Toyota Says 2010 Tundra 4.6L Can Go 10k Miles Between Oil Changes, Requires Full Synthetic
Jason Lancaster | Jan 06, 2010 | Comments 66
As has been rumored on a few internet forums, Toyota is expected to officially announce a change to the oil change interval for a series of 2010 Toyota vehicles – including the 2010 Toyota Tundra with the new 4.6L V8. Toyota will inform 4.6L Tundra owners that they can go 10,000 miles between oil changes but that they must use 0W-20 synthetic oil. If any 2010 4.6L Tundra owners have already done a full-synthetic oil change at 5k miles, Toyota will credit them a free oil change.
Toyota requires 0W-20 full synthetic oil on new 4.6L 2010 Tundras
Note – if you’re not sure about the difference between synthetic and “natural” motor oil, check out this post about synthetic oil.
However, while the use of 0W-20 synthetic oil is now required for the 2010 and up 4.6L Tundra, the 10k mile oil change interval recommendation is not for Tundras that are used in such a way as to qualify as “severe duty.” Severe duty trucks will instead need oil changes at 5,000 miles.
Filed Under: Maintenance Tips • Tundra News
Well let’s see. It cost me $75 for synthetic oil change. If I do conventional oil it’s $43. So for $75 for 10,000 instead of 5,000 I would save $13 every 10,000 miles. Also the idea of forgetting to get your oil change to me is complete wrong with the technology they have now for 5,000 miles. The reminder that comes on to do your maintenace every 5,000 can be changed to every 10,000 so how can they forget? It would be the owners fault for not following the maintenance warning. You already have other products that let you go that long or even further without an oil change. Glad Toyota is taking the lead on this. This will lower the maintenance on the truck. I have over 75,300 miles on mine and get roughly 30,000 per year. That’s 3 changes vice 6. That would save me $40. Almost a tank of gas. Better than nothing. I’m for it Jason.
First, don’t most people get a truck to use it for severe duty? 30% of drivers do not fall into the severe category, the thing is some of the 70% think they fall in the normal. See second reason.
Second, didn’t they learn with the Camery’s?
Third, no matter what they say I would rather use conventional and change every 5,000 miles. Cheaper than buying a new motor.
Fourth, what about the filter? AMSOIL you can go somewhere around 20,000 miles but have to change the filter. Is the filter going to last 10,000 miles?
Fifth, the idiot light (change oil) there is a reason they call them idiot lights.
Six, what about the odd ball maintenance aka: 15,000?
Seven, how many people know they are to change the transmission fluid at 30,000 miles under severe? How many people do it? Differential’s?
The oil and filter will be fine for 10,000 miles
I had started using Amsoil 0W-20 full synthetic last year and have been changing it every 10,000 miles with confidence…don’t use my 07 RCSB for serve use unless an occasional waking up of the supercharger falls into that category.
Mickey – Cool – you may or may not notice a gas mileage boost as well.
Anonymous – Great comment! I wish you had been in on my phone call yesterday. In order…
1. Not as many as you would think – take a look at the poll in the article. Ford did a study and found that only about 40% of trucks are purchased for work reasons. The rest are bought for towing or because of their image. Since towing means different things to different people, I have a tendency to believe it’s probably 50/50.
2. Nope! 🙂 I have reservations myself – good point.
3. Wholeheartedly agree. Natural oil doesn’t protect in extreme conditions as well as synthetic does, but natural oil is very close because it does a much better job of retaining additives.
4. Good question – the answer is that it’s OK for 10k…provided we dont’ venture into severe duty territory.
5. You would think so, but sadly no. There are many people who learn to ignore that light.
6. Great, great question. Surprised it didn’t come up on the phone yesterday. Toyota is going to revise the entire schedule, so the net result might be service appointments for tire rotations and air filters.
