Oil Recommendation: Cap vs Manual

[GL70]

I have a 2010 Vibe, 1.8L. I have scanned the postings and haven't seen this subject. The oil cap says 5W-20 or 0W-20, but the manual says to use only 5W-30. I verified with local GM parts man that I have the original and correct oil cap. He guessed that its just a difference of opinion between Toyota and GM on oil weight recommendation. It just drives me nuts that the cap and manual don't agree.And in addition, the local GM service man said don't worry about it... use 10W-30, since we are in Houston TX.

[star_deceiver]

I use Toyota 0w20 synth. It works quite well no matter the outside temp!

[GL70]

Thanks, Star. I was admiring your bike travel pics just yesterday.

[star_deceiver]

And the Toyota oil from the Toyota dealer actually costs less then most any synthetic oil elsewhere!Yeah, the bike gets from A to B.... slowly

[jake75]

Quote, originally posted by GL70 »I have a 2010 Vibe, 1.8L. I have scanned the postings and haven't seen this subject. The oil cap says 5W-20 or 0W-20, but the manual says to use only 5W-30. I verified with local GM parts man that I have the original and correct oil cap. He guessed that its just a difference of opinion between Toyota and GM on oil weight recommendation. It just drives me nuts that the cap and manual don't agree.And in addition, the local GM service man said don't worry about it... use 10W-30, since we are in Houston TX.I believe your manual is wrong. My 2009 manual on page 9-10 says "What kind of oil to use: Look for three things. -GM6094M Use only oil that meets GM Standard GM6094M; -SAE 5W-20 is the best for your vehicle; Do not use other viscosity oils such as SAE 20W-50; -Oils meeting these requirements should have the starburst symbol on the container. This symbol indicates that the oil has been certified by the American Petroleum Institute (API)." Under a thermometer scale that shows when 5w-20 and 0w-20 should be used is the statement "Do not use 10W-40, SAE 20W-450 or any other viscosity grade not recommended."It recommends 0w-20 in an area of extreme cold - where the temperature falls below -20 degrees F.Over the past couple of years there have been discussions about this. The reason the dealers (except Ford) might favor 10w-30 is that they buy that by the drum whereas a 5w-20 or 0w-20 they buy by the qt or gallon. Ford has been recommending a 5w-20 for several years.

[vibenvy]

I've used 5W-20 in both our 09 GTs since the very first oil changes.

[ou.grizzly]

Some of the folks should check out Eneos oil http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tDzljfrqD4

[GL70]

Thanks, everyone. I'm gonna go with synthetic 5W-20 tomorrow morning (while it's still below 100 outside).