Engine Oil

[bluerav4]

I'm hoping to get my T180 serviced over the weekend. It was usually serviced by our Toyota dealer but due to the age and prices I think it's worth getting an independent garage to carry out the services now. I have bought all the filters etc from Toyota.

The issue I have is the engine oil. The first garage I asked for a quote said I needed 5w 30 another said 0w 30 or Low Saps what the hell is low saps I always thought the engine oils were similar (not very mechanical or DIY experienced) Toyota obviously on previous services I'm assuming used the correct oil as nothing was ever mentioned about type of oil.

Can someone please be kind enough to help me on this.

Thanks

[firemac]

I used Mobil 1 low ash 5w-30 in our previous 4.3 D-CAT and now use it in the LC4. My local Mr.T recommended it & it's reasonable price on-line for the 5 litr pack.

[bluerav4]

Ok thanks for that firemac

So is low ash same as low saps? Honestly I don't have a clue about any of this I have been stung previously by garages thought it would be best to get any info from you guys.

[lzsteve]

'Diesel vehicles with diesel particulate filter (DPF) If you have a diesel car fitted with a DPF you must use one of the latest 'low SAPS' (Sulphated Ash, Phosphorous, Sulphur) oils. Using 'normal' oil instead of low SAPS can result in blocking of the DPF'

Use a low ash 5w30 as firemac suggests.

[firemac]

Essentially, yes.

Here's a pic of the stuff I use.

[bluerav4]

Thanks guys been more than helpful👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[the fox]

loads of hype concerning oil... when I was a lad in the early seventies all we stocked was Shell T30's or GTX 20/50's.

I know of one massive Toyota dealer only stocks Magnatec on draught they stick this in all vehicles.

I buy the cheapest fully synthetic I can find, I have used Halvoline stocked by Morrisons petrol stations, I buy from TPS when they have an offer on, Halfords at Crimble time do a half price oil sale, I have emptied all Home Bargains a couple of years ago when they sold Catrol Edge for £9.99p for 4 litres, currently I'm using British made fully Synthetic from Home Bargains £14.99p 4.5 litres, high detergent, low detergent, low ash, high ash, hopefully your vehicle is not burning that much oil to make a difference to the DPF. Your EGR does more damage by chucking burnt gases/deposits back into the inlet than any oil does, fully synthetic of any brand is good enough, if you drive an F1 car at mega revs maybe look at some over priced example, save your cash....

[bluerav4]

I've always let Toyota service the car never had it serviced independently before so was unsure of what type of oil was needed.

My car has had a new engine and have done nearly 30,000 miles on this engine and touchwood it's running great.

[firemac]

I'll try to save money as much as the next guy but nickel & dime-ing on oil is a false economy. Saving a tenner on oil every 10K miles is pretty pointless IMHO but, hey, each to his own..... :)

[bluerav4]

Essentially, yes.

Here's a pic of the stuff I use.

mobil 1.jpg

Forgot to ask will a 5 litre can be enough? In the manual it says 5.9 litres but the guy in the garage said 5 litres?

[firemac]

5.9 litres is, I understand, the spec'd capacity incl'g filter.

How much you actually put in will depend upon how long it is allowed to drain and whether it has been warmed up sufficiently beforehand. In my experience you seldom, if ever, get all the old oil out at a change so you never need the full amount to refill. Having said that, you don't want to leave the engine short so I would either get an extra litre or buy two 5 ltr packs and the second will provide for top-ups as necessary as well as providing enough, along with another 5 ltr pack, to do the next oil change.

It will probably be more cost-effective to buy two 5ltr packs on-line. Amazon have a 5ltr pack @ just under £46 delievered (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mobil-ESP-Formula-5W-30-5L/dp/B004RCNOC8/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1437493008&sr=1-1&keywords=mobil+1+5w+30) whereas a 1ltr pack = £13! I realise that £92 sounds like a lot of money for oil but it works out at £9/ltr which is a good saving - if you go to Halfords, they want over £17 per litre!!

[bluerav4]

Thanks firemac for your input ordered from the link you provided

Just cancelled the Amazon order

Eurocarparts have a good price on at moment works out to £32.77 if you use the code extra5

http://www.eurocarparts.com/mobile/ecp/p/car-accessories/engine-oils-and-car-fluids/engineoils/5w30-engine-oil/?521771861&0&cc5_247

Actually just been advised if you use the code extra15 it works out to just over £29 😉 Ordered a couple of 5litre cans

[firemac]

Well done! Nice to see that ECP are good for something.

[bluerav4]

I'm glad I asked the question worked out really good for me

[the fox]

you can get british made 5/30w fully synthetic for £14.99p 4.5 litres and if you wan tto be a real cheapskate they do semi for £9.99p at homebargains and it works out you save a lot more than £10 per oil change, when you flush out your old oil it's like setting fire to cash, manufacturers make massive claims about oil to make you spend loads extra, the difference between a top brand hyped up oil and a none branded oil is the hype, you won't see any wear difference.

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think any Toyota dealer uses fully synthetic oil, maybe someone out there can put be straight

[firemac]

".......the difference between a top brand hyped up oil and a none branded oil is the hype, you won't see any wear difference."