7. Good point. It says it in the manual, and service advisors are supposed to sell it, but you are correct.
Charles – I’ve heard of a few people doing that – as long as the oil is doing it’s job, it will work out just fine in the end. However, having said that, Toyota is much more likely to deny an engine warranty claim on a vehicle that only had oil changed every 10k (as opposed to 5k), regardless of how great that oil may be. My advice to all Tundra owners is to follow Toyota’s recommended maintenance and keep your records.
I agree with you Jason on anonymous’s first point. On his 2nd point I have no idea about the camary since I don’t own one and never did the research on one. I read it here on this thread. I bought an 07 Tundra and Prius and it was since 1976 when I owned a 74 Corona SR5. SO I haven’t followed Toyota except in both the truck and car mentioned. Now on the third point I will go a different route. I use synthetic period. I happen to have a lifetime warranty which covers that engine for life. You know I do the maintenance at the dealership. They have the records and so do I on my external hard-drive. The 4th point I will go a different way. As far as the filter is concerned it will last the 10,000 miles or Toyota wouldn’t be doing this period. If you don’t have any trust in the dealer/manufacturer then you’re in the wrong vehicle. Toyota hasn’t did anything to cause an alarm with me. Also the fact the dealership does all maintenance helps out. As far as the 5th point I won’t go there. It would fall under negligence. 6th point is like you stated that was already in the making and will be revised to the current situation. Like I said you shouldn’t be worried about the small stuff. Most things in the oddball mileage maintenance would be like front end alignment, multi-point inspection, retorque and lube the propeller shaft, inspect brakes etc. So this is to be done as per required by your maintenance book you get when you buy the vehicle. That answers #7 point. They give that book for you to know what needs to be done at what mileage. Failure to read this and do the maintenance isn’t Toyota’s fault. They have these books in vehicles since I bought my first brand new one in 1982. You have to be pro-active not re-active. Same for the diff’s they are in there too. Playing dumb doesn’t earn you another vehicle or parts for one since you failed to do your responsibility of owning one.
Sorry, I will stick with conventional motor oil even if Toyota requires in the future full 100% synthetic oil in the new 5.7L tundras. It costs me about 1.50 per quart vs. 8 bucks for Amsoil full synthetic. Now, if full synthetic was only twice the price, or very near twice the price not much over, I would switch to full synthetic, but 10K is still pushing it in my book. Look at all the money the dealers service bay is going to lose with only 1/2 the oil changes if they do this. My .02 cents even though most on here disagree. I think Toyota is opening up a can of worms if they are going to do this 10K between oil changes. Warranty issues with engines are going to arise and lawsuits are sure to follow.
How is Toyota going to prove a blown engine was under severe duty that should be under the 5K oil change routine maintenance? What will happen if the owner does not have his/her oil change written down on a piece of paper or a receipt that they bought full synthetic motor oil? Who is to decide who is right and wrong under the 6/60K engine warranty if something does happen? Also, no one knows until years later, lets say 6-7 years and over 75K, what will the engine be like even if owners do the 10K synthetic oil change. If enough engines start failing after warranty with this 10K oil change, Toyota will surely loose their credibility and possibly be out of business just like GM and Chrysler. Just a thought?
Thanks Jason. Mickey, Camery oil sludge issue has a lot to due with this subject. I would recommend you read it. Congratulations on having a life time warranty, I don’t believe in them due to all the loop holes and don’t believe they will stand behind it. For instance the fine print and the fact that if modify ANYTHING they don’t have to stand behind it if it is related to the component. Examples of this for the engine are exhaust, computer tuners, air intake. Second reason will the warranty company be business 10 years later. Third, if you have a lifetime warranty why use synth oil? You have a lifetime warranty so why go the extra distance and not use the recommended conventional oil. How do you know that the deaer is not putting conventional in? As for dealership doing the maintenance, just because the dealership is doing the maintenance doesn’t mean its right. For instance the unneeded maintenance, fuel system cleaning. Where does it state that in the maintenance manual? When it comes to dealership maintenance, if they say something is bad I say show me. I totally understand the maintenance manual, so far as I have all the TSB’s and the repair manuals for my truck. Case in point did you know that there are TSB’s out for, tailgate handle, timing chain cover leaking, dip stick tube leaking, check engine light for transmission, differential issues, dashboard, etc. so I totally understand that there is a maintenance schedule in a book that comes in the vehicle! As for the TSB’s when I go in to get my oil changed and a new TSB is issued I will have them look at it. Usually they will not unless you are having a issue and they start investigating it.
