[drjekyll]

Hi every one!

I have a 2010 V6 Limited with 31xxx miles on it. I got the oil/filter changed at every 5K miles at our local Toyota dealer. Lately they have changed their appointment policy and now it's on "first come first serve" basis. Last time I had to wait for 3.5 hrs to have the oil changed and tire rotated so I have decided to do it myself from now on.
KTL has done a great job:thumbs_up: on posting those pictures and it seems that I might be able to do it after reading that thread.

I do not have any mechanical experience what so ever. I drive 90 (Highway) miles 4 times(total ~400) a week on a flat road and had a few questions:

1) I am planning to keep the RAV 4 for a long time and If synthetic would be better which synthetic brand and what grade/viscosity should I use?

2) Would two, 2 ton jack stands be able to hold it or should I buy something heavy for the job? There is a special going on 2ton stands/Jack combo at O' Reilly.

Your help would be much appreciated. Thanks a lot everyone in advance.

 

[WJBertrand]

I've had good luck with Mobil 1 synthetic and use it in all of my vehicles. You probably don't need the jack to change the oil and filter. Unlike a passenger car, the Rav sits a bit higher off the ground, simplifying this task. The filter is near the front right (passenger) side of the engine bay and unobstructed access is from below. The pan drain plug is also relatively easily reached without having to crawl under the vehicle.

 

[avs]

Hi every one!

I have a 2010 V6 Limited with 31xxx miles on it. I got the oil/filter changed at every 5K miles at our local Toyota dealer. Lately they have changed their appointment policy and now it's on "first come first serve" basis. Last time I had to wait for 3.5 hrs to have the oil changed and tire rotated so I have decided to do it myself from now on.
KTL has done a great job:thumbs_up: on posting those pictures and it seems that I might be able to do it after reading that thread.

I do not have any mechanical experience what so ever. I drive 90 (Highway) miles 4 times(total ~400) a week on a flat road and had a few questions:

1) I am planning to keep the RAV 4 for a long time and If synthetic would be better which synthetic brand and what grade/viscosity should I use?

2) Would two, 2 ton jack stands be able to hold it or should I buy something heavy for the job? There is a special going on 2ton stands/Jack combo at O' Reilly.

Your help would be much appreciated. Thanks a lot everyone in advance.

1. I usually buy whatever synthetic oil that is on sale. I think the manual calls out for 5W30, so stick with that.

2. For simple oil change, get the rhino ramp. They are easy to use and safer than using a jack or jack stand. Just drive up the ramp and you don't have to worry about jack or jack stand collapsing.

 

[drjekyll]

I've had good luck with Mobil 1 synthetic and use it in all of my vehicles. You probably don't need the jack to change the oil and filter. Unlike a passenger car, the Rav sits a bit higher off the ground, simplifying this task. The filter is near the front right (passenger) side of the engine bay and unobstructed access is from below. The pan drain plug is also relatively easily reached without having to crawl under the vehicle.

Thanks WJBertrand for the info I will try to see if it would be possible for me to do it without a jack stand.
Could you please tell me which grade/viscosity Mobil1 you are using for your RAV 4?

 

[RTexasF]

For warranty you still need to change the oil every 5K or 6 months. That is the very reason I do not spend the $$$ for synthetic. In short I feel it's a waste of money due to the short oil change intervals required. Since you drive practically all highway (easiest on oil) any regular oil that meets specifications is more than up to the job.

If you just want to use synthetic, and nothing wrong with that, then buy brand name 5W30 API approved SN oil.....it's written on the bottle. 0W30 is also available and will work equally well. Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum are very good as are others. They are available for less at Wal-Mart in a five quart jug but you will need six quarts to fill plus another to top off if it consumes any oil between changes*. Use the Toyota filter kit, it's cheap and you know it will fit perfectly. No need to buy ramps or jacks, just get under there and get with it. Make sure you have a large enough drain pan. Autozone and other parts houses take used oil. It's messy hauling it up there but there is no charge to dispose of it.

* It's not unusual for the engine to use a bit of oil after the first change to synthetic, sometimes two changes. I'm not saying that it will but it might so keep an eye on the oil level.

 

[Dark]

Don't bother with Mobil1, it's fine to use but Rotella T6 gets much better reviews (when it comes to synthetic oil burn) and you can usually find it cheaper than at Walmart.

Just FYI.

 

[RTexasF]

Don't bother with Mobil1, it's fine to use but Rotella T6 gets much better reviews (when it comes to synthetic oil burn) and you can usually find it cheaper than at Walmart.

Just FYI.

Shell Rotella T6 is an excellent synthetic but it is 5W40 is it not? Toyota specifies 5W30 and in some cases 5W20 for the 3.5l V-6. I realize it won't cause any harm but technically it is not within specs and the car is still in warranty. Might not be the best idea.

 

[WJBertrand]

Thanks WJBertrand for the info I will try to see if it would be possible for me to do it without a jack stand.
Could you please tell me which grade/viscosity Mobil1 you are using for your RAV 4?

Right now the car is under the Toyota Care program so I am taking advantage of the free oil changes. They are using 5w-20 Quaker State conventional oil. The moment I take over the changes I will switch to the same weight (5w-20) Mobil 1. I changed the oil & filter myself after the first 1000 miles as the first free change from Toyota wasn't until 5K miles, which seemed a little too long for a first change to me. I guess I'm old school about that first change but a friend of mine who is a district master technician for GM concurs with me on this point.

Anyway, that 1K change was easy to do just laying on the floor in front of the car. I used the Quaker 5w-20 conventional for my change, just to stay with what the dealer was using for now.

