The last time I bought a new Japanese car was 1981, it was a Datsun 200sx, with a 5-speed. The dealer and Datsun instructed to do the first oil change at 1000 miles.
I bought my xB last week and both the dealer and the manual says the first oil change is at 5000 miles. Is this really OK or should I do an early oil change?
Also, I notice the new oil is so thin on the yellow dipstick you can hardly see it. Is this normal too? I know I'm obsessing but I want to know anyway.
thanks,
Matt

 

My dealership reccomended 3K for the first change and 5k after.

 

I would change it at or before 1K miles. There is metal shavings and assembly lube in the engine that cant hurt it but its better to get that out early. On new car break in I usually change at of before 1k miles then at or before 2500 miles then every 3ooo after that. Better to be safe than sorry.

 

Oil is cheap (compared to engine failure). If you plan to keep the car for a long time (like the useful life of the vehicle), the extra care and attention will pay off for you. I recommend the first oil change between 500 and 1000...and then every 3000 miles after that (maybe longer if you do a high percentage of highway driving...but better to be on the safe side).

Anyway...you may also want to consider synthetic oils like Mobil1, Amsoil, or Castrol Syntec. And, for God's sake, use a good quality filter! This is important.

If you want to spend some extra money, get the "filtermag"...http://www.filtermag.com/ It can catch small metal particles that your filter may not catch.

 

the motors are much better than 25 years ago. new motors are built and tested before being put into cars.
you should change the first oil at 3,000-5000 per toyota (i did mine at 25 miles. drove home from the dealer and changed it). It will not do any damage if you change the oil sooner.
you decide what you feel comfortable with.1000-3000-5000...

as for being thin. it is 5w-30 the lower the number the better it flows (ie: thinner).
you should also replace with 5-30 oil.
and in warmer climates it will seem even thinner.

 

With todays high quality engines, you probably could wait for 5K before changing the oil, but Im old school and have already done 4 oil/filter changes with less than 4K miles on the odo.

First one around 500 miles, then 1K, then 1.1K (all I could find was Havoline so I only left it in until I could find Castrol. Think of it as a REALLY safe engine flush), then around 2.5K, and then at ~3.75K.

Oil is cheap. Cars are not. Not only that, but I enjoying changing the oil, so I do it quite often. And why wouldnt you....I mean, the xB is easier to do than my '64 GMC....brilliant layout from Toyota. Once you do it a few times, you dont even need a jack....it is SOOOOOOOOOO easy!

 

i dont rec. to go 5k without changing the oil
id say every 3750k

 

that seems like a random number....lol

 

its actually not though
but it does seem random, yes

 

I change mine every 5K and it doesn't use a drop and the oil always looks great. I have 35K now

 

Did the first oil change @ 5000 miles and used mobil one. Each oil change will be @ 7500 miles, approved by my dealer as long as I use mobil one.

 

1k, 3k, 5k, and then every 3-4k with synthetic.
Use OEM Toyota filters (the new one is 90915-YZZF1)
Toyota also just released a bulletin that says you can use 5w20 in your 2006 tC - that's your choice now, and I don't have a recommendation on that. I'd say that if you live in hot areas, to stick with 5w30, but that's just my 2¢

Good luck, enjoy the tC for a long time.

Scott

 

Went to go buy a oil filter from the "stealership" and they handed me a corolla filter.. Saying "it's the same filter..." (p/n: 90915-YZZF2) after draining the oil and upon opening the package I realize its not nearly as long as the stock tC filter (p/n: 90915-YZZF1).. Yes, it fits exactly the same however is a ton shorter (which i believe will effect the overall filtration). After looking @ kragen's filters (fram p/n: PH4967), the size seems to be about the same as the OEM corolla's YZZF2 (also utilizing the exact same filter) so i'm assuming it should be okay?

 

It might be "OK" but the YZZF1 is the current tC filter, and considering they just changed the recommended oil to 5w20, I'd make sure you use the new one.

Scott

 

In our engines, there are no metal shavings left in by manufacturing, or produced by the running of the engine. There is some amount of wear material produced in the first few hundred miles, but such material is too fine to be seen or felt and is not even apparent when the filter is dissected. What you will notice is a little darkening of the oil in the first couple of hundred miles, which is the detergent package holding in suspension (a) wear particles too fine to be caught by the filter and (b) carbon blowby from the brief period before the rings mated with the cylinders. I changed my oil (no filter) at 400 miles, and it had turned little amber with nothing to see in it. Now at 1500 miles the oil on the dipstick is clearer than it was at that first 400. I will use 3000-mile oil and filter changes, unless I go to Mobil 1 in which case it will be 5000 miles.

 

Contacted my "dealership"... and after a million miles of run around I finally got in contact several people that had a "slight idea"... All sources told me I should use the OEM tC filter 90915-YZZF1, and it isn't recommended to use the corolla's YZZF2. So to all who're planning on doing ur own oil change keep that in mind ~ 90915-YZZF1 or better (someone posted trdsparks has them available, i'm definitely going that route next time). As for the Fram filter, I don't think its a good idea to go that route (thats the model they've got posted as our oil filter ) being that their the same model as the corolla filters

 

Got 10-pak of YZZF1s from TRDSparks for $35+ship.
Good deal.
FRAM's used to be good - no longer. Keep away

Scott

 

Purolator Pure One or bust. I changed mine at 500 miles, and then at 3k miles, with Mobile Clean 5k, and plan on switching to Mobile 1 at 6k

 

Toyota's OEM filters are regarded in the highest sense.
Puro Pure One's are good too.
But I'll stick to OEM, because I have no data showing they're better than OEM - at least, the new YZZF1 OEM.

Scott

 

Dealership is 30 miles from me so the price + driving makes a quick trip to Advance right down the road cheaper for the Pure ones or I prob would go OEM both premium oil filters in my opin. and I really like the Mobile Clean oils for normal dino oil used it in my tc and now the xB before synthetic