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Oil is a touchy subject and they are a lot of different views out there.
I can’t afford synthetic oil in California..hehehe…great points but I haven’t had any issues with regular oil and any of my vehicles so I’ll stay old school with this one. I’d even say my truck is severe overall because it takes long journeys through all sorts of terrain and does get to do some hauling. But the days it’ll just sit around are quite numerous too so I think I’ll be fine sticking with what I do now.
Thanks for the info, Jason.
TXTee – You bet.
MK – All good points. In regards to the dealer service bay and declining revenue, it’s an excellent question. I’m told that the LOF itself isn’t really profitable by itself, (especially with the quick-lube requirements that demand dedicated LOF staff) however each visit is a chance to up-sell tire rotations, air filters, accessories, etc. Sometimes, visits to the service drive even generate a new vehicle sale. In any case, I think that Toyota has chosen to roll this program out very slowly so that a) they can address all the concerns about 10k miles and b) they can give us all a chance to wrap our heads around it.
Finally, I’m surprised no one has mentioned that many performance vehicles have 10k – 15k mile oil change intervals…and they’re not exactly being driven to and from church once a week. I think we (myself included) may not give the auto engineers enough credit…
Agree Jason the LOF is not that profitable at most dealerships considering full synthetic costs at least 6 bucks per quart times 8 quarts = almost 50 bucks for oil plus 5 bucks for filter and at least another 20 bucks for labor, if not more. The only 100% full synthetic oil I use is for my motorcycle (4 qts.), and 2 ATVS taking each 2.5 qts., but I ONLY change those 3 toys once per year instead of every 4-5 months like the tundra at 8 quarts. I think the requirement to have to use 100% synthetic is a crock and unheard of in a standard vehicle nowadays. It is not a race car or specially tuned high performance engine and should not require 100% synthetic oil for a normally driven vehicle on the road. Toyota will be losing sales in the long run if they decide to require for warranty purposes 100% synthetic oil on their normal everyday driven vehicles like the tundra, camry, corolla, RAV4, etc., etc., etc.. My .02 cents.
Mk think for a moment… You think a salesman will mention that you have to use synthetic oil in your engine? When you go get your first oil change is when the whammy comes out. I stayed with synthetic for a reason. I don’t sometimes in my travels get to do the maintenance right at 5,000 miles. It costs $75 to do one. I feel comfortable with it. Thanks Anonymous. I use synthetic for the reason above even though I have a lifetime warranty. The reason of the lifetime warranty, the dealership offers it with every vehicle they sell. I didn’t pay for it. If I waited another 6 months he also offered a free Nav too. They wouldn’t let me have one. I tried. It would be hard for the dealership to prove that your exhaust or CAI which by the way TRD offers these. A lawyer would have fun with that. Now a tuner you got it there. Also for that fuel injection cleaning I don’t do that. Using Shell Premium gas does that quite well. I use it once a month. The last fuel injection cleaning I did was on my 97 Thunderbird. I go to nhtsa.dot.gov/ for TSB’s and Recalls. Been doing that since 98 on that Thunderbird. So I do know about all the TSB’s that are out. So far been lucky and haven’t had an issue with any of them. Anonymous I use my 2007 Tundra Scheduled Maintenance Guide ” Passport To Performance” and go by that. I also have the service adviser sign and verify my book to. I know it’s anal but you have all your dusks in a row if something that goes wrong. What also helps is that each service order has the tech who did the work if needed for anything.
