I Changed My 2024 Toyota Tacoma Oil at 5K Not the Recommended 10K, I Found Some Metal In the Filter, and the Oil Was Too Dark For My Liking

I'm 75 years old. When I was 17 years old I used to change my oil on my 64 Plymouth sport fury at 2,500 miles, oil was .50 cents a qt.back then. One of the properties of oil is to clean. I won't let dirty oil circulate in my engines and take a chance on a blockage. I now do it at 4,000/4,500 miles. I use a good quality conventional oil and filter although it's getting harder to find and still do it myself.

Good article. Did you read your warranty and maintenance guide? The only place it says recommends is on page 35 paragraph Miles or Months? It clearly states 5000 miles or 6 months, whichever comes first. Now you may not need an oil change every 5000 miles or 5 months, but the oil needs to be looked at for level and contamination? Did you do that? Also if you continue on to the scheduled maintenance log you will clearly see that you have 2 maintenance schedules, one for normal and one for special operating conditions. Did you read that? In my 29 years plus in the business of selling Toyotas, I spend at least 3 to 5 minutes explaining this to each of our new Toyota customers and very few people pay attention or care. Many begin to care later on when there is a major problem and begin to speak incorrectly about "recommended" maintenance. By reading the special operating conditions, it is very clear that Toyota is actually recommending that most people need to change oil at least every 6 months or 5000 miles whichever comes first, and probably an even higher percentage of truck buyers especially. One last thing. Always use a Toyota filter and take to your Toyota dealer for maintenance whenever possible and do not decline the major services Toyota has listed in your maintenance guide. Most people decline them out of cheapness or a perception that the dealer is somehow ripping them off when we are in fact recommending you do what the manufacturer lays out in the maintenance schedule.

If u want your toyota to pass 250,000 miles 3500 to5,000 minimum!

I change my oil the first thousand miles on every new vehicle I get after that 4 thousand miles and after that 5 thousand for now on

This is normal on new engines.

From a Professional tech, any engine any make, the first oil change should occur at 500 miles, the second at 3,000 miles and the third at the OEM interval. I have a 14 Silverado with the 5.3. I change my oil about every 10 months or at around 10k miles. I did the valve cover gaskets and the engine was clean besides the typical varnish in an engine. I'm due for my next change this weekend. It all boils down to how you drive. Does your engine reach operating temp for long enough when you drive? I have a 25 mile trip to work, so I get 50 miles daily with over 20 miles on a highway. Get an oil analysis done at each oil change, even if it's done at a shop, bring the bottle and ask them to fill it up. Have them remove the drain and wait 5 seconds before collecting the oil so the results are consistent. Or get a vacuum pump and collect the sample before you take it in. Take the sample the same way each time. They can also find issues before they become a mechanical failure.

I grew up in the 60s when we changed our oil every 2000 miles. I’m still a firm believer that 3500 is just about the max. Mine grandfather and my dad said oil is cheaper than machinery. $40 for an oil change sure beat the hell out of a $10,000 motor Same way with transmission fluid I changed that every 25,000 miles

5,000 mi. OIL CHANGES...

Please see 540 RAT'S BLOG. JUST TYPE IN 540 RAT. HE IS A PROFESSIONAL MECHANICAL AND AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEER. HE DEVELOPED EQUIPMENT TO TEST ANY ENGINE OIL FOR WEAR PROTECTION. HE HAS TESTED SOME 300 OILS. HE IS NOT PAID BY ANY OIL COMPANY OR CAR MANUFACTURER. HE PROVIDES FREE DATA AND INFO AS A PUBLIC SERVICE. THE NUMBER 1 RATED OIL ON HIS LIST FOR BEST ENGINE WEAR PROTECTION IS QUAKER STATE 5W-30 FULL SYNTHETIC.

As a mechanical engineer who specializes in internal combustion engines, I can verify that every person in this article claiming they don't know anything is absolutely correct.

I have always performed an oil change on a brand new vehicle at 500 miles to remove the grit that is normally found in a new engine.

If you’re doing your oil changes every 10k on ANY car you’re an idiot. Think about it…any manufacturer wants to sell you a new car. The fewer oil changes you do, the sooner they get to sell you something new. It’s quite literally the most important thing you can do for your vehicle. The fact that these articles keep popping up blows my mind, how stupid is the general public?? Change your f*cking motor oil. It’s not “rocket surgery,” it’s common sense. Also, not so common. End of speech.

Also, the maintenance light of all Toyotas and Lexus vehicles come on at 5K…. The only thing that light EVERY means is an oil change. That’s it.

I change my oil on my 2021 tacoma every 5,000mi. I don't care what Toyota says about there recommendations. My question is if the tacoma is supposed to be changed at 10k why does the service light come on at 5k? I went to the dealer ship to get the free oil change. They told me 10k mi. I told them this is a new truck that's crazy. I've been doing it myself ever since. It's just a way for them to get out of servicing your vehicle.

