Why is the dealership against me using 5w20 synth?

[Rockford Fosgate Fan]

I stopped by the local Toyota dealer to ask the service manager if my warranty would be intact if a ran 5w20 synthetic instead of the 0w20 recommended in the manual. He told me no that only 5w20 dino oil can used and if I switched to synthetic I would have to use 0w20. I really cannot find a reason as to why I must use 0w20 especially considering the climate I live in.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Because he doesn't know the difference and won't admit it.

 

[Lethal1ty17]

because the word "synthetic" opens up a pandoras box of stuff, people dont understand it so they automatically think that its not as good as the other stuff

they will never know what you ran, if you tell them its dino then they will accept it at that, even if they ran a UOA i doubt they could even find out if it was or wasnt a synthetic

 

[dparm]

They'd have to prove that 5w20 caused a problem. That'd be tough.

If you really are that nervous, get something that meets the mfg spec.

 

[VNTS]

I would ask him how he would know if you used a 0W-20 vs a 5w-20, does he have a sniffing Beagle which would know the difference?

I love these type of questions that somehow the dealer Service manager will know you used a different grade oil visosity and that ruined your engine??

They wouldnt have clue if you use a 5w-20 vs a 0w-20 or a 5w30 nor would they care. they would be more concerned if you brought it in 2 qts low and never changed the oil.

Run what you want and just change it once in a while and not worry about.

I am glad my dealer manager is always asking me when am I going to do more mods I have a stg 1 puter and fatter injectors on my PT GT and he could give a -----, and was kind enough to do a timing belt job for me for the 100$ deductable just before the warranty expired

 

[FZ1]

You're right,of course. Just run the 0-20 syn if that's what the oem specs.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: dparm
They'd have to prove that 5w20 caused a problem. That'd be tough.

If you really are that nervous, get something that meets the mfg spec.


That's always a good idea while under warranty. If there is an engine problem that might be oil related and the dealer and manufacturer choose to blame it on the oil, it's up to you to prove that you used the correct oil to get them to cover it. If you had it serviced at the dealer, it will be covered no matter what discount garbage the dealer put in it, if you have receipts for an approved oil you are OK.

If you used a non-approved oil and the dealer/manufacturer's "expert" says the oil you used caused the problem, then it is up to you to lawyer up and have your expert prove their expert wrong. That could easily cost more than the repair and the outcome would be a [censored] shoot.

The decision whether you want to go out of spec while under warranty should include consideration of the likelihood of a failure that might be blamed on oil and the likelihood of a dealer/manufacturer blaming the non-spec oil. Both are of low probability and two low probabilities multiplied by each other are really low.

 

[bigmike]

Isn't Toyota's 0w20 synthetic much different than their 5w20 synthetic? Is this with a black cap?

I'd ask CATERHAM - he's done enough digging and keeps up on this subject.

 

[KrisZ]

Originally Posted By: Rockford Fosgate Fan
I stopped by the local Toyota dealer to ask the service manager if my warranty would be intact if a ran 5w20 synthetic instead of the 0w20 recommended in the manual. He told me no that only 5w20 dino oil can used and if I switched to synthetic I would have to use 0w20. I really cannot find a reason as to why I must use 0w20 especially considering the climate I live in.

Why would you ask a service advisor an oil related question? You have the owner's manual for that, if there is absolutely no mention of 5w20 oil, then I would stick with 0w20, if 5w20 is mentioned, I bet there is nothing there about it being synthetic or dino, just SM rated.

 

[JimPghPA]

If you lived WAY North of Louisiana, where it gets much colder then it MIGHT be something to loose sleap over. A 5W-20 is thin enough for cold start in winter in Louisiana.

 

[1999nick]

Can you even find a non-synthetic 0W20 oil?

 

[badnews]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Because he doesn't know the difference and won't admit it.


Then again ...

 

[CATERHAM]

As mentioned by others, the dealer doesn't know what he's talking about (I've never met one who does).

But to answer you're question, do you need to use a 0W-20 in your climate? Toyota recommends their 0W-20 not because of it's sub zero temp' performance but for it's ultra low start-up viscosity at all start-up temps. There are only a hand full of 0W-20 oils that fall into this "ultra low vis, high VI" category and no 5W-20's do. The other oils that do are Honda's 0W-20, ENEOS 0W-20 and Castrol Edge 0W-20.

So if you're going to stick with synthetic oil I would choose from that limited group.

 

[dparm]

I will say this -- most of the official mfg specs allow for several different weights to be run.

Example is VW 502: 0w30, 5w30, 0w40, 5w40. All four of those would be acceptable.

There are probably some weird exceptions for ultra-high performance cars.

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Because he doesn't know the difference and won't admit it.

That's it right there. Guy is prolly the same one that told me to use only Toyota oil filters because they have an anti-drainback valve.

 

[mechtech2]

"0-20 recommended in the manual"
This would have to be a full synthetic.
What is the problem using a factory approved oil?

 

[Rockford Fosgate Fan]

Originally Posted By: mechtech2
"0-20 recommended in the manual"
This would have to be a full synthetic.
What is the problem using a factory approved oil?


I hate to admit but even in a city of 85K it is hard to find 0w20 outside of the mobil brand without having to order online. For me it would just be a matter of convenience and cost saving by going with a 5w20.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Synth is likely specified for a longer oem drain interval...what is the interval anyway?

I'd rather use 5w-20 as well, dino I assume.

Like I said, the service guys has NO idea where a 5w-20 dino or synth leaves off and a 0w-20 oil starts.

 

[Rockford Fosgate Fan]

For whatever reason the guy above the service manager called me to correct a mistake.The guy I originally spoke at the dealership was under the impression I was going to bring my car in for a oil change and the only bulk oil they carry in a 20 wt is 0w20. All xD's made after the 2009 model year come from the factory with 0w20 but this is supposedly for CAFE reasons. Running 5w20 synthetic in my car will not void my warranty but the guy kept pushing 0w20 saying I will get a boost in fuel economy.