Toastercar

Yesterday I went to a quick lube place to have my 2011 Scion xB inspected. I'd had the first two oil changes done at the dealer and they put in 5W-20. The third was done at this quick lube place, again with 5W-20 used. After the inspection this place noted that the car was soon due for another oil change and handed me a printout which included the following (highlighted in yellow): "0W-20 is the best choice for good fuel economy and starting in cold weather. If 0W-20 is not available, 5W-20 may be used. However, it must be replaced with 0W-20 at the next oil change." The techs stated that this was from Toyota and that not using the 0W-20 oil could jeopardize my warranty. My manual does recommend using the lighter oil, but lists the 5W-20 as suitable as well. There is nothing that I can find that has the 0W-20 as a requirement. My dealer was not reacheable today due to a power outage but I plan to call them. Has anyone else encountered this? Has Toyota changed its oil viscosity requirement?

SamCarroll

0W-20 is just fine to use in 08+ xBs Toyotas spec sheet does say for cold starting and better fuel economy.

Toastercar

I have no problem with the 0W-20. I just think that this place may be hyping it as a requirement to get a bit more dough from the customer.

SamCarroll

Its not a requirement. Just by choice.

Rockztar

iTrader: (1)

i don't think there is a difference in price, or atleast every time i get my oil from autozone or walmart they cost the same but 0w-20 its a little bit hard to find

SamCarroll

Rockztar

iTrader: (1)

so what? i do my own oil changes....but thats not the point; the point is that 0w-20 and 5w-20 are the same price

Roller_Toaster

iTrader: (1)

Walmart is the only place I know that carries the 5qt jugs of 0w-20 for around $20-25.

Everywhere I have checked else seems to only sell the single quarts for $6.99.

Ometta

I know in my tC manual and my oil cap say 0W-20 / 5W-20. Dealership puts in 5W-20. Doesn't matter what you use. Either of those will be fine. Don't worry about your warranty on the engine cause it will run 200k+ miles with no problems.

jnaval

The oil cap says 0W20/5W20, that place is just using scare tactics to make you buy 0W since it's generally more expensive than 5W.

ScionFred

iTrader: (1)

Toyota recommends 5W30 if you have the TRD supercharger. I wouldn't dream of running 0w20 or 5w20 in a boosted engine or a N/A engine seeing any race duty.

SamCarroll

Id honestly only consider 0w if you have a long commute, colder climates and take your car on trips very frequently. Otherwise 5w is just fine.

divisii

When I used 0w at a sustained rpm on a 2day road trip, I burnt about a quart of oil. running at 3500+ rpm all day, dealer said it's not unusual/my car was within specs. Either oil shouldn't be a warranty issue.

Roller_Toaster

iTrader: (1)

^weird. I run 0w-20 and drive 75+ highway miles a day. Never noticed the dipstick looking low at all.

drewsxb808

i been using 0w-20 for about 3 years now and it has worked great. noticed a small bump in fuel economy, about 2 mpg on average, and i never had any issues with it at all. and it definitely cost ,ore then 5w-20 at least here in hawaii it does. i use mobile 1 and its usually $7 a quart unless its on sale.
theres benefits to it but its definitely not required.

Roller_Toaster

iTrader: (1)

That's why you buy the 5 quart jug. Its the same price as the 5w at walmart, or anywhere that isn't an automotive specific parts store.

jnaval

Those jugs are rare in my 'hood.

Roller_Toaster

iTrader: (1)

My local walmart is literally the only place I can get them in my town.

AAG

iTrader: (1)

Im using 5w-20 because Mobil 1 Extended Performance doesnt come in 0w-20. Running it 10k miles with a mobil 1 filter.

If you're running your oil 5k miles or less, 5w-20 dino is fine. The mpg increase from 5w to 0w is BS btw, if it does increase your mpg, it would be minimal at best.

Roller_Toaster

iTrader: (1)

Eh, I guess so. I can tell a difference and I drive around 75 miles a day, so I use it.