Hi guys,
So I just purchased a brand new 2022 Toyota Corolla LE. When talking to the car dealer he mentioned that I won't need to get an oil change until the car has been driven 16,000km (I am from Canada) and after that then every 8,000km. I am definitely not an expert on cars but I have never heard of waiting 16,000km to get your first oil change? Is this normal or should I get my first one after 8,000km driven? Thanks!
The dealer is just accelerating your engine wearing out so he can overcharge you for future repairs. I would sit down and go through your owner's manual, especially the maintenance section so you know what's required, but isn't necessarily best for your vehicle. I am an old school, every 3000 miles guy, but with the newer, high quality synthetic oils available, I'd recommend what Scotty does and change it and the filter every 5000 miles. If it were my new vehicle, I would look at the fluid change intervals and divide by two. But that's just an opinion.
10kmiles (16km) is the "recommended" oil change interval, we have a '21 Corolla SE. There are 2 free oil/filter changes on Toyota, and dealer does them per the 10k "recommendation" so 10k and 20k are no cost. However; we looked at our oil at 5k and decided there was no way we were letting the oil go 10k. It was so black it was ready to be changed. So, we change ours every 5k miles (8km). If you want your car to last a long time; change the 2 main fluids regularly. The oil every 5k miles (8 km), and your transmission fluid every 40k miles (64.3km). Remember there is no such thing as lifetime transmission fluid.
Is this normal
Toyota seems to be recommending oil changes every 10,000 miles (16,000 km).
https://www.toyota.com/owners/parts-service/maintenance-schedule
I don't have any data to confirm or deny what they say. But you have to consider that the manufacturer is only responsible for the warranty period. Of course they have to maintain some level of customer satisfaction, and they count on an average ownership period of 8.4 years. If that's how long you drive your cars, then that interval might be OK. If you want to keep the car longer than that, then I would service it more frequently. Of course that will depend on your particular usage and conditions (ambient temperature, engine temperature, average speed, trip duration, terrain, driving habits, etc.)
I've read that GDI engines suffer from more oil dilution (gasoline contamination), and if you only make short trips it doesn't have the chance to evaporate and it leads to poor lubrication.
In other regions of the world, Toyota (and Honda) recommend 6 monthly (or 10,000 kms) oil changes.
Welcome new member. This topic has been discussed quite a bit on this website. You can use the search feature above. But @doc, @toyotagrl, and @mmj pretty much summed up the consensus.
