If the OP's purpose was to create controversy, and I think it was/is, congratulations.
Using 0W-20 in a 2025 Corolla?
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Mobil 1 0W-40 and sleep well at night
Ok, thanks all!
So the reason I asked this question is because I am considering purchasing a 2026 Corolla (nor sure if gas or hybrid yet), and I would like to use 5W-30 instead of 0W-8 since I intend to keep the car a LONG time.
So the reason I asked this question is because I am considering purchasing a 2026 Corolla (nor sure if gas or hybrid yet), and I would like to use 5W-30 instead of 0W-8 since I intend to keep the car a LONG time.
No! It was absolutely not.
Interesting since your initial post was about using 0w-20. When we bought our Accord Hybrid last year, one of the deciding factors was Honda recommends 0w-20 oil, so I did not have to worry about the super light oil question.
Toyota is very vague on what “higher temperatures” or “higher speeds” entail… on purpose. What if OP feels that anything above 55 is “higher speeds”?
Yes! Many may be surprised if they actually ask the dealer. We normally only hear about the bad ones. Plenty of honest ones out there too.
Even though a 30 grade oil could be used, to better protect your motor only a 40 grade oil will work. Only a 40 grade oil will provide the required MOFT. If MPG is of no concern consider a 50 or even 60 grade oil for the best wear protection.
ali
ali
I do not say this with the intent to poke fun or bash anyone, but a lot of the posts on threads like this treat every dealer service department (or shall I say whatever outlet that is "acting as an extension of the manufacturer") is sending specimens of fluids, filter quality, parts, etc. off for NIST-grade analysis.
The low and dirty of it is that if your Toyota/Honda/GM/Ford/etc. has a catastrophic failure within the engine, your warranting dealer and their technicians are going to pull the dipstick to make sure it has oil in it, look at its condition and then maybe pull a valve cover or timing cover to gauge the engine's overall condition in regard to neglect. 9/10 times they will see its full of oil and that the thing is pretty clean and progress forward. If the oil looks like oil, regardless of viscosity it's getting the (CHECKMARK) yes adequate oil level.
Now if they had suspicion of something else in the crankcase other than oil, then they make poke a bit and investigate.
While claims do have to progress through some sort of approval channel, your dealer does have a lot of say in whether "customer neglect" or "this guy takes care of this thing". You show up with a hammered Escalade, destroyed inside and out and have skim OCI records... good luck. If you show up in a clean/mint Yukon and can account for every OCI with a maintenance log entry, you will be fine.
The low and dirty of it is that if your Toyota/Honda/GM/Ford/etc. has a catastrophic failure within the engine, your warranting dealer and their technicians are going to pull the dipstick to make sure it has oil in it, look at its condition and then maybe pull a valve cover or timing cover to gauge the engine's overall condition in regard to neglect. 9/10 times they will see its full of oil and that the thing is pretty clean and progress forward. If the oil looks like oil, regardless of viscosity it's getting the (CHECKMARK) yes adequate oil level.
Now if they had suspicion of something else in the crankcase other than oil, then they make poke a bit and investigate.
While claims do have to progress through some sort of approval channel, your dealer does have a lot of say in whether "customer neglect" or "this guy takes care of this thing". You show up with a hammered Escalade, destroyed inside and out and have skim OCI records... good luck. If you show up in a clean/mint Yukon and can account for every OCI with a maintenance log entry, you will be fine.
Except Toyota is using a variable discharge oil pump for greater efficiency, controlled by the ECU.
Who doesn't use a variable oil pump these days?
I doubt other markets put a different oil pump on the engines.
When crossing into Canada does the ECU automatically update the software?
4wd
$50 site donor 2026
No, put it on a boat and send it to Europe - it will automatically become much better - more stringent and all that
Ah yes. And it may shear off the drive gear. All of which is only to conserve energy via pumping loss, not some limitation on grade.
The Internet influencer that started this nonsense is an idiot.
For most practical (normal, as defined by normality) applications, 30-grade seems to be the sweet spot. Preferably with high HTHS. From modern hybrids to 32V CAT Diesel behemoths, with high performing BMW in between: 30's got it all covered.
No need for 60-grade in a Toyota. But it can be used with no issues.
Insanity recommending a 40 or 60 grade oil for a modern and brand new Corolla.
