what oil to use?
 

I recently purchased an 05 camry le 4cyl with 40,000 miles. I had a 00 celica before and always used synthetic oil. But im questioning if its to late to switch to synthetic ? Should i use a semisynthetic 1st? thn synthetic ? Also is the transmission fluid t-iv a dealer synthetic fluid? Then agian theres those who dont like synthetics to begin with.... Whats truely best?

RE: what oil to use?
 

You will have no problems switching to synthetic oil at 40K miles. I would avoid a blend as who knows how much synthetic oil vs dino oil is there. Is it 50/50 or 90/10 or 10/90. I'd go with Mobil 1 or Amsoil. Don't forget a top tier oil filter.

RE: what oil to use?
 

These oil discussions can go on forever as there is no one answer. Synthetic is fine if you can stand the price. With a synthetic you should be able to go longer between oil changes, which will help offset the price some. But I would only arrive at a particular brand/oil change interval with oil analysis. You will do just fine using plain old dino oil recommened by your owners manual. If you do longer synthetic drains you may want to change the filter between full changes. I use both synthetic and dino on different vehicles for different reasons. Amsoil is expensive with no real proof that the extra cost is worth it in the long run.

RE: what oil to use?
 

Well its time for an oil change now, probably going to do it tomarrow or the next day. Still not sure if i want to even use synthetic. I was still kind of leaning to a blend. Dont get me wrong i know the advantages to using it but youd still get the same advantages of a blend. Also i take into note about blends not being blends and such. 50/50 10/90 90/10 ect... Ive always been a fan of valveoline never used mobil one much. Also would using different brands of oils be better or using the same brand be better? I guess this is a hard topic overall. Aslongs as you change it every 3k i suppose it doesnt really matter?

RE: what oil to use?
 

If you're going to change every 3K then no need for synthetic. Synthetic better for high heat, high stress, not really what you see in a road car. I think the small oil filters on Camrys mean a change with filter every 3K. I just bought a 95 with 138K and will do dino every 3K. Look for clear looking oil in bottle. I think the base stocks are better when oil is light colored. Valvoline, Castrol, Pennsoil would be fine. I'm using Castrol in my Camry with a better oil filiter.

RE: what oil to use?
 

Yea i have some buddys that work at our local toyota dealership and they recommend castrol. Ive never used it. Ive always used valveoline. I drive about 100 to 150 miles a day with lots of idling. So im still leaning towards synthetic. However i found a place that sold toyota made oil for 2.50$ a quart which im guessing is a hell of a deal. So im getting lost theres so many oils ect. Would toyota oil be the best . Is it a blend? or what? Maybe with all the stress i put on an engine driving and idling ect it would be in my best intrest to use synthetic. But whats best for toyota cars when it comes to oils? Whats the best oil filter to use? Ive always used kn or mobil 1 oil filters and always changed every 4 k . 3K on synthetic oil just seems like not getting your moneys worth and 5k seemed to kind of stretch it out to far. All advice and inputs would be nice. Thanks

Also the toyota type t-Iv is that a synthetic transmission fluid? Im not sure if it is or not .

RE: what oil to use?
 

well i changed it i put some castrol syntech in it with a mobil 1 filter. Already has been low end torque from light to light. Hopefully this will do the trick i live in florida and the heat is pretty bad here so we will see. I think ill use mobil 1 next , not sure if its good to switch oils ect. Anyone have advice?

RE: what oil to use?
 

I think you're loosing too much sleep over this. The engine thermostat should keep your engine temp constant in any heat, so Florida should not matter. Oil temp gauge would tell you how hot oil is getting but for most daily drivers I would not worry, idling or not. Constant idling just means more hours on oil than miles would indicate so you would want to change more often. Changing grades probably more adverse than brands. Valvoline OK if you want. Most modern oils meet all specs so keeping the oil clean is your biggest concern. On the two vehicles I use synthetic on I do complete changes once per year with filter and top off at six months. Total miles on oil about 7K. But I did oil analysis on several changes to feel comfortable with my system. I am still evaluating it with an occasional oil analysis.

RE: what oil to use?
 

I rack up 1,000 miles a week give or take. So i just want my money's worth i suppose. Im just gonna lean towards valveoline or mobil 1 next time around and keep it on the same pace. My main concern is if the toyota t-iv transmission fluid is a synthetic or not , perhaps someone knows and ill find out. Thanks everyone

RE: what oil to use?
 

I think at that kind of mileage you're a good candidate for extended drain synthetic. Getting an oil change every 3 weeks at 3k intervals may be a hassel for you, and costly especially if you're paying a quick lube to do it. I would research different cafe' oil producers such as Amsoil, RedLine, even Mobil1 (half the cost) and see what they recommend as extended drains. Redline uses a lot of Moly additive which has good anti-wear properties. I would pick an oil, use the mfg'r suggestedextended drain interval, and then get an oil analysis to check that the oil is holding up. Blackstone Labs will charge$20 for metals content + other good info and an extra $10 for TBN. TBN will tell you if anti-corrorsive additives in oil are holding up. Once the oil analysis proves out your oil you don't need to do it much after that unless you're interested in monitoring engine/oil condition.