2013 Taco 2.7L oil is ONLY 0W-20???

OK, it's a been a bad morning so forgive me if I'm short.......

2013 Taco 2.7L, single cab, auto. (delivery truck)

Bought from fleet so no Toyota Care. (Even though they send all the Toyota Care Crap in the mail w/ the keychains & all....LOL, idiots!)

Engine cap says 0W-20. (My 2011 Venza, POS for another day, says 0W-20 or 5W-20).

Take it to our local Big O who handles our work trucks and they say, "I need your approval for a $79 oil change cuz Toyota says *HAS* to be 0W-20 synthetic. (All Data sheet he printed says 5W-20 can be used but next change needs to have 0W-20)

 

Yeah, Toyota changed to 0W20, 5000 mile oil change interval on this engine in 2011.

That said, most dealers probably are not reading their factory paperwork carefully enough and continuing to put in 5W20 same as in the 2010 and earlier trucks.

 

my truck one week old, ask service department when i bought it what was in it, 0w-20 synthetic. owner manual states you can use 5w-20 but next oil change put 0w-20 back in it

 

OK, so I am to assume the 2013 motor (2.7) is no different than any before it?

And, why on earth would they want 5,000 mile oil changes on synthetic??

Anywho........I thought perhaps this one was Direct Injection as it always "zings" when we shut it off (I was thinking injector compressor) but I can't find anything saying so, so I'll assume it's for something else.

That being the case, I can't think of any good reason not to put 5W-20 conventional in it every 5,000 miles since we just turned in a 2007 TAco of the same build with over 300,000 miles on it that I wouldn't hesitate to drive for another 200,000 more.

 

That is a CYA move. They don't want to void your warranty should something happen. There is no such thing as 0W-20 conventional it is only made in synthetic hence the price increase. It costs me about $35 to do it myself but I run 5w-20. They changed the requirement to 0W because the engine gets a tad better mpg for their CAFE standards. It has nothing to do with your engine failing using 5W. Your choice it's just $.

 

And are you going to stick with 5,000 mile intervals or go to a typical synthetic 10,000 mile interval???

 

Given I do about 10k a year that would not be a smart choice for me. It says 5k changes for the Tacoma no matter what oil you use and I feel for my driving habits that is perfect every 6 months. Oil absorbs moisture over time, so it really comes down to every X miles OR 6 months whichever comes first. Do whatever you manual says and you keep your warranty.

 

i am t/m at tmmk, powertrain 4cyl. the 2.5 4cyl we build for the camry, engine is build so tight you can take a crank cap off, lay a human hair on the crank, replace crank cap and retorque and it will lock up the engine. i would run 0w-20 .

 

That's only as tight as I used to build my pancake motors back in the drag racing days 20 years ago. The pistonless con-rod would free fall 1"/sec, or I swapped bearings.

And I was running Kendall SAE40 back then.

Also, synthetic (motor) oils tend to not absorb moisture like dino oils. Magnuson-Moss would be your rock if they tried to deny an oil based claim, if the oil producer implies 10,000 mile intervals.

 

I got free oil changes for the life of my truck as long as I own it when I bought my 2012 DC TRD this past August. I will make sure the dealer always uses 0w-20 as recommended.

 

If the high price of the

$53 0w-20 oil Toyota/ exxon mobil Case of 6 Quarts Full Synthetic TGMO SN 0W-20 Oil

0w-20 oil is the problem, then check with your dealer's parts dept. and see how much they sell a qt. of oil for. Our dealer sells his oil in bottles, out the door for 5 dollars a qt. Most of the regular part houses charge around 8 to 9 dollars for the same weight oil. I have started using it in my Miata now and I like it.

 

Uhhhhhh. Better double check. We've been talking about the 2.7 four banger, not the V6. I don't think the V6 is running 0W20 yet.

 

That is correct!! I think the V6 still has the option. (As does my '11 Venza which can use 0W-20 synth or 5W-20 conventional and my 2.7L Venza motor is newer tech than the 2.7L Taco anyway)

So I still want to know how they can get away with 5,000 mile intervals ***EVEN IF*** they can punk the owners into HAVING to use 0W-20. I just think that's plain wrong. (if not oppressive)

 

Oh, I don't mind 5K oil changes. I only mind it when they REQUIRE that you do them with synthetic oil. (twice as much).

Especially when most synth folks (users & mfgrs) will tell you that 5,000 miles is a bit absurdly short when *their* recommendations are usually 10,000 miles.

I just made the analogy to a friend of a scenario where a single-mom turns in her 2007 2.7L Taco and picks up a '13. (Call her a truck fan). She barely gets by as is, but now finds out she's at $80 for an oil change vs previous $30 oil changes for, basically, the exact same truck, just newer. Think it was ever discussed at the bargaining table when buying the truck? (methinks not)

 

changed with the 2011 Model year. it is a 5,000 mile synthetic change.

When i took my 2011 in to the dealer for my first toyota care, then only rotated the tires. I called them up and they swore it was a 10,000 mile oil change, so i had them double check the manual and it is a 5,000k change with synthetic.



Pathetic, i know!

 

Almost as pathetic (ALMOST) as MY dealer......

2011 2.7L Venza with......"0W-20 or 5W-20 oil only".......written right on the fill cap. What do they put in??? Yep........5W-30!!

Drain, refill with 5W-20 bottles cuz nobody could be sure of what went in (paperwork said 5W-30 so they had to trust).

Go back 5,000 mile later what happens??......I kid you not.......SAME FRIGGIN THING!!

I think I'd rather go to the dentist than my dealer these days!!!

 

It's amazing how incompetent they are.

 

No one cares. You must do it yourself or have a trusted mechanic. Stay the F away from the dealer whenever possible.

 

Toyota care = free synthetic oil changes.

Of course I'm going to take it there for the first 5.

 

This.