what are some thoughts on toyota 0w-20 oil?????

[rumple]

And how many fast lube places will even stock 0W-20? Most like they'll put in something else. I would guess that many Toyota's like the 2010 Prius will not be getting 0W-20 oil that Toyota wants then to have, rather they will be filled with 5W-30. I would also guess that this will make not too much of a difference as long as the oil is changed regularly.

Rumple

 

[rcy]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
That's quite cool, fine for the summer but possibly too cool for the winter. You may want to check the thermostat spec'. I'd be suprised if it's under 90C and therefore your t'stat may be sticking open.


Funny, I thought the same thing (also it seemed to take forever to get heat in the last cold spell we had), so I looked it up in my shop manual and found the following

Thermostat Opening Temperature C (F) 77 - 82 (171-180).

So, if the engine is 180 (on the highway btw) when fully heated up, does that seem right given the specs on the thermostat?

 

[CATERHAM]

Yes is the answer.

As I said that's very much on the cool side of normal and something you usually only see in high performance cars for summer time use.
88C to 95C is much more typical.

In my Caterham with it's Vauxhall based engine the standard t'stat is 92C but most owners switch to the optional 82C one give more cooling reserve in the summer months and I have done the same thing. Unfortunately you pay the price in the cooler months of the rear with longer warm-up times and cooler maximum oil temps and less efficient heater operation. Consiquently I partially block the radiator when it get cold out (changing t'stats is a pain) which solves the problem.

IIRC my BMW has 92C t'stat but a range of optional one are available from 77C to 95C.

You may want to see if their are optional t'stats available for your Lexus.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: rumple
And how many fast lube places will even stock 0W-20? Most like they'll put in something else. I would guess that many Toyota's like the 2010 Prius will not be getting 0W-20 oil that Toyota wants then to have, rather they will be filled with 5W-30. I would also guess that this will make not too much of a difference as long as the oil is changed regularly.

Rumple


The solution lies with Toyota and Honda if they want their oil to be used.
For starters Toyota here in Canada doesn't charge a premium for an oil change with their 0W-20 (currently 46 bucks ). Yes it is more expensive compared to fast lube places but not bad and it will get cheaper when the 0W-20 comes in bulk which Toyota says it will. With the new 10,000 mile OCI, it's a step in the right direction to encourage customers to come back to the dealer for service.
I can tell you from first hand experience, mfr's like BMW (even Mini) have no problem with there customers coming back to the dealer for all their oil changes. The fast lube show at present don't want that business and don't stock the oil filters.

BTW, a 5W-30 (not to mention a 10W-30) dino can easily be more than 100% thicker at start-up than Toyota's 0W-20. All quick lube shops I'm aware of have now have 5W-20 dino in bulk and while not ideal with a 40C vis typically of around 48C it's not so bad.