Only Mobil 1 For My Prius

love all the new avatars guys! (and gals) and 'other'.

 

just got off the golf course with my son, sorry i missed all the excitement!

 

Just did the 15,000 mile service on my Prius Two (5,000 mile intervals). Self-changed Mobil 1 0W20 which i ordered for $22.95 from Amazon (Prime). Changed filter ($4.50) and crush washer (.50). Sample on its way to Blackstone for analysis today. I won't let the stealership touch the car for routine maintenance. I post the analysis results as soon as I get them. I will take the car in for the 30,000 mile check later this year.

 

Thanks very much bhtooefr. That's what I needed. A good technical-minded guy to knock me on the head.
I will make sure I go every 12 months; and sometimes twice a year.

 

I agree. I drive mostly on the highway in the SoCal/AZ desert heat. That's HD in my opinion. I am on a 5K schedule.

 

I should say that long distance is actually far, far easier on the oil than short tripping, because a lot of stuff gets burned out of the oil when the vehicle warms up and stays hot regularly. Hot isn't so much of a concern, though - the engine cooling system should be effective at extracting heat (although it is worth noting that the 2ZR engine doesn't have an oil cooler, it appears). If you're concerned, do an engine oil analysis at your next oil change.

 

Not sure if it's been mentioned: the oil and filter change interval (in the US) is 10,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first.

 

Yup, that's what I was told.

Just curious as to why someone would do it at 1/2 that

 

Because most of my "trips" are 0.8 miles to Walmart? I'm bored in retirement? I want that Subway Sandwich at the dealer?

I'm afraid when I go there, I'm gonna see that bright "Emotional Red" Prius, and want to trade up!

 

my father took me to walmart/subway last week. he even paid for my 6".

 

Car manufactures are in the business to sell cars, and if every one is pushing 10K and 15K mile oil change intervals and you don't follow its gonna hurt car sales. So they have all turned to 0W-20 Synthetic oils to push the outer limits of long service intervals to make the car more sellable and to meet US CAFE standards. In the long run you are shorting the life of your engine with long oil change intervals and using thin oil. In Australia the Gen III prius runs on 5W-30 oil??

 

Except the 0W20 is claimed to provide better startup lubrication, and in a hybrid, where you're cycling the engine a lot...

Also, in Australia, the spec appears to range from 0W20 to 5W30 being acceptable.

 

So a 0W-30 oil may be best, giving a thicker film at higher temps.

 

That's more or less our situation now. The regular (3rd gen) Canadian interval is 6 months or 5000 miles (8000 km). Both of us retired now, we're barely doing 5000 miles yearly, and so far I've stuck to the 6 month interval.

Even I'll concede it's overkill, but it doesn't cost me much, doing DIY.

 

..another thing to consider, believe tolerances are tighter now, so Gen2 had 5w-30 oil, but Gen2 normally accumulated ~2% fuel in the oil, so that made the lubes thinner. Believe Gen3+ does not get as much fuel in the lubes, so its OK if the lube starts out thinner.

 

Here in Southern California, I checked 12 Toyota dealers, and the cheapest synthetic oil change price I have found is $59.95.

Regular oil is as low as $29.95.

 

and the dealer is?

 

Loved doing a lot of things when I was 10,14,16,18,20, 22,32,42 etc

 

try 0w40 in 120 degree weather. Your MPG will drop with anything but 0W20.

 

I'm going to Disneyland!

Miller Toyota in Anaheim has a "upgrade" special. Mobil-1 Synthetic Oil is $54.95. That's the lowest price I've found. (Regular oil change starts at $34.95). I don't care if it's Mobil-1 or Toyota brand... as long as it's 0W-20 synthetic.