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Engine & DrivetrainDiscussions about the engine and drivetrain of your vehicle.
This is a discussion thread titled "Cheapskate Oil Change Guys???", within the Engine & Drivetrain forum, part of the Technical & Vehicle Assistance Forums category.
OK I have some ???'s about whats not the best oil filter or oil for my tundra. Whats the best of the least expensive. Im not gonna pay $7-10 for a filter and $30 for mobil 1 everytime I change the oil. Im not worried about getting 150K out of my tundra when dino might get me to 125K or whatever. So, whats the best stuff I can get at walmart or other discount superstore?
5W-30 I dont care what brand or whether its dino, blend, or syn, whats the best for $12-15 a case (I have some Exxon now)?
I just bought a bunch of Fram 3614 filters for $3 a piece at walmart, but everyone says they suck. OK, would I be better off exchanging them for SuperTech for $2? Or is a car and driver from target better? Catch my drift? Best filter of the $3.50 and under bunch?
Not trying to say you guys are wrong for using Mobil 1 and TRD filters, but I just cant afford it! Help out a cheapskate with a base model tundra! Thanks fellas.
...Im not worried about getting 150K out of my tundra when dino might get me to 125K or whatever. So, whats the best stuff I can get at walmart or other discount superstore?.
It's the rich guy who can afford cheap oil changes. IF you paid $16M for your base Tundra, then 125K miles would be $.128 per mile. If you could "do something" to make the Tundra go 150,000 miles instead, you would save $.128 x 25,000 = $3,200 in value of your vehicle as free miles because you would have otherwise had to replace it. If you spent the extra $30 for Mobil1 and factory filters over the 25 oil changes you would have done, you'd have paid an extra $750 in oil change costs.
I'd say the cheapest oil and filter is the best that you can buy. I'm so dang cheap I use Mobil1 in my Transmission and rear end as well. best - Lee
OK I have some ???'s about whats not the best oil filter or oil for my tundra. Whats the best of the least expensive. Im not gonna pay $7-10 for a filter and $30 for mobil 1 everytime I change the oil. Im not worried about getting 150K out of my tundra when dino might get me to 125K or whatever. So, whats the best stuff I can get at walmart or other discount superstore?
5W-30 I dont care what brand or whether its dino, blend, or syn, whats the best for $12-15 a case (I have some Exxon now)?
I just bought a bunch of Fram 3614 filters for $3 a piece at walmart, but everyone says they suck. OK, would I be better off exchanging them for SuperTech for $2? Or is a car and driver from target better? Catch my drift? Best filter of the $3.50 and under bunch?
Not trying to say you guys are wrong for using Mobil 1 and TRD filters, but I just cant afford it! Help out a cheapskate with a base model tundra! Thanks fellas.
I buy my oil filters at the dealer. They are standard Toyota filters for $4.95 but the parts guy always gives me 10% off so I end up paying $4.00. You are not going to get much cheaper than $4.00 a filter.
If you are going to use dino oil and change at say 3k or 4k intervals then I would use whatever is the cheapest that meets the standards. I use Wal*Mart brand in my daughters car because she never has any money. No problems so far.
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2003 Tundra SR5 Access Cab - Phantom Perl Gray, 4WD TRD
LSD, Tow Package, Front Skidplate, Auto Dim Compass/Temp Review Mirror, Factory Tonneau Cover, PPD Billet TB Cover , GFX Chrome Nerf Bars
Stone Mountain Racing Headers, Modified Stock Y Pipe, Custom Exhaust Pipes, Flowmaster Delta 50 Series, Polished Stainless Tips
Blaupunkt San Jose Head, Delphi XM Satellite Radio, Kenwood KFC-1779ie (Front), Rockford Fosgate FRC 3206 (Rear), Terk XM11 Antenna
I take mine to the dealer. $19.95. Included Toyota Filter and a synthetic blend motor oil (5W-30). I believe it is Castrol if I remember the markings correctly on the drum.
I used to always change the oil myself, but for $19.95 it is hard to beat, plus all my service is logged into the Toyota system. When speaking to another dealer when on a trip and having my Avalon serviced (yes I am nuts and will have the oil changed when on a long trip) he noticed in the system that I was very rigorous in my service and said that is good to know if I ever had gelling problems (which all have told me I will not with my maintenance schedule).
