opinions wanted - oil for 05 Camry I-4

[kenny1773]

Hello all

I just wanted to get everyone's thoughts on this.

I currently use Mobil I 5w-30 and change oil every 5000 miles on the nose. I am starting to get the feeling from reading around here that I am really wasting my money

I want to switch to something less expensive than Mobil I, but that will still offer my engine good protection.

I thought about going with the full synthetic Super Tech oil from walmart, but the walmarts in my area ONLY sell the 10W-30 weight in a synthetic. I live near Washington DC, so the temps don't normally get too low, but temps in teens in the winter time is fairly normal.

Would 10W-30 be ok?

I was also thinking about just buying 2 quarts of Mobil drive clean 5000 5w-30 and mixing it with 2 quarts of Mobil I 5W-30 to create my own semi synth and save a couple bucks in the process.

Or

I was thinking about maybe using the Rotella T synthtic 5w-40, but I was also worried the 40w would be too much for this little 4 banger.

I guess the best solution is just to go with a quality dino oil 5w-30 since I change it every 5k, but I a little hesitant to go with a straight dino in our hot July-August summers sitting in stop and go traffic with the AC on full for an hour

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks

 

[Frank D]

Kenny, just pick any good 5W-30 whether it be Castrol, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Havoline, Chevron, Exxon or Mobil or what ever you can get on sale in your area and depending on your driving habits change it at 5000 miles if it is highway driving or 3000 miles if it is stop and go city driving.

 

[Al]

You could go with any dino oil..5W-30..MotorCraft, Conoco, TropArtic, Philips 66, Kendall are all semisynthetic. Any of the Mobil oils, Havoline and Chevron Supreme are great oils. Pennzoil and Castrol. You can't go wrong. Just stick with a brand name. If you want, you can mix a quart of 40 weight in there during summer, if you want to stick with a dino.

 

[marco246]

Why not stick with Mobil 1 5W-30 and just extend the drain to 7500 miles? To save a little more money you could substitute any synthetic 5W-30 (Castrol, Pennzoil, Valvoline) and also go to 7500. These oils will last and still give you the protection needed during summer months. I like Rotella T synthetic 5W-40, too, but you probably don't need the added viscosity. As for using dino oil, I wouldn't want to go longer than 3 or 4000 between OCIs, but that's just me. There are plenty of folks who do it with no ill effects.

Cheers, Mark

 

[Bill in Utah]

quote:

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Why not stick with Mobil 1 5W-30 and just extend the drain to 7500 miles?

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One Word;

Warrenty.

It's Toyotas motor till 5 years or 60k miles.

I'd go with a dino and change it out every 4-5k or 6 mo. (I am doing this with my 05 Corolla)

Take care, Bill

[ January 17, 2006, 09:27 PM: Message edited by: Bill in Utah ]

 

[NCGuy68]

Why not keep running the M1 5W30, drain it around 10-12K miles and change the filter every 5K miles?
This is the routine I do on my 96 Camry 4-cylinder except I'm using Amsoil 5W30. My UOA look good and the car runs like brand new with a little over 90K miles.

Toyota fixed the sludge problem with these motors so thats no longer a issue. Do a UOA, 'cause thats the only way to see how the M! is doing.

 

[kenny1773]

I don't want to extend the OCI past 5k as I want to keep my waranty (I also keep all my receipts and a log book).

I do mostly city driving.

The only reason to drop the Mobil I is that many seem to think it is a waste of money when forced to change it every 5k for warranty concerns.

I guess I should just continue to waste money

 

[Ray H]

quote:

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Originally posted by kenny1773:
I guess I should just continue to waste money

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Good decision - that makes you my newest best friend since a good deal of my retirement package is tied up in ExxonMobil securities. However, I run inexpensive Phillips 66 TropArtic Synthetic Blend in my Hyundai V6 - five quarts of that ran me less than the price of one quart of Mobil 1 when I bought a boatload of the stuff at Dollar Tree Stores last August. My car's powertrain is still under warranty, too - out to 2013 or 100,000 total accumulated miles.

(ConocoPhillips also produces Motorcraft synthetic blend oil for Ford. Very similar to the other ConocoPhillips "brands" if not identical.)

 

[JohnnyLock]

I would run M1 7500 for 5000 mile intervals at the recommended weight. Good oil for a decent price. Yes it's a blend but from what I have read here it's group III with some group IV.

 

[IslaVistaMan]

Just watch for the Mobil 1 sales at your local auto parts stores. You can often get this oil relatively inexpensively if you keep an eye out for it. Long term, any full synthetic will keep your engine cleaner, and help it to last.

Toyota's 5,000 mile warranty change-out is a burden, but then, you only have to deal with it for five years or 60,000 miles. You're not talking about a lot of money here versus lower-cost petros. If you really want to be careful, be sure to run the OEM oil filter, too.

Regardless, if you think a top synthetic is a waste of money, do a UOA on what you've got in there now, change it to whatever petro you like, and then do another UOA.

Go here for a free kit from Blackstone (you still have to pay for the test, however):

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/free_test_kit.html

 

[Eddie]

I'm with JohnnyLock: Go with Mobil 7500 and stick with the 5,000 mile interval. I'd also use an OEM oil filter too, just so if anything comes up. JMO Ed Hayes

 

[thooks]

Buy the cheapest SM rated dino you can get and change it every 3k miles with a good filter.

I say every 3k miles because you note the DC stop and stop and stop and go and stop traffic.

The summer temps are not going to affect anything. That is why you have a cooling system.

From what I've read here, I'd go with the ST at Walmart or Advance Auto oil, or whatever you can buy on sale.

 

[kenny1773]

Ray H

Nice to meet ya!

I never see the TropArtic brand near me anywhere, but my local Walmart does carry the Motorcraft oil. That might be a good option, but I always thought the 'synth blends' had very little synth in them...