Newbie looking for recommendations!

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Hello all,

My name is Eric. I'm a car guy looking for some recommendations for my vehicles. I'll give some background.

First off, I'm a Ford Service advisor (hiding). Please reserve your judgment; I know service advisors aren't held in high regard by all. I'm here for some good discussion and I hope that won't be held against me 😁

2001 Toyota Camry LE. 2.2L 4cyl, automatic transmission, roughly 137k miles. My commute is 2.6 miles round trip with two stop signs. The Camry is my work commuter and it's not used for much else. I've had a technician tell me there are leaks at the intake gasket, valve cover gasket and one other I can't think of. The vehicle runs well for the most part and there aren't any puddles (or really any spotting) in my garage. My in-laws are the original owners.

Working as a service advisor I've had my two most recent oil changes done at work. My shop uses a Motorcradt knock-off synthetic blend (5W-30 goes in with a NAPA ProSelect 21394 filter). I've stuck with a 3,000 mile OCI for the Camry, which, with my short commute, takes at least 8 months to accrue.

I've recently decided I'd like to do my own oil changes so I can know exactly what's going into the car and because I want to take pride in maintaining my vehicles. I intend to keep this car as long as possible.

From my reading around on here, I'm thinking I'll do my next oil change with Valvoline MaxLife and a WIX 51394.


2010 Honda Odyssey LX. 3.5L non-VCM, automatic transmission, approximately 97k miles. I'm the second owner (purchased at 61,342 miles). The van is the family vehicle. We drive it between 8,000-10,000 miles per year. It's currently got the same Motorcraft knock-off synthetic blend (5W-20 in this case) and a NAPA ProSelect 27356 filter. I know from looking at records that the oil change before my most recent one was 5W-30 put in by a bone-headed tech. This van doesn't have any oil leaks that I know of. Ever since I bought this van I've been doing oil changes when the OLM reads 15% (average OCI around 5,500 miles).

Based on my reading here, I'm thinking of using Valvoline Full Synthetic with MaxLife Technology 5W-20 and a WIX 57356XP filter (designed for synthetic oil).

I guess at this point I'm looking for confirmation of my decisions above. I'm open to any recommendations and suggestions. Thanks all! Looking forward to spending a lot of time on this forum.

I'm partial to WIX because I just put WIX cabin and air filters in the van and I'm definitely brand-loyal when I find something I like . I'm going to put a WIX air filter in the Camry at my next oil change.
 
Those choices look good to me except I'd just go with a standard Wix instead of the XP with that OCI. The XP is designed for extended OCIs (10,000+ miles) and the standard Wix is perfect for your OCI. Or, you could get the XP and change the filter every other OCI.
 
Use your works lift and employee discount to change the oil, with the shop oil and shop filters. Easy as pie.

Now, on to the Honda transmission. If you haven't changed the fluid, it needs done like yesterday. It's very easy to do, easier than an oil change. You change 3 quarts at a time with Honda DW1 fluid. You change the fluid 3 times to get most of the fluid out. I would consider this a priority over anything else.
 
What price will the dealership sell you bulk oil if you bring your own jug in? I use Motorcraft strictly based on price. It's a decent oil and I think I pay about 2.35 a quart for it.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Use your works lift and employee discount to change the oil, with the shop oil and shop filters. Easy as pie.

Now, on to the Honda transmission. If you haven't changed the fluid, it needs done like yesterday. It's very easy to do, easier than an oil change. You change 3 quarts at a time with Honda DW1 fluid. You change the fluid 3 times to get most of the fluid out. I would consider this a priority over anything else.


Unless the OP is a tech turned advisor there's no way they'll let him out into the shop on his own to use a lift. That's an insurance nightmare!
 
You've got a pretty good plan.

I've got the same Camry and have run many different oils in it, it doesn't seem to care. 3,000 miles is a good interval and I often times run Wix 51394 filters too. I switched to full synthetic at 205k miles, no leaks.

For the van I'd use a more stout synthetic like Mobil 1 AFE 0w20 and change once a year. Wix XP filters are low efficiency as far as filtering. Regular Wix filters are up to the task for 8-10k miles easily.
 
+1 to what Nick 1994 stated. He does always good job here with giving good advice.

I have like running Motorcraft 5w30 in my lady's 2.2 L 98 Camry. Right now it has a mix of 2 qts Warren API SN 30 grade and 1 qt of Coastal 30 API SL grade in it. Will go back to Motorcraft 5w30 in early October.
 
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Super Tech filters at walmart are actually NAPA ProSelect, & less than $3

Will the dealer sell you bulk oil & filters at a discount? I'd use them if it's reasonable.
 
I am not saying that you are wrong here about the Supertech filters. But are you sure they are Napa Pro Select equivalent??
 
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I've done the trans fluid at 78,131 miles and 89,434. I plan to do it again at 105k when I do the timing belt and water pump.

Now I'm thinking M1 AFE and a WIX 57356 for the van. I'll be installing 6 new NGK Iridium spark plugs at my next oil change, too. Looking forward to it!

Thoughts on Mobil Super High Mileage? It's Conventional but at $15.44/5qt it seems like a deal.
 
Just curious here, what are the prices for a LOF at your dealer. I am a tech at a Dodge dealer and our LOF with conventional oil is $37 for up to 7 quarts. I have heard that the Ford dealer up the road charges $25. I am in south GA, just wondering what pricing is like in your area.