I hope no one is reading this forum.
I hope no one is reading this forum.
Yes. Under ideal conditions, 0W8 works adequately.
Do I detect a bity of sarcasm here? Lol.
Ali, are you in the position to offer my cousin an office job -something that doesn't require heavy lifting? She is clean and tidy and better looking than Gretchen Carlson and really needs a job other than working at Publix. She only receives $900 a month S.S. benefits. She lives just a couple miles east of Siesta Key. She had worked as a professional photographer for one of those Sky Travel magazines.
- Regards
I might run 0W20 in the warranty, as its a "reasonable" increase in viscosity. Then switch to whatever you want after that.
I did a few changes at the dealer with recommended 0W20 at the subaru dealer, then as it neared the end of warranty I switched to 0/5W30.
It's always amusing to see the confidence people have in asserting things they cannot possibly know to be true. A thicker oil than what is recommend almost certainly will not void your warranty, but it would be childish to say that it's impossible for it to happen. But it's also childish to assert that it 100% will void you warranty. You can't possibly know this, so stop asserting that you do. There's no certainty in either direction.
What we do know is that manufacturers are scraping every last fraction of a mile per gallon out of the engine to try to please the government. And of course, the government has no durability requirement for the engine nor any rules around oil consumption. So, if you are the OEM and have to choose between placating a government that holds the power of life and death over your business and placating a corner case customer whose engine is an oil burning disaster in only 80k miles, guess who wins? It's not even a contest.
SO not only are we getting thinner and thinner oils, but then we get all the bandaids required to make them work acceptably in an engine. Clearances must be tighter than ever, with surface finishes that are smoother and flatter using materials that are often harder. Since you need more oil pump to pump that thin oil, you have to go to a larger oil pump, which would offset the tiny fuel economy advantages if you don't make it a variable displacement pump.
So a modern engine that is more robust to thin oil (note carefully the phrasing here) can often use a thin oil and produce acceptable life for the majority of customers. Obviously this is true or Toyota wouldn't wager their warranty spend on it.
But being robust to thin oils is one thing. Requiring them is quite another. Now I ask how the same engine can have such wildly different viscosity grades recommend in different countries. It seems likely that the engines are all the same and that they don't tailor clearances for different regions. It seems likely too that the thicker oils allowed in the absence of CAFE coercion are closer to the true ideal for the engine in terms of wear performance.
If your emotional needs are such that you must slavishly follow the country-specific recommendations for your manual, then follow those recommendations. But it is indeed an emotional choice, not a logical one. So don't be surprised when those who are less emotional and a bit more clear-eyed point out that thicker oils--within reason- are perfectly safe and may even often protection advantages over the thin oil that is your Warranty Woobie.
What we do know is that manufacturers are scraping every last fraction of a mile per gallon out of the engine to try to please the government. And of course, the government has no durability requirement for the engine nor any rules around oil consumption. So, if you are the OEM and have to choose between placating a government that holds the power of life and death over your business and placating a corner case customer whose engine is an oil burning disaster in only 80k miles, guess who wins? It's not even a contest.
SO not only are we getting thinner and thinner oils, but then we get all the bandaids required to make them work acceptably in an engine. Clearances must be tighter than ever, with surface finishes that are smoother and flatter using materials that are often harder. Since you need more oil pump to pump that thin oil, you have to go to a larger oil pump, which would offset the tiny fuel economy advantages if you don't make it a variable displacement pump.
So a modern engine that is more robust to thin oil (note carefully the phrasing here) can often use a thin oil and produce acceptable life for the majority of customers. Obviously this is true or Toyota wouldn't wager their warranty spend on it.
But being robust to thin oils is one thing. Requiring them is quite another. Now I ask how the same engine can have such wildly different viscosity grades recommend in different countries. It seems likely that the engines are all the same and that they don't tailor clearances for different regions. It seems likely too that the thicker oils allowed in the absence of CAFE coercion are closer to the true ideal for the engine in terms of wear performance.
If your emotional needs are such that you must slavishly follow the country-specific recommendations for your manual, then follow those recommendations. But it is indeed an emotional choice, not a logical one. So don't be surprised when those who are less emotional and a bit more clear-eyed point out that thicker oils--within reason- are perfectly safe and may even often protection advantages over the thin oil that is your Warranty Woobie.
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