Just bought a 2005 V-6 Highlander with 49K. I have put a little over 4K since purchase and want to change the oil, I plan on keeping this vehicle for a LONG time so wanted suggestions on the best oil for it. I live in Central Florida, so weather is usually hot. It is Jan 10th and will be 80 degrees today!
I have read threads about Conventional, Blend and full synthetic. Most of what I have read suggest 5W-30 oil no matter what type of oil. I was going to buy a blend like Pennzoil Platinum or Castrol Syntec as i don't know if ful synthetic is needed. I also don't know what has been used the last 3 years before I had the vehicle. Please let me know any suggestions. I plan on changing oil every 4-5K as I do a lot of short 3-5 mile trips.
I am in the exact same boat as you and have been wondering if I should put synthetic in my Highlander with 54,000 miles. In the past I have had good luck with Purolator filters and have read to stay away from Fram. Check out this website for a good comparison of filters. Toyota Filters - Oil Filters Revealed - MiniMopar Resources
I have heard the same thing about the Fram. As far as the oil goes, I am leaning towards the full Synthetic. I have read that the blend is mostly conventional and braeks down almost as quickly as conventional. I am convinced it is better to stay with conventional unless you want to go to full synthetic.
Other than going nuts with an oil like Amsoil, what brand is the best? I am between Pennzoil, Valvoline and Castrol. Autozone had 5 quarts and the Mobil 1 filter ( recommended on your reply ) for $35. Sounds like a good deal to me!
I usually stick with Mobil 1 or Castrol for oil. I really don't know anything bad about the other brands though. Just personal preference. Are there any drawbacks to switching to synthetic with 50000 miles on the engine? Thanks
I contacted a local AMSOIL rep, and below is what he told me about his product. I had a similar question about my Highlander with 49K, as well as my daughter's Infiniti with 137K and here is what he said:
Castrol and Pennzoil are good oils. But the big difference is that they start their oils with a crude oil base product. AMSOIL is 100% synthetic! We have the longest guaranteed change intervals, and the reputation to back them up. AMSOIL has been making 100% synthetic oils since 1972. They are proven not only by our testing, but by our customer loyalty. You will save the $3.00/quart in fuel savings. Your engine will also stay cleaner and run better. This will help keep your maintenance costs lower.
Our oil filters trap 98% of contaminants 2 microns or larger. No other filter on the market can say that. Those contaminants are what cause part failure within the engine. Having been a mechanic in my prior career, I have seen what using a cheap filter can do to an engine. The filter is at least as important as the oil!
Using AMSOIL in your daughter's Infiniti will help a lot. She could use the same 5W30 in her car. I highly disagree with the comment that a full synthetic is not worth the extra cost in an older engine. I had a Toyota with 170k that showed marked improvement in performance on the AMSOIL. I have a customer who is using AMSOIL in his Infiniti with 100K+ miles. He told me his fuel mileage has gone up about 3% and the engine runs much smoother than it did before the oil change.
I would recommend becoming a Preferred Customer. It allows you to purchase most AMSOIL products at a 20-305 discount, basically wholesale pricing. The cost is $20 for a year, or $10 for six months. That would allow you to get a superior product for less than the other synthetics out there.
I look forward to working with you to get AMSOIL products for your Highlander and your daughter's Infiniti. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
You're going to get about a million different opinions about this, some from people who feel very strongly about the subject.
My two cents, with 5000 mile OCI's, a conventional really is fine. If you don't skip changes your engine will outlive the rest of you car. The largest benifit of a synthetic is the extended oci, but I personally don't feel your particular v6 is good candadate for this.
However, on my car I do use Pennzoil Platinum or Valvoline Syntec which are full synthetics. I do this because the price difference from conventional isn't significant (about 6 bucks a change) especially since both are BOGO pretty often, or under 20 bucks for 5 quarts at Chinamart. I also live in a fairly cold climate, and it does significantly ease starting in under 0degree weather, and I tow with the I4 so overheating could be an issue for me at some point (though it has not been).
I would also use Mobil 1 or Castro Syntec, but they tend to be more expensive or I just haven't caught the right sales. Personally, I loathe Amsoil, it's a multi level marketing company, which basically means they have a crapload of guys who sell the oil out of their basement/gas station/garage who are on direct comission based on what they sell. And there's never a shortage of them to fill up forums with wild tales of how amazing their products are. In reality they are pretty good,, on par with the others, I just can't stand the people and their products are too expensive. FWIW, since mobil1 is now groupIII, they are the only common group4 synthetic so they didn't lie to you, but the used oil analysises aren't as good as PP or M1, so what's the point (of having a theoreticaly better product that isn't better in the real world.
For filters, stay away from Fram. Napa's lowest end filters are really good, or either purolator is as well. These are what I use, but I know there are other good filters, wix and others that I haven't.