My commute is pretty similar to yours with a couple more stops. It takes me about 10 minutes to get to work, but I bank about 25 miles away so I get at least 1 good 50 mile trip in every weekend to get the oil good and hot.

Valvoline is good oil, it used to be all I used back when it was $0.99 a quart. The last 5 years or so I have mainly been using Pennzoil, sometime synthetic sometimes not. It just depends on what I have on hand.

I hope you run enough errands in the Camry to get the oil hot on a fairly regular basis. I would be concerned about only driving 2.6 miles a day with any oil if you don't.
 
I am not a fan of wix oil filters for one reason.
Price
$1 more gets you a fram ultra which is a much better filter.
I would go 2x 3000mile oci on a fram ultra.
My plan for you would be Mobil 1 afe or EP $12 jug after rebate and a fram ultra.
Also take your Camry out for a good 20-30 min highway run once a month to negate any possible fuel dilution
 
You are surrounded by car guys at work. There will be about 150 years of experience in wrenching among your cohorts. Why are you asking us ...

The Camry does not care about oil to much. But it does care about cold oil and never getting hot enough. So alter your commute so it gets up to temp if you can ... Since it barely gets warm, I would not worry about NOACK, but I would work on higher TBN for that oil to offset acid formation ... Filter is your choice, they'll all pretty much do the job in a 100,000 mile car. Install a magnetic drain plug and look for Fe metals when you change.

The Honda, I'd take a little more care of. Families need reliable transport. If the Camry gives you issues, you could walk the rest of the way. Not so with the van ... So good oil with decently high detergency and decent filter changed once a year with a UOA would be my program. Pennz platinum would be nice, or the Valvoline syn would be OK. Prolly run a Fram Ultra filter. I know it's not your fav, but it's a pretty good filter
smile.gif
 
If you cant get our oil changed at your work place for near cost, I would say this place is managed by the typical $%$^$^.

I like a good wix but Ive had BASE GASKET leaks so I stick with captured P-gasketed filters. If you can get a champion labs long life filter (AKA M1 EP filter in some fitments) they are very good, AS IS THE FRAM TOUGHGUARD - (a Honda OE SERVICE FILTER IS A FRAM TOUGHGUARD).

REALLY Good oils used recently:

Valvoline 0w20 ( not 5w30)
MAGNATEC in 5w30 and 5w20 flavours
QSUD 10w30 (NON DEXOS!)

and run the biggest filter that will fit in that flavor. Like Nissan Truck filter is about an inch and a 1/4 longer than the passenger car hamster.
 
Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
You are surrounded by car guys at work. There will be about 150 years of experience in wrenching among your cohorts. Why are you asking us ...


My thoughts exactly.
 
It's not a money thing. I've had oil changes done at the three dealerships I've worked for over the past four years for discounted prices, employee pricing. The stuff we use at work is basic, no-name oil and NAPA ProSelect filters. Not bad, and I haven't had any issues, but I'm interested in doing my own maintenance using oil recommended by BITOG users. Sure, I could ask the guys at work, and I might do that, but I had heard good things about this site and stopped by for some advice.
 
Here's what I'm thinking now-

Camry- Valvoline MaxLife 5W-30 with a FRAM ToughGuard TG4967 Oil Filter and FRAM ToughGuard TGA7351 Air Filter
Odyssey- Mobil 1 AFE 0W-20 with a FRAM Ultra XG7317

I'm thinking of going 5,000 mile OCI in the Camry and 7,000 in the Odyssey. Based on my driving habits in the original post, are those a safe bet? When should I change the filters? I've been changing the filter with every OCI for as long as I can remember, but I've only ever used Conventional or Synthetic Blend in both vehicles; never High Mileage oil or Full Synthetic.

Really appreciate all the insight! I can't wait to change my oil!!
 
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I have a few questions, and comments

1) what in the world is a "Motorcradt knock-off synthetic blend" anyway? It's either MC oil or not. If it's bulk oil, that may be OK. There are decent bulk oils out there; there are also bad ones. Unless you can specify the oil in detail, it's worthless info for anyone. Does the dealership offer this as "MC" and then sell bulk oil instead? That is a scam and unethical in my world.
2) why ask us? You're a service advisor. Can't trust the guys you work with? You're going to get as many opinions here as there; do you need 100 opinions instead of 20?
3) what, if any, understanding do you have about oil and filters? I would presume you're 90% marketing, 8% mythology, and 2% opinion (note that there's no room left for facts)


You can either guess, or know.
Two choices:
a) use predetermined limits based on miles and a guess of severity factor
b) get some UOAs and really understand the conditions of your lube and use

If you're going to use "a", then just stick with the 3k mile OCIs, use the cheapest oil/filter you can find, and motor happy.
If you're going to use "b", then let the data speak, don't interrupt it, and listen to the results.

As for the filters, similar concept applies. Most any filter is going to be fine for 3k miles. Most any filter will actually go 3x to 5x that, if the engines are otherwise healthy. You don't need a special, high-end filter to get long life out of equipment. You should tailor your filter choice to your OCI. Longer intervals may require more holding capacity; shorter ones do not.

You may actually be able to help yourself, and then in turn, as a service adviser, actually give "good advise" based on real experience. But I warn you, rhetoric runs deep in many circles, and I expect it's REALLY entrenched in the service bays at a dealership.
 
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