Nothing wrong with using synthetics if you prefer spending that kind of money for it and you got it to spend. I never said synthetics are bad (I use it once per year oil changes on my 3 ATVs and 1 motorcyle), just not needed and for the average person who can do their own oil changes for 16 bucks total on the tundra, why not save 60 bucks in the process as long as you change the oil every 5K? Also, I called the#1 sales volume dealer in my state who sells the most Tundras and the service dept. never heard of the 4.6L or 5.7L ‘requiring’ to use 100% synthetic oil although toyota recommends it, not requires and never heard of switching oil changes using synthetic oil to 10K intervals. Wait and see I guess.
mk – Good point on the fact that dealers don’t know. This change isn’t “official” for another month…but most dealership service managers have a memo sitting on their desk. This is “hot” news – at least as hot as it gets when we report it! 🙂
I pray they don’t require using synthetic oil on the 5.7L tundra. It is not needed period as long as change oil every 5K. I think Toyota has a bug up their butt if they do this for no good reason other than to piss off their loyal Tundra buyers. Are any of the big 3 requiring synthetic oil as well on their normal everyday driving vehicles? If not, why would toyota be the first for once and take the ball and run with this when it really is NOT needed?
mk – The idea here is to cut operating costs, reducing the cost of ownership and helping Toyota continue to brag about their excellent overall value (great resale + great reliability + low costs of ownership). Also, any requirement for synthetic wouldn’t be retroactive. Only new truck buyers – or buyers in the current model year – would be required to switch to full synthetic. As for other manufacturers requiring full synthetic, I don’t know of anything off the top of my head aside from sports cars: Porsches, Vettes, etc.
How would switching to expensive synthetic oil reduce operating costs and cost of ownership for me? I do my own oil changes for the most part and it costs me less to use regular oil and less in operating costs as a result of using decent quality conventional motor oil every 5K which is fine. Even if Toyota switched as a requirement for warranty to use 100% synthetic, I would either demand dealers to throw in free oil changes during the 6/60K warranty period since would only need 6-7 oil changes or I’d do it myself even with regular motor oil and 99% sure regular oil would not cause engine failure at all during the engines life.
mk – I don’t think that you personally would see much of a benefit. However, the vast majority of people don’t do their own oil changes, so they might (especially if you factor in an increase in MPGs).
Whatever you do to increase mpg, please don’t use the E85 gas. I have twice in a row used it exclusively 2 full tanks of gas and instead of 14.5 mpg mostly hwy. driving in the dead of cold winter in WI highs lately in the teens (cold dropped it to 14.5 mpg hwy. vs. almost 17 mpg in normal temps), it has dropped to 11 mpg hwy. OUCH! Sorry to get off the subject.
Down here Mk we have no choice. All gas stations went to it. I hate it when Shell went to it.
So would this apply to the first oil change as well? I didn’t think it was a good idea to wait until 5K for the first oil change. I have 2500 on my truck and was planning on having it changed ASAP.
Johnny that’s up to you on when you want to change your oil at 3,000 or 5,000 miles. I changed mine at 5,000 miles and been doing that reiligiously. I have 77,000 miles on my 07 Crewmax 5.7. Haven’t had an issue with it. I also use synthetic. Congrats on your new truck.
