Scion tC Forums banner

First Oil Change

2983 Views 22 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  Geneo
My girlfriend is quickly approaching 1500 miles... I told her that we need to take the car in for the first oil change.... but she showed me the owner's manual & that it says nothing about it until 5000 miles...

Help...
1 - 20 of 23 Posts
Got my first one at 200 miles, second at 1500, third will be at 5K, then depending how I drive - probably every 5K, then after 10K I'll go synthetic.
Got mine at 3000 miles. We've been through this before and it causes nothing but flames......however I will state that the Scion engineers say 3000 miles is perfectly safe (read the manual, its actually like 5k miles)......and until anyone here comes up with solid proof against there reasoning..............early oil changes are pointless. -t
Well, the manual says 5K-7.5K, so why did you do yours at 3K? early oil changes are pointless..
See less See more
cause i was used to 3k with my mustang...i assumed it was 3k for the tC until i read the manual. dont try to be a detective and get off my case, i dont bother you but i will start if need be. -t
Originally posted by TCrazy@Nov 3 2004, 08:06 PM
dont try to be a detective and get off my case
haha - nice. Got me laughing good.

I guess the point is that as long as you actually DO THE OIL CHANGE, its better than nothing. To each his or her own. I'll probably end up doing mine at 1k to be on the safe side.

I'm not trying to outsmart the engineers, I'm trying to outsmart the manufacturing/assembly people, the inspection people, and the people doing the testing.
krzy you are 100% correct. When it boils down to it........ nobody else paid for your car but YOU, so do what you want! I do all sorts of weird stuff to mine thats not in the brochure haha, to each his/her own.....live and let dieeeeee!!!!! -t
1st about 200 miles, 2nd about 650 miles
Will do 3rd at 1500 miles then every 3-4000 miles.

I'm nearing the end of the 1000 mile break-in and am now just starting to redline the rpms.

1st change at 200 showed moderately dirty oil with lots of metallic dust suspended in the oil and metal flakes in the filter and bottom of pan.

2nd change the oil was cleaner but still dirtier than you might expect. Still found metal flakes at the bottom of the pan.

I don't know how damaging all that loose metal is running through the engine, but I'm glad it's out. I suspect the 3rd change at 1500 is probably not necessary, but I'm doing it anyway.

On a side note, the engine is breaking in nicely, it revs smoothly and easily right up to 6000 rpm. Nice strong torque around 4-5000 rpm.
Originally posted by TCrazy@Nov 3 2004, 07:43 PM
Got mine at 3000 miles. We've been through this before and it causes nothing but flames......however I will state that the Scion engineers say 3000 miles is perfectly safe (read the manual, its actually like 5k miles)......and until anyone here comes up with solid proof against there reasoning..............early oil changes are pointless. -t
i can agree with you on that 5k is more that adaquate. 3 is what everybody is used to. the tC is a great car. but, it is still a car.
I was told by the dealership that I should get the first one at 1000miles. They're paying for it, so whatever. After that, it's supposed to be every 3-5K depending on how you drive.
FYI, the 3,000-mile oil change is a marketing ploy perpetrated by the quick-oil-change business. I've yet to see an owner's manual that recommended 3,000-mile intervals for oil changes -- at least not a Toyota.

It's all about money -- specifically, the oil change place getting yours.
Yeah, I got mine around 2K, I think.......with the goal being that I'd change over to synthetic on my 5K oil change (3K from the first one....)....which I think someone on this site recommended.

Guess I'll be hitting the dealership for that sometime within the next week or so...

