Synthetic Oil Change Interval: State Your Opinions!

I drive the Tacoma less than 5,ooo per year so I do it once annually. I always change the oil on all my cars either at 5,000 or annually.

 

Nothing new here. I think the OP was trying to see whose buttons he could push just for shits and giggles.

Toyota advises, in my manual, 5000/6mos if operating under “special conditions”. That pretty much covers anyone doing city driving in the winter (with snow on the ground) and/or towing in the summer. The 10k interval would not apply to most Cdn drivers, in my humble opinion. My vehicle meets the “special conditions” part do I’m a 5000/6mo guy.

 

There are so many of them that they need their own section, otherwise they will contaminate the honest hard working threads of the dumbgeon.

I propose moving them to the Sludge Pit.

 

Here's the thing.
10K normal and 5K heavy intervals have science and engineering behind it, along with thousands of Blackstone Labs that provide proof (facts) that the 10K interval is just fine. No additional wear metals, no soot.

Early changes in the first few hundred miles or 3K intervals have exactly zero science and engineering and factual evidence behind it.

I don't care but facts always beat opinion.

 

First one at 1k. 5k thereafter. It’s nice to know we can do every 10k but I prefer 5k.

 

Anything above 5,000 miles gets me jittery.

 

I did 10,000 mile changes from new for the 1st 9 years and 180,000 miles. That worked out to about once every 6 months. My Tacoma is now a 3rd vehicle and isn't driven as much so I still stick to the 6 months oil change. I don't worry so much about miles, but it works out to somewhere between 5000 to 8000 miles now. I'm at 242,000 miles and have never added a drop of oil between oil changes. It simply doesn't use any.

 

absolutely. i know i can go 10k. but i aim for 5k changes for my own peace of mind.

 

~13 months, probably more depending on how long it sat on the lot. Bought in April, changed in May. I live in NorCal so winter sees ~30 and summer sees ~90.

I agree that oil testing is the only way to actually make an informed decision. There's lots of folks who don't care about the informed decision and buy a Tacoma to put it in a garage, detail it weekly and change the oil every 182.5 days and 5001 miles and that's fine, just don't pretend it's objective is all.

Everyone seems to think they're in the "severe use" category which doesn't help.

My truck is a pavement princess so I still do 10k

https://imgur.com/a/c2QYI4r

 

How can you have a proper oil change thread without that YouTube video from the car care nut, or whatever his name is, proving, *chuckle*, that 10,000 mile oil changes will ruin your engine in short order?

Somebody is really slacking.

 

My truck takes me to work. It hauls my tools, boards, bags of trash, bags of dirt etc. Nothing severe and whoever thinks around town is severe duty has never done anything remotely severe duty. To my friendly Canadian friends, I've been to Canada a hundred times in all Provinces. Snow is not severe duty on the engine.

 

I like turtles.

 

I changed mine today….at a Turtle’s pace.

 

In my opinion, that is the only pace. Anything faster or slower is wrong.

 

Me watching paint dry every time

 

The primer says 90 minutes before top coating but you know that's the general case for dummies and the humidity in my house is really low and the temperature is even so surely 60 minutes is fine? Yeah! It's been 55. That's close enough. Why does my top coat look like garbage?

Me. Every time.

 

This was a game changer for me… recoat with in 1 hour? Primers may be topcoated immediately?! Sheer lunacy.

 

5k.