1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Toyota Brand 0w20 - is this full synthetic?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by toyolover, Apr 8, 2010.

  1. toyolover

    toyolover Member

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2009
    441
    67
    0
    Location:
    toronto, canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Toyota P/N C0009-00W20-12

    This one liter bottle Toyota brand 0w20 sells for under $6 at the Toyota dealer parts department. The bottle does not specify whether it is synthetic, full or blended synthetic. However, their computer is showing synthetic in their description. The price is telling me that it is probably not synthetic. I searched another forum and someone is saying the above is made by ESSO (Imperial Oil Canada) for Toyota with special additive. Adding to the confusion is that a Toyota Prius Product Marketing in the US posting message below:

    "We know there's been much discussion over the new synthetic oil guidelines from Toyota. As was mentioned back in April, the new oil will eventually roll out across more lines and manufacturers and provide lower emissions and improved fuel efficiency.

    The owner's manual lists the use of 0W-20 and 5K oil change intervals so we can't really comment further on what would void your warranty.

    The synthetic oil should now be available at all dealers and should very soon be available in bulk, which will reduce the costs for everyone. Genuine Toyota Motor Oil 0W-20 contains a Toyota specific additive package within it, making it not interchangeable with other synthetic oils of the same weight such as Mobil 1.

    We can't say much more now, but stay tuned for more info shortly, our experts are doing their best to provide more information as it becomes available.

    Best,
    Erica G, Prius Product Marketing, TMS, USA "


    Should I go with the Toyota unknown/synthetic oil, or should I use major brands 0w20 full synthetic like Quaker State, Castrol, etc?
     
  2. 2maples49

    2maples49 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 27, 2008
    64
    11
    0
    Location:
    Salem, OR
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Check out Jayman's posts on synthetic oil. He's one of PriusChat's oil experts. My understanding of what he's said before is that not all oils sold in the US with the "Full Synthetic" label are full synthetic, but 0-20's always are full synthetic. Only a full synthetic will pass both the SAE 0-20 viscosity tests and the SAE performance tests. So, it seems the Toyata oil could be a good value.

    Enjoy, Dan
     
  3. toyolover

    toyolover Member

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2009
    441
    67
    0
    Location:
    toronto, canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    I read about Jayman's posts too but it gets a little technical. The link below is from another forum talking about his subject. It's two pages only. I hope Jayman or someone else can response to my question. Judging by the price factor alone and the bottle label does not specifiy so, I don't want to take the Toyota one as full synthetic. As the old saying, when it is too good to be true, it is most likely not the truth.

    Here is the link:
    Toyota 0W20 Synthetic - Bob Is The Oil Guy
     
  4. bottomfeeder

    bottomfeeder New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2009
    54
    7
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    It is not about labeling, but specification. The Toyota oil meets all the requisite specifications, i.e. it is fit for purpose. And, for the record, it probably is fully synthetic in the traditional sense of the word as far as the oil industry goes. All the -0- weight oils are.

    The connotation of the word synthetic changed when Castrol brought out their Syntec products years ago (based on what are called severely hydrotreated basestocks) and called them synthetic. Mobil took issue with it and lost in arbitration. Since then, the market has tolerated the use of the term to describe motor oils incorporating severely hydrotreated basestocks (group III+) as well as the traditionally synthetic ester or PAO based oils.

    If I had to guess, I would say that most synthetic oils are group III+ based (or substantially so) with the lower weight oils, notably the -0- weight oils, having a significant fraction of PAO and or ester, depending on the brand. The cost difference is profound to the manufacturer.

    If you were to drag a chemist out of the lab and ask them "really, which is a synthetic?," they would respond that they all are. All modern motor oils are products of chemical processing that would, strictly speaking, be considered synthetic. A non synthetic oil might be something like an extracted vegetable or animal oil, e.g. castor oil :),whale oil, peanut or olive oil. Motor oils are anything but these days.

    What does it matter? It doesn't--if the oil meets the appropriate performance specifications, it is fine regardless of whether it is group III or IV based.

    On a comsumer level, this matter has been 100% overthought; we are way beyond analytical paralysis on the issue. If it were the problem that some make it out to be, where are the massive and frequent failures? And, all of the OEs would require discrete products instead of a specification...

    Toyota's OEM oil is a good product as is any specification meeting motor oil from a major manufacturer.

    Don't worry about a couple three bucks, the price difference over 10,000 miles is insignificant.
     
    1 person likes this.
  5. bottomfeeder

    bottomfeeder New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2009
    54
    7
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    That could be, and probably is, pure marketing hype. The question that needs to be addressed is "is the additive's function unique?" In other words, is there no other additive on the planet that can provide these properties (I doubt it) or is this product just unique to the Toyota oil and other manufacturers use a different product to perform the same function.

