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How often to change the oil?

17K views 105 replies 57 participants last post by  etp7  
#1 ·
The owners manual recommends oil changes at 10K or 12 months and with other vehicles I’ve owned, I’ve been having them done at around 6 or 7k while always using synthetic oil.

Since the Venza is a hybrid, the engine is running less but stopping and starting more than a non hybrid so I’m thinking it might be better to have it changed at 8K increment, anyone have a different opinion on this?
 
#4 ·
My Venza is currently at 2800 miles. Here's what I plan on doing...

5k -DIY oil/filter change. I'll let ToyotaCare rotate the tires.
10k - ToyotaCare oil/filter change and tire rotation.
15k - DIY oil/filter change. I'll let ToyotaCare rotate the tires.
20k - ToyotaCare oil/filter change and tire rotation.
25k and every 5k thereafter - DIY oil/filter change. I'll rotate the tires.

I'll be using Toyota 0W-16 oil and filters.
 
#7 ·
Do the first one sooner. Do the rest at 10k intervals. 10k is CONSERVATIVE with these new cars, new engines, and new oils. This isn't your father's Oldsmobile (old car commercial). Times have changed. Oil change intervals have changed. Save yourself some money, and save the planet some pollution. Oil, and more so partially used oil is very bad for the planet. Do you throw away half a gallon of milk with a week left on the date just because it hit half? Early on the first. 10k on everything else.
 
#57 ·
I am the old guy that had the old car that got oil changes every 1500-2000 miles. Until Toyota, I changed my oil at 3000 miles. I will always change at 5000 because there are so many other factors involved in how oil (synthetic included) deteriorates. Oil is cheap, cars and major repairs are not. I intend to have my engine and vehicle for a million miles by taking care of it like those who have done this already.
 
#8 · (Edited)
Screw that, oil is cheap, your car is not. 5k or 6 months. All this hype about 10K mile oil change capability in new cars or fancy oil is all bullshit, it is just propoganda to sell cars. The oil pollution argument is BS as well. Used oil does not get dumped in a river or landfill, it is recycled under strict regulations, there is no pollution, running old oil will run dirtier and when your car starts to really burn the oil because you went so long between your oil changes and your mileage also goes down you will actually then be polluting more. No matter how great your space age engine is, oil itself degrades on its own, that is why they say 5k or 6months. If you want to believe the hype and use your expensive car as a science experiment, go right ahead, but the guys telling you 10K oil changes is fine are not going to pitch in to pay for your engine rebuild in the future. My cars get fresh oil every 3,500 miles and I do it myself with quality oil, not that no name brand 50cents a gallon stuff the quick lube shops use.
 
#9 ·
Yes but.... you're not telling the truth. "They" (the experts in the field) say 10k. "You" some no name on the internet says 3500.

I've run the lab tests on my used oil in the past. Then spot checked every 50-60,000 miles
The third party lab with no skin in the game says the oil in my car was in great shape and had life left to go at 15k. So I know for a fact in my car, 10k is way conservative. Since you ABUSE your car, ya better change it more often. I don't Baja race mine, so 10k is way conservative. My last hybrid burned no oil, passed every smog check, got EPA gas mileage or a tad above for the first 235,000 miles with 22 oil changes in it's lifetime. Was running great when it was rear-ended damaging the traction battery. Otherwise I'd still have it.

Do a lab test with your used oil. Then you can have some validity in what you say. I'm sure you're nice guy. But thinking chicken soup cures cancer does not make it true, as thinking 3500 mile OCI makes your engine last longer doesn't actually make it last longer. It's wishful thinking.

Change your oil at 10k. You'll ditch the car for reasons other than blown engine. Something else will go wrong first; or you'll get bored with it and sell/trade it. This isn't 1963.
You know, deep down, I'm right.

Toyota isn't out to get you.
They aren't giving you bad advice.
They tend to be really conservative if anything.
But then again; you probably use 91 octane when the manual says 87 is proper.
And you are probably super wealthy so I shouldn't try to help you.

Me, not rich, spend $1250 on oil changes in 250,000 Miles.

You, rich, spend $3750 on oil changes in 250,000 Miles.

Me, consume one-third as much of a limited resource.

Me, have more money in the bank for other fun stuff. Oh nope. I forgot. You're super wealthy and OK with being wasteful. My bad.

Me have nothing to gain by sharing with others the very good results achieved at 10k oil change intervals on last couple of cars, both with high mileage. I use Mobil 1.

2000 Honda Insight : 17 years, 185,000 miles, 19 oil changes, trouble free and sold pre-pandemic (2017) for $3000.

2005 Ford Escape Hybrid, very similar engine drive train, as the Venza, trouble free with 10k (or more) OCI and was a strong, clean running machine when it was rear-ended at 235,000 miles in year 2020. That was the car I did a few lab tests on. But was almost identical to the Venza under the hood.

Neither car had a dime of engine work done. Why? Ran great with better than EPA advertised MPG.
 
#65 ·
Yes but.... you're not telling the truth. "They" (the experts in the field) say 10k. "You" some no name on the internet says 3500.

