Engine Oil

[Gerg]

The  PETRONAS 0W/20 has a VI (viscosity index) of 165, which is perfectly reasonable for a synthetic oil and nothing to complain about.

But, as far as I can find off the internet, specifications for Toyota 0W/20 oil (which are generally from US forums, but the same oil spec.?) say that the Toyota oil has a VI of over 200, which is exceptional. But it would be nice to find the Toyota document that says this.

In general, higher VI equals a better engine oil. Higher VI gives a more stable viscosity with increasing temperature, if I understand this correctly.

Do you need a VI that high? Well apparently, Mobil (who it is said make Toyota oil in the US) don't have such a high figure on their own 0W/20, but the Toyota oil they make, to Toyota's specification, does.  Hmm.

I haven't used the Petronas, and I can't find any forums where anyone has praised it or slagged it off either.

[Tonyknowstech]

Thanks for sharing this useful info, the offer gone anyway, the oil seems to be sold 😀 Toyota dealers do sell on eBay sometimes on very good prices genuine Toyota oil, so will stick with that for now. I love to do oil changes myself. 

[FROSTYBALLS]

As long as the oil meets Toyota's requirements (ie API SL, SM or above), brand is a personal choice.

It isn't just hybrids where 0W-20 is Toyota's preferred oil - petrol models with Optimal Drive engines (from late 2008) have the same preferred requirement (eg 2009 & 2012 Auris 1.33, 2016 Aygo 1.0 litre, etc).

[Tonyknowstech]

On 04/12/2015 at 5:50 AM, Wayne2015 said:

I am flabbergasted that a main dealer, in these modern times, with specific advanced tolerances to ensure EXACT amount of oil, and from a reputable company as Toyota - CAN still overfill an engine AND without knowing???!!!!!!

I always read from user manuals that one must NOT overfill the oil as it will cause damage or problems to engine!

I am checking my car AFTER EVERY oil change then! Eeeek!

But, his do u know?

After oil change engine is warm!

One would need to lark on a flat road over night and check next morning

- if find slightly overfilled then having to take it back to dealer again - SIGH :( :( :(

Oil level should be checked on warm engine ideally after the engine reaches working temperature, just switched off and wait around 30 sec or a minute. Ground level very important too. Not a problem if overfilled just a little but may effect fuel economy and throttle response, if overfilled a lot than can damage the seals. It's true that garages very often overfill with oil. 

Regards 

[Swerve74]

Has anyone used this in toyota auris hybrid 2013  thanks  

Petronas Syntium 7000 0W-20 Fully Synthetic 10 Litres (5L X 2)

[FROSTYBALLS]

It meets Toyota's specs so should be OK.

[Swerve74]

Thanks frosty I'll get it ordered. Thanks again for the speedy response.  

[kithmo]

On 6/20/2016 at 0:41 PM, johalareewi said:

Except for gen1 and gen2 prius for which MrT recommends 5W-30 (or has this been changed recently?).

Gen3 Prius was the first to use 0W-20 (don't we know it :) ).  All Toyota hybrids since the gen3 Prius also use 0W-20.

 

 

Some dealers use the 0W20 on all hybrids now, Gen 2 included.

[QuantumFireball]

My Prius Plug-in was filled with 5W30 from a local dealer - it seems fairly common in Ireland for them to use it on the newer hybrids instead of the recommended 0W20. Anyone know if it really makes much difference? Are they just cheapskates?

I'll probably service it myself next year, as the hybrid system warranty will be up by then anyway.

[kithmo]

Some Gen 3 owners complained of lower fuel economy and more jerky transition when the ICE comes on/goes off when using 5W30.

[MEP's Yaris GS]

As Kithmo has said, it will potentially cripple your fuel economy. To be honest if its a main dealer and you've paid under Toyota's fixed price servicing scheme I'd be going back and insisting they change it to the correct 0w20 at no charge. There is a specific reason Toyota advise this is what needs to be used.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Referring back to the first post of this thread, under Block Exemption Toyota cannot insist their dealers use a particular oil. Hence why owners manuals state what is Toyota's 'preferred oil' for that model.

So an owner can return to a dealer to discuss why a certain oil hasn't been used, but legally a dealer isn't obliged to change an oil for Toyota's 'preferred oil'.

[QuantumFireball]

17 hours ago, kithmo said:

Some Gen 3 owners complained of lower fuel economy and more jerky transition when the ICE comes on/goes off when using 5W30.

I haven't noticed any difference with fuel economy, but with the Plug-in it varies wildly anyway depending on what kind of driving I'm doing. I also fixed my rear brakes (sticking caliper slide pins, one seized) a few months before the service, which led to a notable improvement in EV range (got at least half a mile extra).

Sometimes the ICE seems a bit jerky/noisy on a cold start, but I don't know how much different it is compared to with the previous oil (had the car less than a year before the service). I'll try 0W20 again next service.

11 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Referring back to the first post of this thread, under Block Exemption Toyota cannot insist their dealers use a particular oil. Hence why owners manuals state what is Toyota's 'preferred oil' for that model.

I guess that's why the accepted oil grades stated in the European manual are much more varied than in the US? I recall seeing a screenshot of the US manual on PriusChat somewhere and it was much stricter.

[johalareewi]

21 hours ago, QuantumFireball said:

Sometimes the ICE seems a bit jerky/noisy on a cold start,

The 5W30 is thicker than 0W20 at low temperatures.

In the early days of the gen3 when the wrong type of oil issue started, Toyota said using 5W30 instead of 0W20 would not invalidate any warranty even though the user manual said you can use 5W30 to top up but it should be replaced with 0W20 at the next service.

5W30 was a lot cheaper than 0W20 (which was fairly rare).  However, there was a noticable reduction in mpgs so for those doing the miles, the extra for 0W20 oil was cheaper than paying for the extra fuel needed if using 5W30.

[drives]

I use 0w30 oil- DIY servicing. The difference in fuel economy in terms of what I've noticed may be 0.5mpg, maximum. I use 30 rather than 20 mainly because I do a lot of motorway miles