2008 Toyota oil recommendation for 2 models?

[302Xplorer]

My mother in law and grandmother in law both have 2008 Toyotas. One the Sienna and the other a Highlander, both with the 3.5l 2GR-FE engine. Both have been told by the stealership that each requires synthetic oil. At just under $100 a pop, I had to step in. I can and do my MIL's oc w/ Mobil 1 0w30 & a napa gold for less than half of what she was paying before.
Do these 2 require synth?
Regardless, what do you guys recommend for these 2, oil, filter, and oci.

Thanks in advance,
302X

 

[MysticGold04]

No, they do not require synth. I bet if you check the owners manual though, they will reccomend 5w20 oil. That's what I'd use with a good filter to keep the Toyotas happy. Just my opinion.

 

[JHZR2]

never a bad idea to move to syn... more and more cars are coming with it from the factory, so you need to verify.

Will things go terribly bad if you choose not to use the syn? no... But there is added peace of mind.

Are they usually good at changing on schedule? Do they drive hard/poorly? Do they treat their vehicles poorly? If no, then a decent 5w-20 or 30, based on the manual should be fine.

All of that said, if there is an explicit notation somewhere saying to use synthetic, then you better do so - for protection of warranty...

JMH

 

[JDD]

I have the 3.3 in my 05 Sienna, which is in the same family as the 3.5L. I have run Mobil 1 and Valvoline Synpower both 5w30 and both are great but the Synpower quieted down the engine, specifically the valvetrain. Both gave me about 1 MPG increase in mileage over the Valvoline conventional I ran in it the first 18 months. Synpower is a great buy right now. Checker/Kragen have a sale for 3.99/qt and a $3 rebate on it til the end of the month.

 

[PT1]

My 2 Lexus V-6 engines (2004RX & 2008ES) both run great on Pennzoil Platinum 5w30. I highly recommend it.

 

[Slick 55]

2008 Sienna recommends 5w30, Highland without towing packagae recommends 5W-20, with towing package recommends 5w30. Mine runs nicely on Pennzoil 5w30 conventional.

 

[RTexasF]

For warranty the oil change interval is 5000 miles or every six months. They do not require synthetic oil, that is a wheelbarrow load of horse hockey. With the short change intervals to maintain warranty I see no need for synthetic at all. Our Rav4 has the 3.5 also. Although 5W20 has been officially "retrofitted" the dealer uses 5W30 in the summer and 5W20 in the winter.....the winter here MIGHT get down to 40 degrees so go figure.

That dealer is trying to make extra money on an oil change by lying, got any other dealers around?

 

[firemachine69]

Also, keep in mind your mileage needs. As we've seen on BITOG, actual miles tends to affect the add pack more than time. I'm barely half-way there mileage-wise, hence why I use dino.


My dealer specifically told me synthetic was not required.