oil change interval?

[Sasquachulator]

So i never really thought much of this until recently.

I had my first oil change at somewhere in the 16000 kms range (thats what the service schedule was). I was gonna do it at 8k as part of the "service #1" but that didnt even involve oil change and they just told me its not neccessary until service 2.....

So now im coming up on 27000kms, and feel like i should get the oil changed.

Anyways just going by the factory schedule its supposedly:
8000kms = Service 1
16000 kms = Service 2 (here is where oil change #1 occurs)
24000kms = Service 1
32000kms = Service 3 (here is the next oil change...among other crap)

Im reading the oil change interval for this car (first gen) is anywhere between 7500-10000 miles (10000ish - 16000kms)
Seems a bit long to me but...what do i know. I feel like i should just skip all the service 1's since it seems like its just a waste of time. IS it better to be changing the oil earlier than the recommended interval? (Its on synthetic on whatever the factory grade is...i think 0w20). Also from what i read these boxer motors seem sensitive to late oil changes....

I dont really do any hard driving, at least not yet. Just dailying it and spirited redline runs every now and then.

[soundman98]

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/

here we go!! this was the question that killed the mayan's, and started world war 1 and 2!


the manufacturers interval is called a 'recommended interval' for a reason. if you desire to keep the vehicle warranty, it's the maximum amount of time you can ever go between oil changes.

otherwise, things like used oil analysis like at https://www.blackstone-labs.com/ are what you need to send some of your old oil off to decipher what's happening within the motor. that will give a better indication of if you're changing it too often or too late, as well as offer some indicators on your overall motor health.

i'm on the 3k-5k mile oil change schedule. at 3k i buy the oil. 4k, i start thinking of which weekend i want to change it. then i finally change it around 5k.

[humfrz]

Yep, like ol soundman98 suggests, for your kind of driving, just follow the manual.

I change the oil in my FRS whenever my wife's Saturn alerts us that it's time for an oil change. We drive our cars about the same number of miles over the same time period.

Oh, hesh up all you folks who think Bubba told me that!

Actually, the oil change interval is just inside my short term memory, so, I'm liable to forget to do it, without a reminder.

[WNDSRFR]

I reset my TRIP A odometer to zero when I change oil. I'm not on any kind of schedule or anything but it does tell me the last time it was changed. It says 4700 something miles now. I guess it's almost time to change. I should start looking for something on sale.

So, what does Toyota recommend anyway? Not that I'll do what they say. It is MY car afterall. Not theirs.

[Packofcrows]

Tip: if you doing at dealer, you can ask them to change oil intervals from 10k miles (rounded up) to say 5-7.5k miles in their computer system (my recommendation for basic dd).

My local dealer runs cheap synthetic oil changes, so here and there I slack and go to them.

Otherwise, soundman98 is on the money! Don’t forget to check cabin filter, battery, do basic walk around on car to check for visible issues and change/clean engine intake filter! Little things can make car feel/run like day one again if you keep up with good maintenance practices. 22mpg and crappy AC back to 26mpg (40% city/ 60% highway). Keeps my wallet happy.

[Lucky Ookami]

Originally Posted by WNDSRFR

So, what does Toyota recommend anyway?

From what I've read it is 7500 miles/7.5 months for normal conditions or 3750 miles/3.75 months for severe conditions. With severe conditions being "repeated short distance driving; driving in extremely cold weather."

[RToyo86]

I change around 8000km.

Betweens winters and hard summer driving works for me.

Have gone 10-12k km but engine is now 130k km and figure slightly shorter intervals won't hurt without sending oil out for analysis

[B T]

I thought it was lifetime oil?! Seriously though, all just depends on your driving type and quality of oil. if you do a lot of short trips without fully warming the oil to burn off condensation in the system, you should change it more frequently than manufacturer suggest when using an ethanol blended fuel (E10). Ethanol causes more water to end up in the crankcase and contaminates it.

[Wally86]

Take samples. Get it analyzed. Go from there.

I get my TBNs done every other change to see how the additives are doing. I started at every 5k and have been slowly moving it up by 500 miles at a time to see how the oil is affected. So far, I'm on course to the 7500 mile oil changes recommended by factory but I also drive like an old grandma. Once my 60k is up, I'm gonna switch to costco oil and see how it does comparatively.