[…] here you go. Toyota Says 2010 Tundra 4.6L Can Go 10k Miles Between Oil Changes, Requires Full Synthetic | Tundra … __________________ MIDNIGHT RIDER CREWMAX LIMITED AVS Bug Shield AFE CAI Stage II Borla Pro XS […]
I live in Fairbanks Alaska and the dealer here recommends changing every 3K miles because of the arctic conditions and more idling time even though they put fully synthetic oil in the crankcase. While the rationale seems sound, it’s my belief that this is excessive unless you let the vehicle (I have a 2010 Tundra 4.6L) idle for hours and rarely drive it long enough for the engine to fully reach operating temperature. I called Toyota tech line as well as the Fairbanks Toyota Dealer and asked if they had any studies or research through oil analysis to substantiate their recommendation for such frequent drain intervals for our conditions here and of course the answer was basically, “no.” So it seems that the more frequent drain intervals are being advised more because it just seems like the logical thing to do, or maybe it just seems like a good idea. So are we Fairbanks Tundra owners dumping 2 gallons of synthetic oil much more frequently than we need to? I could prove myself wrong, but I believe we are. I’m switching to Amsoil and intend to put their extended drain interval recommendations to the test by sending in a sample of oil for analysis every 3-5 K miles. The main thing I’ll be looking for is if the additives neutralize the acids and other byproducts of combustion from more idling time when its really cold up here. Bottom line….as long as I’m not driving more than 20-25K miles a year, can I get by with oil and filter changes once a year with Amsoil even in Fairbanks Alaska? I’m going to start this next week and I’ll post my data as time goes along. I’m also going to pull a sample from the oil in the crankcase that the dealer put in at the trucks first oil change and send that in for analysis as well. If anyone else is as anal as I am and has already done this kind of thing I’d sure be interested in their findings. I know, I know….just change it every 5K and don’t worry about it. It’s just one of those things I want to find out for myself even if there’s a little more $ and trouble involved for a while. I think it will be interesting and educational. And finally, it’s my contention that there is nothing more controversial among men in life than what oil to use in one’s truck and how often to change it. (except the subject of nutritional supplements, and……..religion, perhaps).
Dale – That sounds like an awesome study to conduct – keep me posted. Feel free to send me stuff you’d like published too – admin@tundraheadquarters.com.
I agree that oil is a controversial topic among truck owners too, second only to supplements, religion, and horsepower! 🙂
Yes, I forgot about the horsepower one. Thanks.
Jason, I am looking to change my oil at 1000 miles the first time. I will be doing the oil change my self and I will be using a WIX filter and Mobil 1 0w-20 Advanced Milage full synthetic oil. Would you suggest changing it at 5000 mile intervals. It seems like the theme I am picking up here. Also, what type of records do I need to keep when I change the oil other than writing the date, oil type, and filter in my log book? Any problems warranty wise by doing it myself?
Keep receipts of what you bought also. Especially the filter will show you got the filter for a Tundra. 5,000 mile is quite alright. I use synthetic but my dealer uses Castrol. I don’t have a specific brand I like but Castrol is okay. At 5,000 mile interval and using synthetic will keep that engine running great and economical too.
Hey Mickey.
I have been running in my cars/trucks for 10 years now and have not had any problems. I was using the Mobil 1 Extended Performance 15,000 mile oil and changing the filter every 7,500 using the Fram Xtended Guard 10,000 mile filters. I was happy with the performance of the oil and like I said I never had a problem with that routine. I am trying the 0W-20 now to see how the works, especially in the dead of winter.
John – I think 5k is fine, and 10k is probably fine too (but I have unfounded reservations). As for proof, keep receipts…or just pay to have the dealer do it.
Jason,
Thanks for the input. I think I will probably stick with the 5k for this winter.
Maybe this summer I will switch back to the 5w-20 Extended Performance M1.
It worked fine in my last Tundra. It is kind of nice being able to go 15k with a filter change @ 7.5k and a top-off of oil.
I think that 10k is possible on a well tuned, tight block. My Old GMC (263k miles/15 years old) would kill natural oil and synthetic oil within 3k miles. My 2008 HHR is currently at 8300 miles on natural oil and the oil monitor says i’ve still got 23% oil life left. Granted that 90% of her miles are highway miles and not many harsh city miles. My GM dealer says to keep driving until she gets under 20%. I’m concerned but the dipstick is nice and clean. I’ll probably change it soon anyway. I just purchased a 2010 Tundra and will probably go synthetic when she gets about 20k miles. That’s about what i did with my GMC and she just about lasted forever. Even with synthetic, i’ll try to keep the oil changes at 5k intervals. I’d rather change the oil than change the engine (even with the lifetime powertrain warantee.
also, my dealer suggested the 5k oil change interval but he also said if you use e-85, you should go back to the 3500mile interval.
