I have been juggling with the idea of finally moving away from the 0W-20 recommendation for my 2007 Camry LE 2.4L daily driver. She has 86,000 miles on her and like all of the 2AZ-FE engines, she burns some oil. Not enough to qualify for the Toyota rebuild, but enough that I keep a spare jug of oil in the trunk and check every 1,000 miles.
I got the car with 60,000 miles on her two years ago with a Jiffy Lube sticker in the corner stating it had conventional in it. My guess is because it was a grandma car before I got it (nothing against conventional). I immediately dumped it and have put in PP 0W-20 every 4,000 to 6,000 miles since then (I like synthetic oils, I like PP's spiffy bottle and natural gas base stock, and I like consistency in my buying habits). After doing some research on the oil consumption issue with those engines (if I recall correctly, it is that the oil return holes in the piston rings are milled too small and get clogged up over time), I figured a low viscosity oil would be the best way to maintain flow and decrease consumption. It is difficult to tell if the consumption has increased at all in the last 25,000+ miles, but I don't think that it has.
Anyhoo, now the car is approaching 100,000 miles and I am thinking it might be time to step up to 5W-30, as I plan on keeping it for a while. I realize the 0W-20 standard is basically due to CAFE, but if moving up a viscosity grade is merely a band-aid for the consumption issue, I would prefer to wait until further down the road to apply it, if/when consumption truly becomes an issue. But, the car is technically "high-mileage" (a designation that I am skeptical is just arbitrary), so I am also considering that.
Any thoughts on this? Is 86,000k too old to be running 0W-20? Is the increase in viscosity just a band-aid for consumption issues? Is high mileage recommended once a certain age hits or is it to more intended to counter specific issues like leaky seals, etc., that are already occurring?
I got the car with 60,000 miles on her two years ago with a Jiffy Lube sticker in the corner stating it had conventional in it. My guess is because it was a grandma car before I got it (nothing against conventional). I immediately dumped it and have put in PP 0W-20 every 4,000 to 6,000 miles since then (I like synthetic oils, I like PP's spiffy bottle and natural gas base stock, and I like consistency in my buying habits). After doing some research on the oil consumption issue with those engines (if I recall correctly, it is that the oil return holes in the piston rings are milled too small and get clogged up over time), I figured a low viscosity oil would be the best way to maintain flow and decrease consumption. It is difficult to tell if the consumption has increased at all in the last 25,000+ miles, but I don't think that it has.
Anyhoo, now the car is approaching 100,000 miles and I am thinking it might be time to step up to 5W-30, as I plan on keeping it for a while. I realize the 0W-20 standard is basically due to CAFE, but if moving up a viscosity grade is merely a band-aid for the consumption issue, I would prefer to wait until further down the road to apply it, if/when consumption truly becomes an issue. But, the car is technically "high-mileage" (a designation that I am skeptical is just arbitrary), so I am also considering that.
Any thoughts on this? Is 86,000k too old to be running 0W-20? Is the increase in viscosity just a band-aid for consumption issues? Is high mileage recommended once a certain age hits or is it to more intended to counter specific issues like leaky seals, etc., that are already occurring?