5w30 Instead Of 0w20

[AurisOwner32]

So I bought my Auris a couple of weeks back and noticed on the paperwork of the most recent service that the mechanic used 5w30 instead of 0w20 which is the recommended oil for a 1.2t Auris. 

Far as I can tell from the service book all other services had 0w20 used. 

Just wondering if this is potentially damaging or can I just let it be until the next oil change? Would be a shame to have to switch out the oil since its only a month old but I don't want to cause issues either. 

Youd think a competent mechanic would know what oil goes in what engines these days.....but no, too much to ask. 

[Bper]

Hi Jay,

Have a read this will explain the differences.

https://mechanicbase.com/engine-oil/0w20-vs-5w20-vs-5w30-difference/

[AurisOwner32]

Thanks for that Bob. I understand the differences between the oils already but just want to know is it potentially harmful or not. 👍🏻

[FROSTYBALLS]

Should be OK. According to Toyota, the use of 0W-20 is best for economy, cold starting, etc - though any differences would be small. 

Your owners manual probably says something like '5W-30 may be used, but should be replaced by 0W-20 at the next oil change'.

[AurisOwner32]

Ok thanks Frosty. Will probably just change it out on next service then 👍🏻

[TonyHSD]

Not harmful but not recommended to alternate from the original spec.
Next change better use 0w20 and perhaps can do an early oil change, before these 12 months or 10000 miles. Change at 5k miles or max 8-10 months instead as precaution. This is what I would have done if it was me. 👍

[AurisOwner32]

Thanks for the advice Tony 👍🏻

[Guest]

Possibly one of the oil sellers website was checked for which engine oil to use? They are usually never correct. When my car was serviced last February and I advised it should be 0W20 they questioned that because their oil supplier insisted it's 5W30.

I insisted that it is most definitely recommended 0W20 by Toyota, which they used.

As others have written, no harm will befall the engine, the sky will not collapse etc.. Just make sure 0W20 of the correct specification is used next time. Or as Tony advises change at a shorter interval using the recommended oil. Not necessarily Toyota's. Like Tony, I usually use Petronas for interim changes.

[AurisOwner32]

Cheers Paul for the input 👍🏻

[furtula]

I've been using 5W30 for years now, car is a bit older, and just a bit over 160k miles.

Most shops tend to use 5W30 because they buy the oil at bulk prices in canisters, have it on hand, and they can charge you more on price difference.

I

[AurisOwner32]

Yeah fair enough if people want to use it but when 0w20 is the recommended oil for your engine I wish mechanics wouldn't just assume a customer will be ok with an alternative like 5w30 if they dont have the correct one. A quick call to ask if using an alternative is ok is all it would take. Me personally, would rather wait for the manufacturers 1st choice oil for the specific engine to be available.

[TonyHSD]

14 minutes ago, AurisOwner32 said:

Yeah fair enough if people want to use it but when 0w20 is the recommended oil for your engine I wish mechanics wouldn't just assume a customer will be ok with an alternative like 5w30 if they dont have the correct one. A quick call to ask if using an alternative is ok is all it would take. Me personally, would rather wait for the manufacturers 1st choice oil for the specific engine to be available.

Unfortunately todays times even main dealer Toyota does the same. 
For example if 0w20 is used in 0w16 applications it’s not a big deal but when 0w20 is required and continued use of 5w30 can lead to complications in later date like high oil consumption for example due to stuck oil rings. 
Back in the days many peoples has believed that with the age and mileage of the car we should switch to thicker oils which is totally wrong. Best to stick to what the car came out of the factory, use quality oils and change on time or earlier, but never late. This is best for the engine. 👍

[AurisOwner32]

1 minute ago, TonyHSD said:

Unfortunately todays times even main dealer Toyota does the same. 
For example if 0w20 is used in 0w16 applications it’s not a big deal but when 0w20 is required and continued use of 5w30 can lead to complications in later date like high oil consumption for example due to stuck oil rings. 
Back in the days many peoples has believed that with the age and mileage of the car we should switch to thicker oils which is totally wrong. Best to stick to what the car came out of the factory, use quality oils and change on time or earlier, but never late. This is best for the engine. 👍

100% agree. A lot of people, including some mechanics just don't care enough about vehicles. Including their own.

[AisinW]

Not all 5w-30 are the same.  The quality of the base oil and additives are so diverse.  If they use longlife iii oil or better standard,  it should be fine.  TOYOTA oil is made by Mobil 1. 

The 1.2Turbo engine is pretty new but all other turbo like 2.4L and 3.5 L used 0w-20 instead of 0w-16.  Thicker oil in turbo engine is ok. But i always recommend 0w-xx if possible such as 0w-30 or 0w-40

 

[TonyHSD]

Once I bought Toyota oil 5w30 to use in different car 1.6 petrol manual.
I did that because I had 0w20 Toyota in my Auris at the time and liked it so the 5w30 was the exact spec for my Mitsubishi and decided to try it.  
Because I was using verity of oils before and after, all within the specs of the engine, I had a good base to compare and I can tell that this Toyota oil was the worst of all., actually the second worst after liqui moly 10w40 blue package. The best oil was Shell helix 5w40 grey package at the time 2016-2017. 
What was different between the oils , to start  I will note the engine noise, second comes the consumption, colour change, getting burnt dark too quickly in summer time means oil can not stand high heat, and the friction., lol this was mine concern tbh.  When you drive a car a lot and you are used to it you sense  things that no one else can. Small changes in road noise, tyre noise, energise noises, acceleration, all that are best picked by the car owner if the person is all about cars. 
This Toyota 5w30 oil didn’t go well. The engine was noisier from day one, it was a summer time , the oil only lasted clean around 2k miles where all other remained clear up until 3-4k , then the friction sense, when going off throttle the car was slowing down very quickly like hybrid with regenerative braking, although had non of these, after the car was left without use for 2 weeks or more then on the first cold start there were horrible valve train noises like an old tractor engine for long time, something that has never happened before.
I had drained this oil and put a better one and all of that drama gone.
Quick research afterwards and I  found that this particular Toyota oil was low grade semi synthetic oil made by chevron texaco, the chipi one indeed.
There are definitely better 5w30 oils on the market. 
Why I like Petronas 0w20, well it did pass the test of my own driving needs. 
I had changed the oil in my Auris hybrid and went on euro trip from London to Bulgaria during summer of 2017, it was a heatwave in Germany and across Europe, up to 40C° most of the journey.
We clocked 6000 miles in 4 weeks, what an enjoyable drive, the car did brilliantly and no oil consumption, no engine noises, no drama.
Never switch to different brand ever since. 👍

[AisinW]

I think older Toyota Oil is API SM or even older lower grade. Newer one with API SN or newer is much better made by Mobil 1.  

In my opinion, Toyota oil is not special, just regular 5w-30 API SN oil. It is not recommended for higher demanding engine with Turbo,etc. Only the API SN+ or SP are ok.  So, skip Toyota brand if we can get any oil with API SP specs or higher (DexosD, longlife III or IV).

Generally, check the pouring temperature of any oil, it shows how good the base oil is. < -50 C, that must be high quality oil 0w-20 or 0w-30.

[AisinW]

Comparison of the standardized test for different grade of oil with 0W-20 viscousity.  In short, any oil with higher standard certification, generally are better but it does not mean the are all the same. It is just the minimum standard wear/durability requirement for each category is different.