I live in Ontario Canada, and I just purchased a previously owned 2012 Toyota Camry xle with the 3.5 V6 engine. I was wondering if you could tell me what weight of oil I should be using in this car. The manual says 0w-20 but that seems a bit odd to me. I like using ordinary mineral oil, as opposed to synthetic. I have always replaced oil and oil filter at every 3000 miles...even though the manual tells me to do it at 5000 mile intervals. My old 2002 Camry xle with the 2.5 engine has 250,000k on it and it is still running as smooth and quiet as the day I purchased it back then, using mineral oil and dumping at every 3000 miles. Could I use the same oil as I am using in my 02, which is 5w-30 ? We do get very cold winters here, but I do spend about 3 months of that winter in Florida, so.....
Anyway, any input or advice you have would be deeply appreciated. So far I love this car very much. Thanks again.
Ray

 

Suggest 0W-20 or 0W-30 synthetic.

Before synthetics there were no 0W oils. The oil weight provides better flow at lower temps which helps in cold weather. The oils are also fine to use at higher temps such as in Florida.

Oil filter changes at 3K are too soon even for mineral oil. Oils and filters have greatly improved. A filter change at 5K is fine.

In 2002 mineral oils were common and recommended, now synthetics are common. Add in the advantages of a slightly higher MPG (to help meet CAFE standards) and longer oil change periods (less maintenance), and car makers are recommending this oil.

 

Simple answer is yes, you can use 5-30. Prior to CAFE, that was the oil used. However, you really do want to go with the 0-20 due to better viscosity at low temps, especially (stressed) if you do plan to stick with dino oil. Ontario gets cold, and you are just really encouraging damage at cold temp start-ups with the higher oils. And I respect your thinking on dino versus synth, but again, due to the cold, all you are doing is allowing paraffin to form in your dino oil in the winter. There wasn't an alternative once upon a time, hence the 3k OCI. By that time the additives in the dino oil, with the break down and wax formations over cold winters, made it critical to get that out and put new in. Synth is your engine's best friend, and 0-20 is right on the money.

 

Thanks for the replies people....Just a couple of questions to clarify. What does CAFE mean ? Is there a 0w-20 mineral oil, or does it just come in synthetic ? With synthetic oil, how many miles (or kilometers) between oil changes is safe ?? Again, thank you all for the replies and help....I am loving this new(er) Toyota Camry so far, but find it a bit harder on gas with the V6, but that's normal and par for course. It'll be interesting to see on a long trip the difference between my 4 cyl Camry and my 6 cyl. On my old 4 cyl Camry, I have reached as high as 800 kilometers (about 500 miles) on a full tank, and that is driving at speeds between 75 and 85 mph. I doubt very much I'll get that on the 6 cyl...however, the power when you need it is there, and makes it a bit more exciting to drive. If I had to do it over again though, for my type of driving, I think I would have went for the 4 cyl again..which has ample power. The 6 cyl does provide a quieter ride though, which is nice. Anyway, Merry Christmas to you all and a Happy New Year for 2015.

 

See link below for CAFE explanation:

Corporate Average Fuel Economy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

There is no 0W-20 mineral oil. One of the benefits of synthetic is 0W.

If the owners manual is calling out 0W oils then these are synthetic. Use the manuals recommendations. On some models Toyota has gone to a 10K oil/filter change. If going this route and not using a Toyota brand oil filter, use a long life filter. Meaning a filter designed to go 10K miles without breaking down.

The 4-cylinder could get great MPG on long types. Seldom needed more power and easy to work on to boot.

Happy holidays to all!