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Did you extend 5K oil change interval with synthetic?

7.7K views 143 replies 37 participants last post by  tacogerry  
#1 ·
Hi All,

I know there are a zillion oil threads, and if this one is repetitive, just tell me where to go....;)

I've asked so many gear heads: When you switched to full synthetic on an old car, did you extend the recommended 5K oil change interval?

It finally dawned on me...HERE in 1st generation was THE place to ask. So my '06 HL Limited always had 5K conventional changes, I moved her a blend, now to full synthetic....should I stretch the interval to 6K, 7K....or more?

What did you do...and what, if anything, did you notice??

:unsure:

Thanks!
(y)
 
#3 ·
I still do 5k / 1yr changes on mine with full synthetic. I figure oil's cheap and we're already saving a boat-load of cash driving these old HLs!
 
#7 ·
Yes. Both my (212,000 '05 Corolla) and my son's (297,000 '05 Corolla) cars are on 10K mile changes (so too my 2014 Ford Edge).
Why? Because I don't guess, I don't go by feelings, I don't go by randos on the internet, I go by the data of the actual OIL running through the engine. I pull a sample and submit it for analysis and THAT tells me what is actually going on and guess what? Minimal to no fuel dilution, minimal to no viscosity loss and the additive package (Mobil 1 usually or Pennzoil Platinum) show the oil can easily go to 15,000 miles. But I change it at 10K-ish because that lines up with an annual oil change interval.
 
#8 ·
I've been using a full synthetic motor oil since 2003 starting in my gen1 tacoma, and changed it once a year with about 10-12k miles on it. Never had any oil related issues till I sold the truck in 2019 when I bought my 3rd gen tacoma which I'm still doing the same. I've had Blackstone analyze the oil which claimed it was still good to run further. Imo, all these 5k mile oil changes if using a quality full synthetic is unnecessary unless you like spending money.
 
#13 ·
Call it overkill, but I use full synthetic and change it every 3K miles. Never heard of an engine developing problems due to oil that's too clean.
No. But it depends on your driving and what issues your engine may have. I prefer not to take the chance. I generally change it at 3-4k
To both of you, thats insane. I hope your not disposing it, I'd reuse that oil in my lawnmower it's so fresh.
 
#16 ·
Well, if it is turning brown and starting to be difficult to see through, then it is time to change it. As I stated above, it all depends on the conditions of your driving and your engine. And conditions change. I am not sure why anyone would trust the advertising hype or the government mandates for longer change intervals. And I’ve wasted money on having my oil analyzed before too. I would rather spend it on an oil change than an oil analysis. One and done doesn’t do it. Seasons change, driving conditions change, engine conditions change.
Who do you think sets the standards for what is “good” oil and how to quantify it? Follow the money because the science follows the money.
Take a look at the car care nut videos on the topic. He sees the results of extended oil changes.

And generally we avoid calling people names in this forum. Take your comments to Reddit. We don’t need you here.
 
#14 ·
Yes. Both my (212,000 '05 Corolla) and my son's (297,000 '05 Corolla) cars are on 10K mile changes (so too my 2014 Ford Edge).
Why? Because I don't guess, I don't go by feelings, I don't go by randos on the internet, I go by the data of the actual OIL running through the engine. I pull a sample and submit it for analysis and THAT tells me what is actually going on and guess what? Minimal to no fuel dilution, minimal to no viscosity loss and the additive package (Mobil 1 usually or Pennzoil Platinum) show the oil can easily go to 15,000 miles. But I change it at 10K-ish because that lines up with an annual oil change interval.

