Question about servicing and oil

[Alli8]

I apologise in advance as I know this question will have been asked before many times and I have found many answers but I would just like a definitive answer.

I have a 1.0 IQ and at the last service (Toyota dealer) the invoice states they used Castrol Magnatec 5W30. I am currently strapped for cash so will be doing the oil and filter myself or getting my local independent to do it. Either way, I want to purchase the parts myself.

The manual says the car should have 0W20 and API SL or SM with 5W30 being the alternative. Why, I wonder, did the dealer put 5W30 in? Probably down to cost I expect.

The car has been fine since the last change so should I stick with the 5W30 or move to the 0W20? I do know there is a difference (motorcycle trade for 30+ years) but I would just like some real advice.

Also, would you always go with the genuine filter or not? Any horror brands to avoid??

 

I would also love to get hold of a service manual but such a thing does not seem to exist? Any ideas please!

 

Thank you in advance.

[Cyker]

I usually just go down to my other dealer and get the genuine parts as they're not that expensive and you know they'll be good quality. They're also the cheapest place to get 0w20.

It was very naughty of the dealer to use 5w30 if they're an actual franchise Toyota dealer (As opposed to an independent Toyota specialist) and your car is supposed to use 0w20 - I would have raised a complaint.

Who is this dealer anyway? No Toyota dealer should be using branded Castrol oil unless told to by the customer; They usually use Toyota-branded oil...

 

 

[Alli8]

I have mentioned this to an independent dealer and they said 0W20 is too thin for older engines so 5W30 is better. I'm not sure he said this because I was female or that he genuinely thought he had a point. My car is a 2011 but has only done 55k.
 

See photo of parts list on my service invoice. This was the main Toyota dealer in Canterbury but it was 18 months ago when the car had only done 44k!

Weirdly though, looking back at my service history:

2017 full service the invoice says 5W30

2018 intermediate it says 5W30

2019 full service says 0W20

2020 intermediate says 5W30

Go figure...

[forkingabout]

2 hours ago, Cyker said:

No Toyota dealer should be using branded Castrol oil unless told to by the customer; They usually use Toyota-branded oil...

Be interested to know which oil company supplies the Toyota branded oil for the UK market. 

FWIW: I do know Unil lubricants supply the forklift side of the Toyota family across Europe with Toyota material handling branded oils. 

[Stivino]

24 minutes ago, Alli8 said:

I have mentioned this to an independent dealer and they said 0W20 is too thin for older engines so 5W30 is better.

I would be inclined to stick with the manufacturer's recommendation.

[Alli8]

My local independent uses Comma and Mannol oils. He said he would use either of these:

https://www.commaoil.com/passenger-vehicles/products/view/171

https://www.commaoil.com/passenger-vehicles/products/view/574

https://www.mannol.de/products/motor-oils-for-cars-and-transporters/synthetic-engine-oils/mannol-energy-5w-30

As I mentioned before, I was in the motorcycle trade but they don't use these A5/B5/C3 ratings, so I don't really understand them.

My head hurts...!

[Cyker]

Must admit I'm not sure about the 1.0L engines - In my head they were all 5w30 until the later ones, but I don't know for sure...

If it drives okay on 5w30 and you're not taking a noticeable mpg hit then it's probably fine. The 0w20/16/8 oils are more important for the newer engines, as the tolerances are so small that 5w oils won't circulate quickly enough from cold and may cause slow long term damage, esp. the hybrids as, they are cycling on and off all the time.

The 1.0L 1KR-FE is really a Daihatsu engine and the tolerances probably aren't as tight as the later Toyota engines, which is why I was a bit surprised your manual says 0w20, as I thought that would be too thin and you'd need to top up the oil a bit. (I don't know how often you check the oil level!)

 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Toyota began using 0W-20 oils for non hybrid petrol engines when the modified Optimal Drive engines were introduced to improve emissions. The 1.0 IQ had the Optimal Drive improvements in September 2010, which required 0W-20 and which brought the IQ up to Euro 5 requirements.