Oh yeah, I used the Genuine Toyota oil filter and bought the correct filter wrench from the Toyota dealers parts department.

 

[RTexasF]

WJBertrand,

You have the 2.5l engine correct?

 

[WJBertrand]

WJBertrand,

You have the 2.5l engine correct?

Correct. Great little engine.

 

[drjekyll]

Thanks a lot you guys for all that good information. The autozone free recycling info is really great to know thanks RTexasF. I looked at the drain plug yesterday and I think it could be done without ramps or jack stands but I also rotate the tires every 5k so I am thinking of buying the jack stands anyway. What is the difference between 0w30 & 5w30?
I will change the oil every 5k for warranty purposes as you guys have suggested,I drive 5k in about 3 months so if there is a lot of difference in the price I would weight till 65k before switching to synthetic.
Does the synthetic oil have a expiration date? How long could we keep unused oil if we don't use all of it? It is cheaper to buy 5qt bottles and since I would need more than 5 every three months I was thinking of buying 2 5qt every time or buy like 4-5 bottles if there is a special going on at any part store.

WJBetrand could you please let me know the part # of the filter wrench you bought from Toyota parts?

 

[Dark]

Shell Rotella T6 is an excellent synthetic but it is 5W40 is it not? Toyota specifies 5W30 and in some cases 5W20 for the 3.5l V-6. I realize it won't cause any harm but technically it is not within specs and the car is still in warranty. Might not be the best idea.

It will work perfectly fine and the dealership would have an extremely hard time proving that the small difference in weight caused a problem.

 

[RTexasF]

Thanks a lot you guys for all that good information. The autozone free recycling info is really great to know thanks RTexasF. I looked at the drain plug yesterday and I think it could be done without ramps or jack stands but I also rotate the tires every 5k so I am thinking of buying the jack stands anyway. What is the difference between 0w30 & 5w30?
I will change the oil every 5k for warranty purposes as you guys have suggested,I drive 5k in about 3 months so if there is a lot of difference in the price I would weight till 65k before switching to synthetic.
Does the synthetic oil have a expiration date? How long could we keep unused oil if we don't use all of it? It is cheaper to buy 5qt bottles and since I would need more than 5 every three months I was thinking of buying 2 5qt every time or buy like 4-5 bottles if there is a special going on at any part store.

WJBetrand could you please let me know the part # of the filter wrench you bought from Toyota parts?

In short a 0W30 will begin circulating faster in extremely cold weather.

For all practical purposes oil doesn't expire and as long as unused portions are sealed they will remain good for many many years. Buying the five quart jugs (only Wal-Mart has them) and one quart will save you $$$ in the long run. Use the quart initially then keep the empty and decant oil from one of the jugs to it. Add a good funnel to your shopping list.

 

[RTexasF]

It will work perfectly fine and the dealership would have an extremely hard time proving that the small difference in weight caused a problem.

I am in agreement. The 40 grade will likely shear to a 30 over time anyway but I see no advantage. There are tons of excellent 5W30 synthetics out there just as good or better than Rotella and priced right. We all have our favorites though so I can understand that.

 

[Thundra]

At 30,000 started using Mobil 1 0W30, now have 60,000 miles.

Wife has a short 3.5 mile one way commute every day and it gets cold up here in the winter.

My car, truck and the Rav all get the same M1 0W30 oil.

 

[KTL]

WJBetrand could you please let me know the part # of the filter wrench you bought from Toyota parts?

I have

and have seen it at my local Toyota parts department, may be give your local dealer a call and see if they have it.

Like other people said, you don't need to use ramps or jack/jack stands to change the oil, there's more than enough clearance. I only used the ramps to make taking pictures easier. But if you plan to rotate the tires yourself, then jack/jack stands would be needed. I have various 2-ton jacks, but feel that they probably wouldn't be able to lift the tires off the ground. I've bought a 3.5-ton Pro-Lift jack from Menards and four 3-ton jack stands from Harbor Freight and they work well with the RAV4 and my other car.

These other places can recycle oil for free as well (from my experience) : Wal-Mart (as long as they have a service shop), O'Reilly's (used to be Murray's), Autozone, Advance Auto Parts, and Jiffy Lube. I imagine Pep Boys would also, but they're further away than the few I've mentioned.

 

[WJBertrand]

WJBertrand could you please let me know the part # of the filter wrench you bought from Toyota parts?

Sorry, I didn't record that information. I peeled it out of the package and tested it's fit then threw the packaging away. I'll look at it tonight to see if there's a number stamped on the wrench itself. It was not a genuine Toyota part, there was some other brand name on it but the parts guy assured me it would fit and it did.

It looks like this one:

It may indeed have been a K-D branded tool.

 

[JuneBug]

I've heard this Assenmacher is the best:

 

[Deanjet]

For warranty you still need to change the oil every 5K or 6 months. That is the very reason I do not spend the $$$ for synthetic. In short I feel it's a waste of money due to the short oil change intervals required........

+ 1,000

Today's motor oils are incredibly good stuff. Our Rav4 engines are not high performance, one-off race engines ran at red line for most of their lives. But, since Toyota says change the oil every 5,000 miles, that's what I am sticking to.

Don't take my word for it, read this Peek Oil? | The Truth About Cars

Or this http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

JuneBug, I just put that filter wrench in my Amazon.com cart, thanks for the tip!

 

[RTexasF]

I agree........
Bobistheoilguy is THE place to go in order to learn about oil and lubrication. I am member #407 and have been there since 2002. I think there in excess of 30,000 members now. I used to talk to Bob on the phone, lots of changes since then.