Synthetic oil change every 10k?

My indicator light came on about 4500 miles...I'm at about 4700 miles now and the scheduled first service maintenance is today.

I would imagine full synthetic oil will be used...I'll ask the dealership to confirm but this is part of the 2-year maintenance that is included with my purchase.

The owner's manual should explain how to reset the "check engine" light.

Ed

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AFAIK the

$52 0w20 oil Toyota/ exxon mobil Case of 6 Quarts Full Synthetic TGMO SN 0W-20 Oil

0w20 oil that the Tacoma 3.5V6 requires is only available as a synthetic oil.

 

The included maintenance doesn't include a 5k mile oil change though. They're just going to look at the truck, rotate the tires, get grease on the seats and send you on your way. You can ask them to do an oil change but it uses one of the two you're allowed to get with the free Toyota Care crap.

 

If it's the first 5k, definitely get it changed. Consider it the break-in oil change. Otherwise, the driving conditions will have more to do with the safe miles to do a change. I'm continually shocked at the 10k figure.

 

Get an independent lab test and the results for a healthy engine will shock you too.

When you see that 10k is not a stretch at all.

 

Film away. They are in the business to take your money. Of course they'll balk at a "reduced sale" option of filter only.
My filter is not a problem to change. Never has been on any vehicle I've had.

Don't take "internet advice" - do your own research.
Find independent sources and learn about synthetic oil, their build, their life expectancy. Learn why petroleum oil was so piss-poor and why synthetics were invented. Learn why U.S. made petroleum oils were not allowed to be used in Europe. Learn how not to be so unnecessarily wasteful.

 

I do approx 9k a year, hence I only get 1 oil change a year. I work 7 minutes from home. 8-9 minutes in a snow storm....

 

Assuming you are using a proper engine oil with a suitable viscosity.....you can follow the oil change interval in the Owner's Manual.

or You can change the oil at shorter intervals. 5000, 3000, 1000, 100 miles. Nothing will be damaged with a shortened change interval. Always replace the oil filter.

It is heavily and actively debated about pros/cons of change intervals.

Personally, I use the 5 k interval with 5w30 syn and a filter. Do I create an ocean of waste oil??? Probably not, I recycle all my used oil. Some gets incinerated, some goes into making of asphalt, some goes into roofing products.........

During my 5K oil change, I move the tires around, grease the front/rear prop shafts, check all fluids, check air filter, remove leaves and debris from the cabin filter and do a light check. This takes me about 60-90 minutes, depending if a hops pop is open.

 

I'm always amazed that people who still insist on 3-5K mile oil changes are even using a computer or this new-fangled thing called "The Internet"

Times change and (gasp!) sometimes things (like oil) actually get better with time. I do my own oil changes and have my Taco on a 10K mile sched. As far as getting under it regularly I do that at least monthly or before any highway trip.

I hope all of that got translated correctly into Morse Code...

 

Ahhh......there it is......

The poke at people with different views........

I'll wager I was using computers before you were a gleam in your Dad's lust filled eye.

 

I guess I better read the fine print. I will ask the oil/filter get changed using full synthetic oil...heck, I will call and see about providing my own synthetic oil. The tire rotation is mentioned as well as fluid top offs.

I'll report my findings later on in the day.

Ed

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Nah, I'm poking fun at people with wrong views...

As far as computers go, you might have me there, as I'm a child of the 70's and not the lost decades before. But have you ever made a high voltage splice 40' in the air?

Gotta go now, I think I hear the Teletype machine going in the other room

 

the dealer has nothing to do with setting the maintenance signal. 5000 miles is the first time you are supposed to service the truck. it doesn't include oil. I think it's just tire rotation, torque check, and fluid check. but the details are in your manual.

 

Ocean? A bit extreme, but I get it that you want to justify.
Cost aside, let's look at this ocean...

I change at a 35,000 mile interval. (Up from the 25,000 I had in 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s.) Filter at half way mark (17.5K). In that time I recycle 7 qts of oil, 7 qt bottles, and 2 filters. (6 qts normal plus 1 qt to top-off after filter change.)

You at 5k interval, in 35k, will go through 10.5 gals (42 qts), 42 bottles, and 6 filters. Not an ocean, but 7 times more than me. For no more reason than your peace of mind. A worthy cause for sure, but also changeable. Synthetics don't wear out. There is no reason to drain them so often.
I still do routine maintenance. I don't need an oil change to get me under the hood. I truly enjoy wrenching. (Made a career of it.)

Synthetics prolly (I don't know!) won't get used in making asphalt because of the very high flash over temperature. Same reason they aren't recommended for use in rotary engines that inject the oil into the combustion chamber to lube the apex seals. It doesn't burn well.
I also don't know how O'Reilly's, Auto-Zone, NAPA, etc. could possibly separate the syn from the petro in their used oil receptacles. I have no idea what goes to asphalt, roofing, or whatever; but I am hopeful it is all recycled for the best.

 

Guys.....go ahead....continue in your efforts to change my thoughts on OCI. Allow me to save you some effort.

I'll be staying with the 5K change interval.

So a question for one of the claims, "Synthetics don't wear out." If this statement were true, then why is a change interval even recommended?

 

My 2 year maintenance plan that came with the truck is rotate the tires and do a quick inspection every 5 k miles. Two oil changes are included but those happen at 10k and 20k miles or yearly.

I asked for an oil change at 5k since I did a lot of trail driving and they told me it'd burn one of my oil changes and I'd be left with only one free oil change left on the package.

 

I actually couldn’t care less about changing your thoughts, rather I think it’s important that information be accurate and relevant. Not dated and based on feelings.

As far as why OCI’s exist: To give people something to argue about the Internet

On a more serious note I wish that Toyota could do what Chevrolet did on my Silverado; make the Oil Change required message come-on based on actual usage and not just a fixed mileage interval.

 

I just called the dealership service department...I can't get my first (10K) oil change even if I wanted to; odometer has to be at 10K. It's roughly about $77 and they use full-synthetic oil. I may just do it because I love my Taco.

The service tech just mentioned tire rotation...and I asked, what about topping up fluids? She said they will do a multi-diagnostic test on it as well.

I will check their work once they're done...I've had a couple of experiences where mechanics have forgotten to clip things back on or simply forgot to plug in an air/vacuum duct...I'm like WTF???

Ed

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@Kev250R

You side stepped the question.

"So a question for one of the claims, "Synthetics don't wear out." If this statement were true, then why is a change interval even recommended?"


My thoughts maybe dated, but they are not based on feelings.
Specifically, based on the 2006 Scheduled Maintenance Guide on page 20 in the Section for SUVs and Trucks. The first item under the 5,000 Miles or 6 Months is "Replace engine oil and filter".
This item is repeated at every 5,000 mile interval.

 

Or at one year. I won't even have 4k on mine, but they are doing the change due to the time period.