Unless you can give a written guarantee of that I think I'll stick with the "top brand hyped up oil", thanks. Having spent over £30K on the car, I'm not going to take silly risks with consumables.

[bluerav4]

Think in with you on this firemac, I don't think it's worth the risk using a cheaper oil I've already picked up my Mobil 1 from Eurocarparts fantastic price

[philip42h]

It's probably a bit late for a contribution now ... and while I agree there's loads of hype about oil I'd be inclined to got along with the specifications [for your engine]given in the handbook. For the 2AD-FHV engine (as fitted in your T180 I believe and my 4.4 D-CAT) Toyota specify that the oil must meet the ACEA C2 specification warning that "using engine oil other than ACEA C2 may damage the catalytic converter".

The good news is that Mobile 1 does indeed meet the ACEA C2 spec - that's the mid SAPS part and thus low ash. I believe that any oil that meets the ACEA C2 spec is going to be fully synthetic. Truly low SAPS would be C1.

Toyota then go on the recommend 0W-30 as 'preferred' with 5W-30 as an alternative for this engine. 0W-30 is "the best choice for good fuel economy and good starting in cold weather". That said 0W-30 seems pretty hard to find and last time the Toyota dealer changed my oil they used 5W-30.

It might be worth looking in the handbook ...

[the fox]

Think you will find home bargains oil at £14.99p meets toyota's spec and more, not sure if any low ash oil will help with the DPF, for the oil in your eingine to make a difference to the DPF you would probably need to put a two stroke engine in. all the extra cash you spend on oil, promotes the brand with sponserships etc.... does not make any difference what brand you use if it meets the spec you will not see any difference to engine wear, if it did dealers would be using it,

[bluerav4]

It's probably a bit late for a contribution now ... and while I agree there's loads of hype about oil I'd be inclined to got along with the specifications [for your engine]given in the handbook. For the 2AD-FHV engine (as fitted in your T180 I believe and my 4.4 D-CAT) Toyota specify that the oil must meet the ACEA C2 specification warning that "using engine oil other than ACEA C2 may damage the catalytic converter".

The good news is that Mobile 1 does indeed meet the ACEA C2 spec - that's the mid SAPS part and thus low ash. I believe that any oil that meets the ACEA C2 spec is going to be fully synthetic. Truly low SAPS would be C1.

Toyota then go on the recommend 0W-30 as 'preferred' with 5W-30 as an alternative for this engine. 0W-30 is "the best choice for good fuel economy and good starting in cold weather". That said 0W-30 seems pretty hard to find and last time the Toyota dealer changed my oil they used 5W-30.

It might be worth looking in the handbook ...

I started doing a read up on oil specs after this thread was started.the 5W30 seems the preferred choice of oil. Another member has done a write up on servicing your car and his mentioned a company called Morris lubricants they also recommend the 5W30. On their site they have C1,C2 and C3 oils. Getting confusing with all the types of oil now.

Anyway the garage that changed my oil said that the Mobil 1 was perfect a ad they actually use it themselves.

"The fox" mentioned that the cheaper oils are just as good and I did ask the garage and his opinion was that they're not as good. So no idea about if cheap oils are good. Personally the cars always been serviced by Toyota previously and checking the invoices they have been using 5W30. This the reason I asked the question as different garages mentioned different brands. I'm quite happy with the price I paid for the oil also and the car seems to be running fine also.

[Parts-King]

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think any Toyota dealer uses fully synthetic oil, maybe someone out there can put be straight

Oh they do ;) Not all, but most are switching over to fully synthetic because the large oil suppliers are no longer supporting semi's in bulk. We are in the process of swapping oil companies and when we do, we will be using fully synthetic 5w 30 in bulk

[bluerav4]

I'm not 100% sure but I don't think any Toyota dealer uses fully synthetic oil, maybe someone out there can put be straight

Oh they do ;) Not all, but most are switching over to fully synthetic because the large oil suppliers are no longer supporting semi's in bulk. We are in the process of swapping oil companies and when we do, we will be using fully synthetic 5w 30 in bulk

Do they use a particular brand or any synthetic oil?

[Parts-King]

Dealers are not tied to a particular brand, they can make their own choice on what brand they stock and use

[the fox]

Yep I know they are not tied, but it seems I was right at present most don't use fully synthetic, maybe I already knew the answer my best mate worked for toyota for years, but it's good so see you are changing over, I wonder if the price for a service will go up, Most Toyota drivers believe Toyota dealers only use the best, they don't, but they charge as if they do.

Cheap non-branded fully synthetic is just as good as a over priced example check the specs, who do you think makes non-branded oil, I can't see a oil plant at every corner of the road,,,dont stick £50's worth of oil in your vehicle when you can get the same protection for £20...

[Parts-King]

This is a bit like the supermarket fuel v branded fuel, it all makes the car go but the branded fuel is better because of the blend of detergents etc etc . There is no doubt that marketing plays a huge part with any product, but to say cheap unbranded is the same oil as a more expensive oil is a wild over statement