I RTFM and I don't remember any specific mention about synthetic oil, except that it can be used and at standard, every 5k intervals. just like any other oil. Probably TCH doesn't require synthetic but keep the following in mind: it is true the engine runs less than standard car since it doesn't idle much, when sitting in traffic but at the same it has very large amount of warm restarts. Also the engine is designed to run lean and that can keep the temperature around combustion chamber rather high. Since synthetic is a little more slippery than normal oil, arguably you could offset higher cost of oil by better FE. But the most important thing is that the extra cost all by itself is peanuts. Assuming you get the regular oil for free and you need to pay for synthetic $6 per quart, that's $480 difference every 100, 000 miles driven. Unless you lease the car and don't care about it, I would use synthetic just in case. As far as longer intervals are concerned, besides risking the warranty, I don't think it's worth it. I used to have old Nissan and despite changing oil every 5k, I could hear the engine running much smoother everytime I put new oil. If you drive the car without changing oil for 15,000 miles, chances are you'll need to add 1 or 2 cans anyway, so where are the savings?

 

FYI — I have just returned from a trip from Waterloo, Ontario to Lafayette, Indiana, and back. I thought that you might be interested in knowing that the Toyota dealership in Lafayette currently sells Toyota-branded fully synthetic (probably Mobil 1) 0W-20 oil for US$4.25/qt (regularly US$6.08/qt) — less than either NAPA or Wal-Mart. I had them order 24 qts for me to bring back to Canada, since Toyota Canada isn't (as yet) stocking 0W-20 oil, only 5W-20. This should last me for my first 5 oil changes. [I tried but couldn't find a Canadian source for 0W-20 Mobil 1.] Interestingly, the cost per case of 12 quarts was higher, so they sold them to me singly. This may be a temporary special price.

The trip back was ~765 km (~478 mi) , covered at or above the posted highway speeds wherever possible, and my FE averaged 6.2 L/100 km (~38 mpgUS). The temperature was above freezing. ScanGaugeII gave my cruising range as over 1000 km (625 mi) per tank each time, so that I easily covered the trip on a single tank each time, even though the TCH's fuel gauge (and its cruising range indication) had reached "empty" — there was plenty of gas left in the tank.

Stan

 

Sorry to stray off topic - but how many gallons of gas did you add to your tank when you refilled? I'm typically putting in just over 14 at the "empty" as per the fuel gauge.

Also, how far past 0 miles of range have you taken it? I probably haven't done much over 10 or so.

 

n8kwx — Here are the numbers I got on the trip from Waterloo, ON to Lafayette, IN:

Distance travelled since last fillup = 798 km
ScanGaugeII said fuel used = 52.6 L
ScanGaugeII said fuel left = 12.4 L (~3.3 galUS)
ScanGaugeII said remaining cruising range = 186 km

The fuel gauge was reading ~1 div below Empty. [These numbers seem a bit larger than they ought to be.] The Repair Manual says that when the gauge reads Empty, there's still 9.8 L of fuel left. That's around 3 galUS. This is what others have found too. (Search this Newsgroup.) Nevertheless, my tank was not that close to empty. I don't normally push it this far, by the way! I just wanted to demonstrate to myself that I could do the trip without filling up.

Stan

 

I've taken it 60-70 miles past 0 several times and I've never even had to pump 16 gallons into the tank. I think of it as 3 gallons left when reaching 0 and at a bad mpg of 25 that gets you 75 miles. If you are consistently getting in the 30's you should be able to go about 100 miles past 0 (though that would be really pushing it).

 

I have taken it over 100 miles past the 0 mile rane left. I stll have not been able pump 17 gallons into the car. I think the most I have pumped was around 16.5 gallons. The 100 miles after 0 DTE, I still had almost a gallon of fuel in the tank, so I could have gone 40 more miles until I was running on battery alone. I don't really want to test that though, so I will be using the 100 miles as my max after 0 DTE.

I can see 3 gallons as a good reserve for a car that gets 15 MPG, but on a car that gets 40 MPG, that seems a bit excessive. That is like saying the prius can only use two thirds of it's gas tank before it is empty.

 

On the oil front, I have gone with Synthetic in each vehicle I have owned the last 12 years and changed it every 5,000 - 7,000 miles. I have never had an engine issue more severe than a burned plug wire. That's with driving 3,000 miles a month and putting 90 - 150K on a vehicle.

As for the fuel sub-topic, I just can't stand the yellow light. If I ever get in the dash for anything, that bulb may just have to go!

 

[quote=Bigsk8r;107843]On the oil front, I have gone with Synthetic in each vehicle I have owned the last 12 years and changed it every 5,000 - 7,000 miles. I have never had an engine issue more severe than a burned plug wire. That's with driving 3,000 miles a month and putting 90 - 150K on a vehicle.

Smart Man!!!!!!!!!

 

Thanks Skywagon.

About 7 years ago, I was driving a VW Golf and I was at about 150,000 miles. I went into the local Auto Zone and got my usual air filter, oil filter, and 5 quarts of Mobil 1.
The kid at the counter said "Sir, why are you spending all this extra money on an oil change?" (or something like that) I told him that I changed oil with the best available every 5,000 -7,000 miles and that in 150,000 I had only replaced distributor cap, rotor, plug wires, and brake pads. I am not sure he believed that, but that made him think.

I test drove that car with 4 miles on it and sold it 7 years later with 196,000. It still got 30 MPG at 80 MPH the day I sold it. The reason I posted you this is simple. I changed oil in that car 35 times. The oil itself only cost $15 more than Dino. So in 196,000 miles, I invested $525 more to prevent Lord-only-knows what amount in the engine.

Your car does not care what kind of wheels, tires, stereo, nav system, seat covers, etc.. that you put in (or on) it. It cares VERY MUCH about the quality of fluids you put in it though. IMHO if you are not using synthetic oil and Top Tier Fuel, you are doing your TCH a disservice. Its like giving your kids McDonalds for every meal because it's food and it's cheap.

I am sorry to be so long winded, but this topic hit a nerve. I see a lot of folks in here who I am not sure ever put 120,000 miles on a car. You should NOT take it for granted that something major is going to break, and that it is a cost of car ownership if you A) bought a quality vehicle and B) put the best quality maintenance into that vehicle.

Okay... stepping off the soap box... have a good day all!

 

Hey Larry...I didn't catch what weight oil you are using in your TCH (0-20)? I got the mobile 1 synthetic part