How often should i be changing the oil in my 99 camry v6

[tylerho]

I first got my 99 camry oil changed on 11/10/10 with an odometer reading of 125,066 at a toyota dealership because they have a multipoint inspection i just bought the car from a neighbor. On the sticker it didn't say what month to come back just only the mileage of 130,066. Im a college student this is my only car and I want to know how often to change it because I dont want the engine to sludge up. I do know how to change my own oil. Please help me out thanks.

[rhymz]

doesnt state when because they're basing ur oil change on engine mileage... a 5000mile change it seems

so just change it when ur odometer hits 130,066 i guess...however if its a frequently driven car i would average changing ur oil every 3months, but its easier to go the odometer reading if u wanna be exact... i personally like performing oil changes every 3000miles...i like my stuff well lubricated lol

[Yuko]

When it comes to motor oil, you’re going to get a dozen answers and opinions. It all depends on your diving habit, type of oil/filter used, and how much money you’re willing to spend. In your case, the dealership recommends a 5,000 miles oil change interval with (I’m guessing) conventional oil and an OEM filter. Some will say you can save money and go longer with synthetic motor oil. Others will say change it every 3,000 miles and you’ll do fine.

As for my opinion, (as a college student too with harsh daily commute) I use Castrol GTX 5W-30 with a Napa Proselect Filter and change it every 3,000. This is for my little 2.2 and you have the nicer 3.0 V6. I don’t know much about the charactisic of the 1MZ-FE V6 thou. Anyone else want to chime in?

[fenixus]

Toyota dealers use dino oil on these models. it's good for up to 3k miles or 3 months despite whatever their sticker says. change it to full synthetic oil with decent filter (oem, wix/napa gold, purolator pureone are your friends) and you should be good for up to 5k miles / 6 months OCI if car is driven at least half time on highways.

if doing city traffic only then stick to 3k mile / 3mo OCI.
gen4 models like to buildup sludge if oil is not changed on time (or when mileage calls for it). using cheap (fram, regular purolator and some other inventions like champion and stuff) oil filters doesn't help either.

[cf99]

Originally Posted by Yuko

When it comes to motor oil, you’re going to get a dozen answers and opinions. It all depends on your diving habit, type of oil/filter used, and how much money you’re willing to spend.

Well said, and that about sums it up.

So, here's another opinion. Since you just got the car and aren't sure if oil changes have been handled adequately and consistently, not just the intervals but the oil and filter quality and the previous driver's driving habits, I'd do your next change (including filter) fairly early, say 1000-1500 miles, and save a couple ounces of the oil you drain out.

That way, if there was an excess of contaminants when you got the car, where the filter was at its filtering capacity and the additive package in the oil had done all it could do when you changed it at 125k, the early change after 1000-1500 miles lets the oil and filter "catch up." After that, go to 3000 mile intervals.

You save some of the oil (and do the same after the other oil change) in case you want some analytical data to fine tune the oil change interval by sending your oil sample to a UOA (used oil analysis) lab. Since that costs money to do, I assume you'd rather hold off. But if you want data on the condition of your engine for its mileage, and whether your change interval is right, that would be something to look into. Google "used oil analysis" if you want more info to decide for yourself. There are several labs which do this, and you may decide it's not worth it to you. Just raising it as something to look into, since you're starting with an engine with unknown history (no matter what the previous owner said).

[tylerho]

Originally Posted by fenixus

Toyota dealers use dino oil on these models. it's good for up to 3k miles or 3 months despite whatever their sticker says. change it to full synthetic oil with decent filter (oem, wix/napa gold, purolator pureone are your friends) and you should be good for up to 5k miles / 6 months OCI if car is driven at least half time on highways.

if doing city traffic only then stick to 3k mile / 3mo OCI.
gen4 models like to buildup sludge if oil is not changed on time (or when mileage calls for it). using cheap (fram, regular purolator and some other inventions like champion and stuff) oil filters doesn't help either.

I thought that synthetics would clean out the deposits in my engine but it would cause leaks from the seals and gaskets. Would a synthetic blend be better than conventional alone?

[fenixus]

if you are worried about leaks from some gaskets and seals then use High Mileage type of oil, it usually have some seal conditioning package (may take a while to start working).

synthetic blends are also a decent choice, better protection than dino, but I would stick to 3k/3mo OCI with them. synthetics generally are protecting engine better (and do not cook themselves) at higher temperatures, so yeah synthetic blend is always better than conventional dino.

if you want to stick to dino oils, than use something with good cleaning package like Castrol GTX or GTX HM.

anyways truth is that gasket leaks should be repaired and not worked around by using additives
that may be easy for things like leaking valve cover gasket (common) or oil leaks in timing area (cam or crank seals or oil pump seal) which are repaired together with timing job, but if leaks are the bad ones (e.g. rear main seal), then sticking to some oil with sealing additives (e.g. HM versions) should do the trick.

[JohnGD]

If you do more city driving then I'd stick to a 3000 mile schedule. If you change your own oil then I'd get Motorcraft synthetic blend 10W-30 (40-70 deg F now in the Sacramento area) from Walmart along with a Motorcraft FL400S filter. That's safer for a 5000 mile interval than the dino oil the dealer uses. Of course if you want a standard size filter then Purolator PureOne PL10241 is an excellent choice that doesn't scare the dealer used to seeing wimpy sized filters.

