(POLL) Going in for 1000 Mile oil Change/U bolt torque check

My dealer has me setup for every 5k miles for oil changes. Same with my last taco......These synthetics can last much longer then what toyota says but since the dealers paying for my oil changes for the first 2 years, every 5k it is!

 

If my dealer won't do 5K oil changes when I get mine, then I'll pay for every other one like I have been doing for years on other cars.

 

Yes I thought that too. I was a mechanic for 20 years and firmly believed in doing oil changes: 1st one 1000 miles, then every 3000 miles after. Then synthetic came out and good for 5000 miles. I used to do oil sample analysis and look for high concentrations of copper etc from main and rod bearings. In newer engine components parts changed along with the materials. The composition of the bearings changed and so did the recommendations. These engines are designed better and run better.

I also believed that running premium in all cars made a difference in fuel mileage and performance. I ran premium in everything for 30 years. Only recently did I learn I was just wasting my money. Premium is only for high compression PREMIUM only cars. It makes NO difference on regular cars. I have seen the facts: I am set in my ways so it took a LOT of convincing to change my mind.

It took a lot for me NOT to change the oil in my Taco at the 5000 mark. This is my baby, I will keep her for a long time. Synthetic oil change was around $100 with full service. I didn't care, I believed that changing sooner was better. The oil still looks clean when I checked it, but it would be like washing your clothes twice a day. It makes you feel good, but doesn't really do anything for you.

 

Good info and thanks... that will help me sleep even better when I'm getting the oil changed sooner than recommended.

 

The new Taco's have full syn OW20 from the factory. Unless you are really doing some really hard core off-road stuff, follow the manual. IMO.

G.

 

Hey CAM37, after all the drivel I just wrote, I thought well what am I missing; what was the other factor that I knew about but didn't say?

IDLE TIME

My commute is about 100 miles round trip daily ... mostly interstate. 95% highway: hardly any city. That is a huge difference. Many on this forum have had their Taco since Sept and are now at the 1000 mile mark; some only use theirs occassionally. Idle time plays a big part of oil usage and cleanliness of course.

I will definitely be checking my oil viscosity and cleanliness EVERYDAY before going to work. It is CLEAN like new still; visually I couldn't tell if had been changed. I have never seen oil be this clean at 5600 miles.

Just because Toyota says 10,000 miles; I don't have to believe them; I will validate my findings as well.

Thanks for being an avid Taco lover. If I am not convinced if my oil is good until 10,000 miles: then I will definitely change my ways and stick to the old best practices.

 

True. Another reason I change more frequently, most of my trips are short since I live just a few miles from my office.

Yeah, I'm a car, and now a truck lover, and I pamper my vehicles a bit. And man, am I ever excited about getting my first Tacoma!

 

I absolutely love my Taco too. Sits nice and high to see in traffic and rides like a dream. I will get use out of 4x4 when I travel north and I will see how the 0w20 works in cold weather.

So does EVERY Taco get synthetic oil? Also did anyone have 2nd or 1st gen, What were the guidelines for those? Is the 3rd gen 10,000 miles something new?

 

I find it sad that so many people believe that the oil change interval for non-synthetic oil is 3000 miles. 3000 miles is different for every driver. Manufacturers recommended 3000 miles because it sold more oil for them. Oil change shops recommended 3000 miles before it sold more service for them.

I also find it sad that people are fed lies by dealerships, service departments, auto parts store, oil manufacturers, and a slew of other thieves who say you cannot run regular oil in an engine that came with synthetic, or an engine that had synthetic dumped into it. These people are bad and they should feel bad. My wife called her Honda dealership to ask what kind of oil the car took. It's a 2012 and the manual only states a weight for non-synthetic oil. The dealership said it can only take synthetic oil and they should do the work for 150 dollars. I was seated next to her. She hung up and asked me. I told her they were lying and she called back and yelled at them for trying to trick her. She got a service manager who told her straight, finally.