Danny – Good points. The 3500 mile interval on E-85 engines is overly conservative, btw: https://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2009/06/29/oil-changes-running-e-85/
I read the manual today about my 5.7L. It says 5w-20 or 0w-20…and by using 0w-20 it would improve the MPG. Anyone tried this and what was your results?
Adam I use synthetic all the time. The dealership changes my oil. They use Castrol synthetic. I have 83,500 miles and I get from 20-22mpg with my 5.7 Crewmax.
Mickey,
Did you do any other modifications to acheive 22mpg? Also, are there any mods (like- lift kits, brush guards/bull bars, etc) that would have hurt mpg done to your truck? Are you hypermileing or driving very conservative? Just wondering, i’ve got the 4.6l 4×4 and barely getting 18, but she’s not broken-in yet either. Only 1800 miles so far. I’m scared to do mods if mpg will get worse.
Thanks!
I also have the 4.6L 4×4 here in Fairbanks. Now that the weather is in the 50’s and 60’s I’m getting around 16 or a little better, mixed driving. On the open road around 18, and I’ve got 12K miles on the clock. Really thought I’d get a little better than that because we drive pretty conservatively. I have a topper that’s level with the top of the cab and a couple of moose lights on a bar in the front and that’s it. Would love to know how Micky is getting 20-22 with the 5.7L. Just got back my first oil analysis after switching to Amsoil. Not surprisingly, the oil is still good for continued use after 3K miles. I’m going to continue oil analysis every 3K and will post results and trends.
Danny and Dale I travel alot. So most of my mileage is interstate. My local work is 28 miles one way. Out of that 28 miles, 19 of those is interstate driving. 8 miles are 4 lane hwy at 55mph. The last mile is still 4 lane but drops to 40mph. Of the interstae I drive 55mph and get that 22mpg. I do 65mph I get 20mpg. I use an AFE Stage II with a lifetime air filter. No oil needed. Wash in mild detergent and air dry. I have an 07 Crewmax Limited with a 5.7. I also have complete Borla Pro XS duels. The CAI may get me 1.5mpg if that much. It will take several years for it to pay for itself. I have the Bridgestone 18″ Duelers. I’m on my second set which the first lasted 63,000 miles. I’m still on my orginal brakes with 20% on the rear and 50% on the front. I’m an instructor of the “Smith Driving System” where I work at. The system teaches you to drive conservative. Once a month I fill up with premium gas. Every week I fill up. Every saturday I check my pressure’s on all my tires and the wife’s. Every month I check the thread depth to see if my thread wear is normal. I keep my tires at 40psi. I don’t have a 4×4 or a lift job. I don’t have a skid plate or bull bar in front. I have a soft tonneau cover on the back from Extang. Mythbusters stated a soft or hard cover doesn’t help or hurt your mpg’s. Leaving your tailgate down will hurt your mpg’s. The only thing that increase their mpg’s was an airgate. Don’t get me wrong I do go 80mph sometime. Usually when I get above 22mpg. Using different octanes hasn’t help me in mpg’s. RPM control is what gets you mpg’s. My lowest was 16.3 to my highest 24.9 on trips about 400 miles. When I fillup my computer always has the minimum of 420 miles on it. Had it as high as 450 miles. I do get over 400 miles to the tank. I reset my trip meter to keep the tally.
Mickey,
Thanks for the input. I dont have the computer mpg monitor so i can only caluculate off of actual miles and actual fuel right after fill-up. My best is 18.56. Of that, it was 268 miles round trip with about 20 miles city driving included. My average speed was 70-72 mph using the cruise, no a/c and only about 500 pounds of cargo. My truck is bone stock except for a drop in k&n filter. We make this business trip on a frequent and regular basis. The worst was 15.6 combined mpg. My 1995 extended cab z-71 averaged 17.25 mpg and our 2008 HHR averages 32.5 mpg for the same trip. All vehicles carry cargo back and forth. Hmmm, maybe if i slowed down some…lol. Again, thanks for the input. I’m thinking about the bakflip cover and flowmaster 50.
