When should I start using synthetic oil??

[R2D2]

Good discussion here.

I used to get caught up in what an oils basestock was comprised of and was a bit of a PAO snob-if it wasn't 100% group IV or V it wasn't worthy of consideration. Now I am of the opinion the only thing that matters is how an oil performs in YOUR application under YOUR operating conditions. I use used oil analysis as a guide. The whole true synthetic thing is a little dated. The lines between syn and dino are so blurred now that it's pretty much just a marketing tool. Even "regular dino oil" is SO much better than the oil just 10 or 15 years ago. Now I pay little attention to what an oil is currently formulated with in terms of basestock and pay more attention to performance and the actual cost of use.

By the way the Amsoil XL line was pretty much designed for the quick change market and those who wanted an API certified oil for warranty reasons-it is group III (which Amsoil has made no secret about, BTW) and it is an excellent performing product. Amsoils higher end oils are formulated for longer drains and they put the money into performance rather than submitting for API approvals testing. Which oil you choose will probably come down to how long you are comfortable extending oil change intervals and if you are still under warranty and are comfortable going against Toyota's recommendations or not. The XL meets all the warranty requirements if changed according to Toyota's recommendations. As I have mentioned in a previous post I think Amsoils 0W-20 is one of the best long drain oils available-period. I recently ran it in a Crown Vic Police Interceptor with 15.5 thousand miles AND over 300 hrs of idle time and it could have gone longer! I change oil for a friend who has run Amsoil in two GM V-6 cars with 25 k drain intervals. He traded the 1st with over 200k on the clock and it was still going strong. He used to add on average 1.5 qts of make up oil in 25k. His current car (Monte Carlo, 3.4 L) has 100k and uses no noticeable oil in 25k.

The Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum products are excellent also and the Platinum really stands out as an excellent value when purchased at Wal-Mart by the 5 qt jug. (Current price last I knew locally was $20.) I've heard any variety of reports of these being PAO, grp III or any combination of the two.

In all honesty I think there is more than one way to skin a cat. Probably any API certified SM rated oil at Toyota's recommended 5k/6 mo. intervals will take these engines further than most of us care to go. It comes down to how you use your car, how often you want to change you oil, your operating environment, warranty concerns, how long you plan to keep the vehicle, what oil YOU like to use, etc. If I'm not mistaken the infamous 300+k Yaris used Wal-Mart Super Tech Syn 5W-30 which I'm quite sure is Grp III (Warren). Not bad for 3 buck a quart oil!

I pretty much stick to Amsoil and Schaeffer's products these days. I'm going to change out my factory fill at 1k and I'll be using Schaeffer's Supreme 7000 5w-20 and Nippon filters (TheSilkySmooth's Denso horror stories have me running scared, lol) I'll be sticking to Toyota's 5k/6 mo plan during the warranty period. I'll still do oil analysis though!

BTW it's perfectly safe to switch to synthetic any time one wants. Many cars come from the factory with syns in the crankcase and an engine will break in just fine with synthetics. I like to keep the first interval or two a little shorter while an engine is breaking in which can be a little costlier with syns, but what the heck if it helps one sleep at night?

Another point I should bring up is the fact that an oil's color really has no bearing on whether it is suitable for continued use or not. I recently changed the oil (7.5 gallons capacity) on a Caterpillar 3126 diesel engine and less than 10 operating hrs later the oil was so dark I couldn't see through to the dipstick any more. Should I dump the 7.5 gallons of oil every 10 hrs? To the opposite extreme you may have almost perfectly clear oil with 10% fuel dilution that is no longer suitable for use. The color of an oil as a maintenance tool is limited at best. During it's service life oil suspends extremely small particles of soot, carbon etc that are too small to be captured by the filter and they can darken the oil. Oils are designed to hold these extremely small particles in suspension and keep them from agglomerating so they don't form deposits or cause accelerated engine wear. Having said that who doesn't like to see nice clean oil on a dipstick? If it makes you feel better and it's not cost prohibitive, change it!

BTW, in light of the TSB Toyota released approving the use of 5W-20 oils in the 1NZ-FE engine I was wondering how many people are using the 20 wt vs the 30? There is another interesting debate in itself!

Hey Yaris Hilton, which weight of oil are you running? Do you favor a particular brand? Just curious!

Thanks all for the discussion!

R2