I've owned this 2012 Highlander since 2015 when I bought it with 24K miles on it. I've always changed the oil and filter between 7000-10,0000 miles. I'd always used 0W20 up until around 140K miles when I switched to 5W30 synthetic. I didn't have a *reason* to do so aside from the fact that my truck and my son's car both used 5W30 and I knew from my research that weightier oils were recommended in other countries. Being in a hot climate (Texas) I figured I was fine. I've also been using some SuperTech filters I got off the clearance shelf at Walmart for 75 cents each. They seem solid and look good coming out, so I didn't expect any issues as a result.
I'd never done an oil analysis on this vehicle, but I figured it would be a good thing to do. I've wondered if the 5W30 was going well and also wanted to make sure that nothing else was going on with my engine. It looks like the engine is doing well and I can see that going to 10K miles on an oil change shouldn't be an issue, which is good to know. These are mostly easy highway miles so I'm not surprised.
I thought this might be useful for people with the same vehicle or engine who are considering switching from 0W20 to 5W30 and have questions. I'm sure 0W20 would've been just as good, but at least I know that 5W30 isn't causing wear issues. I've also not noticed any change in fuel economy.
I'd never done an oil analysis on this vehicle, but I figured it would be a good thing to do. I've wondered if the 5W30 was going well and also wanted to make sure that nothing else was going on with my engine. It looks like the engine is doing well and I can see that going to 10K miles on an oil change shouldn't be an issue, which is good to know. These are mostly easy highway miles so I'm not surprised.
I thought this might be useful for people with the same vehicle or engine who are considering switching from 0W20 to 5W30 and have questions. I'm sure 0W20 would've been just as good, but at least I know that 5W30 isn't causing wear issues. I've also not noticed any change in fuel economy.
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