I've been using a full synthetic motor oil since 2003 starting in my gen1 tacoma, and changed it once a year with about 10-12k miles on it. Never had any oil related issues till I sold the truck in 2019 when I bought my 3rd gen tacoma which I'm still doing the same. I've had Blackstone analyze the oil which claimed it was still good to run further. Imo, all these 5k mile oil changes if using a quality full synthetic is unnecessary unless you like spending money.
.
Why take any chances? Just leave the drain plug out and park a 55 gallon barrel on the roof! Lol.
Hopefully you don't drive as aggressively as you comment about OCI's. 🤣
To both of you, thats insane. I hope your not disposing it, I'd reuse that oil in my lawnmower it's so fresh.
To both of you, thats insane. I hope your not disposing it, I'd reuse that oil in my lawnmower it's so fresh.
To both of you, thats insane. I hope your not disposing it, I'd reuse that oil in my lawnmower it's so fresh.
That's hyperbolic. Should the government make a law that you can't change your oil until it reaches 10k? What about oil leaks from the engine that drip on roadways. Should there be a fine for that? I was under the impression that recycling centers were to minimize people from pouring their used oil in the lawn or down the drain not to enforce a minimum 10k OCI. If you want to have a 10k OCI for your vehicle I'm certain it works for you. Same as the opinion of others weighing in on their preferred OCI.
 
#15 ·
I just change my son's 2007 HL engine oil when the engine service reminder light comes on at about 5k miles even though I use 5W-30 Valvoline High Mileage full synthetic engine oil.

Oil is cheap so I just keep fresh(or lightly used) oil in my engines even though many of the synthetic oils claim to have a 10k mile or longer service life.
 
#18 ·
My highlander 2.4 liter has over 160k. Bought it new, first oil change at 600miles to get fine particles out after breakin, then 4k. and 10k intervals until about 140k. Now I drive less and change yearly at 4 to 7k.

Engine burns less than 1 quart during 10k. I never added oil before next oil change.

Used only mobil one during first 100k. After that any full synthetic on sale.

easy DIY oil change. Great vehicle overall.
 
#20 ·
i do full syn and 5k OCI's.
i put about 20 - 25k miles on my cars a year.
its a DEEP rooted habit that likely wont change unless something big changes in the auto world.
so each their own i suppose. 5k/10k it dont matter to me.

i don't think its that much about the oil though. i think the root of the issue is the low tension piston rings. If it we not for them, i believe 10k OCI's would be allot more common or accepted.

still, most fully syn oil on the shelf isn't actually FULL SYNTHETIC. so theres that; and with the minimal price difference, i just change the oil at 5k.

side note, i had a rav4 with over 330,000mi on the clock when i gave it away. Almost zero maintenance. the oil came out of a 55gal drum that just said "motor oil". And the filter was the cheapest one possible; i think they were only $2 or $3 each.
i believe the only thing that kept it going (still on the road too) was the oil being changed every 5k on the dot.
this leads me to believe the OCI was more important than the actual oil being used. on the flip side, if you were to buy the best oil possible but only changed it every 50k miles, youd most likely not make it to the next oil change.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I don't have a Highlander but a Camry and a whoel bunch of previous cars. I always stick with 5,000 miles or 6 months max on all of my vehicles over time.

For me, I drive about 15,000 a year, but tend to error on the side of the Severe Maintenance schedule to be safe (always have with every car I've owned) since it can get quite cold here in the winter and very hot in the summer, so I figure 5,000 miles is a good enough interval where it's not too much (although I don't think changing your oil too much is necessary harmful to the car itself) but it's also not so long that it starts to break down to a point where it's concerning,. Some vehicles (not necessarily Toyotas, but some Chevy's like their Silverado) actually need to have the oil done more like every 3,000 - 5,000 miles because I found later on with my 2013 Silveardo that contaminated and broken-down oil can cause problems with their active fuel management system, and the reason some of those trucks (in the 2009-2013 era with the 5.3L specifically) had so many issues is people were actually following the dealer guideline of some 5,000- 7500 miles, but after talking to several mechanics, they said after the truck has about 50,000 miles you should move to every 3,000 miles to help prevent lifters collapsing and getting stuck but by the time your warranty runs out at 100k or 5 years, the damage to the lifters and possibly the cam, has been done. But that era of truck also had other issues like oil burning due to the AFM design too, but my point is in those cases you'd be better off doing it every 3,000 miles after a while, or even from the start. Anything less than 3,000 IMO is not beneficial unless you're street racing, then maybe.

