Dealer Installing Wrong Oil

I recently took my 2010 Double Cab 4X4 to the dealer for its first oil change; they "gave" me 12 months free maintenance when I bought it. According to the service invoice, however, they put 5W20 oil in the 1GR-FE V6 engine instead of the recommended 5W30.

When I went back and asked the service advisor why they didn't install 5W30 oil as Toyota recommends, he said that they put 5W20 in everything because of "the climate"--in Albuquerque, New Mexico! We seldom drop below 10 or 15 degrees F in the winter here, and in the summer our temperatures regularly flirt with the century mark. In the southern part of the state, 100 degrees plus is a regular occurance.

One might suspect that using only one viscosity range of oil has less to do with the climate than it does with wanting to stock only one type of oil in bulk, but I am astonished at such blatant disregard for the manufacturer's recommendation for something as vital as engine oil on the part of an authorized dealer. The service representative did say that 5W30 would probably be available "from cases" (in bottles?) on request, but at additional cost.

I think my truck has seen its last oil change at this place, but I wonder if anybody else has encountered this sort of cavalier attitude toward engine oil viscosity from dealers. I also wonder how Toyota might feel about it. I have thought about shooting them a letter, but will they just stand up for the dealer?

 

My dealer here in MD did the same exact thing. I was given the same reasons. I made them replace with 5w30. I was thinking of contacting Toyota also. Wonder what would happen if you had a warranty claim down the road and all your receipts showed the wrong oil being used?

 

my 2009 recommends 5w20....i don't think it will make any difference if you use either one...both will work fine

 

The 2.7 requires 5w20, the 4.0 requires 5w30.

 

take off your glove and demand satisfaction. sounds like a lazy dealer

 

2.7 "requires" either 0w-20 or 5w-20 (says on oil cap) and i think the v6 since labeled a "truck" (which it is) uses 5w-30. either way with colder weather people tend to go with lighter weight oils and during the hotter periods of the year resort to thicker oils

 

My Amsoil is 0W-30, recommended as the factory replacement synthetic for the 4.0

 

I wouldn't think it'll matter...Shit, We put 15w40 in our company truck...They do just fine.

 

I switched to 10w40 full synthetic around 60K, and it's been working fine so far...but here is some info i found on the Web that may help w/this discussion..

"" Multi viscosity oils are one of the great improvements in oils, but they should be chosen wisely. Always use a multi grade with the narrowest span of viscosity that is appropriate for the temperatures you are going to encounter. In the winter base your decision on the lowest temperature you will encounter, in the summer, the highest temperature you expect. The polymers can shear and burn forming deposits that can cause ring sticking and other problems. 10W-40 and 5W-30 require a lot of polymers(synthetics excluded) to achieve that range. This has caused problems in diesel engines, but fewer polymers are better for all engines. The wide viscosity range oils, in general, are more prone to viscosity and thermal breakdown due to the high polymer content. It is the oil that lubricates, not the additives. Oils that can do their job with the fewest additives are the best. ""

 

If you have the time (it's quite long) read this. It's been posted before on TW and it's quite interesting.

http://ferrarichat.com/forum/faq.php?faq=haas_articles#faq_motor_oil_basics

 

Yes I'm sure a dealer that does hundreds of oil changes a month don’t want to stock the correct oil type.

 

Be Happy, don't Worry.
No real difference and it might help with less wear in colder temps.

Yuma Taco,

 

Holy thread revival batman!

I have had my Tacoma serviced at the dealer in Albuquerque as well(I purchased it there), and I recently noticed on the service receipt that they had put in 5W-20 instead of the recommended 5W-30. This is only my trucks second service, so I dug up the first service receipt and they had put 5W-20 then as well! I live in Taos, and while it does get significantly colder here than in Albuquerque, It gets within a several degrees of the highs that Albuquerque experiences. So I guess I fail to understand how 5W-20 is a more acceptable oil in our environment than the required 5W-30. I know it's a small difference, but shouldn't the dealer heed the manufacturer's requirements?

 

..

 

Doesn't matter

 

If you don't mind if I ask if it was American Toyota, or "Karl Malone" this happened at. The people at LHM seem to be good about the service of my parent's 05 Avalon and when I my Taco looked at for a set of keys.

ABQ right now is cold, but not as cold as it was 2 years ago. Yeah, they did not want to carry 2 different bulk oils. Also using the wrong viscosity could do some funny things to the VVT-i system in the long run. Also the oil might become too thin in the heat of New Mexico under or really just at normal driving anywhere. When it get's thin, metal contact and sludge happens.

I use Amsoil for it, and it's doing fine for my first winter of owning it.

 

This was at "Karl Malone". The only reason I even have the stealership servicing my truck is because it's free for two years, otherwise I would be doing it myself. What really concerns me is the item you brought up; the oil thinning out too much in the heat. That and the fact that my engine makes a very specific ticking sound at a warm idle. I know somebody is going to say that I'm just imagining it and that all Toyota truck engines tick, but I swear that it didn't do it till after it's first service!

 

At engine operating temperatures 5W20 over the recommended 5W30 can make a huge difference in engine component wear long term. At normal operating temperatures the 5W20 behaves like a "thinner" SAE 20 while the 5W30 behaves like a "thicker" SAE 30. The thinner oil will induce unneeded metal to metal wear over the recommended oil. During winter time engine starts both oils behave like a SAE 5W. This kind of dubious practice at dealerships really needs to stop.

 

Change your own oil.

 

Thread you woke started 11 yrs ago and ended 8 yrs ago.

Zombie hunter are you?