Toyota put 5-20 in my truck

So a few weeks ago i took my truck (v6) for the "free toyota care" oil change and they put the wrong oil in my truck. I was pissed to say the least. I took it back and to get the right 5-30 oil in my truck.

Their explanation
They get a better bulk price on 5-20

wtf the owners manual says nothing about 5-20 oil.

I can understand 5-20 in the winter but in new mexico I want the protection of 30 wt oil!!!

Has anyone herd of dealerships using 5-20 in the v6 tacoma???

 

Nope--5w-30 in the v6. I have a 4 cylinder which calls for 0w-20 synthetic or 5w-20, and the dealer put 5w-30 and a quart low on my first "free" service. Said they thought it was a v6......idiots

 

Don't fall for their marketing bullshit!! The "free" oil changes are just a scam to get sales up...the only way to know it was done right is to do it yourself. From the many complaints it appears they do as little as possible and as cheap as they can get away with. Look at the bright side...at least they remembered to put oil back in...next time you might not be so lucky.

 

I do not think 5-20 will hurt anything.
Just do your own next change and it gives you a little piece of mind and you get to make sure it is done the way you want it.
I had the free oil change on both my Tacomas and never bothered to drive to the dealer, wait, and hope all goes well.
Just easier to change my own.

 

I already know that I aint the brightest bulb in the box, but umm. . . . . HOW do you know its 20wt and not 30? I have never heard of being able to tell the difference in oil by looking at it. I go by what it says on the jug I buy. LOL

 

If you want sumpin done right, you gots to do it yerself. I hate dealers

 

Ive never in my life Paid someone to do an oil change! This was the 1st time someone has ever laid a finger on a truck of mine and ill admit i was on egg shells the entire time. I do agree the only way to be certain is to do it yourself and yes they will cut corners to save a buck!!!

 

Work order maybe? Mine always has the oil weight written and number of quarts put in...

 

My wife's Accord calls for 5w20. I questioned the service dept. about it. They told me that today's engines have such smaller tolerances was the reason behind it. I mean yeah it scared me at first but if that what it calls for then ok. Of course our trucks are different but I'm seeing more and more of this lately.

On a side note, it's been my understanding that going to a lighter weight in synthetic allows for the lighter weight due to the synthetic protecting better. Anyone have any input on this?

 

I only use 10-30 in my 07 4.0, she run like a top and gone is the endless valve ticking.. Jim

 

I've seen this/heard this argument as well. Only thing I can say is that the lighter weight oils came about and got thrown in the same engines that once required 10w30 a few years earlier. They switched to 5w30 in search of better gas mileage and found it. Naturally higher gas mileage is becoming the norm, and 0w20 is lighter and gives slightly better mpg and power with the only adverse effect being engine longevity. But let's face it, not many people get their cars up to 250,000+ miles.

 

My 2012 sienna says to use 0w-20. And it's a v6

 

Due to advances in machining, parts today are held to much tighter tolerances than in years past. Twenty years ago a cylinder diameter might be held to +- a few thousandths of an inch, but now a cylinder diameter can easily be held with a few ten-thousandths. A more viscous oil may not be able to work it's way into such a small gap as easily as a less viscous oil will. But as far as synthetic oils providing superior protection for your engine, that's really not the case. Synthetic oils simply withstand the test of time much better than their dino oil counterparts. Either oil will provide plenty of protection during their intended run time, but synthetic oils will have a longer run time.

 

I agree about the longevity but my question is does the synthetic really stand up to compensate for the lighter oil? My wife's car is a synthetic blend and I have a hard time finding it in 5w20. So far have only had the dealer change it because of this. I usually do my own but the first one was free, then had a coupon which made the cost about the same as doing it at home so I had them do it. Next one is up in the air. So maybe I should just switch to 5w30 and do it myself?

 

You can run 5W-20 full synthetic if you want.

 

Sh*t, I just remembered her car isn't 5w20, it's 0w20! That was why I was taking it to the dealer. Maybe I need to look online for it to do my own changes. But damn, I forgot about that. It freaked me out when I learned this. But the last time I looked I couldn't find the oil in stores and the dealer prices are so high it cost about the same as having them do it for me.

 

Im running 5w20 by choice. I read a tsb a while back saying 5w20 can be used for the 05+. Atleast in canada, I use it even in summer. Seemed like it made a slight difference in mpg too.

 

Mobil 1 0W-20 is what I use in my truck. It's expensive but it can be found at pretty much all auto parts stores and at Walmart.

 

I'll have to look again. When we bought the car I looked and couldn't find any 0w20 in stores.

 

Dont put 5w20 in your truck, when it is the v6. It is not designed for it. The main reason why it says to run the thicker oil is because of the direct acting mechanical buckets that the cams use. Using a thiner oil causes more wear on the buckets and cams since you will not have the same shear stability as the 5w30 oil.