I was wondering when i can change from reg oil to synthetic oil? I heard u have to drive with reg for awhile till u can change it.

how many miles u got on it now?? i started using synthetic at about 5k

i have heard roughly 2-3 reg oil changes... to seat all the rings and get all the gaskets nice.

I waited 1000 miles and then switched. I had a brand new engine in my civic I only waited 500 miles with it and never had any issues I had 40,000 on the engine when I got rid of it.

Anybody have any solid advice for this? I would also like to know, because im coming up on 3000 miles, my first oil change is soon. Im going to go with Mobile One, but im just not sure when is the best time to switch?

i switched at 4000 and went with mobile 1

the dealership i work for recommends 2-3 oil changes... like i said above

OK, take this for what it's worth.
29 years of driving/riding.
29 years of reading on the subject.
29 years of experience.

I break-in my cars by changing oil/filter at 1k miles with dino oil and OEM filter.
I change again at 3k miles, dino oil, OEM filter.
At 5k miles, switch to Mobil1 (others love German Castrol Green and Amsoil, but I haven't used those) and OEM filter.

I repeat every 3k miles thereafter. I likely won't ever use my free SCION changes, but that's OK.

*Honda uses a special break-in oil that others don't - you should follow Honda's recommended OCI for that first.

Scott

I got about two thousand miles on it. I heard if u change it to soon the car will leak it.

slboettcher u sound about right i heard that some where before thanks for all the info guys appreciate it!!!!!!

I got about two thousand miles on it. I heard if u change it to soon the car will leak it.

It's not changing it too soon, it's more of an issue changing to synthetic too soon. Synth will keep parts from seating properly if used too early on. You NEED wear to make an engine break-in right and it will have issues if it's not done properly.

Some believe that most engines break-in within a few miles of use. I'm not going to go to that extreme as erring on the side of caution is safer.

Running a new engine on clean dino for an extra few k miles won't do any harm whatsoever.

Just use good quality parts and stick to a regular schedule. The cool thing about the tC is you can make your "check engine light" (change oil) in 5,4,3,2 or 1k increments. Mine's set to 3k.

Scott

I changed my tC over to full synthetic at about 500 miles and havent had any problems. I've got about 9,500 on it now.

I'd do it at 10 000 km (6213 mi) with Mobil 1. Mobil 1 is what Mercedes-Benz uses and probably is good. I think that if an oil meets 229.5 MB Spec, it should be good.

just changed mine over to mobil 1 today had about 4k miles before i changed. i noticed immediately the engine is much smoother and pulls a little harder too?

just changed mine over to mobil 1 today had about 4k miles before i changed. i noticed immediately the engine is much smoother and pulls a little harder too?

It's usually wishful thinking, but rest assured, M1 is a great oil.
Your tC will be happy for years to come.
What oil filter did you use?

Scott

PS - my car is ALWAYS faster after I detail it :)

the dealer did the oil change so i guess they used the toyota oem filter

i have an xb btw

Sorry, xB. Won't matter. All good.

bah... my g/f had over 400,000 miles on her camry when she sold it. It still ran like a champ. Believe me- it wasn't changed every 3,000 and it sure as hell didn't EVER get synthetic. I just use regular Mobil 5000 formula and OEM filters on my tC, but even that is overkill imo. It's a Toyota!! It sure won't hurt to put in synth, but i don't think it's necessary.

... changing to synthetic too soon. Synth will keep parts from seating properly if used too early on....

A friend took me for a ride in his new Mini and said came with synthetic in it and the dealer uses synthetic. If found this in a Mini forum:
"The Mini comes from the factory equipped with Castrol Synthetic motor oil and that or Mobil 1 is suggested by Mini for oil changes."
http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/?14@378.bpqvaavndaS@.ef22f7e

I took delivery of my xB last week and told the Service Manager that I planned to change to Mobil 1 after the free oil changes. He was against it. He said a customer's xB had started using oil with Mobil 1, but stopped when they changed back to petroleum oil. Who knows what really was happening.

I was an Amsoil dealer back in the 1980s, and so I like synthetic. It reduces friction and so gives a little more hp and mpg. But even though synthetic oil itself is indestructible, it gets dirty like any oil. My Scion dealer's and my preference is for 3,000 oil changes, and at that interval, petroleum oil is more cost effective.
The drain interval of synthetic oil depends on the filter. The interval with a standard filter should be the same as petroleum oil. For a longer interval, use a $10 Mobil 1 or K&N filter which have more media area and finer filtration.