If you really want to know a ton about this, spend an hour at bitog.com in their forums. More used oil analysises than you'll want to read, probably for your exact engine, pictures of filters cut open, horror stories, love stories, all about oil. Plenty of Amsoil/Redline schills, but some very knowlegeable folks as well. And fairly open minded as well, if you want to use olive oil and a toilet-paper-roll filter, someone there will help you try to do it.
I use Mobile 1 extended performance 15000 (For a few bucks more than standard Mobile 1, online info indicates this is a much better oil). At any rate, go with synthetic, it's superior to conventional oil in all respects, it will not break down and gunk up your engine over time, also you can go a bit longer between changes, especially if you use an extended. I use the Fram extended wear filter.
Thanks for the feedback. I ended up finding an amazing deal locally on Casrol Synthetic and Mobil 1 filter for $28. I was going to get the Valvoline until I saw that deal.
I agree AMSOIL has a lot of hype, but i all know is mechanics I know swear by it.
You didn't sell your last car because you made a bad synthetic vs conventional oil choice decision choice did you? Neither has anyone else on the forum. So that's why it's a waste of time to agonize over whether you should use synthetic vs conventional. With either oil, your engine can last between 500,000 - 1,000,000 miles IF you don't make any mistakes with regard to maintaining the engine's cooling, fuel, ignition, emission and exhaust systems and maintaining correct engine valve clearances.
With regard to filters, who is more credible? An oil filter comparison website or Toyota owner testimonials like this one http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...ertech/957.jpg that demonstrate Toyota filters can enable a Toyota engine to last one million miles?
I wouldn't say that i am "agonizing" over it, just looking for opinions. I have never been one to keep a car for more than 2-3 years in the past as I always traded out after that time. Seeing that I will now be keeping my current cars indefinitely, all the garbage I hear on oils and engine life had me wondering which is better and why.
Also, I just bought my daughter an Infiniti with 137K and she will be going away to college next year, and am trying to make that car last as long as possible with no problems. From what I have read on this and other sites, MOST think Synthetic will help the car burn less oil and run smoother which was the information I was looking for.
You didn't sell your last car because you made a bad synthetic vs conventional oil choice decision choice did you? Neither has anyone else on the forum. So that's why it's a waste of time to agonize over whether you should use synthetic vs conventional. With either oil, your engine can last between 500,000 - 1,000,000 miles IF you don't make any mistakes with regard to maintaining the engine's cooling, fuel, ignition, emission and exhaust systems and maintaining correct engine valve clearances.
With regard to filters, who is more credible? An oil filter comparison website or Toyota owner testimonials like this one http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y18...ertech/957.jpg that demonstrate Toyota filters can enable a Toyota engine to last one million miles?
We have battled over this for so long in the past. It would only be fair to let bpcoach search older threads on this subject. Let him form an educated opinion. Toyota testimonials are not objective coming from yu.
M1 used since '77... 0w30 currently in my HL V6 since new, yes I dumped the OE fill at 500 miles. Then at 1k... then at 5k.
Don't go with any blend. it's Either dino or ALL syn.
I just bought my daughter an Infiniti with 137K and she will be going away to college next year, and am trying to make that car last as long as possible with no problems. From what I have read on this and other sites, MOST think Synthetic will help the car burn less oil and run smoother which was the information I was looking for.
You're making a mistake to think synthetic will extend engine life and make the engine burn less oil and run smoother. And the extra money you are spending on synthetic means less money will be available to pay for the fluids and new parts the Infiniti engine REALLY needs to last along time, increase fuel economy and decrease emissions:
- new genuine Nissan spark plugs, plug wires, air filter and coolant
- new genuine Nissan oxygen sensor
- cleaning of the throttle plate
and more stuff along those lines. Replacing items like those, BEFORE they are fully worn out and giving trouble are what the Toyota & Nissan 400,000 mile club owners do.
The paramount TODO list in any vehicle is changing anything that has to do with lubrication. I go a step further -- anything liquid I go ahead and replace it promptly. Syn gives you the extra protection if by anychance you missed a change. Engine oil, gear oil, tranny fluid, brake fluid, coolants etc.. These are the things that keeps vehicles going on and on for 100s of thousands of miles (FYI, I just did an UOA on my maxima at 155K and the PPM numbers came up so low folks on BITOG were impressed).
My 2001 V6 HL has about 140K. Bought it new and it has had Mobil 1 most of its life. Engine runs perfect every time. Started with 5w30 syn and switched to the 0w-30 in the gallon jugs that wal-fart sells. I always use wix filters to from O'rileys $6. In my opinion its been the best combo for a smooth, quiet running engine. I've search all the pro's and cons out of the miles of endless threads on oil and everyone does it differently. But synthetic IMO makes the engine much smoother compared to the dino oils...
but to some others points; when the miles get higher, its the little things like swapping the plugs, o2 sensors, and keeping up on all the other maintenance and fluids that matter. Plenty of Toyota trucks are still on the road with 300+ thousand miles using good old fashion dino.
'05 Highlander Synthetic or Conventional??
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