I cannot find Mobil 0w-20 oil anywhere (AutoZone, Walmart, Toyota dealership). Where in LA have you seen it?

Call your local Toyota dealer and ask for parts. Our toyota dealer here in town stocks the full synthetic 0w-20 oil. I bought some with a oem filter for my first oil change which may be a few weeks away. The oil comes in a red plastic quart containers.

Could be in 2009 when more hybrids come out by other manufactures, we should see 0w-20 synthetic oil in most all auto stores.

The local toyota parts man once told me he thinks the toyota synthetic oil is the same as mobil one. I paid just under $5 per quart but some say in the forms, it cost more lately.

I read somewhere that changing to synthetic oil can increase your gas mileage by one mpg. Might be a their is a little less wear with it in the crankcase.

I just had my first oil change done by a Toyota dealer here in Victoria, Canada. I told them I wanted 0W20 synthetic, but when I got home and check the invoice, they put in 5W20. I paid $9.96 for a liter (less than a quart), so much for dollar parity!

Yikes! I had 0W20 put in for under $6 per liter.

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Randy

Forgive my ignorance, but what's the advantage of 0w20 over something like 10w30 in a place like California?

Dang

My understanding is the 0w-20 oil gets up into the engine parts and valvetrain quicker. This is important with the many engine starts and stops in a hybrid.

I found some information that says the 0w-20 synthetic oil will protect the engine from -53°F to 400°F

I'm not sure why, but somehow the thinner oils slightly increases the gas mileage.

Evidently the 5w-20 dino oil works fine or toyota would not put it in their engines.

Also, for the Camry Hybrid it is specified to take only 0w20 or 5w20. 10w30 would likely do bad things like void engine warranties (not to mention any potential actual damage).

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Randy

Interesting, thanks!

So far I've just had the oil done at the dealer (for free!) so haven't paid a lot of attention to it.

You'd think thicker oil might be a bit better for those that live in real hot climates, but who knows. Certainly following the manufactures recomendations is a good thing.

Thanks!

Dang

I would recommend the 5w-20 synthetic or the 0w-20 synthetic. Our local dealer recommended the 0w-20 for my TCH as we live in the hot desert. I asked their tech and he said they have had no problems using it in the prius and Camry's.

Your right, the old rule was the thicker the oil the better the film strength. That might be so with the older dino oils but with synthetics they have a very high film strength even if the oil is a 0w or 5w oil.

Dino oils have also improved a lot over the last 10 years. The additives they now use are much better. It's best to run a synthetic blend or even better stick to a 100% synthetic oil.

Did anyone ever find any 0w-20 in Southern California? I called two Toyota dealers and they both said they use 5w-30 in the Camry Hybrid so I think I'll be doing the oil change myself..