If I do go to Mobil 1, I wll use their filters and change at 5,000 miles.

All engines are not created equal. Honda, for example, uses a special break-in oil.
Some car makers now use Synthetic from the start - but they likely have designed and prepped them differently than the standard Toyota 4-banger.

There are stories all over of people having leaks or odd experiences with this or that oil. Having read a lot, I think they are anomalies.

If you get into hi-mileage engines, then you do need to be careful changing from one type of oil to another, but that's not apropos here.

As for filters, research isn't showing M1 filters as being any better than an OEM filter. Toyota makes great filters.

Scott

...As for filters, research isn't showing M1 filters as being any better than an OEM filter. Toyota makes great filters.
Scott

So true. Toyota makes one of the BEST filters...if you ever opened one up, you would see why....more filtration surface area.

Remember....FRAM IS NOT YOUR FRIEND!!

For more info, look here: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

Right! FRAM used to be good...no longer.

Scott

... research isn't showing M1 filters as being any better than an OEM filter...

OEM makes no special claims beyond being "effective". Mobil 1 touts its 99% efficiency:

OEM Oil Filter

Filter Element: effectively filters contaminants while meeting all Toyota specifications for flow.
Bypass Valve: pressure relief valve that opens only when the filter is clogged and allows oil to flow to the engine.
Anti-Drainback Valve: helps keep oil from draining into the oil pan during non-use, prevents dry engine starts and wear, helps maximize engine operating life.
Unique Construction: precision base plate with locking O-Ring ensures tight seal.

http://trdsparks.com/displayparts.php?Mdl_dtl=476&Part_cat=1&parts_id=968


TRD High-Performance Oil Filter

".... heavy-gauge steel mounting plate reduces flexing during high-RPM operation, and a double-locking seal increases reliability in high-pressure applications. A silicone anti-drain valve stays flexible at extreme temperatures and eliminates the dry-start wear by retaining oil after engine shutdown. Arch-pleated, low restriction internal filter media... holds up to 45% more... than other leading brands.

http://trdsparks.com/displayparts.php?Mdl_dtl=476&Part_cat=1&parts_id=315


Mobil 1 Oil Filter (M1-103 fits xA/xB/tC)

"... Mobil 1 Extended Performance Oil Filters contain synthetic fibers instead of the typical cellulose filter media. With a 99.2 percent efficiency rating (under SAE J1858 Multi-Pass Efficiency Test), the Mobil 1 filter is much more efficient than a typical oil filter, removing more particles per pass through the filter. In addition, the synthetic fibers in the Mobil 1 filter have less resistance to oil flow..."

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Other_Products/Mobil_1_Extended_Performance_Oil_Filters_FAQs.aspx#FAQs1

just changed mine over to mobil 1 today had about 4k miles before i changed. i noticed immediately the engine is much smoother and pulls a little harder too?

yea, wishful thinking
but you can notice a slight difference in peformance,
highly rec. Mobile 1...done me good

... Some car makers now use Synthetic from the start - but they likely have designed and prepped them differently than the standard Toyota 4-banger....

The Brazilian engine in the standard Minicooper is designed almost identical to the Japanese engine in the xB. Both have 16 valves, with these differences:
1.6 litres vs 1.5 for the xB
115 hp vs 108
110 ft-lbs vs 105
Synthetic from the start vs regular oil for the xB

Vintage42: The "advantages" you posted are from Mobil's site - not an unbiased accounting of reality.
When I said that it's not showing to be better than OEM, I'm talking about third-party info/research.
Take a look on BITOG (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/)
You'll find good info on that 99.2% efficiency.
There are two major properties to measure an oil filter - flow, and filtration.
Sometimes, they're mutually exclusive. You need to be careful when choosing a filter.

Scott

Here's a great thread on various filters for our engines:
Oil Filter Autopsy (http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=6;t=002995)

The link in the first post goes back to the prior threads which also are very informative...

Scott

I went with synthetic on first oil change now have 50000 miles . I run M1 15w50 and red line it every day sense i bought it new no lie. Runs smooth with no problem and just shoots to red line when i pin it. Excelent oil would recomend. I ran Q state for the first 35000 but i like M1 better, runs better on it. I put 10000 miles on M1 then change it and the old oil looked the same as the new.