Thanks for the info Mickey. Sounds like you’ve got it down to a science. I would never have dreamed of putting 40 lbs. of air in my tires. Seems like you’d feel every pebble that your tires rolled over, but I’ve never tried it. I’ve generally followed the “manufacturers cold tire inflation” recommendations and check inflation religiously. My Tundra has the Michelin all-seasons and I must say that I really like them. I don’t plan to do any really aggressive off-roading and they really worked quite well through our first Fairbanks winter in FWD and they’re really quiet riding tires. Other than the topper and lights my truck is stock. Still bewildered that I don’t get closer to 20 with freeway driving, especially since Amsoil claims it will improve your MPG a little. Anyway, those are pretty impressive MPG figures for the 5.7L. Thanks again for the tips.
Amsoil is a very different product than Mobil1, Syntec, etc… I put 200,000 mi on 3.4L ’01 Tacoma using exclusively Amsoil at 12k mi intervals. Towed a 3000Lb cargo trailer almost every day. Never had one problem with it. Was still averaging 18mpg’s when I traded it for 2010 Tundra. It is worth the $8/qt!
Thanks for the testimonial, Greg. It won’t be long before I reach 5K miles on this oil (Amsoil) and I send another sample in for analysis. I’ll compare the results with the analysis on the synthetic oil the Toyota dealer put in that I did also at 5K miles. I’ll be very interested in the total base number as well as wear metals. I should be posting some results in about a month.
Ref: from Bob Oil Guy site:
“Genuine Toyota Motor Oil 0W-20 contains a Toyota specific additive package within it, making it not interchangeable with other synthetic oils of the same weight such as Mobil 1.
Best,
Erica G, Prius Product Marketing, TMS, USA”
Gee, Erica G (Toyota Rep)….I will bet you have changed a lot of oil in your day?
Will you ever get that old ’68 Dodge off the concrete blocks?… or are you still waiting for that “specific special additive” oil you ordered?
Don’t you hate it when some company guy, or girl, tries to tell you, or insinuate, that “theirs” is the only stuff you can use? C’mon. Toyota Corporate needs to “re-school” their marketing staff when dealing with an informed public. We are not all idiots.
PS: I would not buy an auto that was so “limited” in interchangeability of things like lube, gas, oil, trans fluid, etc…. It’s like painting yourself into a corner.
Jack – I agree, but it’s definitely not limited to Toyota. When I worked at a Ford dealer, the Ford reps (who had never changed their own oil) told me that Ford’s factory-brand oil was better because it contained “special additives”.
As I understand it, anyone can add anything to oil, call it a “special additive”, and then bill accordingly.
I agree that Toyota’s marketing people should give up on the whole “our oil is better” thing – just use a brand we all know and trust (like Mobil 1) and move on. Fortunately, we’re able to use any oil we want in our vehicles provided it meets the technical requirements…that’s the law. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Hi guys:
How come know one has comented on the new oil filter the 5.7 is useing. I have my own oil change bussiness and it seems to me ,even though I haven’t changed one yet that Toyota took a step backwards with this filter. What’s wrong with the old spin on filter?
P.S. I own an06 Tundra and would trade for a new 4.6 when it’s time.
Seymour
Seymour – The 07+ Tundra’s oil-change process has been universally lambasted as being overly complicated. Dealers hate it, consumers hate it, and according to a Toyota dealer I talk to the cartridge type filters are coming out on other Toyota products too. If I can find out why Toyota goes with a cartridge instead of a complete spin-on unit, I’m going to write a post about it.
GM has been using the cartridge type filter for a while now. my 08 HHR has one. Oh, just got the hhr out of the shop again. not sure if the car sucks, the service department suck or both.
Danny – I think there’s probably some logic behind the cartridge setup, I just don’t know what it is. My concern is that it’s completely cost-driven.
Also, sorry to hear your HHR and your dealer are giving you trouble.