Vehicle manufacturers go through extensive testing regimes when designing/updating engines, stating which grade of oil should be used, etc, in order to ensure longevity. This far outweighs any opinion of a local dealer or mechanic.

I've had new cars from a variety of manufacturers (Honda, Hyundai, Mazda, Nissan and Toyota) and none of these have stated a different grade of oil should be used when the engine gets older. 

Your owners manual probably states that: 'Toyota's preferred oil is 0W-20. 5W-30 may be used, but should be replaced by 0W-20 at the next service.'

So use whatever oil the manufacturer states in the owners manual - in your case 0W-20.

[Alli8]

So, an update...

Just called my local Toyota main dealer to enquire price of parts and asked about the oil. They said Toyota recommends ALL pre-2012 engines use 5W30 despite what it says in the manual... Ho hum...

[FROSTYBALLS]

22 minutes ago, Alli8 said:

They said Toyota recommends ALL pre-2012 engines use 5W30 despite what it says in the manual... Ho hum...

So presumably they are able to show you that in writing??

[Parts-King]

I get this a lot with older cars, oh my mate says when it's older, 0W8/16/20 is like p**s so it's no good for older cars, you need 10W20/30/40 or whatever, absolute whoppers 

[Tomv]

1 hour ago, Alli8 said:

So, an update...

Just called my local Toyota main dealer to enquire price of parts and asked about the oil. They said Toyota recommends ALL pre-2012 engines use 5W30 despite what it says in the manual... Ho hum...

I was told the same for my car.  Due to some Toyota SDS info (dunno what it is?) they used 5w-30 and since its cheaper then 0w20 i do not think that dealer was trying to get some money from me. Next time I will ask for 5w-30 myself because consumption is the same and engine is more silent with it.

[FROSTYBALLS]

1 hour ago, Alli8 said:

They said Toyota recommends ALL pre-2012 engines use 5W30 despite what it says in the manual

 

38 minutes ago, Tomv said:

I was told the same for my car. 

 

1 hour ago, Parts-King said:

I get this a lot with older cars, oh my mate says when it's older, 0W8/16/20 is like p**s so it's no good for older cars, you need 10W20/30/40 or whatever, absolute whoppers 

Parts-King works for a Toyota dealer ....

[forkingabout]

I checked on a couple of UK oil companies online oil recommendation for the iQ.

Company A gives various specs of 5W30 for any year / engine size of petrol & diesel iQ.

Company B gives the correct 0w20

Unless a Toyota dealer can show you a TSB that tells you to use a different grade of oil for your vehicle, follow the advice & use the grade that is in your owners handbook - under the bonnet on the information sticker.

[Parts-King]

OK so a couple of things happen:

1: Customer says Ive not much money, how much is a service? Dealer wants the business and prices a bit cheaper because he wants the business, nothing wrong with that, 5W 30 can be used as an alternative. Often lease companies will only pay for a lower grade oil. On this model the preferred oil is 0W 20 but 5W 30 can be used

2: Dealer puts in a short code for the oil on his invoice, short code X is 0W 20, short code Y is 5W 30, he could have put 0W 20 in it, but chose the wrong code, that happens a lot with new members of staff, does not mean 5W 30 was actually put in

Problems come when newer models that NEED 0w 8/16 etc, have any old 20/50 bunged in it coz my mate down the pub says all oils are the same and it will make no difference as he still uses Duckhams 20/50 in his Allegro and it runs just fine 😂😂

[Cyker]

Yea, it's never a good idea to use a thicker oil than the engine was designed for as you're just risking oil starvation, esp. on startup. The tolerances on the newer engines are incredible small and a thicker oil will struggle to flow through them quickly enough.

I'm always a bit suspicious when they start using thinner oils for engines that were originally designed for thicker oils, but at the end of the day if you go against what is recommended that just gives them an out if some problem develops later on.

It sounds like Toyota need to get all their dealers and offices singing from the same hymn sheet tho'...