Oil Change FAQs
To make servicing your vehicle at Classic Toyota more convenient it is not necessary to make an appointment for an oil change.
"How often should I change my oil?
This question can have a variety of answers. Driving habits, types of oil, and many other factors can play into how often you should replace your engine oil. Even the climate you drive your new Toyota car or pre-owned vehicle in can make a difference, because motor oil gets thinner when it's heated and thicker when it cools. In order for motor oil to properly lubricate your engine correctly through the changing seasons, it needs to be the proper "viscosity" (Thickness) to match the ambient temperature in your region. This is an important characteristic to Motor oil. If you service with us regularly we would be happy to tell you the recommended intervals for an oil change. If you do not service with us regularly, we do provide a complimentary multi-point inspections with every service, so we would be able to let you know how often you should change your oil after we service and inspect your Toyota. Click here to schedule a service appointment.
You can view Toyota's scheduled maintenance guide here
"What does 10W-40 mean?"
A single, or mono, grade oil's viscosity is ideal only one temperature range, normally either cold or hot. A multi-grade oil must be able to meet both high and low temperature viscosity requirements at the same time. Multi-grade oil is the best year-round choice for drivers who go through both hot summers and cold, harsh winters. You can tell a multi-grade oil by the dual viscosity designation (as an example 10W-40 where the 10W is the low temperature and the 40 is the high temperature rating).
The viscosity modifiers we discussed above help to make the oil thicker at high temperatures but don't work at low temperatures.
General Information:
Your Toyota's lubricating motor oil has two main ingredients: the base oil and the additives. The base oil is what lubricates your Toyota's engine's moving parts, and it reduces friction which leads to excessive wear. The additives are there to prevent the heat from the engine's operation from breaking down the oil.
The base oil is refined from crude oil. Crude Oil is "refined" to be made more pure, to remove contaminants like wax, nitrogen compounds, and sulfur and to take out the unsaturated hydrocarbons. Refining involves the following processes: Extraction of Solvents, Hydro-finishing, Hydro-treating, and sometimes Hydro-cracking and Hydro-isomerization. Is it important to know that? Probably not, what all these steps do is make the oil more "pure" for use in your engine.
detergent/dispersant additives, Rust and corrosion inhibitors, Antioxidants, Anti-wear additives are all added to help the oil work better in the engine. Many oils add Viscosity modifiers to make the motor oil pour and better.
This information is not accurate for every Toyota model. Before making any decisions based on the above information please contact Classic Toyota and speak with a service adviser. Only a Toyota service adviser can make the proper recommendations for your new or used Toyota vehicle.