I've run the lab tests on my used oil in the past. Then spot checked every 50-60,000 miles
The third party lab with no skin in the game says the oil in my car was in great shape and had life left to go at 15k. So I know for a fact in my car, 10k is way conservative. Since you ABUSE your car, ya better change it more often. I don't Baja race mine, so 10k is way conservative. My last hybrid burned no oil, passed every smog check, got EPA gas mileage or a tad above for the first 235,000 miles with 22 oil changes in it's lifetime. Was running great when it was rear-ended damaging the traction battery. Otherwise I'd still have it.

Do a lab test with your used oil. Then you can have some validity in what you say. I'm sure you're nice guy. But thinking chicken soup cures cancer does not make it true, as thinking 3500 mile OCI makes your engine last longer doesn't actually make it last longer. It's wishful thinking.

Change your oil at 10k. You'll ditch the car for reasons other than blown engine. Something else will go wrong first; or you'll get bored with it and sell/trade it. This isn't 1963.
You know, deep down, I'm right.

Toyota isn't out to get you.
They aren't giving you bad advice.
They tend to be really conservative if anything.
But then again; you probably use 91 octane when the manual says 87 is proper.
And you are probably super wealthy so I shouldn't try to help you.

Me, not rich, spend $1250 on oil changes in 250,000 Miles.

You, rich, spend $3750 on oil changes in 250,000 Miles.

Me, consume one-third as much of a limited resource.

Me, have more money in the bank for other fun stuff. Oh nope. I forgot. You're super wealthy and OK with being wasteful. My bad.

Me have nothing to gain by sharing with others the very good results achieved at 10k oil change intervals on last couple of cars, both with high mileage. I use Mobil 1.

2000 Honda Insight : 17 years, 185,000 miles, 19 oil changes, trouble free and sold pre-pandemic (2017) for $3000.

2005 Ford Escape Hybrid, very similar engine drive train, as the Venza, trouble free with 10k (or more) OCI and was a strong, clean running machine when it was rear-ended at 235,000 miles in year 2020. That was the car I did a few lab tests on. But was almost identical to the Venza under the hood.

Neither car had a dime of engine work done. Why? Ran great with better than EPA advertised MPG.
Everything you mention about 10K oil changes is true. Just can't get used to 10K oil changes for me. I pay for my odd mileage changes and Toyota the 10K ones. 5K for me forever. I hope the 10K oil changes are the future for you younger people.
 
#13 ·
Anther OCI thread.
Ask and learn. 10 folks 20 answers :ROFLMAO:

If I had a penny for each debate on OCI, oil and filter "you MUST use", Tire pressure and Winter vs all season vs all weather tires since I've been a member on TN my oil changes would be free every 3 months at the dealer and change to spare!

I'm doing mine DIY 1 year OCI to throw out barely used (EXPENSIVE IN CANADA even on sale) synthetic oil.
And I' draining the cartridge filter housing and going 2 years intervals with FRAM Ultra Synthetics.
 
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#14 ·
Well I guess this thread has sparked a whole lot of controversy and different opinions!

I do understand that oils today are much better than years ago, however from what I’ve read, piston rings and their compression has changed over time in order to obtain better gas mileage and thus engine wear becomes more of an issue in recent times.

The majority of our driving is less than 20 miles so the Toyota gets mostly short trips that is probably tougher on the engine. I’m past DIY oil changes at this point in my life and since it’s a hybrid, I plan on all services to be done by the dealer.
That said, ever time the car goes in for an oil change, the dealer is always pushing for something else to be done or changed. Very few times over the years have they ever completed the service without lots of other recommended items.

My Venza is new with about 3k miles on it, so I’m thinking of compromising and perhaps having oil changes at 7500 miles or so. I really would like to know what oil they do use and most dealership, like large corporation, only care about their bottom line more than the longevity of the cars they service.

I also went for the Toyota extended warranty so I’d rather have the dealer do all of the oil changes on the new vehicle.
 
#23 ·
… I plan on all services to be done by the dealer.

That said, ever time the car goes in for an oil change, the dealer is always pushing for something else to be done or changed. Very few times over the years have they ever completed the service without lots of other recommended items.
Duh! They are trying to maximize their profits and the service rep is trying to hit their bonus. Have you been to a restaurant and not been asked: any thing to drink, appetizers, deserts, etc? The restaurant wants to sell you more than just the meal.

The dealership wants to sell you a shite ton more too. A lot of it unnecessary: fuel induction cleaning, exhaust cleaning, all kinds of other crap.