You can drain the current oil after 3000 miles. Then drain the next change after 4000 miles and check the difference. Even if you want to save money I wouldn't go over 4000 miles on older engines.

And right, the best is to get an oil analysis. Go ahead and google up threads about UOAs. Lots fun reading. Check also Bob is the Oil Guy forum.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/
http://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php

How much does your dealer charge for oil change and rotation? QuickLane has a $29.99 synthetic-blend/tire rotation coupon deal any make/model, but they probably won't have Toyota Red coolant.

http://www.quicklane.com/currentspecials/specials#oil

Originally Posted by tylerho

I first got my 99 camry oil changed on 11/10/10 with an odometer reading of 125,066 at a toyota dealership because they have a multipoint inspection i just bought the car from a neighbor. On the sticker it didn't say what month to come back just only the mileage of 130,066. Im a college student this is my only car and I want to know how often to change it because I dont want the engine to sludge up. I do know how to change my own oil. Please help me out thanks.

[tylerho]

Originally Posted by JohnGD

How much does your dealer charge for oil change and rotation? QuickLane has a $29.99 synthetic-blend/tire rotation coupon deal any make/model, but they probably won't have Toyota Red coolant.

http://www.quicklane.com/currentspecials/specials#oil

I go to school in Davis i came back to monterey to get the oil change and it was 34.95 with a multipoint inspection just to see if i i needed anything else repaired. Ill go to quicklane next time, because the two are in the same plaza. thats a good deal 29.95 for a synthetic blend, jiffy lube used to charge me 49.95 for a high mileage package when i had an AE86.

[fenixus]

here in NJ, people pay like $60 for full synthetic fill plus filter plus "shop supplies" plus taxes plus recycling fees plus manager's tip hahaha ...

I prefer Walmart price ($24.50) for Mobil1 Full synthetic HM 10W-30 (picked up a 5qt jug yesterday for my V6) and my own filters (have plenty of OEM ones from past, $3.99 each)

[tylerho]

Originally Posted by fenixus

here in NJ, people pay like $60 for full synthetic fill plus filter plus "shop supplies" plus taxes plus recycling fees plus manager's tip hahaha ...

I prefer Walmart price ($24.50) for Mobil1 Full synthetic HM 10W-30 (picked up a 5qt jug yesterday for my V6) and my own filters (have plenty of OEM ones from past, $3.99 each)

My camry is very well maintained the lady that had before me changed a lot things before selling it to me such as the water pump and the timing belt. I'm thinking of going with the full synthetic I live 1/2 a mile from walmart i'll just drive there and do the oil change myself. I'm just afraid of getting oil leaks.

[JohnGD]

I think Ford did the smart move by creating Quicklane so their mechanics get extra business. Some are actually in the Ford dealerships and they are getting many non-Fords in there

http://www.dealer-magazine.com/home/...49b070653.html

As said my concern would be the correct coolant. For the 99 V6 their syn-blend oil and Mercon-V ATF will work just fine. The only other thing I don't like is the $10 mail-in rebate. But with this deal you get tire rotation too.

Originally Posted by tylerho

I go to school in Davis i came back to monterey to get the oil change and it was 34.95 with a multipoint inspection just to see if i i needed anything else repaired. Ill go to quicklane next time, because the two are in the same plaza. thats a good deal 29.95 for a synthetic blend, jiffy lube used to charge me 49.95 for a high mileage package when i had an AE86.

[JohnGD]

The oil filter orientation on these engines is a real problem. I'm not sure how the garages deal with this. I just hope they don't briefly crank your engine to clear the lines.

If you change your own oil you just need patience and use rags to soak up the oil as you loosen the filter seconds at a time. I know, this is one of the stupidest design placement I've seen.

You can do your own oil, ATF and coolant changes and periodically bring the car to the dealer, Quicklane or whatever place you frequent for additional inspections and tire rotations.

If you pick up the Walmart Mobil-1 also consider the Motorcraft FL400S filter, if you don't go OEM or the slightly shorter Purolator PureOne PL10241 (OEM size).

Originally Posted by tylerho

My camry is very well maintained the lady that had before me changed a lot things before selling it to me such as the water pump and the timing belt. I'm thinking of going with the full synthetic I live 1/2 a mile from walmart i'll just drive there and do the oil change myself. I'm just afraid of getting oil leaks.

[Yuko]

Originally Posted by JohnGD

I think Ford did the smart move by creating Quicklane so their mechanics get extra business. Some are actually in the Ford dealerships and they are getting many non-Fords in there

Quicklane is more or less similar to a jiffy lube (I think) so I guess it's normal for non-fords to be there. On the other hand, I remember taking my mother's Nissan Versa to a GM dealership for window tint. Many customers and technicians was wondering why it was in the service line with Buicks and GMCs. They did a great job on the tint btw.

At a Toyota dealership, I notice they charged $89 for full synthetic. It a bit of an overkill when there basic oil change is $25. Why the big different?

[pmesfun]

Sewell Lexus charges $80 for an dino oil change. Talk about a rip-off.