Synthetic Oil & Toyota Warranty??

It is total BS. It will not void the warranty.

However, most knowledgeable people would recommend that you wait about 5k -

10K miles before switching to synthetic on a new car. This is because you want to some engine wear to occur so the piston rings will "seat" properly before you start using synthetic (which in some cases is so slippery that you don't get engine wear for the seating to take place).

I've heard this mentioned before but then it makes me wonder why Corvette's, BMW's, etc. come stock with synthetic. Anyway, thanks for the response!

The fact is that when they first made synthetic factory fill in the Corvette they did had problems with piston ring seating. I am not sure what they did to fix it, but obviously if synthetic is factory fill then it is OK.

I can tell you from my own experience that I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic on my 1998 Camry V6 at 5K miles and now I have a problem. The engine is so smooth after more than 10 years that I can't find any justification to buy a new car.

Wow Mark. That is a problem. Sucks to be you (grin). If you want, start putting away about $450/month and pretend that you're making car payments.

Since Toyota actually sells Full Synthetic Oil, I think I'd go back to the dealer and tell them to go to H*&l. The Toyota 0W-20 full synthetic oil part number is 00920-1QT0W-01 ($5.96 a quart from on-line Toyota parts stores).

The following web page is from a Toyota of Canada Web Site:

This Toyota web site has lots of wonderful things to say about Full Synthetic Oil and I quote:

---Begin Quote---

WHAT IS IT? . Conventional oils are refined from base stocks, whereas synthetic oil is man made by combining specific chemicals to produce a synthetic base stock

WHY DOES IT DO? . Synthetic oil protects your engine and performs better in both cold and hot temperatures . Reduces engine friction more effectively, especially at low temperatures, thereby increasing horsepower and decreasing fuel consumption . Synthetic oil minimizes on-going wear and deterioration and extends engine life

WHEN TO REPLACE? . The oil and filter should be changed according to the Toyota Maintenance Menu

FEATURES . Pour point of -51°C means it keeps flowing even at very low temperatures . Withstands the extremes of very high engine temperatures without thermal breakdown and maintains viscosity control . Excellent low and high temperature performance combine to produce a single all-season lubricant suitable for the extremes of the Canadian climate

---End Quote---

I guess only Canadians actually need synthetic oil.

Ed

Spoke to my buddy today. He said he went back to the dealer and asked someone in service about this and they said, "sure you can use synthetics. Whoever told you you can't doesn't know what they're talking about." Mystery solved.

Indeed. It's also a falacy that you need to wait to use it. "Waiting for your engine to wear"? Feh.

I don't finance cars. The last time I did that was when interest payments on consumer debt was still tax deductable (like home mortgage interest is today). As the deduction was repealed (circa 1987) I paid off my existing loan and have paid cash for cars ever since.

I agree that waiting 10K miles may be unnecessary, but it is not a fallacy that some break-in with conventional oil is a good idea:

There are plenty of other links to support this.

For engines that use synthetic as factory fill, the manufacturer may well be using a different machining procedure on the piston rings and cylinder walls. Nevertheless, I can tell you from experience that waiting 5K miles before switching will not loose the long term benefits of synthetic oil.

Synthetic oil won't stop engine wear. Under normal conditions, synthetic oil won't even reduce wear by very much. What it will do is remain liquid at colder temperature than conventional oils. It also won't boil off as easily as conventional oils. So you don't have to wait for your engine to wear before you use synthetic oils. There's no great advantage to using them but go ahead and use them if you like to spend money.

Jack

European cars, like BMW, MB, come factory-filled with synthetics. These do not have the traditional "break-in" period. But these are not the low cost engines in the typical car either. Audi/VW however, use break-in oil. So don't just drain it and refill with synthetic on the way home.

For those who rebuild engines one thing they know is NOT to use synthetics in the engine. Otherwise the rings won't set proplery.

org/enginebreakin.htm

More than that. Owners still have to change the oil every 5000 miles. This has been reduced by Toyota from 7500 miles since 2004 because of engine sludge concerns. So, true, there is no real advantage given that dinos work reasonably well during those intervals.

I agree with this. I think it's much more effective to change oil regularly with normal (non synth) oil. Only time I would use synthetic is when: it costs as much as regular oil or I live in extreme cold climates.

I compromise.. I use the syntec blend, which gives some of the advantages, but not quite as pricy as full synth oil.. I change every 5k, no matter what oil I use. The main reason I use the syntec vs dino oil is for the bit better breakdown protection, and also resists gelling, which is a concern on Toyota engines.. Even the newer "post gelling prone" years with the slight engine changes.. But that shouldn't be a problem if you change every 5k even with just dino oil. The difference in the long term is not huge as far as engine wear, but there is a difference none the less. If you rack up

200k and compare the two types of oil, you will usually see noticeably less engine wear using the synth oil. But I don't agree with the ones that use synth oil as an excuse to extend oil change skeds.. I think that's just plain dumb, even if you used liquid gold as oil and the best filter money can buy.. Which leads to another issue.. Over filtering.. I'm of the opinion that it's quite possible to over filter, which can lead to reduced oil flow, and easier clogging of the filter. And if the filter clogs, the bypass kicks in.. No filtering.. Or at least I assume the newer engines still use a bypass... Myself, I use regular grade filters.. I don't buy the high $$$ versions..

OTOH, there are people who change their conventional oil every 3,000 miles (which I might do if I used conventional oil). If those people extended their oil change interval to 5,000 miles when using a full synthetic, that would make a lot of sense, and make the cost differential almost zero.

Yeah, that's what I do. Mobil 1 5w20 every 5-6k on my Honda Accord which I switched to on the 2nd oil change. (Yes, I know this is a Toyota NG). Few extra bucks for Mobil 1 vs. conventional but at least I don't have to get it done as frequently. Burnoff seems less.

-Dave

I would argue that most people who claim this are repeating old wives tales based on experiences from decades ago with early synthetics that were very thin compared to standard motor oil of the period. The truth is, synthetic oil of a given viscosity is not "slicker" than petroleum oil of a similar viscosity. In fact, the additive package has more to do with reducing friction than whether the oil is synthetic or conventional. Some manufacturers (VW?) still use special break-in oil. These oils include additional friction modifiers and anti-wear ingredients, not less, and are likely to be "slicker" than "regular" motor oils.

Ed

Ed, these guys aren't going to change their minds. I said basically the same thing you said just before he posted this clap-trap.

A break-in period may be needed on an engine that was rebuilt at home with new bearings and races. But only if second-rate parts without the proper tolerances are used or if you're sloppy about how you put the engine together. But new engines don't need a break-in period. Keep your speed down below 50 mph for the first 50 or 60 miles to allow the rings to settle into the piston groves and then drive it like you will for the rest of it's life.

Jack

Racing engines are "broker in" by running them at full trotte for an hour LOL