0W16 Availabilty are dealers using this for servicing?

[Firecycle]

Folks, I took out the 3 year servicing plan when I bought my RAV new back in March. The handbook says that 0W16 should be used but there seems to be a lack of supply within the UK and dealers are using 0W20 which can be used but must be replaced by 0W16 at the next service. My question is if this cannot be acheived due to availability where do Toyota customers stand with their warranty, given the fact that we have the Relax Warranty system?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Should be fine - 0W-16 is the preferred choice, but if not available dealers are still using the alternative grade 0W-20.

[ernieb]

I would suggest that if it’s Toyota doing the service the warranty would be unaffected and would qualify for the ‘relax’ warranty extension.  If your worried ask them to not the use of the 0W20 oil as there is no 0W16 available.

[philip42h]

I can't see much to get worked up about here. The handbook is very clear that you can use:

1. API grade SN or SN Plus: 0W-16
2. API grade SL, SM, SN or SN Plus: 0W-20 and 5W-30

where the recommended viscosity is SAE 0W-16.

The 0W will give easier cold starting than the 5W while the 16 will give better fuel economy than the more viscous 20 or 30 grades. And that "an oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions". (So if one is dragging a caravan up mountain passes in this summer's heatwave you'd probably be better off with 5W-30.)

Equally it says "SAE 0W-20 oil may be used. However, it should be replaced with SAE 0W-16 at the next oil change". Note the should rather than must ... 

And if a Toyota dealer put it in at a service it is hardly the basis for voiding a warranty! 😉

[Catlover]

When I had my 66 plate Prius initially the servicing was 0w-20 recommended and that is what it got. The last two services the 0w-16 was recommended, and again that’s what it got. The 16 was thinner therefore better fuel consumption expected.

As I understand Gary (op), the Relax warranty kicks in after the “standard” 3 year warranty ends. For the first 3 years you could take the car to any garage vat registered and have a service. But if there was a problem Toyota would want evidence that equivalent oils/filters etc had been used. In such cases the other parts of the oil spec would be critical too. If someone did take their nice shiny new car to “another” garage, after 3 years to benefit of the Relax scheme the car would then have to be serviced at a Toyota dealer.
I know you are on a 3 year service contract, probably a good move.

[TonyHSD]

Quality 0w20 in applications of 0w8 or 0w16 is acceptable, but never use or let anyone fill up your engine with any 5w30 and particularly Toyota own 5w30, a cheap and not cheerful oil.
Engine oil Viscosity should match the manufacturer specs and be exact same type as it was out of factory if you about maintaining a long term trouble free and oil consumption free car.  
Changing oil viscosity because of age, use or oil consumption is also not recommended, this can lead to more problems than help.  
Towing a caravan, using the car exclusively on motorways etc, keep your oem oil spec in and you change as per the schedule or early and you can’t go wrong.  
0w oils cover the specs of 5w or 10w in the hot range but the later does not cover the specs of 0w in cold range and hybrids are operating differently from any other ice cars, latest models like your rav4’s even has an electric oil pump, therefore keeping your 0w spec oil is a must do for ultimate engine protection. 0w16 will work equally well in Dubai desert or in the Siberian tundra. 👍

[Lawnmowerman]

Although dealers should use the right spec. oils it is wise to be cautious.

Years ago (may still be the same) dealers were tied to an oil company as the oil company installed storage, pumps and metering FOC as part of their contract with them. This is why the cost of the oil from a servicing dealer is (or was) so expensive. Think of a tied pub - same principle.

So, if the dealer is using bulk oil from a supplier who doesn't supply that specific oil (or in bulk) there may be a temptation by the dealer to use sub-optimal oil.

Perhaps someone currently in the trade can advise if that is still relevant.

[Firecycle]

Thanks for all your answers. I am not sure what's in the of the final print of the Toyota Maintenance contract I took out but surely if 0W16 is required the dealer should ensure it is used, I would have thought Toyota would have some say over this seeing as its their reputation  and not the dealers?

[Gerg]

Whilst I can sympathise with the OP's point here, the difference between 0w/16 oil and 0w/20 oil is very slight.  That such different oils exist at all is down to car manufacturers chasing very small improvements in fuel economy, and using the fractionally thicker oil (0w/20) will have no bearing on engine wear or reliability. 

Although I can understand that this is difficult to believe!

Indeed, conversely, It's when manufacturers adopt the latest, thinner, (like 0w/16) oils that owners can become slightly suspicious of what these oils will do to their car over the long term.

Its a discussion that's been running at least from 1979, when BP launched their fuel-saving VF7 oil, which was a 10w/30, when the rest of the industry was typically using 20w/50.

As I understand it, the key point here with these ever-thinner oils and concern over engine wear (so not the OP), is that oil viscosity does not necessarily equal oil film strength.  A bit counter-intuitive that one....

(As an aside, is it not the case that the 0w/20 isn't 'thicker', as such, just that the oll resists thinning-out as it gets to its normal operating temperature?  I've just randomly plucked this off the internet on this topic to show that concept:-  http://www.lube-media.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Lube-Tech043-MULTIGRADEOILandVISCOSITYINDEXIMPROVERSetal.pdf  )

Happy to be corrected of course, if I'm wrong.

 

[Cyker]

The numbers are the viscosity of the oil at 'low' and 'high' temperatures and do directly indicate how 'thick' and oil is - the 0w8 in my Yaris Mk4 is like water compared to the 10w40 and 5w30 my old Yariseseieueueses used to use!

Thin oil isn't a problem necessarily - Mostly it comes from a misunderstanding of what the purpose of the oil is and how it does it.

What you want from an oil is for it to 'stick' to a surface so that surface is protected from direct contact with another surface, thus preventing wear. Thin oils have the advantage of getting pumped round easier and faster so they can coat all the surfaces faster, and the new oils are engineered to have good film strength so they maintain a thin layer of oil on whatever surface they're coating and resist being 'squeezed' out.

Their only real weakness is accelerated breakdown at higher temperatures, and general breakdown from exhaust gas etc., which is why it needs to be changed on a regular basis before it looses its film strength and ability to stick.

With the tight engine tolerances in modern cars, thinner oils are better as thicker oils will have trouble flowing into the tighter gaps quickly, resulting in more metal-on-metal contact before the oil pressure is up.

However, with older engines, the bigger tolerances and gaps make thicker oils more suitable, as the thinner oils may have trouble acting as a fluid bearing with such big gaps - In either case it's best to match the oil with what the engine is designed for.

One ghetto way to tell if an oil is degraded and has lost its film strength is by pouring it in a thin trickle - If it stays together in a line like e.g. honey or syrup, it's still got some lubricity, but it if starts to break up into droplets, like water does when poured in a similar way, then it's degraded and definitely needs changing. (Normally you want to change it well before it gets to that stage!)