Red triangle light flashed today

It’s low on oil. Probably 2.5 to 3 qts. Definitely fill it up before you drive anymore.

 

Matt is almost certainly right. Just humor us and spend the few seconds it takes to check it.

All engines use oil. It's how they lubricate the rings and cylinders. New ones use very little. As they age and wear, they use more and more. With that many miles, you should be checking the oil at every gas fill up unless you know you can go longer. Now that you've let it get low enough to trigger a warning light, assuming that is what triggered it which seems most likely, there has been increased wear due to lack of lubrication and it will probably burn oil faster.

 

Because of a design flaw by Toyota, where the piston rings and drain holes eventually get coked up and allow oil to pass.

This affects many models (and other brands) also.

Check your engine oil via the dipstick on a level surface after it has sat for awhile, or overnight.

 

I agree. The car is low on oil. Do not start or drive the car until you check the oil. You have already done some damage to the engine but if you continue your gonna throw a piston.

 

time to move on, all the best!

 

Oil use is very common with these cars. You should easily get many more miles out of the car. Unlike most other Toyota’s you just have to check the oil once in a wile

 

and Bisco, really? You're better than this....

time to move on, all the best!

Seriously? Burning 2 or so quarts in 4500 miles is being considered to be a problem? I must be in the twilight zone or something....
8 bucks worth of oil every 2 or three months makes it a crisis worth getting a new car? How about just doing a basic check of the oil dipstick once a week and add a bit if needed. Hell, even I check my oil almost every time I fill my gas tank. It's not complicated......just because the car has a 5k mile oil change interval DOES NOT mean you don't have to check it or maintain it.

Someone is putting some serious BS into your heads about needing to replace an engine or car just because of some oil usage....welcome to the world of ICE lubrication...

 

Because it's a mechanical device. Because it's an internal combustion engine and NO engine, regardless of how new or old, consumes ZERO oil. Anyone who says otherwise has a false understanding of how lubrication systems work. The chances of an engine consuming ZERO oil is the same as finding a perpetual energy machine. Obviously, a new engine should have very low consumption and older engines, as components experience wear, will typically see more consumption. That's life. That's every ICE on the planet.

 

If I may play devils advocate, I have owned many Toyota’s over the years, I currently own 4. The only other Toyota I have ever had an oil problem with was my 1993 Camry. And that problem was it had a bad oil pump seal after 310,000 miles. I think people get into the mindset of never having to check the oil because you get spoiled by the reliability.

That being said I always check all my cars every now and again. Just because I’m from the old school I guess.

 

Depending on climate, and average temperature, a higher viscosity would probably work well.
I use 'heavier' oil on high mileage engines, due to normal wear, and heat also plays a part as well.
Always check the oil often...and if you can, obtain an oil plug that has a magnet in it, to trap ferrous debris floating in the oil.
If it was not designed to be in the crankcase, it should never be found in the oil, no matter how small...

 

Good job! I don't think you have anything to worry about. Just keep a close eye on the dipstick till you get a feel for the rate of oil consumption. Then you can adjust your check intervals accordingly.

Over the decades, I've never bought a new car and I've never owned an "oil burner." I think there was one that sometimes needed the oil topped off between changes. I like to change the oil more often than the maintenance schedule specifies, and I think that that relative reduction in combustion contamination in the oil reduces wear. But then again, I've never taken a car past about 175,000 miles. The more miles, the more wear and the oil burning that results.

So, good job getting to 200k. Don't stop there unless you just "HAVE" to get something new and exciting.

 

I would hold off on either until you have a problem. Generally it’s cheaper to get a used engine than rebuild one, plus your engine might have over 100,000 miles left in it. The oil burning is not from worn rings, it’s from a bad design. There are threads here that discuss unsticking the rings. Check them out.

 

Good idea to do your research and be prepared, but I agree with @Skibob that it would be wise to wait till you really need to before replacing expensive stuff. Just try to be ready. A used engine with fairly low miles would be my first choice when the time comes if I planned to keep the car.

 

200,000 miles? It’s practically a spring chicken around here.