nearly 21,000 miles on OEM filter

I just changed the filter in my PiP after 20k unwanted miles for the same reason as OP. However, my frustration at trying to get the oil filter housing out caused me to destroy it. Let me explain:

10k miles ago, I broke my oil filter wrench trying to remove the oil filter. Last Friday, I used a newly purchased monolithic oil filter wrench made just for the Prius so that there are no welds to break this time around. I also purchased ramps so that I would have ample room underneath. No amount of wrenching by my worthless pipe arms would budge the filter. It, eventually, took a few well placed kicks to release the filter. My car is never going to the dealer for an oil change again. There is no reason to have it torqued to this level.

I was going to pop in the paper element and reinstall the filter but could not get the wrench off. No amount of wedging with a screwdriver would split the pair. Yup, I tapped the combo on the ground until my wrench cracked and broke yet again and then the oil filter housing broke. Ok, I smashed the damn thing on the ground until it shattered. Did you know the oil filter is made of plastic?

In shame, I relinquished $67 to the Toyota parts department and got a new oil filter housing.

Cost for 2 standard oil changes at dealer: 2x$99= $200

Cost for me to do these 2 oil changes:
$60 oil and filter
$15 oil filter wrench
$40 rhino ramps
$67 oil filter housing
$13 oil bucket
$195 + a huge puddle of oil in my driveway because my arms were so tired and shaky I couldn't steady myself to pour in oil and spilled everywhere.

I'll clean it up tonight. I won. Oil filter housing is still stuck to the oil filter wrench by the way.

 

I'm late to this argument, but don't understand why so many are abusing poor jacek over sludge that's likely mainly imaginary. I've dissected oil filters with over 80% of that mileage that were free of sludge, and far from clogged with anything. Admittedly those were not from a Prius, but should that matter so much?

 

You should notify your dealership, this seems epidemic.

I'm the only one (besides the factory) who's put on or removed the oil filter housing on ours. Alway reinstall with a torque wrench, set to 18 lb/ft. Removal takes a bit of effort, but not crazy. You should be out of the woods now, anyways.

 

So besides Mendel who uses a wrench originally intended for Honda vehicles, does anyone have a strong recommendation for a suitable wrench?

How about this one for example?

 

I wonder how much a local Toyota parts dept would charge for that. Maybe $30? I might get one, but really all it's doing extra is riding down into the stiffener rib zone, kinda belts and braces. I think the main criteria is that it be thick enough gauge that it has no flex. And a very snug fit.

 

The wrench in your above picture or the Assenmacher TOY640 in the link below, which I use, seem to be the best choices for the Prius oil filter housing.

Assenmacher Specialty Tools TOY640 - Toyota 64mm Oil Filter Wrench

I also use an Assenmacher oil filter wrench on my son's 2012 Porsche Boxter S. That oil filter is much more difficult to remove and replace than the GIII Prius. Do some work on a mid-engine Porsche, and you will have no complaints about how difficult it is to do maintenance on a Prius.

 

I have a CTA oil filter wrench.

The above wrench got stuck on my first oil change. It wouldn't come off the filter housing. After my second oil change, I found the best way to get the wrench off was to lightly tighten the filter housing clockwise and then turn the wrench in the opposite direction a bit slowly. The wrench should loosen enough to remove.