I change my oill every 5k for a few reasons:
There is a noticeable difference in sludge & varnish that’s builds up with 10k intervals. Eventually it’ll clog something up.
Auto manufacturers aren’t interested in their cars lasting forever. They sell new cars for a living. 10k changes mean you’ll be in the market sooner.
10k oil lowers the “cost of ownership” metrics which helps them to sell cars. Again, it’s not about longevity.
Oil & filters are cheap compared to engine work. I do my own changes, which gives me a much better view of my car’s health. Maintain them well and you’ll get more trouble free miles out of them.

I make oil detergents and additives for my career. You should always do the 1st oil change on a new engine at 1 thousand miles. At that point the break in process is complete. All that metal and debris needs to get out of the engine early. After that I do oil changes every 5-7k dependin on what type of vehicle and how it is driven.
Alao color has NOTHING to do with oil quality. Certain additives get dark with use. Some turn red\pink and some even get more amber. Dont rely on looking at it, because most people dont know what they are looking at.

As an experienced mechanic with a deep understanding of the topic, having read all the comments here, I can confidently say that the best time to change your oil is after the first 500 miles. After that initial change, the next ideal time is right after the first oil change. In fact, I’m changing my oil right now as I write this comment—you never know when it might come in handy! That said, here’s a key tip: after an oil change, it’s always before the next one, so stay on top of it!

I wanted my oil changed sooner than the recommended after I bought my 2023 Tacoma new. The dealer gave me grief about it and used one of my no cost service guarantee to do it. Still I'm glad I went ahead and had it changed. I don't drive it a lot and wonder when it says such and such miles or 6 months if I haven't driven it much should I still go ahead and get it changed because the amount of time has passed?

I am the happy owner of a 2014 Tacoma truck. 4.0 V6, Six speed manual. Bought it 3 yrs ago with 140,000 miles. Now has 183000 and am currently on our 4th r/t to the PAC Northwest from SoCal since owning it. We pull a 4800lb travel trailer on these trips and the truck has been flawless.
I change the oil every 4000 mi and don’t have to add any btwn oil changes. I use Valvoline 5w 30. Driveline oil is changed every 30k as well as coolant and brake fluid.
On these trips I keep the rpm’s below 3000 especially when grinding up a steep grade. 3rd gear at 3000 is 45mph.
It will cruise on the flat at 62/ 2500 in 5th or 2000 in 6th. I rarely use 6th when towing since it’s an overdrive gear and Toyota doesn’t recommend it except when descending a long gradual grade.
Overall a great truck and I plan on keeping it a long time. 400k plus here I come!….

It's not normal break in material it's swarf and it's what's been causing engines to fail.

I change my oil every 3,000 - 4,000 miles. Owner’s manual says 5,000 but that always seemed too long.

Not to mention turbo and direct injection engines are very hard on oil.

Have never changed the oil in my 2007 toyota tundra. !!!!! I change the filter every couple of months. The oil is not dirty. Just the filter!!!!

Do not ever change the oil!!!! Change the filter every 3 months

My dad told me when I was 19 that any time that you buy any new car from a dealership that you should drive it just over 1000 miles and change out your oil to get rid of any metal shavings from the new engine from when it was made at the factory. He was old school so after that he had me change it out every 3000 miles. It’s your car and investment but I would keep it around 3000 miles every time especially if you do a lot of local trips and city driving. Synthetic oil is great but I saw a video of a Range Rover that did oil changes every 10000 miles and at 87000 it needed a timing belt change. When the pulled the valve cover off the engine, the top of the engine looked like crap full of dirt and debris and old oil. If you go to the trouble and expense of more oil changes it will stay clean and free of dirt. Your oil is the lifeblood of your engine. It’s your money. Spend it on oil or spend it on a mechanic and a new motor later.

I was in the repair industry for nearly 30 years. I ran independent shops and worked for four different manufacturers. The ICE has not really changed much internally in 100 years, except maybe for low tension rings. Everything surrounding it has. Higher operating temperatures for emissions. Direct injection. Forced induction. Yes todays oils are far better than decades ago, but it is subjected to more than it was decades ago.
Long service intervals and 'lifetime' fluids are bs. They're simply a marketing strategy to make you feel the vehicle will cost less to maintain. I've seen luxury-branded hand built engines burning oil by 30,000 miles. I've replaced transmissions with 'lifetime' fluids with barely 100,000 miles.
If you're the type that leases every 2-3 years, then do whatever they recommend. It'll be someone else's problem in three years. If you're like me and tend to keep your vehicles until they're no longer useful: First oil change at 1,000 miles, then every 5,000 afterwards with a good synthetic. And service the transmission every 50-60K.

It doesn't matter what you do It's going to blow up The signs are already there they've had my neighbors at the dealer for over 3 months now 😞

My 2021 Tacoma gets a oil change at 5K with synthetic oil changed by myself. I still have a 2010 RAV 4 with v-6. It has 238K miles. Oil changed at 5K never been in the shop except for new shocks up front. Great car and truck