1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

oil change?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by PriusSport, Nov 7, 2016.

  1. PriusSport

    PriusSport senior member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2008
    1,498
    88
    0
    Location:
    SE PA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    I took my recently purchased 2013 base Prius (leased car originally) in for it's 4 month certified check. They rotated the tires, and did some checking (fluid levels, etc.) , but did not change the oil. The technician said the car had synthetic oil and would not need an oil change for 10K miles. I drive only about 500 miles/month, and I normally got an oil change every 6 months on my 08 Prius (in the pic). He scheduled me for April. The '08 Prius uses regular oil.
    I checked my '13 manual, and the oil spec is OW-20. No mention of synthetic. So I googled the car model, and found every Prius has synthetic oil in 2013 (earlier years as well). But no mention of "synthetic" in the Prius manual! Confusing. You have to know OW-20 is synthetic.
     
    #1 PriusSport, Nov 7, 2016
  2. qdllc

    qdllc Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 25, 2013
    1,370
    399
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Most current engines running full-synthetic oil don't need oil changes sooner than 10K miles. A lot of that is the quality of the oil.
     
    #2 qdllc, Nov 8, 2016
  3. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 29, 2008
    1,310
    893
    0
    Location:
    Monument, CO
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    If you read the Toyota Warranty & Service guide (a separate booklet) carefully, you'll notice that Toyota makes no mention of synthetic motor oil. What they do say is the you can go 10,000 miles on 0W-20 oil. If you don't use 0W-20, then they want you to change oil at 5,000 miles.
     
    #3 FuelMiser, Nov 8, 2016
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    56,713
    39,248
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    First, a clarification: the official 3rd gen US oil change interval is 10,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first.

    Some thoughts:

    1. I agree, Toyota makes no mention of synthetic. All they spec is an oil grade to use. Around the world they spec more grades than just 0W20, still I think the recommended grade is 0W20. There's a few owners here that are regularly putting in 5W30, no problems.

    2. If you're concerned about the long US oil change interval, keep in mind: it's your car, not the service writer's. To put his mind at rest (chuckle), you could mention "severe service". This doubles up the miles and time interval, to 5,000 miles or 6 months, per your 2nd gen.

    FWIW, Toyota Canada specs 8,000 km (~5,000 miles) or 6 months for 3rd gen. I'm similar mileage as you, actually more like 500 kilometers monthly, and every 6 months, it's (DIY) oil change time. For me it's a couple of hours chore, and about $30 in supplies. Keeps me occupied.

    FYI, Toyota Canada has gone to the US oil change interval (16,000 km or 12 mo) for 4th gen Prius.
     
    #4 Mendel Leisk, Nov 9, 2016
  5. Vman455

    Vman455 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 8, 2014
    534
    551
    13
    Location:
    The Middle
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    0W-20 is only available as a synthetic or synthetic blend oil; by specifying the weight, Toyota has already specified a synthetic oil.
     
    #5 Vman455, Nov 9, 2016
    m.wynn likes this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)