Low Engine Oil Pressure Light

No worries. I wasn't providing the baseline information at the beginning, so my bad.

I've used Blackstone Labs in the past (with whom I have absolutely no affiliation). Used them on the Prius as well as my Phaeton before. It's been through intermittent monitoring of the oil condition in this manner which has affirmed my decision to change the oil every 5,000 miles in my 2010 as being the correct one. I will be doing the same with the 2014.

FWIW, in the Phaeton, after 10k miles, Blackstone's recommendation indicated I had another 7k miles before they would start to be concerned about the Total Base Number (a snapshot number of how your oil is doing overall). But, the Phaeton took over 9 quarts of oil and had an oil filter the size of a small coffee can.

Oil breaks down in a very controlled, repeatable fashion, given a set of conditions. This is why GM's Oil Life Monitoring system can be so accurate, without any direct measurement of oil condition. There are some good reads about how it works here and here. Indeed, their calibration is so specific, the algorithm for, say, the Buick Enclave could be different than for the GMC Acadia -- both Lambda platform variants with the same engine and drivetrain. It's really elegant and beautiful in its simplicity.

 

That is what is done. The interp requires the other information

 

How much did the dealer charge you for a Toyota 0-20 Synthetic change?

 

Counting the bottles? If its pre-paid maintenance or just a good old oil change your getting the vat with the notoriously inaccurate pump. And its not like the dude doing the pumping is going to check it after he pumps it. If you want bottles its going to be expensive.

I worked at a few car dealerships when I was a kid and there all a racket.

And to check the oil properly please do it first thing in the morning. The VVT section stores quite a bit of oil and it takes a long time to drain back into the crankcase.

 

Are you guys kidding? I can't trust my dealer to put in the right amount of oil?

 

Our nearest Open road Toyo dealership measures bulk oil into graduated pitchers, apparent sticklers for accurate measure. More or less across the road is a honda dealership using bottles, and in my experience they routinely rounded up, 3.2 liters was dubbed 4.0.

So, different places have different method and/or different accuracy. I can't fault open road Toyo for their method, but never used them.

 

I usually end up around $47 after the coupon.

Full synthetic O'Reilly Motor oil is $5.49 per quart x 5 quarts = $27.45
MicroGard oil filter is $7.49
1 gallon of Krystal Kleer washer fluid is $2.49

So, that puts me at $37.43 + tax. Just in parts. And, keep in mind, these were the cheapest options I could find -- certainly not the ones I'd pick were I doing my own oil change.

Add to that my time: $13.94 for 30 minutes, puts me at $51.37.

That doesn't include me having to get the tools/pans/ramps necessary, let alone the free car wash and having to worry about used oil disposal.

Oh - and my Toyota dealership has coffee & doughnuts in the AM, fresh popcorn in the PM. Seeing as they're about $4 cheaper than me doing it myself and I don't have to get dirty in my parking lot (don't have a garage), I can't imagine why I would do my own LOF.

One last thing - just because the oil is bulk, doesn't mean it isn't synthetic. We bought oil in bulk at VW, since that's what they all took.

 

My dealer marks the oil level on the check sheet attached to my invoice prior to draining.

I always check it shortly after leaving them, and once or twice before the next change.

when the car was new, I'd pull the stick every fill up of gas to see how things were doing.

No oil use with 8000 km replacement schedule and just shy of 99000 kms on it now.

 

I'd be interested at your own results before an oil change, pull the dipstick and look at the level. I would think some guys at the dealerships just fill out those forms without looking, to save time.

 

DIY can be much cheaper that you outline. I buy washers and filters along with the rest of my order through the internet to last me 2 - 3 years. Shipping costs are then a small part of the purchase. I wait for an oil deal and then buy a couple of years worth.

1. washer: 30 cents
2. filter: 4.5 US $
3. ACEA A1, ILSAC GF4/5 high quality synthetic oil for 10k miles or a year: 2- 3 $ a qt

Total: ~ 15 USD

I don't waste fuel going to the dealership; I don't waste time sitting at the dealership; I know exactly what was done, and while the oil is dripping I rotate the tyres.

Oh, and I am not a fan of donuts. I prefer being able to fit under the car.

 

My point SageBrush, is that dealerships aren't as expensive as everyone thinks they are.

And, my time is valuable to me. The dollar amount I put on it is just a fraction of what it's worth. Some enjoy working on their cars and that's fine. Others don't. And, others do, but choose not to for whatever reason. Regardless of which category you're in, you shouldn't look down on others who don't choose to do the same as you.

As far as doughnuts go, I defer to the Ancient Greeks who believe in everything in moderation.

 

Ours apparently uses no oil between (8000 km) changes. And looks very close to new. Any other honda we've had over the years used at least a pint, and looked pretty dark.

 

Done that... the stick shows full.

Obviously to my suspicious mind is that the dealer in doing a comprehensive check on the vehicle while there, which includes a walk around by the service writer to document scrapes nicks or dents is to provide them with some form of liability protection.
They list the condition and soc of the 12 volt battery, brake pads all kinds of stuff.

It can protect me too... they say my car is pristine when it arrives before they take it into the shop... if they damage it, they provide me with proof as well by doing this service.

 

So your pulling UOA's and using Oreillys motor oil? And going 5000 miles?

Why don't you use some good oil and go 7500 miles and don't bother with the UOA.
You can get Mobil 1 0-20 at Walmart 5 quarts for $24.95.

 

Mine seems to overfill every time.

SCH-I535

 

Then say that, although I'm surprised to hear that you know what everyone thinks. Oreilly oil is not high quality, so you might even be pushing it at 5k intervals; an oil analysis is probably needed. At 5k interval you spend ~ $100 to cover 10k miles, while I spend ~ 15 USD. You definitely spend more time going to the dealership and sitting in the waiting room than I spend in DIY.

These discussions eventually distill down to "I don't want to." Fine by me -- it is not my money or time. Just skip the rationalizations or expect them to be exposed.

Smart advice, my Grandmother often said the same. Walk into a donut shop sometime and see American moderation in action.

 

I don't even know where to begin, so I'll begin at the start.

You're right. I don't know what everyone thinks. Touché. However, given the penchant for broad-brush painting on this board, I thought hyperbole would be easily identifiable. I guess I was wrong.

I wasn't interested in oil quality when I created my hypothetical comparison. I was looking for the least-expensive alternatives available over-the-counter for a DIYer in order to make a point.

My rationalizations are no more or less valid than yours. The sole point of my exercise was to show that oil changes performed at dealerships are not as exorbitantly priced as some make them out to be.

Finally, I feel this thread has been hijacked enough without my taking your bait into a debate over doughnut consumption in America and what that says about the priorities of people in this country as a whole. I introduced doughnuts into the conversation and, pursuant to the preceding paragraph, I'm taking them out of the conversation and sticking to facts.

 

chrisj428, to further sidetrack this thread, your model designation in your avatar area and signature is misleading. Your model should be a 5 not a V, people may get confused and think you have a Prius v wagon. And if you really do have a v wagon, then you're in the wrong forum.

 

<<looks around>> I don't see no stinkin' donuts

Facts are good. Can we agree that a year of dealer service costs about $100 in the US and as low as $15 (my example) for a DIY'r ?
As for time, I spend about an hour replacing the oil and rotating the tyres. Correct me if I am wrong, when you add in time traveling to and from the dealership and the time waiting for the service, does an hour easily pass ?

 

Nope. Correct forum. I have a V, not a v, but will make the change to conform to the change in model designation conventions which occurred between the purchase of my first and second Prius.