    Toyota does not make oil, they work in conjuction with motor oil companies to specify and approve products that meet their needs. In North America, Toyota probably gets its oil from ExxonMobil or one of the other majors.

    The big difference with the new oil is that it is -0- weight and specified for an extended change interval. That requires a more robust additive package than a 3-5k mile oil to ensure that the oil will go the distance and that it can, as a -0- weight oil, lubricate properly. None of this is technology is unkown or unique, for the most part, to the Mobils, Castrols, Pennzoils, Nippons, Totals, Lubrizols etc of the world. After all they created it for the automobile, truck and engine companies.
     
  6. jcgee88

    jcgee88 Member

    Joined:
    Feb 15, 2010
    181
    23
    0
    Location:
    Maryland Heights, MO
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I happened to have call my local Toyota dealer the other
    day on this very topic. I didn't know that there was a
    "Toyota brand," but my question was whether or not
    they would do an oil change with synthetic, either
    provided by me or they provide. In the latter case, I
    told him my concern was that not all "synthetic" oils
    were 100% synthetic. He then replied that they use
    Mobil 1 products.

    Now I am wondering if either he didn't know about Toyota's
    own brand, or if Mobil OEM's Toyota's oil.
     
  7. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2004
    13,439
    639
    0
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    The quoted price for the "genuine" Toyota 0W-20 seems a bit too good to be true. If the Canadian oil is made by Esso, I wouldn't be afraid of it.

    However, until we see a lab analysis, we won't know how they compare to other 0W-20 offerings from Mobil, Castrol, Amsoil, Penzoil, etc
     
  8. bottomfeeder

    bottomfeeder New Member

    Joined:
    Aug 31, 2009
    54
    7
    0
    Location:
    Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    What does it matter as long as the oil meets Toyota's AND the industry standards for 0W-20 specifications, e.g. API, etc?

    BTW, no extended oil is going to be 100% PAO (probably what you are thinking is "true" synthetic) as the additive package would not be sufficiently soluble in it.

    What do you think are the functional differences between all those 0W-20 offerings? Are they significant? What is needed is not an analysis, but, performance data. And for that, you must rely on the companies that have actually done the testing. (Try asking some of the lesser oil companies how they certified their product...)
     
  9. toyolover

    toyolover Member

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2009
    441
    67
    0
    Location:
    toronto, canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Bottomfeeder has a very interesting and important point of view here. He's looking at the functionality of the product but not what ingredients are in it. I do agree that if it works and Toyota is backing it up, that I don't really care about the brand. Unless someone here says not to use it for a reason, otherwise, I think I'll be stocking some. I prefer to give the dealer the oil and see the empty cans so I know it is being done correctly.
    For the record, the "Toyota Brand" means the bottle has the big word TOYOTA on it.
     
  10. toyolover

    toyolover Member

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2009
    441
    67
    0
    Location:
    toronto, canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    BTW, How long can you keep the motor oil? Does it have a "Best Before" or "Expiry" date?
     
  11. hsiaolc

    hsiaolc New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2009
    617
    46
    9
    Location:
    UK
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    No best before date if they are kept in the original packaging. Once pured into an engine then it needs to be changed every 1-2 years.
     
    1 person likes this.
  12. kenopa

    kenopa Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2006
    57
    5
    0
    Location:
    Indiana
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    So I go into the Toyota dealer the other day to price the 0w20 oil. The parts guy says $6.99 per quart. I say thanks but I can buy Mobil 1 0w20 at Walmart for $6.27. He says that he will save me a trip and sell the Toyota oil to me for the Walmart price, and that the Toyota oil is actually Mobil 1 anyway. Waaaaaaa?:confused:
     
  13. toyolover

    toyolover Member

    Joined:
    Oct 29, 2009
    441
    67
    0
    Location:
    toronto, canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Unfortunately, Walmart stores here don't sell Mobile 1 0w20 grade. Almost all other stores selling Mobile 1 0w20 Full synthetic oil are at almost CAD10 per liter bottle (vs. Toyota's CAD5.xx). But then again, the other forum I posted was reporting the Toyota brand has their "own special additive" added even though it is made by ESSO for them. Anyhow, if these two are of the same price, I'd choose Mobile 1 for sure.
     
  14. PriusCrazy

    PriusCrazy Blizzard Pearl for Me

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2009
    213
    28
    0
    Location:
    Triad, NC
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Not sure about the Toyota dealer in your part of the country, but in my neck of the woods they use Kendall GT-1 0W20 full synthetic.
     
  15. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2004
    13,439
    639
    0
    Location:
    Winnipeg Manitoba
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    According to the Conoco/Kendall website, their 0W-20 is a far better oil than their 5W-20