2012 Toyota Rav4 Oil Question

[lancerplayer]

I have a 2012 Toyota Rav4 with the 4 cylinder engine. It has approximately 115k on the odometer. It has seen conventional 5w-20 its whole life. There is no burning or significant consumption in the 5k OCI it sees.

Question: do I stick with conventional or switch to synthetic?

The prices of synthetic oils are very attractive (sales and rebates) and it's making it difficult to keep putting conventional in.

 

[JeffKeryk]

With the advent of Kirkland, etc, I don't see any reason to use conventional oils.

 

[BAJA_05]

With the advent of Kirkland, etc, I don't see any reason to use conventional oils.

That or head to Wal Mart and pick up a 5 quart jug of 0W20 or 5W20 Super Tech Full Synthetic Oil paired with a Super Tech oil filer for less than $20.00 -- tax included.

 

[Hall]

For the price of synthetic oils at Walmart, for example, Supertech (~$16, 5-quart), there's little reason to not switch if for no other reason than convenience and cost.

 

[supton]

I ran a ST filter for a 10k OCI and was not impressed with the o-ring--it looked ready to fail when I took it out. Not cracked but it had turned from a circle in cross section to a square, like it had lost all its rubber quality. That was several years ago and maybe ST has changed vendors 3 times since then, so, take it as you will--but I have a tough time recommending ST filters for Toyota's, not when I can go online and get OEM filters for $4 each. YMMV.

But I do run ST oil in my Toyota's, for 5k and sometimes 10k. For our 2.5L 2AR-FE I ran 0W20 for quite some time but these days I use 5W30. Not sure it matters but it lets me sleep better at night.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Interesting....

And if it was my RAV4, I would stay with conventional and bump it to a 5W-30. In my neck of the woods, conventional is still about $8 a jug less expensive than Synthetic.

Yes as a professional mechanic I always tell people get conventional if your car calls for it don’t get the synthetic just don’t be like one of the cars we had towed in that complained of a grinding from the engine and a knock they had done their own oil change in a 2017 Camry and used 20W-50 oil and it calls for 0W-20 oil yeah we had to end up putting a new engine in the car LOL. The guy was furious too he said because he said he read online it would be ok to use in that lol

 

[Rygrego]

Never use SuperTech oil use a good brand that won’t damage your engine. Castrol would be good or Valvoline and I wouldn’t switch it to synthetic that takes a process you would have to buy 4 quarts of regular and 1 quart of synthetic and do that then the next oil change two synthetic and 3 conventional and then just keep bringing the numbers down and up so that way when you switch it then it won’t leak. I am a professional mechanic and that’s how we were trained it works every time never has caused a leak doing it that way.

You may be mechanic, but you obviously know nothing about motor oil, besides the fact it goes in an engine. You must be new on this site. Educate yourself and then speak.

 

[AutoMechanic]

You may be mechanic, but you obviously know nothing about motor oil, besides the fact it goes in an engine. You must be new on this site. Educate yourself and then speak.

No I am not new I have lurked for a long time before joining and I know a lot as I am master certified in Toyota. Why would you think I don’t know anything about oil?

 

[BAJA_05]

I ran a ST filter for a 10k OCI and was not impressed with the o-ring--it looked ready to fail when I took it out. Not cracked but it had turned from a circle in cross section to a square, like it had lost all its rubber quality. That was several years ago and maybe ST has changed vendors 3 times since then, so, take it as you will--but I have a tough time recommending ST filters for Toyota's, not when I can go online and get OEM filters for $4 each. YMMV.

But I do run ST oil in my Toyota's, for 5k and sometimes 10k. For our 2.5L 2AR-FE I ran 0W20 for quite some time but these days I use 5W30. Not sure it matters but it lets me sleep better at night.
[/QUOT With that Super Tech Oil Filter you mentioned -- is that before the now rated up to 10,000 miles Super Tech Oil FIlters?

 

[The Critic]

Never use SuperTech oil use a good brand that won’t damage your engine. Castrol would be good or Valvoline and I wouldn’t switch it to synthetic that takes a process you would have to buy 4 quarts of regular and 1 quart of synthetic and do that then the next oil change two synthetic and 3 conventional and then just keep bringing the numbers down and up so that way when you switch it then it won’t leak. I am a professional mechanic and that’s how we were trained it works every time never has caused a leak doing it that way.

At $14/jug I am doubtful that these generic "synthetic" oils deliver all of the usual benefits of a full synthetic oil. I am starting to suspect that these oils contain just enough Group III base oils to meet the low temp flow requirements to be labeled as 0W20 (or to meet specs such as Dexos), but lack the high-temperature performance or cleaning capabilities that we associate with a high-quality synthetic oil. I don't think you'll have any leaks to worry about, these bargain synthetics will probably behave like synthetic blends in that regard.

 

[Hall]

I ran a ST filter for a 10k OCI and was not impressed with the o-ring

Not sure you can judge the sealing piece by it's condition after you remove it. What 'damage' occurred simply by untwisting it ?

 

[Hall]

At $14/jug I am doubtful that these generic "synthetic" oils deliver all of the usual benefits of a full synthetic oil. I am starting to suspect that these oils contain just enough Group III base oils to meet the low temp flow requirements to be labeled as 0W20 (or to meet specs such as Dexos)...

So you don't believe that standards like Dexos have any validity ?

 

[supton]

 

[supton]

Not sure you can judge the sealing piece by it's condition after you remove it. What 'damage' occurred simply by untwisting it ?

I think that, over the course of 6 months and 10k, the rubber relaxed and went from circular to square. It may have been fine for months to come, who knows. What I do know is this: every OEM o-ring I used, when I remove the canister, I could fee the drag of the o-ring until it clears the block. This one, there was no drag whatsoever. It was not brittle, but it was no longer round either, and I would have noticed that going in.

Again, YMMV, maybe ST is just fine here, they likely have changed vendors since then.

Turns out, I kept photos. Date stamp is 2018 so no, I don't have this o-ring any more to take better photos.

 

[kschachn]

Yeah I mean I wouldn’t run it in any car no matter if it was synthetic or conventional I have seen the SuperTech damage engines before. Yeah it wouldn’t be as close to a full synthetic either but any other synthetic may cause leaks as it is so thin it creeps and finds all those little spaces.

Oh please. Was this your point in joining Bitog?

I'm going to just come out and say it, you did not see SuperTech damage engines before. That's complete nonsense.

 

[kschachn]

Never use SuperTech oil use a good brand that won’t damage your engine. Castrol would be good or Valvoline and I wouldn’t switch it to synthetic that takes a process you would have to buy 4 quarts of regular and 1 quart of synthetic and do that then the next oil change two synthetic and 3 conventional and then just keep bringing the numbers down and up so that way when you switch it then it won’t leak. I am a professional mechanic and that’s how we were trained it works every time never has caused a leak doing it that way.

Please stop posting about topics when you have no clue what you're talking about.

 

[wpod]

Why all of a sudden the desire to use syn oil?

 

[AutoMechanic]

Please stop posting about topics when you have no clue what you're talking about.

I do have a clue as I am a professional mechanic

 

[wpod]

Oh please. Was this your point in joining Bitog?

I'm going to just come out and say it, you did not see SuperTech damage engines before. That's complete nonsense.

I would only use an official NASCAR product

 

[kschachn]

I do have a clue as I am a professional mechanic

Perhaps, but you're grossly uneducated in regards to motor oil.