You clearly are NOT aware that SERVICE/parts are the dealers #1 profit center.
READ: Where Does the Car Dealer Make Money? | Edmunds
 
#41 ·
I read something maybe on here, I don’t recall, but it was about replacement crate engines that gave me pause. Toyota doesn’t have them as does GM, so if you burn up your hybrid engine for whatever reason- extended OCI’s, racing or abusive driving habits, you can’t buy a new replacement engine to shoehorn between the fenders. You’ll have two options, find a donor used engine, or rebuild the original one.
So the adage that oil/filters are cheap, engines aren’t makes sense to me. Again, it’s your money and your vehicle so let your wallet dictate how to proceed. Hell, I’m leasing and I’m doing the 5K OCI’s but that’s me, original plan was to keep it after the 3 years are up. Sadly, because off the shit paint on my Ruby Flare XSE VENZA and the insane amount of chipping on all the panels, even the roof which is steel has rust pits, was the final straw for me. I’m not keeping it until the insanity of supply chain shortages is resolved. That’ll continue into fiscal year 2023 according to Toyota corporate, I have 16 months left, paid off 20 and with a $4K down payment I’ll likely take the hit at trade in time. To repaint this car OMG.
Oddly the drivers door was replaced with new OEM at 5K, (neighbor backed into it when my wife parked it across from his driveway), and professionally paint matched and has nary a chip to show for its 18,300 miles while the rest of the factory paint is chipped to hell, white chips (aluminum base metal) showing everywhere, it’s disgusting to see. I’ve seen the reported peeling defects on other models too, that should be a wake up call for the Toyota factory in Japan.
My takeaway, the factory paint is garbage, but does it make sense to keep it and repaint, at what cost ?? TBD.
 
#16 ·
Our 2021 Venza came with the first 4 oil changes covered by Toyota, so we’re good fo 40k miles. I have found it pays to follow manufacurers recommendations. On our (departed) xc60, following the schedule and keeping records meant the dealer (and Volvo) covered the engine rings replacement on a car well out of warranty.
To each his own.
 
#17 ·
Any DIY maintenance info can be entered into the Toyota Owners Online site. Just keep the receipts for any purchases and any additional warranty items have to be covered. See the following...


 
#18 ·
T

Thats interesting and I appreciate the response however I can’t imagine going to my local shop for oil changes would be considerably less expensive than going to the dealer @nd since it’s a Hybrid, I’m guessing the Toyota dealer would be best for most all services? Thanks
 
#21 ·
It is always amazing to me that when you buy a car “with free maintenance” they recommend and will only change at 10k. However you ask any mechanic anywhere for any car and they will always recommend 5k.

For me when I buy new cars I am completely overkill and waste money on oil. I change it at about 2k to get the original junk out. Then at 5k and every 5k after that right on the 5k mark so I remember and don’t need those silly stickers in the window :D
 
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#33 ·
Does the dealer give you the option of using Mobile 1?

I believe your story about the dealer overfilling the oil and have a friend who had a similar experience but not to the degree of your oil change, that‘s crazy❗
 
#36 · (Edited)
There are no easy answers to this. First, not all synthetics are created equal. For example, at my shop we stock 7 different synthetics for various manufacturer specifications made by companies such as Motul, Pentosin, Liqui Moly, Amsoil and Mobil 1. We also use quality filters with OEM preferred. As a general rule of thumb, if you do mostly highway driving and the vehicle gets up to full operating temperature for at least 15 minutes, an interval of 10K is fine provided you're using a quality synthetic oil and quality filter. With hybrids and vehicles with start/stop technology, I tend to be a little more conservative and recommend 7500. Performance vehicles which are driven hard the recommendation goes to 5k. Not all name brands are quality either. I have personally had issues with 2 name brands which made their filters in india or china and the filters were inferior, causing flickering oil lights at idle. I changed the filter to oem and no more problem.
Do what you think is right but do not exceed the manufacturer's recommended interval.

I felt I had to edit this after seeing the video posted above.
In my own personal vehicles my interval is 10K for both my Ram eco-diesel and my wife's 01 jetta TDI. I have at least 50 customers who do their oil changes at 10K who have 300K or more on their vehicles including one whose odometer stopped recording in his golf when he reached 621K+ Miles or 1 million KM.
My niece's 02 Tacoma which I sold to her at 190K had over 250K on the 3.4V6 using Amsoil 0w-30 Signature and Amsoil/Donaldson filters changed at 15K, yes every 15000 miles when she sold it. When I checked the valves at every 60K, the engine was squeaky clean and not once did the valves need to be adjusted. BTW, she sold it because of frame rot, not because of driveline issues. When I owned it, I often towed with it and I wasn't exactly easy on it either. Neither was she.
My current RAM 1500 has almost 190K on it. The engine doesn't use any oil and runs like new. Oil is changed at every 10K using Rotella T6 and Mopar filter as recommended by the RAM TSB.
My wife's TDI has 365K, runs perfectly and is still on the original turbo running Mann Filters with Pentosin or Motul.
My shop also does mainly German vehicles along with the rest but VW is at least 80% of our business. Many VW engines are beaten on-GTI for example-and owners use substandard oil with the wrong viscosity. VW also had many well documented issues with oil consumption.
Remember the Toyota sludge issues? At the time, my wife had a Camry V6 and my SIL had a Sienna. Same engine, known for sludge buildup. They were run from day one on Amsoil 0w-30 signature and Toyota or Amsoil filters using a 15K drain interval. My wife's Camry went over 200K before she purchased a pickup without any issues. My SIL's Sienna went nearly 400K before the trans went and she purchased a Jetta TDi Sedan.