Oil change advice (just coming off original maint plan)

7.5K is the old dino oil change interval. You can push out to 10K miles intervals using full synthetic, per Toyota specifications. If you want to change it sooner, that's up to you.
IMHO; I would stay away from those quick lube places. They're not know to use quality stuff on cars. That's probably why they recommend 3000 mile oil changes.

Good Luck...

 

For your reference, attached is a summary of the 4th gen maintenance schedule I cobbled, staying faithful to the Toyota USA publication Warranty and Maintenance Booklet.

It's your call on the oil change interval. Toyota USA is 10k miles or yearly (whichever comes first, typ.). Toyota Canada (starting with 4th gen) is the same. My personal choice is 5k miles or once a year. With our low use it ends up being yearly, with around 2~3k miles.

I was using Toyota 0W20, for about the first decade of ownership, till the price went through the roof. I'm now using Costco's Kirkland 0W20, which is made by Warren Industries. I don't think brand matters much, just needs to meet the spec. FWIW, this is a review of the Kirkland vs Mobil 1, quite favourable.Do be forewarned: at least for me, when he gets into the technical stuff I fell asleep, it's tough not to...

Do keep in mind there's more to maintenance than oil changes. According to Toyota USA:

Tire rotation: every 6 months or 5k miles
In-depth brake inspection: every 3 years or 30k miles
Engine coolant replacement: 10 years or 100k miles, 5 years or 50k miles thereafter (Toyota Canada says this, for both engine and inverter coolant)
Inverter coolant replacement: 15 years or 150k miles, 6 years or 50k miles thereafter.
Spark plugs replacement: 12 years or 120k miles

Not on the schedule but worthwhile:
Transaxle fluid replacement: at least once, sooner than later
Brake fluid replacement: every 3 years or 30k miles (this is Toyota Canada recommendation)
Rust mitigation: the underside, suspension, periodically

 

He has a gen3

 

Ah woops. That said, I doubt the car will implode with 0W20.

 

Your present mileage indicates you will be fine with the 10K/12 month interval, as long as you use 0W16. If you choose to use the 0W20, then, according to Toyota via your manual, you will need to do 5K/6 months AND use 0W16 at that point. FWIW.
You could use any brand of the 0W16 and be fine. The price difference between Toyota’s and the Mobile1 isn’t that significant doing yearly changes and according to several analysis I’ve seen, there is a slight difference in additives between them, even though Mobile supposedly produces the Toyota oil.
Regarding oil weight the clearances in these cars are very tight and the oil is used for more than just lubrication.

 

FWIW You can learn a significant amount of good information from The Petroleum Quality Institute of America regarding the different oil weights and additives so you can make your own informed decisions. Another source for good information regarding how the oil is used in these engines is John Kelly of Weber State University and The Car Care Nut (if you have the time and inclination to wade through all of the videos). One of the things you can learn is the differences between the Gen 3, the early Gen 4’s and your later Gen 4.

 

Service your vehicle on the Severe Duty Cycle...and learn how to do it yourself. Not only is it cheaper, but your vehicle will last longer.

 

Plenty of people started using Toyota's revised 10k mile cycle in 2010 and lived to regret it. If cost is the drawback learn to do every other 5k change yourself.

 

Over the years that I've been wrenching on my own cars, things have changed. Back when I first started, 3K miles was the norm, but that was before the full synthetic oils were available. After synthetic oils became available, 5K became the norm. It's only fairly recently that auto manufacturers started going with the 10K miles between oil changes.

If you watch the auto repair guys on YouTube, they're really not into the 10K miles between oil changes.

There's also a lot of "flavors" of oils. I'd say that Mobile 1 is one of the standards to compare oils against. I've heard that the Toyota brand motor oil is made by Mobile 1, but I can't prove it. There's also differences in extended performance (meant for longer oil change intervals), high mileage (intended for engines that have more miles on the odometer), extended performance and high mileage... I haven't seen it, but apparently there's a variant for hybrid engines too. Unless you're going with the 10K miles, or have well over 150K miles, I don't know that the variants would make much of a difference.

I used to use the "quickie oil change places" and specify Mobile 1. It seemed easier and I didn't have to get rid of the old oil. Not anymore. I want to see for myself if there's other repairs that are needed, and the oil change places don't seem to be interested in looking much further than the oil change plug. The oil change door on my Gen 3 really doesn't have the best design, and I kept finding it dragging along the ground because the plastic push clips were not holding it closed. When I change my own oil, I can see when these clips are not going to hold and replace them. The shops just put what was left of the push clips back in place and went on to the next car. There's just too many things I want to know about - are there any other leaks. I also check the suspension since I have to jack up the front of the car (I had a bearing fail but since it didn't make the usual bearing noise it took way too long for me to figure out why my tires were prematurely wearing out.) It really doesn't take any more time to change my own oil, if I include the time to drive to the oil change shop, and this town is pretty easy to properly dispose of the old oil.

Every time I take my car into the dealer, I feel like I just got screwed. My "new for me" Gen 4 only came with one FOB. I found a used one online and took it into the dealer to get programmed. They charged me way too much for less than a minute of programming, handed me an inspection report that I never asked for (included things like brake pad left on all 4 wheels). Now I get constant mailers from them telling me that my car is overdue for service.

I've got a garage and have accumulated a good tool collection over the years. I don't know what your setup is. If you live in an apartment and have clauses in your lease that say you can't repair a car in the parking lot, what I've said doesn't apply to you.

By the time I paid for the upgrade to the synthetic, I'd end up paying about $80. Doing it myself, I'm spending a little more than half of that. Go to the websites of your local auto parts stores and see what they want for 5 quarts of oil and a filter if that's something you're interested in.

My Gen 2, Gen 3, and Gen 4 all use the 0W20. I understand the Gen 5 are the 0W16. Whatever it says on the oil filler cap is what I'd use for normal driving.

It's your car, so it's up to what you want to do. For my cars, 5K and full synthetic (Mobile 1) is what I'm going to be using, and I change my own oil.

 

FWIW: The 2022 manual specifically states 0W16 and if 0W20 weight is used it is required to be changed out at 5k/6month later. I am reasonably certain the 2021 has the same requirement. The earlier 4th generation didn’t require the 0W16 because it wasn’t available.

 

Today at local dealer been told that they using 5w30 for gen4 and I should use same as 0w16 its just bit better than water. Presume they dont mention to their customers that vvti engine presure issues are related to this.

 

The only downside is the thicker viscosity at higher temps may reduce mpg. You still get low enough viscosity for cold weather starts. The reason some recommend higher viscosity is to reduce engine wear.

 

I'd be curious to know, is there anything mechanically different about the progression of engine generations, to require this progression to ever thinner oil specs. Or is it all mpg chasing?

 

Probably just pollution thing for the price of engine life

 

Just to update last post, changed to 5w30 Toyota oil basically didn't notice anything, fuel consumption same as was, colder season on the way so will find out more then.

 

And it's all a bunch of Malarky...the engine is the same from 2016-2022 more or less especially the internals.

 

I'm getting 65 mpg using 0w/20 oil with 171k miles on the car, larger tires and lift kit. I doubt thinner viscosity oil will make any change in that.