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Best engine oil for car - Toyota genuine? Honda genuine? 0w-20 5w-30?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by prius_noob, May 13, 2016.

  1. prius_noob

    prius_noob Member

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    Hey I saw this thread:

    Any appreciable gain with 0w-20 oil? | PriusChat

    And I used to get this:
    Genuine Honda Hybrid Engine Oil 4 ltr (Honda Green Oil) [08232P99S4LHE] - £27.31 : Buy Genuine Honda Parts, Honda Car Parts & Honda Spare Parts Online

    for it, which was 0W-20

    Now, I've seen genuine Toyota engine oil at 5W-30, but not at 0W-20. Has any one used 0W-20 and what would you recommend? I've typically gone for what the manufacturer recommends ie: the VAG group recommend Castrol, Honda recommends their own, as does Toyota (Though I'm aware that it
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    is it dino or syn?
     
  3. prius_noob

    prius_noob Member

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  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    a lot of people use mobil 1.
     
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  5. prius_noob

    prius_noob Member

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    Thanks, but how about say.. the grade of oil?
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, they make whatever your prius calls for. it should say on the oil fill cap.
     
  7. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    If you like the Honda 0W-20 then every other brand of 0W-20 should deliver the same performance. I would shop on price. I don't know who Toyota or Honda buy their oil from for distribution in the UK but they certainly don't operate their own refineries.

    I would use the recommended viscosity especially if you are burning oil.
     
  8. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I'm using Toyota 0W20, over 5 years now, purchased through local dealership parts department. Their bottled liters are currently $5.91 (Can), and lately I switched to bulk purchase, bring my own container: it's $4.50 per liter.

    I've bought Honda 0W20 for our son's Civic, since I was at their parts dept getting filter/washer, but their prices are climbing too much: this Saturday the civic's gonna get Toyota bulk 0W20 too. :)
     
  9. prius_noob

    prius_noob Member

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    Ahhh I might have to have a look on there :D The prius is in the south of England atm, so I'll have to check then!
     
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  10. prius_noob

    prius_noob Member

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    Well I would hope that the oil issue is now fixed :D
     
  11. prius_noob

    prius_noob Member

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    I bloody wish oil cost $5.91 per litre! $25 for engine oil, would be fantastic :D But nah, this is the UK and we have to pay over the odds
     
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  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    How much is it then, for you at the parts counter of a dealership?
     
  13. prius_noob

    prius_noob Member

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    I do not know about in the dealership, but iirc it's usually more expensive if you buy straight from there Even above, genuine oil costs ~£40 for 4 litres. ~£10/litre or say.. ~$15/litre. The average wage in the UK is also some £24,000 I think. I don't really know what the average wage is in the USA tbf
     
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  14. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Don't overthink it.
    Proper weight.-recommended
    Proper Grade.-recommended

    Dealer or name brand quality, and you should be OK.

    As long as you aren't buying some oil made in some guys bathtub....just read your owners manual concerning recommended weight and grade...and nearly any option you pick is going to be OK.
     
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  15. Augustus88

    Augustus88 Junior Member

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    I personally use Amsoil Signature 0w20. Doing 10k mile oil change intervals, using an Amsoil oil filter. This oil would be fine.

    Mobil 1 would also be fine. So would the Toyota Synthetic, which is made by Exxon I believe.

    I also believe that Toyota may have back-approved the 2nd gen Prius engine for 0w20. 0w20 is relatively new to the oil world and wasn't around much when the 2nd gen Prius was designed and tested.
     
  16. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

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    Toyota oil is Mobil 1 with Toyota's own additive package.
     
  17. JGC61

    JGC61 Active Member

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    My dealer uses Mobil 1 0 W 20
     
  18. Kevin_Denver

    Kevin_Denver Active Member

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    Note that a lot of those posting have 3rd gen Prii. The 3rd gen is rated for 0W-20 oil, while the 2nd gen is rated for 5W-30 oil (Edit: In the US, may be different in UK). I would only use an oil that's rated -30 or higher in a 2nd gen Prius, otherwise the engine could experience additional wear when at operating temperatures. I would want to see a lot of data that thinner oil (0W-20) doesn't reduce engine life in the 2nd gen before putting an oil in that doesn't meet 5W-30 specification (exception would be a very hot or cold climate, eg. Alaska winters or Death Valley summers).

    However this doesn't preclude you from using a synthetic that's thinner when cold, but still meets the -30 spec when warm, (reduce engine friction a bit when cold and squeeze out another half a percent FE :)). For this reason I use Mobil 1 0W-30. It's easy to pick up at Wal-Mart for around $23: Mobil 1 0W-30 Advanced Fuel Economy Full Synthetic Motor Oil, 5 qt. - Walmart.com (Included here as a reference, those not in US will need to see what's available in their location) IMO, this is probably the best oil out there for 2nd gen Prii that's not crazy expensive (I've done lots of searching around trying to answer this same topic). The German fully synthetic Castrol 5W-30 is probably an even superior oil, but it's twice the cost. There's also 0W-40 synthetic out there, but it is "thicker" (there's a fancier term needed here technically) than it needs to be when at operating temperatures, and so will cost you a bit of fuel economy (No more than a percent or two). The Mobil 1 0W-30 is slightly thinner at operating temps than most 5W-30 oils, but still comfortably meets the -30 spec, so is safe to use in the Prius, and likely provides a percent or two boost to fuel economy.

    Keep in mind that standard or synthetic blend 5W-30 oil will work great in a Prius and is half the cost.
     
    #18 Kevin_Denver, May 17, 2016
    Last edited: May 17, 2016
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  19. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Toyota "Genuine"....isn't.

    According to the interwebs, it's (allegedly) made by Mobile-1, or at least it was (allegedly) once upon a time.

    If you're only going to change out the oil every 10,000 miles (or whatever OCI is recommended abroad) then I'd probably use something like Mobile-1, or some other fully synthetic bland and assiduously check my oil volume every other fill-up or so.

    In the end, it's the oil that's in your sump, NOT the label on the plastic bottle that matters.

    Good Luck!
     
  20. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    nonsense for many reasons.
    one of the reasons is the additive package is developed, tested, and made by additive companies (like Lubrizol) and not by toyota or even ExxonMobil.