which motor oil brand do you use?

[fenixus]

quick question. what motor oil brands do you use?

what do you suggest is best for a car with 66k (5S-FE) miles and former problem (discovered after purchase @ 35k miles) with one cylinder dirty - assuming the cylinder was dirty, because spark plug and wire coil were covered with a brown sediment looking like crap. it never happened again after replacing plugs, but first two oil changes were dark brown. now is normal/better.

i used to take whatever the shop was giving me. i did first oil change on my solara in Lube Express (was only one open on weekend with no lines) the day after purchase.
then i used to bring the car to local Firestone for oil change and free inspection of stuff. they give Kendall brand. I used a few other local shops as well, don't remember the brands they used though (McGuire was in one I like most, but they are busy always).

i haven't changed oil myself in this car yet b/c i do not own a house with driveway or garage, so really no place to do that stuff (unless you can picture someone doing it on street or in parking lot which may happen to me eventually).

i was wondering if it makes any difference if i told the shop to use Mobil1 or Castrol or whatever you think is real good.

maybe this summer I will finally change that oil myself for fun - which oil filter tool to use in 5S-FE? should I replace the drain plug gasket as well ? and most interestingly, which brands of oil are best in your opinions?

thanks for your input.

[Tom 2000]

If you use the proper grade oil (5W-30) from a major brand (Castrol, Valvoline Mobil, etc..), you will be fine.

I personally use Castrol GTX in my car and it runs fine after 105K miles on the odometer. I buy the oil filter from the Toyota Dealer. For aftermarket, I've always heard wix filters are good quality.

The oil filter tool I use is something that looks like this.



It's pretty simple. I just insert a socket extension into it and turn it with a ratchet.

At least around here, most auto parts stores accept used oil.

[JohnGD]

Dino oil will still be good by 3000 miles. It's all the crap loading up in these engines that you need to get rid of by that time. So IMO more frequently with dino, instead of less frequently with fully synthetics.

Regular dino 10W-30 oil works well if you operate in temperate zones. The currently spec'ed oil is ILSAC GF-4, so look for that. My preference is Valvoline, but Castrol, Chevron, Shell (incl. QuakerState, Pennzoil) on sale will all work. And if those aren't on sale, Walmart SuperTech (WarrenLube mostly) works too.

I'd prefer Purolator PureOne filter PL14477 or Bosch Filtech. You can use Motorcraft FL400S from Walmart too. However, it'll take slightly longer to fill this larger filter on initial start.

As for tool, if you use the OEM wimpy filter, then this wrench works:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=36778

IIRC you'll need a 14mm socket. Do change the crush washer if it's plastic. Aluminum will last many changes if you don't want to use a new one each time.

The only thing when you order or bring a shop Mobil-1 is you have to make sure they actually go into your car. Sometimes they go into a tool bag on the way home. And I don't mean your home!

Originally Posted by fenixus

i used to take whatever the shop was giving me. i did first oil change on my solara in Lube Express (was only one open on weekend with no lines) the day after purchase.
then i used to bring the car to local Firestone for oil change and free inspection of stuff. they give Kendall brand. I used a few other local shops as well, don't remember the brands they used though (McGuire was in one I like most, but they are busy always).

i haven't changed oil myself in this car yet b/c i do not own a house with driveway or garage, so really no place to do that stuff (unless you can picture someone doing it on street or in parking lot which may happen to me eventually).

i was wondering if it makes any difference if i told the shop to use Mobil1 or Castrol or whatever you think is real good.

maybe this summer I will finally change that oil myself for fun - which oil filter tool to use in 5S-FE? should I replace the drain plug gasket as well ? and most interestingly, which brands of oil are best in your opinions?

thanks for your input.

[fenixus]

thanks for your input!

I have a socket tool set already, so probably i will try getting that oil filter socket, looks nice. thanks tom2000.
JohnGD, that wrench looks very handy too! now cannot make the decision ehehe.

I also heard good stuff only about Castrol GTX (e.g. from my brother living in Europe, he's deeply into cars, i went computers, but nowadays it seems both of us turned 180 degrees LOL).
Valvoline i think is rated high as well by many. so in short any 5w-30 works, but castrol gtx, valvoline and mobil1 sound better, right? should i bother with using oils with some engine cleaning stuff?
i heard mixed opinions on e.g. Penzoil something (Platinum was it?) with some cleaning particles that were actually damaging engines...

The only thing when you order or bring a shop Mobil-1 is you have to make sure they actually go into your car. Sometimes they go into a tool bag on the way home. And I don't mean your home!

haha, i can imagine that LOL specifically in most shops that do not allow customers standing by cars ("security precautions" - whose security again?)