Biggest plus to all of this is no disposal issues for the oil. I still remember saving it and having to take it to the oil dumping site....always spilling or staining something.
For the 30 minutes that it takes them, it saves me over an hour. Time better spent playing with my kids, playing golf or drinking beer.
I went to autozone and pepboys and walmart. Autozone had the best "bounty" of filters. Mobil 1($11), bosch ($5.50), STP($3), Fram ($3.29), ACDelco (3.49, OEM for my Malibu I think). the Bosch, Delco, and STP were all the same build. My guess from the same factory. I bought an STP for each of my vehicles. Brought them home, they are 90% the same outside as the $2 supertech from walmart. Cant say about the stuffing and valves, but from the looks of it, all 4 are from the same can factory. Frams were different, much different. I read up at this website. Im gonna return the Fram extra guards to Walmart. It basically says they are the crappiest filter out there. To bad theres one stuck on my truck right now...
Mobil 1, Bosch (U.S.), STP, SuperTech, some ACDelco, Champ, Lee, Luberfiner, and probably more brands, are all made by Champion Labratories. Same externals, different internals.
Ken
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You get what you inspect
Not what you expect.
S&S Long Tube Hi-Torque Headers
TRD/Eaton Limited Slip Differential
Gibson exhaust system
Hellwig Rear Antisway Bar
Sylvania Xenarc H.I.D. X1010 Auxiliary Low Beam Driving Lights
Schaeffer Engine Oil, ATF, Differential Oil
Racor LFS22825 full-flow transmission filter
Towing a 21' Bigfoot trailer using a Hensley Arrow hitch, Jordan brake controller, McKesh mirrors
Why not play it safe and use the Toyota filter, it's made for your vehicle, cheap insurance in my book! Hell you could have the dealer change it for you for only a few bucks more then you pay now, and not have the hassle of crawling on your back, finding a place to dump your oil, and worrying about keeping the reciepts for the filters and oil!
Man, I dont mean to be a jerk, but if you dont have a job, how can you afford your truck? When I was in college, I drove a 20 year old Subaru 120 miles per day. The thing ran like a champ, and maintenance was dirt cheap. The only thing I ever did to it was replace the clutch. The engine was so tiny, me and a buddy, pulled the engine out without a lift.
I maintain my truck and a fleet of gas trucks. My main objectives are lowest maintenance cost, least amount of downtime and longest possible vehicle life.
My solution:
Home blend of Coastal Synthetic and Coastal dino (5W-30, 50/50) and STP filters every 5k.
So at the cost $22.516($4.39*3.25+$1.09*3.25+$2.99 & tax), I benefit from:
1. Don't have to worry about any sludge problem (if any)
2. Easier to remember/longer interval (I can run up to 6k)
3. Some protection of synthetic oil
4. No long checkout line at Wal-Mart or waiting at a lube shop
5. Easy used oil disposal
6. No need to check oil level between change. Some older Ford might burn 1 qt every 6k but it's still at safe zone.
Just so everyone knows...Wal-mart SuperTech oil is (I believe) made by Pennzoil, and if you read the bottle passes all the specs for use in any automobile, the filters are the same as the STP filters. So if one were wanting to be frugal, one could use the Walmart brands without a second thought. I can't see how any modern oil that passes the specs the manufacturer of the engine requires would harm said engine. If I were in a tight spot and needed to save the cash I would not think twice about it. Don't let the oil elitists get you down, just remember, with any oil (cheap or expensive) it's the regular maintenance that keeps vehicles (mostly) running "forever". My .02.
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2003 SR5 V8 4x4 Access Cab; SS Autochrome intake; Truxedo cover; Rhino lining; 255/85/16 Cooper Discoverer S/T's; 16x8 Black Steel Wheelers; Ram Air; breather extensions; Viair 380C on board air; Daystar 1.5" lift; Deaver 3leaf AAL; homemade bed rack; 21 gallon water tank, Hidden Hitch w/Superwinch...
I have heard from many different sources that toyota stock oil filters are about the best filters around as far as engine protection. Sure there are filters that flow better but what do you really want out of an oil filter for a non-racing truck. Heck all the samurai guys in the know that want to protect their suzuki engines use the TOYOTA A2 filter. And they are typically 4-5$ at most. Now that's cheap insurance over a FRAM.
Cheapskate Oil Change Guys???
