yea i dont like 5w20 very much. but unless it's driven hard, burns excessively or something like that i'd just keep it in DD cars.

half the cars in my house use 5w20

a question for all of you, this is the first time i will be changing my own oil at home, and my driveway is slanted, do you think it would be dangerous if I jack my car up on the driveway and use jack stands or would I break any bylaws by doing my oil change on the street?

Don't know about bylaws, but type of jack do you plan on using? Jack stands is a really good idea, but what type of pavement do you have? Since it is so hot out, asphalt will go soft and the jack stands might/will sink into the ground.

its concrete i believe doesnt go soft in this heat we've been having, i think they call it a trolley jack the one I would be using. I'm just worried about the car rolling while I'm working on it.

Bumpity bump! shameless bump.

LiquidTurbo. Thanks man! I've learned a lot from you! =) Now I drive a 03 Sienna 89,000km on the clock, oil change every 5000km w/ mobil 1 synthetic. I do the same with my bro's 06 TSX with 74,000km. I understand that having an oil change every 8k is fine on newer vehicles but what about high mileage? i'm talking about the ones with 250.XXX on the clock?? is it okay to do an oil change every 8000k?

As long as you are using the proper, recommended oil (that is of high grade) there is not problem sticking with a 8000K oil change interval, unless your manufacturer calls for something else. That's what my car is on, using 0W-40 Mobil 1, and even after a slew of track days, my oil analysis was spot on. I highly recommend doing at least one oil analysis to see if you can detect excess bearing wear or additives breaking down early.

I have been changing mine (M1 0W40) every 12-13k km and it's running fine. Opened up the valve cover to change the seals and no sludge at all

I've been following the recommended 6000km interval using Mobil1 5W-30 for my previous car and Royal Purple XPR 5W-30 for the current car. To be honest, just make sure you change your oil at the correct specified interval and you'll be fine. Mobil1 works just fine.

Oil filters...I just changed oil on my car and since I just bought it, I found out the PO goes to Jiffy Lube since 1. he mentioned it, and 2. there was a Pennzoil oil filter. Since I work at a dealership, I went with OEM (Toyota/Denso). Would I be correct in my assumption that most quick lube shops use Fram-quality filters, and if so, are they poorer in comparison to OEM?

Keep in mind I have read a couple of articles reviewing oil filters, and they say Napa Gold is pretty good. It's the Fram ones that bug me a bit.

FYI, word on the street is that Toyota's filters aren't as good as they used to be since Nippon Denso split up. I don't know this for a fact simply because I haven't driven my MR2 in ages. :D

Napa Gold, K&N, Wix & Purolator filters are supposedly very good.

Been using Napa Gold since ownership, no complaints here.

Is it worth getting an OEM oil filter? vs Fram.

Pennzoil/Quaker State filters are now produced by Purolator. So it's safe to say it's a better overall filter compared to the older findings which were made by FRAM. Though running FRAM(extraguard, High mileage) for 5,000KM OCI should be fine but I'd stay away from all FRAMs other than their Extended Guard/Synthetic Filter. You'd be surprised to find that this particular filter is actually quite well built, 2 layer filter media, Metal end caps, ADBV.

If I remember correctly, some Honda filters are made by FRAM, but the delearship does sell two types apparently.

Don't forget, just because a filter is made with Metal end caps doesn't necessarily mean it's great. The number of pleats, flow, filter material, and the actual thickness of the filter housing plays a big role as well.

Friends don't let friends use FRAM

That's surprising to know that Pennzoil filters are Purolator. The article I read was from a few years ago, and mentioned the Pennzoil filters were garbage. The vehicle in question is my 1990 Corolla GT-S, and when I compared my old filter to OEM, the Pennzoil looked shorter but was the same diameter, had a weaker shell, and I believe had a crappy paper material.

In recent years, I believe 1-2 years ago. Pennzoil/Quaker changed their Oil filters to Purolator. Most common filters on the market are made of a hybrid blend of Paper and some (minor) synthetic fibres. Some have more, some have less. Ofcourse this is all according to cost. But in the end, even a cheapy filter can filter out decent stuff as long as you do your oil changes regularly.

Anyway, in the end. Do your research properly, Just because a lot of filters are made by Purolator, Wix etc etc doesn't mean it's Super awesome. On a 3-5 dollar filter that's made by either of them, the internals may be of decent grade but the housing might be fairly thin or weak. Though, If I had to choose between a cheapy FRAM or a purolator, ofcourse I'd choose the latter.

Anyway, I thought about cutting up my filters and posting pictures but I need a decent size Pipe cutter or an oil filter cutter. Those things are quite expensive and no, a can opener won't do.

This is true. The 15400-PLM-A01 is made by Filtech and the 15400-PLM-A02 is made by Honeywell (which is the same company that makes Fram).

Since there are so many "good quality" oils out there, and everyone says dont use "crappy" oil lets list what kinds of oils are "crappy"

OEM Toyota should be fine if you are doing regular oil changes. If you are going for extended intervals, then I would maybe look into something else. OEM Toyota is definitely better than your average FRAM though.

i don't think you will break any laws.. and is not safe at all.

Yikes. Don't be on the news. Jacking your car up while on a slanted road is asking for instadeath.

where do you guys get your oil changed (besides DIY)? I don't want to go to the dealer anymore (toyota). The oil change itself is not expensive, around $40, but when they do the bigger service every other time, it's like $200- $250 and when I read the list of what they did, it's mostly check this, check that, not really fixing or replacing anything.... I wouldn't mind paying $200 if they actually replaced something but most of the time it's a thorough inspection... maybe a tire rotation but i can get that for free at Costco.

Why don't you tell them to just do the oil change?

What's your guys opinion on high mileage vehicles (150KM+) running synthetic oil? I've heard it could eventually lead to oil leaks. What's your guys opinion on it?
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