Jason,
funny story about that HHR. took it to the shop last thursday. one of the sales managers asked how i was doing and i said im getting tired of bringing this car back for service. he said, well that makes you a repeat customer. then i said, well thats also the reason that i bought a Tundra instead of another GM. then it turned extremely quiet.
Danny – LOL. Not much a guy can say to that!
[…] […]
For those of you that qualify for Toyota Care, remember to turn the truck in to Toyota every 5,000 miles, and that includes those with 4.6 L engines. There’s still a maintenance process that Toyota will accomplish, even if they wait another 5,000 miles before changing out the oil. From what I gathered from the sales folks, missing that intermittent [none-oil changing] inspection might void their free service….and “free” is still free = saving money out of your pocket!!
dug – Good call.
I just bought a 2010 Tundra 5.7 V-8. I traded in my ’01 Celica, for something bigger…for many reasons. I was told by 5 different guys at the dealership that I could use regular gas and oil.
I had to use plus gas & synthetic oil for the Celica, needless to say I’m use to the price.
I’ve only put about 730 miles on my Tundra. I am concern about my first oil change…using regular oil. I want my Tundra to last as many years as my Celica did.
Anyhow, so what I have gather is that I should get a cover for the bed to save on fuel (Thanks – does it matter if the cover is soft or hard?)
But it seems like there are different opinions on the type of oil to use. In my Celica(using synthetic)I changed it every 5k miles, but before I hit 3k I get her topped off for free.
My question is should I do the same with the Tundra?
Frances – First, let’s address the myth of the 3k mile oil change. Auto dealers and oil change shops perpetuate this myth, and I think it’s wrong of them to do so. A modern car using modern oil needs new oil every 5k miles minimum, and many cars can go 7,500 or 10k miles between changes without issue.
The Tundra is rated to go 5k miles between changes minimum, and if you’re rolling in a 4.6L, you can go 10k miles between changes.
Next, in terms of type of oil, the 2010 5.7L can use either synthetic, synthetic blend, or regular old “natural” oil. The only criteria is that the oil meets ASE standards.
Finally, when you’re deciding whether or not to use synthetic, check out some of the ideas in this post: https://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2007/03/13/new-2007-tundra-should-you-use-synthetic-oil/
If you’re a heavy-duty user, if you’re racing or going off-road, etc., synthetic is probably a good investment. But if you’re rolling down the same roads everyone else is and hauling/towing on occasion, natural oil is fine.
Re Your Celica: Small, high performance 4 cylinders are a bit different than V8s, especially if you’re running them hard. I’d use synthetic in one because they typically hit higher RPMs and stay at those higher RPMs for longer time period.
I have an 07 tundra 5.7 and really just would like to know if I can go 10000 between oil changes- Thanks
I will never buy another Tundra. It pisses me off to have to go to so much trouble to change a damned oil filter. Someone questioned whether it is cost driven. They want to soak you every time it needs an oil change.
Toyota is a reliable vehicle. I’ll give them that one point, but their mileage sucks, and making the oil filter change into a battle has done it for me.
Charles,
I’m curios about the MPG comment. Are you getting the MPGs that Toyota states?
Right now, MPGs are a hot issue in the truck market. The truth is many automakers are simply lying on their sticker and will have to “revise” their numbers.
-Tim
I am getting 17mph on the highway, and this is with the 4.6L motor. I expected better since the same motor in the older smaller Tundra gave me 19 to 21 on the highway. The smaller motor does not have enough power for the larger truck, and any time you are running in hilly country it sucks up the gas especially if you are using the cruise control.
What type of cab do you have?
Tim
I have a 2010 Toyota tundra 4.6l v8 my dealer changed my oil with 5w30 syn blend oil I am going to change it every 5,000 miles will this hurt my truck and is it ok they should know better right they are the dealer. I just want to make sure my warranty and will be good and I cant get in trouble for it.
Bruce,
You will have no trouble with synthetic and your warranty.
-Tim