Oil brands / types

[Fox Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fox]

Our 10,000 klm service is fast approaching and I was wondering if anyone had opinions on what is the best brand / specification of oil for the old TD.

Should I go to a semi-synthetic or stick with mineral? Will I do any damage to the engine by exceeding the API "CF" oil specs from Toyota?

Thanks

[Stitch Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Stitch]

My oil is changed every 5000km so I really dont think it matters what oil you use within reason.

[peterg4508 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close peterg4508]

Stick to the 5000km service religiously and use the best quality oil you can afford to buy, every $$ you save on oil may cost you later on if you plan to keep the car.
Just ensure the oil meets the specs in the service guide.

[Fox Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fox]

I had a change at 5,000 as I will do at every 5k interval.

I might just stick to mineral oil, avoid the semi-synthetic for the older engine.

[phil Member Find all posts View Profile Close phil]

Most dealers would probably have semi syn. oil and are using it in every 4wd they service. Nothing wrong with this oil.The latest engines use the latest oils. We use a castrol oil 10w/30 in diesels and petrol engines it is semi syn oil.
Cheers Phil.

[rmargoss Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rmargoss]

Need some advice regarding oil. I have recently taken delivery of a D4D. Have about 1000k and am looking to start using non Toyota oil and sticking to whatever I choose. Plan to keep the car for a while and service the 5000kms myself.

I have googled this subject to death and read all the stuff in the forums

I've narrowed the oil type down to the Delo 400 or Rimula X. I looked into Delo CXJ but this stuff is just too hard to come by.

I rang my local Toyota dealer and asked them what brand their Toyota oil is. They said Caltex but " we put in additional additives" so they told me. Then I rang Caltex Lube Technical and they laughed when I mentioned what Toyota told me about adding additional things to the oil outside of what Caltex already does.

I have read elsewhere of other Toyota dealers using Castrol, Mobil etc.

Anyway a couple of questions.

1) What oil are people using for the new D4D if not Toyota oil

2) If a choice between Rimula x or Delo 400 any suggestions? I can get them both for roughly the same price i.e. $75-85 for 20l

Thanks

[SSbaby Member Find all posts View Profile Close SSbaby]

There's varying grades you can buy in the same brand. What is the recommended oil viscosity as recommended in the Toyota owner's manual?

[rmargoss Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rmargoss]

10w-30 and 15w-40 or ok per the manual.

I'd be getting the Delo and Rimula X in 15w-40

[lawrance Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lawrance]

I rang my local Toyota dealer and asked them what brand their Toyota oil is. They said Caltex but " we put in additional additives" so they told me.

Modern oils are highly complex blends of additives on top of a "base" oil product, so if your Toyota dealer is adding their own additives, it can alter the chemistry of the oil formulation. And mess up the protection that the oil offers.

Dealers that add their own additives are just increasing their profit margins - oldest trick in the book. Along with adding fuel cleaner into the fuel tank, replacing brake pads too early, adding washer fluid additives, etc etc.

Next time you take your vehicle there for an oil change, just tell them no additives thanks. :evil:

[MTpockets Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MTpockets]

Ummmm I really shudder at the thought of going to types of oil that the manufacturer does not use / recommend. If it were me with a brand new engine, I would go through the entire warranty period using what Toyota says is best for the engine.
Once the warranty period is up, I would possibly look at a different oil then. Scares me just the same.
I used Castrol J-Max with my 92 Surf and it is an oil designed for Japanese Diesel engines.
Just my 2 cents.

[rmargoss Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close rmargoss]

Ummmm I really shudder at the thought of going to types of oil that the manufacturer does not use / recommend. If it were me with a brand new engine, I would go through the entire warranty period using what Toyota says is best for the engine.
Once the warranty period is up, I would possibly look at a different oil then. Scares me just the same.
I used Castrol J-Max with my 92 Surf and it is an oil designed for Japanese Diesel engines.
Just my 2 cents.

Let me tell you what Toyota says is best. I came to the conclusion yesterday that getting my new vx d4d serviced at Toyota is a waste of my money and time:

1) Toyota dealers DO NOT use Toyota Genuine Motor oil. My dealer near me uses Caltex Havoline. The one up the road uses Shell and another uses Mobil. Why is it when you walk into a toyota service they have signs saying " we only use Toyota genuine oil". That is misleading.

