Larry, you hit the nail on the head. I have to get 20 yrs out of any car I buy. If I didn't and had to make car payments all the time, there's no way I could ever retire. :-) So maintenance is key for me. In the long run, it's way cheaper to drive a car 200K+ miles w/ good maintenance than selling at 60-100K mi and buying another car.

Does anyone know exactly what the owners manual recommends for '04 4Runner SE V8? I am confused, is it 7500 or 5000???

Those mileage intervals are based on different driving styles and uses. Basically if the truck never sees dust, dirt, abuse, towing and is driven very conservatively then 7500 is right. Otherwise, as the poll suggests, 5000m is a safe bet.

I personally use Amsoil and change it every 7500miles but I change the filter at 3500 miles and top it off a little less than a quart.

Is the oil filter difficult to change in these cars?? what kind of special tools do you need?? how much do the filters cost??

Hard, no, but you do have to take off the skid plate to get to it. Just a couple of extra bolts.

A smaller size oil filter wrench will probably be needed to remove it.

I get mine pretty cheap at partznet ($3.60 I think, but it has been some time because I buy a few when I'm there) and I'm close enough to pick them up at their dealership.

They changed it for 2004, it is 5000 miles for OCI. I think in 2003 they had the 7500 mile OCI but they got tire of leaving it too the owner to figure out if they were using their vehicle for normal or severe service. So I am sure that Toyota changed it to 5000 miles to cover their butt. I change mine every 3750 miles even though I use mine for normal service.

Obviously you don't live in California. LOL.
Seriously, that's a very generous offer.

every 7500 miles with Mobil 1 Synthetic 5/30W.

How do you get that?

You guys letting the dealers change your oil...how do you sleep at night?? LOL...here in Richmond I have yet to find even one solid "automobile" dealership....period. Sure they treat me great to my face and "take care" of me. Oh but what goes on behind the scenes is what frightens me most.

I caught the "detailer" at my local BMW dealership trying to drive my M3 like he was Mario Andretti. Like I really want anybody detailing my baby. I ran outside like a fool when the service writer told me they were cleaning it. It was my fault, I should have told them not to touch it.

I have a lot of horror stories from my past Toyotas...I have had a lot.

This '06 Runner...I didn't even let them take off any stickers...they did get the white plastic off the body but that's it. Unfortunately I couldn't get the oil filter off to save my life because it was so tight so I took them the filter and Amsoil and let them do the oil change...cringe. Sure enough they stripped my skid plate bolts and didn't reinstall the little plastic cover. I know...not a huge deal...but for once can't they do SOMETHING right? So if they do this on just one visit...imagine what would happen to my Runner if I took it to them regularly. I will say this...these skid plate bolts do suck. The same bolts on the Tundra...still suck. OK enough of me ranting. Can you tell I do not trust dealerships?

BTW I change my oil at 15K intervals. I use Amsoil Series 2000 0W30 which is actually good for 35,000 intervals with regular filter changes ofcourse. I also switch it over to synthetic immediately. Break in with dinosaur poo is not needed.

Feel like I wasted time with this thread.

"pasopaul's comment above is the only one that makes sense"

I've been changing my oil every 5000 miles, give or take a few miles. 116,000 miles later & no problems. Using regular 5w 30.

3000 miles using dino oil.

3,000 miles; new filter every other change
Use 50/50 mix of 5w-30 Super Tech syn and reg. (10w-30 in summer)

Changing the filter is more important than changing oil. So, i would change the filter more often while changing oil less often.