[MichWolverine]

I use good old Wallmart oil brand called Super Tech , you can get a 5 qt. jug for under $10. I like Fram oil filters , they have a black grippy texture on the end of the filter so its easy to spin off without a wrench, remember to only screw on 3/4 turn after the gasket touches the block. You can screw it on more BUT remember you have to take it off, and if you go more you will have to beat it off. Wallmart allso makes a Synthetic motor oil that is not much more then coventioal. I normally change every 5K i do mostly hwy driving. It makes remembering to change easyer , 10K 15k 20k .

[fenixus]

yeah, so far i was accepting whatever shops were pouring, if stickers were true (why wouldn't they?) they were not bad brands ... oh I usually change that oil every 3-3.5k miles.

previous owner (55 y.o. dude from CE Europe) of my car was saying that he was changing it every 10k KM (old mythical standard in Central-Eastern European countries) which is around every 6.5-7k miles. i think its dangerous for engine here. that oil was very liquid (and dark), more like water when I checked on it after purchase.

thing is that CE Europe weather conditions are MILD in comparison to East Coast around NJ/NY. humidity is much higher here, temps are a bit different throughout the year too. So bringing here the oil change schedule from countries of milder weather conditions was silly. I assume you guys in states like TX, AZ or FL change oil strictly every 3k miles or so?

well, i just wanna be on a safe side, changing oil is not expensive anyways, just requires a little time (both at shop or when done yourself) ... IMHO it's not worth it to save money on motor oil and frequency of changes.

I may be a little over-protective about engines though

[murphy390]

Everything you ever wanted to know about oil is at bobistheoilguy.com. You'll quickly learn that it's very opinionated as what is the "best" of anything. The overall consensus seems to be that any SM rated dino oil will be good for 5,000 mile oil change intervals along with a new filter of basically any brand.

[fenixus]

thanks murphy. that website looks professional, fascinating forum, but in the end people are arguing over there about Penzoil vs Mobil1 vs some other stuff in many threads... too much information for me LOL, i feel overloaded. i will just get Castrol GTX plus Bosch filter and forget about the question (no offense) ... I don't feel like comparing oil datasheets and getting deeply into it...

a different question.
have anyone know if there are (somewhere) the wheel ramps that you could drive your car up on and change your oil ? They are quite popular (for free) in Europe, but I have yet to see one in the USA.

[Hajoca]

Fenixus

You should be able to get under the car with a piece of cardboard.

You can buy small ramps that lift car about 8 inches at stores that sell car equipment and supplies.

I think drive on ramp platform that you are referring to, but unfortunately, in North America, they are usually at car dealers (new/used) to display car for sale and not for working underneath. Too many liability issues.

[fenixus]

yeah, that's what i figured. thanks for a quick reply Hajoca!

[eddie926]

Fenixus,

I have a '95 Camry I4 with stock suspension, and a '95 Camry V6 that's lowered on H&R Sports with Tokicos, and I can get underneath both of them far enough to change the oil without having to use ramps or jack stands. I see on your profile you have a 5sfe Solara that's all stock. I wouldn't think getting under far enough to get at the drain plug would be a problem.

I've used Castrol GTX in all my vehicles for years, and have never had any problems. You can get 5Qt containers at Wal Mart for a reasonable price. I get Purolator PureOne filters at Advance Auto Parts. I started using them a couple of years ago after reading some comparisons. They rated as one of the best for the money.

[fenixus]

all right, thanks for input. sounds like a plan (me under car should fit, not too fat I am).
before coolant change I had to stick my head over there laying on back to see if there was anything on the way of radiator drain plug.
I think for oil change I will just have to slide my arms first and just reach the oil pan drain plug (10mm socket?). sounds possible
don't wanna buy any jack stands or else because I would have to store them at home (no idea where, either living room or bedroom hehe)...

I have to admit I never heard about Purolator brand until people mentioned it in this thread. Is it better than Bosch (which generally has so-so reputation in Asian cars)?

[eddie926]

Comparisons I read at the time rated the PureOne filters over Bosch.

Seems like they suggested that Bosch was a re-labeled Champion filter or vice versa. I don't recall for sure.

Anyway, if you look into them, make sure you're looking at the "PureOne" line. Purolator makes other lines too. The PureOne is the one that was highly rated.

[fenixus]

ah I see, good to know. thanks!

[murphy390]

It's a 14mm socket. I have a floor jack and raise the body up slightly to reach underneath.