toxins? Did someone try to poison your tacoma?

 

77 is not expensive.
1st diy oil change will cost you about the same, if not more once you drain the tranny by mistake.

 

My "thoughts" are based on the Scheduled Maintenance for my '06 Tacoma. Still not opinion or feeling.

In truth, a shorter change interval damages nothing in the truck (1st, 2nd or 3rd Gen).

The clearest choice is to follow the recommendations in the Owner's Manual for YOUR truck.

 

Generally don't get involved in these discussions because this isn't the first (nor the last) I've seen this discussed on a forum. I will say that yours are some of the few posts I've seen that have very good information in them. Don't get me wrong, I was a 3k mile proponent for a while. Then I did some research. Paid for some analysis back when three people knew what Blackstone was. And realized I'm a moron. I go with what the manufacturer calls for. This is after experience with testing of a few turbo'd cars (one of them very hard driven), some not and a crap-ton of motorcycles. We're not messing with your dad's Quaker State anymore. Heck, I've witnessed even the old garbage oil do some pretty amazing endurance. If you want to waste money, then go ahead.

To me the people that insist on low oil change intervals are the same folks that insist on putting high-octane gas into their vehicle that doesn't require it, thinking it gives them some kind of advantage.

 

Back in the day I used to change my oil at 5K with top teir synthetics. My buddy would take my used oil and run if for another 5K. True story.

 

$15 oil wrench
$5 oil filter
$30 in oil
~$50 for me

Subsequent $35 oil changes.

 

I believe it. I had a co-worker that would do the same thing. The cheap bastard.

 

My buddy really had to be. He was a courier and drove 60k miles a year, just supplemented his oil with mine. His 1st gen ran to 450k miles before he sold it (all fluids were leaking from everywhere)