2009 1,8 oil change

[mflorant]

Hi All,

My car has 133000 km and was serviced every 10000 km with 5w-30 oil which as far as I have been informed is not the recommended oil to use. I would like to go back to the one which is recommended 0w-20, but will it cause any issues, should I use 5w-30 ?

Thanks

[TonyHSD]

Hi, 

the recommended oil grade 0w20 will not cause any issues at all. 
What you may notice is easy and quiet work , lighter feel and acceleration and eventually 2-3mpg better efficiency. 
I don’t know why owners, mechanics and drivers use different viscosity and types of oil other than what the car came out of factory. 
Your oil is 0w20 A5 GL-5 or A6 GL-6 specs. 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323898171325?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=3hyRrutZQQ-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=p34UK1z2T4m&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota just use the API grading for their preferred oil - so look for anything API SL, SM, or SN (the higher the better).

[mflorant]

11 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

Hi, 

the recommended oil grade 0w20 will not cause any issues at all. 
What you may notice is easy and quiet work , lighter feel and acceleration and eventually 2-3mpg better efficiency. 
I don’t know why owners, mechanics and drivers use different viscosity and types of oil other than what the car came out of factory. 
Your oil is 0w20 A5 GL-5 or A6 GL-6 specs. 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323898171325?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=3hyRrutZQQ-&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=p34UK1z2T4m&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Thank you Tony,

I also can't understand why some people use different viscosity than the recommended one. This car which I bought was serviced by a Toyota official dealer, maybe they did not have the 0w-20 on the shelf...

I am definitely going to use the factory recommended one as I used on other cars as well. My question was more curiosity than serious question.

Thank you

[avensis_2018]

2009 stay with 5w30.

[MrAurisT]

Interestingly, when I had my 2010 1.8 Valvematic Avensis, before I bought the car it was a 1 owner dealer serviced car. On every service (as I had the computer printouts from the dealer) it was serviced with 5/30, so I wouldn't worry. I always used that viscosity too. Engine was as sweet as a nut when I sold it in July.

[Hybrid21]

Hi Lorant, personally I would just continue to use the 5-30 oil as the car has done a high mileage on this oil with no issues.

Why change to a different spec now, it's happy 😄

[mflorant]

If so and most of you do recommend to keep the 5w-30, which brand and specs do you recommend?

[Hadrian1]

I'd use the oil recommended by Toyota.

[TonyHSD]

If your Avensis is like on the picture and came from factory with 0w20 oil , then best practice is to continue to use 0w20 no matter what was filled before that. 
This oil is superior to 5w30, has better lubrication in all conditions, better cooling, keeps engine cleaner for longer and prevent piston rings from getting stuck. 0w20 is full synthetic oil , where most 5w30 are semi synthetic. 
If your car came with 5w30 and this is recommended viscosity, then use only 5w30 and do not switch to 0w20. 
Any engine oil switches in between different grades and viscosity , extend of the oil change intervals or any other own thought changes regarding engine oil, use of additives, engine flushes, oil stabilisers can bring negative consequences. 
The engine needs only fresh oil in and an oil that was designed for, plus regular change intervals. You can use a quality engine flush, drain properly and then refill with new oil only. Never use additives in new oil, and stay within the specs of the car.
This is the best practice. 
 

[mflorant]

1 hour ago, TonyHSD said:

If your Avensis is like on the picture and came from factory with 0w20 oil , then best practice is to continue to use 0w20 no matter what was filled before that. 
This oil is superior to 5w30, has better lubrication in all conditions, better cooling, keeps engine cleaner for longer and prevent piston rings from getting stuck. 0w20 is full synthetic oil , where most 5w30 are semi synthetic. 
If your car came with 5w30 and this is recommended viscosity, then use only 5w30 and do not switch to 0w20. 
Any engine oil switches in between different grades and viscosity , extend of the oil change intervals or any other own thought changes regarding engine oil, use of additives, engine flushes, oil stabilisers can bring negative consequences. 
The engine needs only fresh oil in and an oil that was designed for, plus regular change intervals. You can use a quality engine flush, drain properly and then refill with new oil only. Never use additives in new oil, and stay within the specs of the car.
This is the best practice. 
 

Thanks for the great description. I'll use 0w-20

Thank you very much 😊 

[TonyHSD]

7 hours ago, mflorant said:

Thanks for the great description. I'll use 0w-20

Thank you very much 😊 

You are welcome. 
For the oil brands you can buy Toyota oil if you prefer although inside it will be likely a Mobil 1, but if you buy Toyota original only buy from a dealer because online there are many fake ones. 
If you are after non original oil a good ones are Mobil 1, Castrol, Shell helix, Petronas, Millers, Total, Elf, Motul, Anything really that is within the spec of the car. You can have a look here 

https://www.opieoils.co.uk

[Konrad C]

56 minutes ago, TonyHSD said:

You are welcome. 
For the oil brands you can buy Toyota oil if you prefer although inside it will be likely a Mobil 1, but if you buy Toyota original only buy from a dealer because online there are many fake ones. 
If you are after non original oil a good ones are Mobil 1, Castrol, Shell helix, Petronas, Millers, Total, Elf, Motul, Anything really that is within the spec of the car. You can have a look here 

https://www.opieoils.co.uk

I agree with everything Tony has said. I have done oil changes on my cars since I started driving. My Avensis 1.8 Valvematic is no different. Here is my post from a few years back.

 

[MrAurisT]

Whilst I fully understand all the opinions above for the 0/20, I can only reemphasise that my car, from new, at the main Toyota dealer, was always serviced with 5/30 (fully synthetic). One other thing I would add is the service manager told me, and I quote, "it makes absolutely no difference whether you use 0/20 or 5/30, both are recommended by Toyota, with the 5/30 always used here with Toyotas blessing". I think the moral here is don't get too hung up, both viscosities will be absolutely fine for your car.

[Cessna]

The owner's manual for the car explicitly states that although 5W-30 is acceptable, 0W-20 is "preferred" and is "the best choice for good fuel
economy and good starting in cold weather". It then goes on to say that "If SAE 0W-20 oil is not available, SAE 5W-30 oil may be used. However, it should be replaced with SAE 0W-20 at the next oil change". My dealer uses 0W-20 and it is what I would choose to use myself given what the owner's manual states.

[Konrad C]

On 8/30/2024 at 1:55 PM, Cessna said:

The owner's manual for the car explicitly states that although 5W-30 is acceptable, 0W-20 is "preferred" and is "the best choice for good fuel
economy and good starting in cold weather". It then goes on to say that "If SAE 0W-20 oil is not available, SAE 5W-30 oil may be used. However, it should be replaced with SAE 0W-20 at the next oil change". My dealer uses 0W-20 and it is what I would choose to use myself given what the owner's manual states.

I follow the owners manual and have only used the preferred 0W-20 since I owned my Avensis Valvematic. Mind you, I do less than 4,000 miles a year and don't do very short journeys, so the engine has good use and fully warmed up. The oil is fairly clean when doing the annual oil change, plus I didn't need to top up between July 2023 and end of July 2024 when I last changed the oil. 
The other item to pay attention to, are the spark plugs. Denso changed the specs from SC20HR11 to SC16HR11, so don't try and look for old stock. They could be dodgy fakes, as I found out last year! I have genuine Denso Iridium SC16HR11 bought from Halfords on discount last year.