I've been doing 10k/6 month OCIs on my '12 Camry (which sees 15-20k a year) with the same 2AR-FE. It sees a good bit of highway driving and isn't really short-tripped very much, so I'm reasonably comfortable with the plan. I use M1 EP 0w20 for some bit of peace of mind, since that's now rated for 20k (and is only a couple bucks more at Walmart), and pair it with an OEM filter. Seems reasonable to me. But if I short-tripped and didn't do much highway driving I'd go 5k for sure. It really depends on the way you use the car. And, FYI, it isn't that they say if synthetic is used to go 10k - the manual specs 0w20.
I can’t get a straight answer
- Thread starter Bettez88
- Start date
MolaKule
Staff member
My Rule-of-Thumb is, "If in doubt as to OCI schedules," follow the Severe Service Schedule in the Owners Manual.
Yes the light comes on every 5k but Toyota says that every other one is for oil and the others are for rotations etc...which I find hard to believe
Not sure why it's hard to believe. The maintenance booklet I posted earlier is pretty clear, IMO.
I hope you aren't waiting for 5k to check the oil level. IMO, That's asking for potential problems if your motor uses oil.
I prefer 5k-7500k for oil changes unless I was doing a ton of hwy miles. These days I'll change it around 3k since the vehicles have not been driven much and a lot of short tripping.
Indeed. You post the freaking literature from Toyota and people still question it.
OP: Oil every 10k unless OR severe service* is 5k.
*Excessive idling (Delivery work), short tripping winter, heavy loads (Towing, Car carrier, etc).
gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
BITOG is getting soft. UOA or bust, baby!
Severe service intervals in low-strung engines is for chumps!
Severe service intervals in low-strung engines is for chumps!
Human mind works in mysterious ways. People will go out of their way to ignore the recommendations of the actual manufacturer who stands behind their product with a warranty, and instead will trust a bunch of random strangers on the internet. Now that is what's hard to believe, yet it seems to happen here on BITOG on a daily basis.
I service our 2006 Acura TSX (200K) and 2 2007 TSXs (90K and 120K).
I have serviced our car since new with mostly M1 every 5K.
The other 2 were service by the Maintenance Minder with dealer or lube shops.
Our car does not burn a drop; the others burn a quart between oil changes (now at 5K).
Under the valve cover of our car is spotless. I would drive this car anywhere.
Your call. Good luck.
I have serviced our car since new with mostly M1 every 5K.
The other 2 were service by the Maintenance Minder with dealer or lube shops.
Our car does not burn a drop; the others burn a quart between oil changes (now at 5K).
Under the valve cover of our car is spotless. I would drive this car anywhere.
Your call. Good luck.
7500.
Nobody knows. Toyota probably doesn't even know. They say oh but the engineers... then someone will say, oh but they want it to last just long enough to get past the warranty. Engineers never make mistakes, production facilities never make parts out of spec. Change at 5k and it'll run 300k instead of 150k.
Then some guy does 10k oci's and his engine hasn't blown up yet so he believes it's fine. Some other guy changed his oil every 5k and spun a rod.
Ohh but Lucas!
Nobody knows. Toyota probably doesn't even know. They say oh but the engineers... then someone will say, oh but they want it to last just long enough to get past the warranty. Engineers never make mistakes, production facilities never make parts out of spec. Change at 5k and it'll run 300k instead of 150k.
Then some guy does 10k oci's and his engine hasn't blown up yet so he believes it's fine. Some other guy changed his oil every 5k and spun a rod.
Ohh but Lucas!
The manufacturer (Toyota in this case) recommends that Oil is changed at no more than 10,000 miles. You are free to do it more often, as well as listen to anyone with an opinion as to how often it should be changed. My trusted indy still puts on 3,000 mile oil change reminder stickers on the windshield, it is doubtful if too many folks pay attention to those particular reminder stickers.
As others have bound to have mentioned, mileage means little compared to driving environment. Highway miles, you could put on 4X+ as many as short trips, going beyond 10K mi, but if you want a definitive answer then after your regular routine driving for months, send the oil off for an analysis.
I'm not following you. That's not what that chart says.
In Japan they do oil changes every 5K km even with synth oil.
