Good info from Blackstone:

https://mcusercontent.com/f641390cba...newsletter.pdf

If your a DIY guy like me this is a good video; lots of counterfeit Toyota parts out there.

Toyota Counterfeit parts EXPOSED! - YouTube

When Walmart sells a 12 qt box of Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy full synth 0W-20 for $50 as their regular price, it makes no sense to me to even consider anything else. Pair that with a cheap OEM filter element and you're paying about $35 per change. I'll replace every 4-5k miles. My engine is happy and life is good!

Costco sells full synthetic 10qt for $25. Same brand that makes Amazon's oil and it tested better than Mobil 1 in some of the comparison tests.

I don't understand the excessive changing though, I mean it's literally wasting double the amount of oil necessary. Full syn oil could easily go past 10K mi with the vast majority of drivers' habits. I drive very hard and the 10K plus has worked just fine. Used to commute for work for over a decade and put around 24,000 miles a year on my 2008 F150, and a few years ago had to open up the engine for the notorious cam phaser/vct solenoid problem. No gunk buildup, was in great shape. Has 243K mi on it now, and still runs excellently.

Keep in mind oil is application specific and that includes the oil change interval. Short trips daily, soccer moms running errands, rock crawling, overbuilt rigs, towing, operating is dusty conditions, state to state travel on the interstate and the list goes on. Real world operating conditions and use determine the oil change interval. So to say changing the oil sooner than 10k is a waste is far from accurate.

How inaccurate is "far from accurate"? Anyone have some data on same vehicle, various use case scenarios as mentioned, proper maintenance of filters, and then tested how its full synthetic oil's wear significantly varied? Not being an a-hole, seriously curious. I have read that the various use case scenarios can affect oil wear as well, but never any somewhat controlled tests to back that up.

Take some time to watch at least a handful of oil wear comparison videos. That tells you about all you really need to know, as they measure the condition of the oil after use. If the oil still has its protective properties, then what other factors would be considered in saying the oil needs to be changed?

I used to live on a dirt road, drove about twice the annual mileage of an average driver, drive very hard, off road, towed, freeway and stop n go routinely; all of my vehicles I never noticed a significant difference in oil condition (contained deposits, smelled "burnt", coloration) post change at 10K using full syn. I change the filter every time of course, also change air filter when it's dirty. While this is all also anecdotal, I change a lot of oil between my multiple vehicles.

I no longer use M1 oil. It's living off past reputation, it's not what it used to be. My engine is louder with M1 than with Toyota oil ( actually made by M1 but to a specific Toyota spec ) but I now use Quaker State in all my vehicles. As for the Amazon oil and Super Tech oil both made by Warren oils, yes it did in fact rate higher than M1 oil.

Interesting you say that. I’m sure there’s proof at BITOG, but I have observations that confirm what you’re saying.

I had an F150 with an engine that was silent in the cab. You could hear exhaust, but no pulleys, valves, or other stuff from under the hood. I tried several brands of oil when it was new and only with Mobil 1 could I hear the valve train. It started at about 3,000 miles on the oil. Redline and Valvoline Syn were silent until I changed it at 5,000. I don’t remember trying Mobil 1 EP in that truck, but in other vehicles I have tried it and it was fine. EP is Group IV.

I don’t recommend Mobil 1 just based on my observations. I recommend Valvoline Syn. It’s the best for me and the best on BITOG for the money in my opinion.

I used Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy full synth 0W-20 in my 14 and it seemed to work well for 120k miles. Coming up on first change in new 21, should I continue to use or are there better options now? It's just my wife's daily so light use.

I’d get on bobistheoilguy.com and see what results people are seeing.

Looks like AFE is Group III, while EP is Group IV, arguably better.

Here’s what Mobil 1 says:

Reality is i'm sure your engine will run forever on M1 but I just don't like it. I also refuse to go 10K on oil regardless of the oil. I drop the oil and filter every 5K on both my 2016 4Runner and 2019 Highlander. Cheap peace of mind for me. I'll be due for a change on my 4Runner in about 400 miles and I plan to give the 5-20 a shot in place of the 0-20 We'll see what happens.

That's a great price, but I don't have a Costco membership. I do frequent short trips of 1-3 miles and live in a area with very long and cold winters. While the oil itself is fine, contamination and fuel dilution happens at a faster rate. I'm not going to cut corners on cheap fluids maintenance on a vehicle I spent over $40k on that I plan to keep for twenty years and beyond.

Yep me too, my office is 2.4 miles away, literally 100 of short trips on an oil change.

For you guys who do very short trips, just keep in mind there are oils that don’t perform like you want them to. An example would be the Redline Group V oil that is an amazing product, originally engineered for turbines that require amazing properties, but that absorbs water more than other oils and won’t burn off the moisture if the oil doesn’t get to its highest temp for some amount of time.

I have used Redline’s Group V and it’s so stupidly awesome and totally overkill for a car, but I also had longer distances and no worries about moisture.

I’m not aware of other oils that behave this way, but it’s always good to check BITOG if you switch to stuff not commonly found in the car parts store.

Redline is definitely in my top choices, coming from the Dodge Ram community I know first hand that Redline is very solid. Literally eliminating the Hemi Tick due to its formula, guys have posted before and after videos that are truly amazing. Takes about 1000 miles for the Moly to do its thing but it works. Super stable too, doesn’t sheer down like other oils do. Solid Choice!