Corporate greed makes me mad

 

Enthusiasts like us understand it's a complex question and answer when it comes to how often someone should change their oil. But at the end of the day, the average person is completely illiterate when it comes to the topic of automobiles, how they work, and proper maintenance. The manufacturer needs to come up with a single conservative number of miles between oil change intervals for all users that reduces warranty claims. If you want to dial in your oil changes, you need to send oil samples in for analysis.

Also, since everyone demands that oil changes are done at a very cheap rate, the person doing your oil change is the newest and lowest paid mechanic at the dealership, and has the best chance to screw your car up. You get what you pay for. Always check your oil level after you get an oil change. I've caught Toyota dealership charging me for oil changes that wasn't changed, filters that aren't swapped out (i mark them before), and lug nuts that aren't torqued down.

 

Wow really, I must be the king dog of stupid naive people. I don't think I have EVER drove my vehicle out of a shop and checked to see if it WAS changed ..... like duh. I will now, great idea marking the filter, harder now though as it is a canister.

I guess it is like the drive through burger place .... after you drive away you see your order is not right .... and you KNEW that they ALWAYS screw you at the drive through and you are either too lazy or mad to drive around again to fix it.

 

I think Americans are a bit too privileged if someone is going to change their oil for zero logical reason at 1,000 miles. Environmentally it's an asshole move.

It's full synthetic, it will last 10,000 miles. Changing it now does absolutely nothing.

And no, it doesn't look good on a service record. Untimed maintinence actually looks bad. It's a red flag for problems. If I was buying a used Taco that had early oil changes all the time I'm going to assume the thing is burning oil or the owner is an idiot and probably did other things wrong maintinence wise.

 

Yeah but people being dumb enough to convince themselves of it to a worse level is even more maddening.

While these guys are at it they should do full fluid flushes and replacements every 5k miles. The brakes and transmission may go bad otherwise.

 

That is fukin messed up! I do that kind of stuff too when I have to take it in, make little marks
here and there and pieces that are supposed to be replaced. Never caught them not doing it as it's
rare I don't do it myself but I would go-the-fuk-off if they charged me but neglected to actually replace it.

 

Changing your oil more frequently than the warranty demands is a total and complete waste of money and resources. This is a proven fact. If you're running it hard or in ways that would increase fuel dilution, get it sampled and adjust accordingly, if necessary.

 

True that.

This forum is full of enthusiasts, yet their choices around lubricants, and oil in particular, is pretty much based on hearsay, old wives tales and marketing hype.

The only way to 'know' what your vehicle needs in terms of OCIs is to send a sample to an independent lab for testing. Of course this would be running your oil of choice, sample taken about the time you would decide to change the oil. So if you are running xyz oil, and are determined to change at 5k, send a sample in at 5k.

The results will tell you if you are changing too soon or approx. how much life is left in the oil. For most decent grade OTS oils, in a healthy motor, the recommended OCI will often come back in the 10-12k range. Maybe more.

How about time? Same thing. Oils don't degrade the same way they used to. If you've not made your OCI mileage in a year, should you change it anyway? Send in a sample and see. You may well be surprised to learn how healthy the oil is.

 

Oil change is a personal deal. I had an old Honda Accord I put 250,000 on with conventional Castrol, and I dropped it every 5000. My Taco I run synthetic and still change it every 5000. Maybe it's overkill, but it sure isn't hurting the truck and I want to get a lot of miles out of it. I do it myself so it only costs about $30 bucks a change. I always take the old oil to the local recycling center where they don't charge to dump it.

 

TAKE THAT NATURE. RIGHT IN THE FACE!!

 

For sure.

My personal choice is to use science to make my decisions with.

Few $ up front and I'm good to go for several years. Might run a follow up test at a 50k interval, but probably 100k.

 

I see your point. I like saving money too. I'm retired and barely put 10K a year on the truck, so I'm only changing it out about twice a year. I still like working on my own vehicles; been doing it since I was 16 years old. I just don't like the idea of leaving the same oil in for a year with really hot summers and freezing winters. I don't think I'm killing the environment with two oil changes a year. Like I say, it's a personal choice and the oil is recycled.