jwinters78

OK... i'm rounding the corner of my first 1500 miles, at which point i'm planning to get my first oil change. I've heard alot of ranting about using this or that kind of oil... but does ANYONE have decent fact or experience-based information/advice on this subject? I simply want what is best for the car.

Any info about brands, frequency of changing, weather impact (does one do better in f*ing cold midwest winter AND hot midwest summer?), environmental impact (post-engine disposal), or anything i may have forgotten that you'd like to add.

Thanks for sharing!!
~jonathan

breunor

Well, expect people to tell you to use the search feature of the site, you'll find many threads discussing these questions already. Regardless...

Conventional wisdom suggests you change your original oil after 1000+/- miles in case any initial wear debris is floating around. You can put in synthetic oil at this point or any other point if you so choose, any valve sealing that might occur already has at this point. I put in Mobil 1 at 1000 miles.

Synthetic does wear better than normal oil, but if you extend your intervals because of this you lose some of those wear benefits. Synthetic is not cheaper over the long run. If you want to keep your warranty 100%, you'll change the synth oil at 5k as well, per Mobil 1's recommendations (and per your user manual which requires it for the warranty). Your oil changes might cost $10-15 more with synth, but in theory your engine will stay in better shape down the road. Unless you're really strapped for cash, synth might be the way to go. Pay a little more now as insurance that it runs better later on. There are no guarantees here, but also remember this is a Toyota engine we're talking about :D

jeffguynyc

jonathan,

I've got just over 10k on my xA and have been using Mobil 1 since the first oil change. I have to say that while it does cost more, synthetic oil is worth it. I didn't sense any increase in power but overall the car seems to run smoother. My recommendation to you is to wait till you hit 3k before you switch over. There are people on this forum that switch over at 1k. I don't think that necessary but I guess it couldn't hurt.

I live in NYC and this will be the first winter for my xA. I've heard that synethic oil is more resistant to breaking down in extreme hot or cold temperature. As far as brands that are out there: Mobil 1, Royal Purple, Redline :?: , Valvoline and Quakerstake. I can report that I've had no problems with Mobil 1.

Question: Does anyone know if there is any difference between the Mobil 1 filter and the TRD filter?

Jeff

hotbox05

i'd say synthetic or a synth blend. nice slick slick snick snick

hnefrdo

i don't use synthetic because of the controversy of it being good and bad. seems safer to go with what the mass market use.