Yaris 2006 with 200k+ What oil?

[Toyota-fan]

Hi fellow Toyota fans,

Is it ok to use "normal"  fully synthetic engine oil for the above car with the above average mileage?

Or should i avoid fully synthetic oil due to having some additives in it that can damage the catalytic converter?

I honestly don't know whether the catalytic converter can get damaged by certain type of oils with certain type of additives in them. 
I thought it is best to ask for some help and advice here.

I generally prefer fully synthetic oil because apparently I don't need to change oil as frequently as mineral oils. I hope I am right about that. I like the idea of changing engine oil only once a year by using synthetic oil, though not 100% certain if that is the way to go about it. 

Also have a rough belief in synthetic oil being good for engines, especially when the engine is of low mileage. I don't know if that is true, but have been believing it, extending the idea to engines that are bit long in the tooth like mine as well.(2006 model with 200k+ mileage)

Any advice is appreciated.

Thank you

 

Edited August 5 by Toyota-fan
Adding more info

[skidlid]

Don't know about Toyota's but the Ford and Nissan we bought at that time both had a recommendation for Semi-Synthetic. The BMW we bought in 2008 and the Kia in 2010 both required fully-synthetic as have all cars since.

I simply use the oil specified by the manufacturer. Brand does not matter providing its (IMHO) a known brand.

Fords were very specific about specs and had their own, move away from that and you could have problems, Zetec hydraulic tappets and TDCi sludge in the sump were 2. Tappets were a fairly cheap fix DIY, the sludge would probably trash your turbo bearings before you realised.

Nissan did not specify anything beyond 5w30 A1 or A3 (plentiful and cheap) but some cheapskates used 5w30 mineral just to save about £5 on 5 litres and paid the price with a failed timing chain and trashed engine.

[Cyker]

I always used semi-synth or fully synth oil in all my Toyotas.

Never use mineral oil! I think only olde worlde cars would take that acceptably these days.

There's no disadvantage to using better quality oils - The more synthetic they are the more robust, uniform and contaminant-free they tend to be because of how heavily they've been processed, and will always work better than less synth'd oils, as long as they have the right viscosity and ratings for the vehicle; That's one thing a lot of people miss, as the API, ACEA etc. codes are just as important as the viscosity.

[Toyota-fan]

3 hours ago, skidlid said:

Don't know about Toyota's but the Ford and Nissan we bought at that time both had a recommendation for Semi-Synthetic. The BMW we bought in 2008 and the Kia in 2010 both required fully-synthetic as have all cars since.

I simply use the oil specified by the manufacturer. Brand does not matter providing its (IMHO) a known brand.

Fords were very specific about specs and had their own, move away from that and you could have problems, Zetec hydraulic tappets and TDCi sludge in the sump were 2. Tappets were a fairly cheap fix DIY, the sludge would probably trash your turbo bearings before you realised.

Nissan did not specify anything beyond 5w30 A1 or A3 (plentiful and cheap) but some cheapskates used 5w30 mineral just to save about £5 on 5 litres and paid the price with a failed timing chain and trashed engine.

Hi,

Yes, I do follow the manufacturer recommended oil by usually following their temperature and grading chart and other requirements.  Usually we can address those requirements by either using fully synthetic, semi-synthetic or mineral oil, but of course some manufacturers specify a specific oil with specific additives or else there can be and will be trouble.  The stop-start type oil is a good example I think. They are usually synthetic oil. Any other type of oil is asking for trouble of course because stop-start oil has a special additive to deal with the constant engine stop-start cycles of those type modern cars.

Older cars like mine can hopefully get away with different type of oils that still fit with manufacturer specs. I match the manufacturer specs always regardless of the type of oil.

My specific concern is the possible damage to the catalytic converter by some of these synthetic oils with specific additives that aren't part of the recommended oil specs by the manufacturer.  I am wondering what kind of such synthetic oil additives that I may need to avoid in order to avoid catalytic converter damage(potential damage). 

thank you

[Mojo1010]

That's too techy, it has to be someone working in the motor oil engineering side to know about this. Though I have never heard of syn oil damaging the cat, that is a first from you. 

[TonyHSD]

Just use the recommended oil from the cars manual or oil cup . I believe in your car should be 5w30 A1 or A5. These are semi synthetic most of the times. 

[Toyota-fan]

12 hours ago, Mojo1010 said:

That's too techy, it has to be someone working in the motor oil engineering side to know about this. Though I have never heard of syn oil damaging the cat, that is a first from you. 

Hi,

I should've said that some additives in synthetic oil or any type of oil having the possibility of damaging the catalytic converter. I worded it wrong. Of course, it can't be right as a general statement about synthetic oil damaging cat converter. I read it in a forum post about a certain type of synthetic oil with a certain type of additive(sulfer additive or something like that). I'll try to find that post. 

thank you

[Toyota-fan]

12 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Just use the recommended oil from the cars manual or oil cup . I believe in your car should be 5w30 A1 or A5. These are semi synthetic most of the times. 

Thank you.

I've been avoiding semi-synthetic for some reason. I've always stuck with fully synthetic or mineral oil for a long time. Most likely because I've read something long time ago negative about semi-synthetics.  It is about time I update myself, perhaps. 

[TonyHSD]

2 hours ago, Toyota-fan said:

Thank you.

I've been avoiding semi-synthetic for some reason. I've always stuck with fully synthetic or mineral oil for a long time. Most likely because I've read something long time ago negative about semi-synthetics.  It is about time I update myself, perhaps. 

Hi, 

as long as is within the specs of your car and correct viscosity no need to worry about the chemistry, plus many of the 5w oils although classed as synthetic they are actually semi synthetic oils and this is the case with Toyota own 5w30. 
Mineral, semi or full synthetic oils and their additives will not harm the engine. What causes harm to it are neglected and misuse, like skipping service schedules, driving like a maniac. Or improper service with wrong parts, lubes or poor workmanship. 

[Toyota-fan]

5 hours ago, TonyHSD said:

Hi, 

as long as is within the specs of your car and correct viscosity no need to worry about the chemistry, plus many of the 5w oils although classed as synthetic they are actually semi synthetic oils and this is the case with Toyota own 5w30. 
Mineral, semi or full synthetic oils and their additives will not harm the engine. What causes harm to it are neglected and misuse, like skipping service schedules, driving like a maniac. Or improper service with wrong parts, lubes or poor workmanship. 

I agree with you 100%. 

Thank you