Synthetic vs Mineral Oil in my Tacoma

[DEWFPO]

We recently purchased a 2003 BMW Z4 for an occasional weekend convertible. BMW makes it hard to find a substitute for their recommended full synthetic requirement. The manual says to use BMW part number ##### only. After hours of digging I found where they also approve Mobile 1. Ironically when I got around to changing the oil the cap on the vehicle had Castrol embossed on it.

The scary part is the oil in the engine looked like tar. The car has a service reminder that displays briefly when you start the engine and after resetting that it starts at 18,000 miles. I cringe to think they were running ANY oil for that length of time.

It also has a tag on the transmission pan saying it has a lifetime oil in it and no change is required. Here again it has a BMW part number only listed if for some reason you do need to change the fluid. I finally found a spec on that and discovered Valvoline lists a compatible ATF.

Both our Kia Sorento and this BMW have NO DIPSTICK or way to check the transmission fluid level. We have paid the Kia dealer to flush the Kia trans at 60K and 120K so there must be a way to fill and check level underneath but I haven't really looked into it further.

I am not planning to pay a BMW tax to get the trans fluid changed so I will eventually figure where the fill and level check is on the BMW.

Sorry to bleed off topic!

All ATF's need to be changed and there is no such thing a the so called sealed transmission. They all have a Drain, Fill and Check plug. On the one's I have worked on you pull the Check/Overflow plug on the trans pan once the ATF has reached the manufacturer's spec. and drain out any excess, once the ATF just drips out of the overflow plug, you put the plug back in and the atf level is set. It's not as hard (impossible) as the dealer service writers make it sound. I have used a IR temp gun on the pan to see what the temp is, some vehicles will tell you when the ATF temp is at the right temp to check the ATF or a scan tool will work.

DEWFPO

 

[Robin Veerman]

tag on the transmission pan saying it has a lifetime oil in it and no change is required
Many OEMs are stating this, but the way to understand it is, that Lifetime means life of the warranty. So, it is prudent to change out the fluid on some sort of schedule because it will be you the owner that will be paying for repairs down the road and so it is you the owner that will benefit from proper maintenance. Dutchy

 

[DEWFPO]

tag on the transmission pan saying it has a lifetime oil in it and no change is required
Many OEMs are stating this, but the way to understand it is, that Lifetime means life of the warranty. So, it is prudent to change out the fluid on some sort of schedule because it will be you the owner that will be paying for repairs down the road and so it is you the owner that will benefit from proper maintenance. Dutchy

Truer words have never been spoken.

Don't be fooled....

DEWFPO

 

[skipperbrown]

Service manager is repeating what she was told probably at some seminar and she didn't question it so she doesn't have a plausible answer for you. I have read that synthetics have a longer service life and are thinner when cold helping cold starts. I don't know if what I read was marketing or real science.

 

[RalphVa]

Put synthetic in there and run it 10k before oil changes. 7k if you are nervous. Go on tacomaworld, get much better info anyways....

I agree. Every time I've switched to synthetic, I've doubled the change interval from what I'd been using for dino or mineral (group II) oils. Change interval on the VW TDI (diesel) was 10k, same as what it is on our Mx-5 and Mazda3 (with synthetic 0w20 in them, 5w30 in the TDI).

I calculated the economics of this one time, based on the observed fuel economy improvement. Pays out and is a lot less effort and less oil to make and to dispose of. Saves all around.

Ralph

 

[Grumpycat]

Put synthetic in there and run it 10k before oil changes. 7k if you are nervous. Go on tacomaworld, get much better info anyways....

That is bad advise. There is nothing about "synthetic" that makes it automatically suitable for extended oil drain intervals.

There are synthetically manufactured motor oils which are designed for extended drain. Not all are.

 

[Grumpycat]

We recently purchased a 2003 BMW Z4 for an occasional weekend convertible. BMW makes it hard to find a substitute for their recommended full synthetic requirement. The manual says to use BMW part number ##### only. After hours of digging I found where they also approve Mobile 1. Ironically when I got around to changing the oil the cap on the vehicle had Castrol embossed on it.

That is incorrect. Your Z4 requires motor oil meeting BMW LL-01 spec. Not all Mobil-1 meets, just as not all Michelin tires fit your BMW. Basically LL-01 is an oil BMW believes is good in your engine for 15,000 miles or one year. There is no issue with emissions equipment (a problem with European diesels) so any modern oil of suitable viscosity will do with more frequent drains.

 

[HillStreet]

Service manager is repeating what she was told probably at some seminar and she didn't question it so she doesn't have a plausible answer for you. I have read that synthetics have a longer service life and are thinner when cold helping cold starts. I don't know if what I read was marketing or real science.

That’s the sense that I got. She seemed unsure of herself, then I asked if she was trying to save me money. She said no, it’s what Toyota recommends. I have 85,000 on the truck, I am original owner, and I always follow change/maintenance intervals.
I mostly go to the dealer for service but occasionally go to other sites to have an oil change. If I skip one Toyota service by going to an odd service location Toyota won’t go back and service what was missed. For instance, I went somewhere else when Toyota said spark plugs were due. When I went for next service at Toyota, they won’t put plugs in, or even ask if I want them. That is weird because any old service garage may be more on the ball.

 

[goeduck]

tag on the transmission pan saying it has a lifetime oil in it and no change is required
Many OEMs are stating this, but the way to understand it is, that Lifetime means life of the warranty. So, it is prudent to change out the fluid on some sort of schedule because it will be you the owner that will be paying for repairs down the road and so it is you the owner that will benefit from proper maintenance. Dutchy

Excellent to know! Thank you.

 

[bridge4]

That is bad advise. There is nothing about "synthetic" that makes it automatically suitable for extended oil drain intervals.

There are synthetically manufactured motor oils which are designed for extended drain. Not all are.

Really? I think you aren't sure what the point of synthetic oil is then(larger temp rang and longer use periods imo). I'd like to see the list of full synthetics that are in the Tacoma range of use that are rated for 5k or less between changes, because honestly I've never seen or heard of one. Toyota tells you 10k as well with their oil recommendations as well.

I'd love to be proven wrong and learn something.


EDIT: I found this link which goes over most majors right now. You are sorta right so I will offer a half acknowledgement of that. Looks like some only are rated for 7.5k max...while Mobile 1 can go 15k. So my 10k is a little long for some, but they all go over 5k.


1 Best Synthetic Motor Oils of 219 | Twelfth Round Auto