Today I took my Xb for the 5000 mile complementary oil change. When I got home I looked at the bill and it said they had used 5w-30 Penzoil. The sticker on the windshield said the same. I called the service writer and was told that that was what they used in all Toyotas. I called the service manager and he said that in our location (Florida) that 5w-30 was recommended. I said that that was not what the owners manual says and that 0w-20 was the recommended oil in all locations and that 5w-20 could be used but milage would suffer. He said he had never heard of that and when he checked he had no 0w-20 in stock. He had never heard of it. I told him to read an owners manual and to go pop the hood on a Xb on the lot and look at the oil cap.
He finally agreed to call Toyota Tech Service and ask about it. He said that if I supplied the oil he would change it.
Has anyone else had this problem???

 

I have personally never heard of a 0w-20 oil. 5w-30 Penzoil was used when I got my first oil change @ 1,000 mi. from Jiffy Lube. Car runs fine. I average 25 mpg. Hope this eases your mind.

 

I would bring it back in and make them use the oil that the owners manual calls for.

 

When I did my first dealer freebie, they used 5w-30 in stead of 5w-20. Not that big of a deal, but it IS a thicker oil at operating temp and is not recommended for our car. So when I did my second freebie I told them about the issue and he wrote notes on the service sheet to use 5w-20 this time and they did.

Next change im doing myself and using 0w-20. Synthetic of course.

 

When I picked mine up at the dealership after the 1st free service, the work order said 5w30 was used. When I asked my service adviser about it, he said that when they punch in the code for the free service on the computer it automatically comes up like that, but that they did use 5w20. I wasn't sure whether to believe him or not, but I wasn't going to stand there and get into an argument with him.

When I did my 2nd free service at the same dealership, I did the same as Invertalon and explained my experience with the 1st service. This time the service adviser (different person) assured me that 5w20 would be used, and that all their oil was synthetic blend. Upon pick-up the work order said 5w20 this time, and the engine seemed to rev more smoothly.

I too will be using 0w20 full synthetic from now on, and I am not going back to the dealership for any more oil changes.

 

I think that is what happened with mine as well ^. The work order said 5w-20 but the sticker said 5w-30. Probably just a "default" sticker, but still good to bring it up to them!

 

What do you guys thing about Amsoil??? I want to start it in my car ASAP..Also I think TRD has a special filter for synthetic that is reusable...I will be getting my first oil change before I go on vacation in a couple weeks..My dealer was such a jerk, he didnt even tell me i get 2 free services..I found out from here..So I called and acted as a new buyer and asked someone and they told me that they also do the full service including rotating the tires and stuff..However, I will not be getting any of that done at that dealership..AJ

 

well, he used a thicker motor oil, so it isn't like there is additional wear and tear, just a small small drop in mpg.

as for the trd oil filter, from what i've heard the regular toyota oil filters are just find, no need to spend the extra money ofr the trd spec'ed one, and this is talking to dealerships and vendors of turbo kits for tc's.

 

Yeah, just use the standard filter (buy them from trdsparks.com for great prices).

Amsoil should be great to use. Most of us seem to prefer Mobile 1 generally, although there are many other great oils to use. (Pennzoil for example, which I would use if I could find 0w-20 without ordering online...)

 

Use the Toyota oil filters from TRDsparks. They sell 10-packs of the YZZF1 for $35.50. The standard filter is a YZZF2 that is a little smaller and retails for $5.41 at the dealership. This is definitely a situation where bigger is better (like most), since it is an alternative that fits the same xB2 mount.

Any synthetic oil will fit the bill... Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Amsoil; just make sure it's 0w20 or 5w20.

 

I found Mobile 1 0w-20 at Walmart for $5/qt. None of the auto parts had it.

 

Mobil 1 has a 0w-20 synthetic oil called "advanced fuel economy." I might have to try that when it's due for its first change.

 

I have used 5w 30 in mine from day one. I use valvoline's full synthetic. I have not noticed a bit of difference in mine. I think I might switch over to royal purple and see how that stuff is.

 

The service manager called today and said the district Tech service guys said that the reason for 0w-20 in the owners manual was to lower the MPG to meet specs. He says he did find a couple of cases of Toyota 0w-20 in his stock room and that it was full synthetic. He said he would change my oil but that if I wanted 0w-20 I would have to pay an additional $7.50/qt. So much for a free oil change at 5k and 10k.

 

just do it yourself, better then having to worry about what oil they put in and IF in fact they changed it. The only time mine will step foot back on a dealer lot is for warranty work.

 

I hear ya man! Especially for just an oil change. It's such an easy DIY task that could be done in no time at all.

Me however, let it drain for a good amount of time so I find other things to do while it does ;)

 

I also inquired about the 0-20 oil and service rep said that was synthetic. If I wanted that at my 1st oil change, it would be $8 a quart, PLUS a $70 oil pan flush to remove all traces of the regular oil that the car is shipped with because the 2 lubricants are incompatible.
He also suggested any fuel savings from synthetic oil use would be insignificent considering the higher price of the oil.

 

What a moron.

There is no problem putting synthetic in after draining out the normal oil as you would during any oil change. No need to do a flush or anything of the sort.

And, the only oil that CAN be 0w-20 IS SYNTHETIC. Conventional oil cannot "do" the zero weight.

Tell them to kick rocks on the flush and put in the synthetic only, OR, just wait until you do it yourself and switch over. I would have a hard time "trusting" a dealer to put iin synthetic even if you pay for it. No way to tell either.

I would just use your freebies then do your own change. Make sure it is done right and with the oil you want.

And as far as the price per gas savings ratio, while that may be true, you also putting in a much superior oil to help keep your engine clean and better lubricated. NO oil available can be thin enough at startup to properly lubricate the engine, thus, the lowest weight you can go will always be better for your engine.

*MATH TIME!*

Lets say you do gain 2% efficiency over the course of the oil change interval, say 5,000 miles.

We will assume your mileage is at 28mpg average, meaning over the course of 5,000 miles you fillup approx. 17.85 times at 10 gallons per fillup. (Cost @ 3.20 gal / $571.20)

Now if you have a 2% increase switching to the 0W-20, therefore, your average now goes to 28.56MPG in which then you fillup approx 17.51 times at 10 gallons per fillup (Cost @ 3.20 gal/ $560.22).

So if my math is right, with a 2% increase you would roughly save on fuel costs, $10.98.

5qts of conventional oil - $10(?)
5qts of synthetic oil - $22

So really, it is VERY close in regards to fuel savings. But if it DOES balance out so closely, why NOT use a superior oil in your car?

 

That savings in fuel cost ($11) is based on a per gallon price of only $3.20; where I live regular is currently $3.79 which brings the fuel savings to over $13, keeping all others perameters constant. The higher the per gallon cost of gas, the greater the savings.

 

Very true, I just did the one figure. For an approximation of different values:

@$3.30 - The difference is: $11.22

@$3.50 - The difference is: $11.90

@$3.70 - The difference is: $12.58

@$4.00 - The difference is: $13.60


Now, that is only assuming a 2% increase. In cold winter months I would easily *guess* a 3-5% increase, especially since zero weight oil will lubricate the engine much easier at the colder temps, resulting in an increase when the engine is cold.

I'm keeping record of my latest MPG ratings and see once I switch over what MPG increase I get, if any. We shall see! I do my change in two weeks