Hi all,
I recently purchased a used 2005 Toyota 4Runner with 101,000 miles. The dealership I purchased it from did an oil change with M1 Full Synthetic 5W30. I drove ~4500 miles on it, and decided it was time to bring it into Toyota for an oil change. I wasn't 100% positive the dealership actually put full synthetic in prior to my purchase, so I did not want to take it much longer than 4-5K miles.
I brought my 4Runner to my local Toyota dealership yesterday and asked for a full synthetic oil change. I did not specify which weight of oil I wanted because I assumed they would put what the manufacturer recommends (5W30 as labeled on both the oil cap and in the manual). Once the work was done, I checked my receipt and noticed that they used their own 0W20. I immediately asked the service advisor why they used this oil in my vehicle, and he was initially unsure. He went and talked to a couple of people, and informed me that since I requested full synthetic, that is the weight of oil they use. Had I requested a conventional oil, they would have used 5W30. I went back and forth with him for a few minutes trying to get an explanation as to what the reason was, and he didn't have an answer. He just said that is what they have been using, and that despite the thinner oil, I should still have it changed at 5K miles. I called Toyota Corporate when I got home, and they told me to use nothing but 5W30 as stated in my owners manual. Now I have conflicting information from Toyota Corporate and my local dealership ...
Now I'm a bit concerned for 2 reasons. First and foremost, is this oil too thin for my vehicle or will it still provide enough protection? I live in Florida and the coldest weather I'll start my car in is 40-50 degrees in the winter, but for most of the year, I'm in 90-100 degree weather. I drive 90% highway at high speeds (~75 MPH). My second concern is leaks due to the age of my engine (100K+ miles) and the thin oil. I've heard that thin synthetic oils can spring leaks in older engines with high miles - not sure if this is true or a myth?
Should I be concerned? The dealership stood by their decision to use this oil and they didn't seem too interested in discussing it further with me. My advisor simply told me not to worry about it and that it would be fine.
Thanks.
I recently purchased a used 2005 Toyota 4Runner with 101,000 miles. The dealership I purchased it from did an oil change with M1 Full Synthetic 5W30. I drove ~4500 miles on it, and decided it was time to bring it into Toyota for an oil change. I wasn't 100% positive the dealership actually put full synthetic in prior to my purchase, so I did not want to take it much longer than 4-5K miles.
I brought my 4Runner to my local Toyota dealership yesterday and asked for a full synthetic oil change. I did not specify which weight of oil I wanted because I assumed they would put what the manufacturer recommends (5W30 as labeled on both the oil cap and in the manual). Once the work was done, I checked my receipt and noticed that they used their own 0W20. I immediately asked the service advisor why they used this oil in my vehicle, and he was initially unsure. He went and talked to a couple of people, and informed me that since I requested full synthetic, that is the weight of oil they use. Had I requested a conventional oil, they would have used 5W30. I went back and forth with him for a few minutes trying to get an explanation as to what the reason was, and he didn't have an answer. He just said that is what they have been using, and that despite the thinner oil, I should still have it changed at 5K miles. I called Toyota Corporate when I got home, and they told me to use nothing but 5W30 as stated in my owners manual. Now I have conflicting information from Toyota Corporate and my local dealership ...
Now I'm a bit concerned for 2 reasons. First and foremost, is this oil too thin for my vehicle or will it still provide enough protection? I live in Florida and the coldest weather I'll start my car in is 40-50 degrees in the winter, but for most of the year, I'm in 90-100 degree weather. I drive 90% highway at high speeds (~75 MPH). My second concern is leaks due to the age of my engine (100K+ miles) and the thin oil. I've heard that thin synthetic oils can spring leaks in older engines with high miles - not sure if this is true or a myth?
Should I be concerned? The dealership stood by their decision to use this oil and they didn't seem too interested in discussing it further with me. My advisor simply told me not to worry about it and that it would be fine.
Thanks.
. Most of us are, that's how they're getting away with this [censored].