Shell Oil

[owen stuart]

Hi

I have used Shell 15w 40 oil in my Avensis (2003) for several years now as I live in France it is one of the decent oils available to me. The Avensis has just now gone past the 100,000 miles mark and I want to know if I should change to a 15w 50 oil that Shell make or stay with the 15w 40 that I have had no problems with.

Also/or should I add a Wynn's oil additive? The Toyota dealership in the UK say that I should not be using 15w 40 but a 5w 30 is sufficient. Any help/advice please. Ta

[FROSTYBALLS]

Hello Owen - welcome to Toyota Owners Club.

The Toyota recommended oil grades are listed at this topic - http://www.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/topic/148386-engine-oil/

Unless you have specific problems as regards oil consumption, etc, there doesn't seem to be the need to change from what you've been using.

[Heidfirst]

Hi Owen,

Where in France do you live & what are the minimum & maximum temperatures that you experience there?

Shell have a tool http://lubematch.shell.co.uk

For the UK climate the generally recommended oils seem to be 5W30s.

15W should be good down to ~-15C, 10W to ~-20C & 5W to ~-30C. If you live in the S. of France then 30 may not be high enough for your car in the Summer.

[Cyker]

Generally you should go with the thinnest oil you can use without it being consumed by the engine - Thinner oils flow better and have less friction; They cause less wear (Assuming you don't go so thin that it gets cooked off but the engine heat) and give better mpg.

The only real reason to go with higher numbers is if the engine is burning oil due to engine wear or if it requires thicker oil due to e.g. it being a high performance engine.