Many years ago, when I was changing my own oil, I owned a Honda and bought the filters at the dealer because they were the same price or cheaper than filters at the parts store. As a bonus they would give you a crush washer for free with the filter.
Dealers sometimes have competitive pricing for common parts like filters, batteries, wiper blades etc. and you know it's genuine OEM.
Edit: All the Dynamic Force engines use the same oil filter.
I remember watching a YouTube channel by "The Car Nut". Great show IMHO. He covered the importance of filters and using the Toyota Filter and Oil. More importantly, he covered the fact that Toyota have an "economy" filter model and a premium. You can apparently distinguish the difference by the letters in the part number. I obviously want the premium filter on mine when I do future oil changes (1-2K, 5K, 10K, and 5K intervals).
Does anyone know the identifying numbers or letters in the part number that distinguishes it as a Toyota economy or premium filter? My notes from when I watched the video stated that if the part number had "AZ" in it, it was an economy filter. Still looking for the original video to confirm.
The sad thing he states is that some dealers use the economy filter and bulk oil of the same grade by default and not the premium and bottles oil recommended! I keep my vehicles 200K plus and want to improve life expectancy by using the best/recommended.
My sister had a Sequoia as the family vehicle when her kids were small. They bought it used with about 75,000 miles on it and sold it many years later at 400,000 miles. Her husband had it serviced at the Toyota dealer the entire time they owned it. The bulk oil the dealer uses is the same thing that comes in the bottles. It's much cheaper to buy it in bulk, makes servicing the cars quicker and is less waste.
Don't overthink it, changing the oil in a timely matter is far more important than the oil and filter used.
Appreciate the reply and emphasis on change frequency. I would like validation on the statement that the bulk oil by Mobile is the same as provided in the Toyota bottles. It would save me money
Does anyone know for sure or have factual references?
Thanks to an AI google search, I found this and highlight my concerns which, may be very minor.
Yes, Toyota's branded oil is manufactured by Mobil 1, but it's a custom formulation with a different additive package than standard Mobil 1 products.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Toyota OEM oil is made by Mobil 1:
Toyota doesn't manufacture its own oil; it outsources the production to Mobil 1, an ExxonMobil brand.
Custom Formulation:
While the base oil might be similar to Mobil 1, Toyota specifies a unique blend of additives and detergents for its OEM oil, tailored to the needs of Toyota engines.
Lab Analysis:
Some lab analyses have shown that Toyota OEM oil contains a different and potentially higher concentration of certain additives compared to standard Mobil 1 products.
Not the same as Mobil 1:
Therefore, Toyota OEM oil is not simply rebranded Mobil 1; it's a distinct product with a unique formulation.