See less See more
true. i got mine almost near 3k. toyota recommends 5k for the sequoia.
got my first at around 2300 miles, not at the dealer, their hours are retarded, I'd have to miss classes/work to get a friggin oil change. Anyway, got second at 3200 miles, oil was pretty dirty, at which point I witched to synthetic (mobil 1) and TRD oil filters (got em from sparks) Gonna be doing it from now on every 6K miles. I don't even care about the three free oil changes at the dealership, it's such a pain in the ass. Plus I get a free car wash at the place where I get my oil change, so it's a good deal.
I just did my first oil change a few weeks ago (around 2300 miles). Switch to Mobil 1 synthetic and I'm good to go.
Change it whenever you wish as long as it is at least every 5,000 miles. Years ago Toyota had a oil change recommended at 1,000 miles and was covered under a 1,000 mile check-up. Belts were tightened and the like were done. I think that if it gives you peace of mind to change it real early...go do it. Hey, it does not hurt to change it to get out any unwanted material floating about in a new engine. The real issue is with the owners who do not change the oil as often as recommended. Toyota's oil gelling issues were caused more by that problem than anything else. Petroleum baseed oils will absorb moisture and can contribute to gelling issues under high mileage changes. Synthetic oils will pretty much stop this problem, but I personally would wait until about 10,000 miles before making the switch to synthetic... to allow proper break-in. I see many of the posts say this as well.
So change the oil...it sure is not going to hurt anything.
Per your comment on the switch to synthetic after certain mileage level, I'd like to understand (as a newbie to oil change and such car maintenance activities) the reasoning for switching to synthetic oil from standard oil.

Thanks!
Originally posted by Geneo@Nov 4 2004, 11:54 AM
Change it whenever you wish as long as it is at least every 5,000 miles. Years ago Toyota had a oil change recommended at 1,000 miles and was covered under a 1,000 mile check-up. Belts were tightened and the like were done. I think that if it gives you peace of mind to change it real early...go do it. Hey, it does not hurt to change it to get out any unwanted material floating about in a new engine. The real issue is with the owners who do not change the oil as often as recommended. Toyota's oil gelling issues were caused more by that problem than anything else. Petroleum baseed oils will absorb moisture and can contribute to gelling issues under high mileage changes. Synthetic oils will pretty much stop this problem, but I personally would wait until about 10,000 miles before making the switch to synthetic... to allow proper break-in. I see many of the posts say this as well.
So change the oil...it sure is not going to hurt anything.
Would have to agree for the most part. I'll switch to synthetic after 6K and before 10K. Common postings indicate waiting for it to wear in before getting into syn oil. Wished they would break it in for us and ship it to use like the German cars. But then again, we paid much less!

See less See more
Originally posted by nguytu@Nov 4 2004, 04:42 PM
Per your comment on the switch to synthetic after certain mileage level, I'd like to understand (as a newbie to oil change and such car maintenance activities) the reasoning for switching to synthetic oil from standard oil.

Thanks!
I said that I would not switch to synthetic oil until 10,000 miles to allow for proper breakin and seating of rings etc. in the new engine. My 10,000 mile figure is just when I plan to switch over to synthetic. That would make it my second oil change. I would switch to synthetic due to the superior lubrication properties and the fact it flows much better and faster in a cold climate. While Richmond, Virginia..where I live ..is not super cold in the winter, oil does thicken up quite a bit in the winter and does not flow well when first started. You can hear the difference in engine cranking speed on those real cold mornings. It is not imagined...it does really turn over about 14% faster.Since everything you can read on engine lubrication states that most engine wear occurs when cold starting it makes sense to get that oil flowing as fast as possible. Petroleum based oil is just no competition for synthetics. Synthetics flow easier and faster, absorb and retain less moisture and for the most part are better on lubricating modern seals and gaskets in engines . This will lead to less oil leakage problems down the road. Notice I said leakage in MODERN engines. Using synthetics in some older engines with old gasket materials can cause more leakage. I am the voice of experience on the old engine leakage. My Fiat Spider does not like synthetic and will leak oil badly with synthetic. Of, course it is a 25 year old engine that has never been rebuilt and of course it leaks on my garage floor....after all..it is a Fiat. It is Italian tradition....
See less See more
Synthetic oil breaks down more completely than organic oil. Aren't any of you concerned about this? Also, the folks in the service department at my local Toyota dealership told me that they do not recommend synthetic oil for the tC. I find it curious that they would say so for any reason other than legitimate concern, since I would've had to pay extra money to get synthetic.

In my last car (which, granted, was a Corolla), I compromised and used semi-synthetic, and was very happy with the result.

Any thoughts on this?
1 - 20 of 23 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top