Basically, oil is cheap, new engines / rebuilds are not. It's cheap maintenance on your car in the grand scheme of things to try to give it the longest life you can.
 
#30 ·
Oil changes started at 3,000 miles with the car using a quart to 1,000 miles so really you changed 2/3 of the oil before you got to 3000 miles. As time went on oil packages were improved to be able to go to 5,000 miles. Eventually that was bumped to 7500 miles and then now 10,000 to.20,000 miles but the mileage changes were always under the ideal situations of running the engine. When you read the owners manual it will tell you if you are driving under adverse conditions you should change it more frequently. Now if you go five 600 Mi over you don't have to have a nervous breakdown. So pop the hood pull the dipstick make sure it's within the two marks and take a look and see how it looks. If it's convenient get it changed at a Toyota dealership sooner, it'll keep the engine sparkly inside.
 
#31 ·
2001 Camry LE 2.2L with 163K. Retired, only drive about 1-2K mi/yr. I still change the oil and filter every 6-7 months. I use Mobile-1 synthetic and carefully do the work myself. Overkill? Yes. But the Camry will still be running when I am not.

Only problem with synthetic oil is that when you do the switchover on an older car, leaks might crop up. In the past five years I have fixed minor leaks in the oil pump seals , cam seal, dist. plug and valve cover. But currently not leaking a drop and not burning any oil at all.
 
#87 ·
Im also retired, drive very little, and split that 3k year mileage between two vehicles. I change it based on mileage and use and time, but mostly mileage. Yes, the short trip thing is real but you can work around it by going on a long drive occasionally (30 miles is sufficient) to burn off the water and other contaminents. So my oil changes are regularly 2-3 years apart. And both my cars will still be running after Im not. So your point is really weak. Probably should have just left it at "overkill"
 
#35 ·
I have always used Mobile 1 full synthetic. Years ago I had a 1988 Ford Ranger, as always changed oil every 15,000 miles. At 180,000 miles I took it to a local shop due to a hole punched in my oil pan. Climbing some old back roads while deer hunting. When I picked it up, the mechanic was going a bit crazy saying that he had never seen a motor that clean let alone one with that many miles on it.
I change every 10,000 miles now and the dealership says its great.
 
#41 ·
A lot of manufacturers, apparently under epa pressure, now specify longer drain intervals. Audi at 10k miles/1 year is one example. It isn’t always working out great. Stuck rings. Stuck exhaust valves, worn out timing chains at 100k miles, etc. I think it’s likely a lot of these repairs could be avoided with better maintenance.

for my HL 3.3, I use mostly pennzoil platinum ultimate, change at 6500(ish), I’ve had a few go longer, never as much as 10,000. I’m all highway and rural two lane, no city, no short trips on cold engine. 362k to date, engine runs like new.
 
#42 · (Edited)
Some like to change the oil every 5K miles, others every 6 months. I don't like doing it but I do it. I don't like having to record every service on each of the (7) vehicles in the household(s), but I do that, too. So I just set aside some days in September every year when the oil gets changed, and other necessary service gets attended to.

That means the wife's Venza (2GR-FE) gets the oil changed every 7000-7500 miles. (Full synthetic in everything.) The engine is clean as a whistle inside (no varnish on dipstick, or on oil baffle in filler neck, or anywhere else that I could see down the filler access port with a borescope). But it also means the other cars get oil changed anywhere from 1500 miles to 5000 miles. Daughter's RAV4 gets the oil changed every March and September, as she drives about 10K miles/yr. 10K mile OCIs are too long. 7K miles is no problem.

Now, if I was driving a ton every year (over 10,000 miles), I would change it every 6 months, March and September. Changing the oil in winter is no fun when it's 55 degrees in the garage, nor is it in the summer when it's 85 in the garage. It's a ton easier to keep track of time than mileage.