2) I rang the Toyota Head office today because I was concerned that i serviced my new corolla for 3 years at the Toyota Service place because of this potential warranty issue. After the warranty expired I purchased "Genuine Toyota oil" from the same dealer. Today I find out that during the 3 years service, the Toyota dealer was using Havoline 20w-50. After the warranty expired they recommended and sold me Toyota Oil 10w-30. I asked Toyota head office about this today and their comment was that dealers have a choice to use what they want and that the Genuine oil is Caltex anyway. I questioned why every dealer uses different oils and they don't use Toyota branded oil. I was concerned that my corolla had mixed oil brands and viscosity without me knowing it. He understood my concerns but had nothing to say. Toyota head office also said that "as long as the oil fulfills the spec requirements in the book" then I am OK.

3) I rang Caltex Lube technical. They said that some Toyota dealers use Caltex Havoline during service. They buy a general type of oil product which can be used on all the Toyota vehicles. i.e. they buy products with API's which cover the new diesels, old diesels etc. This makes sense because I can't see them holding multiple oil types, which is why Caltex recommend Delo 400 for the new D4D rather than Havoline.

4) Took my VX for the 100km service. Amazingly the Toyota service sticker on my car now says next service due in 5000km. I rang Toyota and asked their head office if I should stick to 10,000km or 5,000. They told me to disregard the dealers recommendations. I'm changing the oil at 5,000 anyway but not with the dealer

To wrap up. In my view there is no point in servicing at Toyota. They use general oil covering most vehicle types, they don't use Toyota Genuine Oil (at least the ones I spoke to have not) and even the Genuine oil is Caltex.

Why not get a premium mineral diesel oil like Caltex Delo 400 or Shell Rimula X and save money and have consistency in the oil that goes into your motor.

I was quite unhappy today when I found out that I have been mixing my oils because of Toyota recommendations and secondly there is no consistency from one dealer to the other regarding which oil goes in my car which directly contradicts their signs in the workshops which say "we only use Toyota Genuine"

It looks to me like the greatest risk to the longevity of your engine comes from getting your car serviced at Toyota using different brands and oil viscosity.

[Fazza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fazza]

rmargoss,
You are spot on with your findings but may I suggest that it is imperative that you keep all of your receipts as proof of purchase & grade of oil used. Also use genuine oil filters even though they are made in various country's with different part numbers :?:

Warranty cannot be void if you service or get other companies to service your vehicle as long as you have proof of work carried out & it is done within the service guidelines. Any warranty work must be carried out by the dealers.

WORD OF WARNING:- What if you did not tighten the oil filter up correctly & it leaked resulting in engine failure. (Your problem or who ever fitted the filter)
Change your oil as often as you like but as long as it is within the recommended period. (The cleaner certainly can't harm) I would suggest that if you do a lot of stop start running, change your oil more frequently than recommended.
Use only the grades that are recommended. (that can depend on climate)
Brand is not a problem as long as it meets all recommendations.

Hope that clears a few points,
Fazza

[Big Fella Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Big Fella]

Well now that I'm back home and seen my new car finally, I have started setting up to do my own oil changes, however what I'm confused about is the specific grade of oil. I have seen a recommendation of SAE 5W-30 but it seems there have been a few recommendations for SAE 10W-30. Which will be the better grade?

Regards

Big Fella

[Fazza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fazza]

Big Fella,
Grade of oil depends on the climate, e.g. SAE 5W-30 or lighter oil in colder climate,
SAE 10W-30 or slightly heavier grade in warmer climates.
Use you handbook as the guide.

Cheers,
Fazza

[MTpockets Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close MTpockets]

Thanks rmargoss and Fazza for making this topic a lot clearer for me in particular. Your words make a lot of sense and I am convinced now that my engine has done 65k, I should look for a different oil.

A wierd thing happened on the weekend while I was away camping. I do my own 5k oil changes (using Toyota oil) and had about 2 litres left from the last chage. My son owns a 2001 AU falcon and it has an oil leak. He needed to top it up to get to work and found my oil bottle on the bench, and read on the bottle (for diesel AND petrol engines) This was the Toyota oil bottle that I did my last oil change with. He used it and actually made his engine quieter. He did a full oil change On Sunday. THAT confused me but until I read rmargoss's post didnt deter me from sticking up for Toyota.
I stand corrected and will now source a better oil and thanks guys for setting me straight. :!: :!: