My Prime's first transmission fluid change :D

I'm not doing it to save money . . . just gas. I also turn in my used transmission oil for recycling.

Bob Wilson

 

Isn't Toyota's reliability one of the reasons people buy Toyota? If they didn't last along time, wouldn't people reconsider buy another one again?

How frequently should the changes be considered to much? Or is there such a thing? And after the frequency is figured out, what is it based on, because more frequently would be even better than that, right?

 

It just needs to last long enough but not too long as to jeopardize future sales.

 

Do you think Toyota's record of having vehicles lasting beyond 500,000 miles or longer with recommended maintenance is long enough to your standards? I have seen it happen. If you are a person that wants the latest and newest technology out there, like the Prime is now, would you hold off the temptation, in say 10 or so years, of buying the latest and newest technology for car with even better efficiency just so to make sure your more frequent maintenance paid off?

 

Some vehicles last that long but I suspect the average for the Prius is less than 200,000 miles with only recommended maintenance. Many people here have got more than 200K, but they have been performing additional preventative maintenance too.

 

Going by my previous Prius experience, I have had no issues with items that pertain to preventive maintenance, but have had repair on items without preventive maintenance. Like ABS actuator and computer, hybrid battery, 12 volt battery, etc. Those items of failure would get more of my focus. What kind of preventive maintenance can you do to prevent the computers and batteries from failing?

 

12 volt battery you can do stuff. Don't get me started, lol.

 

If I recall correctly, my son replaced the working 7 year old 12 volt battery on his 2005 Prius just because it was old and he did not want to risk getting stranded. He used an Optima Yellow Top battery, not a Toyota battery from the dealer.

 

I think my preference, when it comes to transmission fluid and oil changes, will be to change both every 10k miles using full synthetic oil. I am currently driving 87 percent EV and at 10k miles, that would be 1300 miles of ICE usage. I think that should be adequate for the oil change. The transmission would be doing most of the work, so I will change it more frequently at 10k.

 

Tongue in cheek?

 

I replaced with the Optima battery also.

 

That's not recommended maintenance. Toyota & the dealer need to get their money out of it!

 

Toyota only gives a 12 month warranty and the Optima gives a 3 year warranty. I went with the longer warranty.

 

You all talked me into this schedule. Whether it makes a record proving difference or not. I also use pure gas with no ethanol and add Lucas fuel stabilizer with the full tank of gas. Hopefully it will last awhile by doing that.

 

I don't know specifically about Toyota but Honda puts a different blend of oils into their vehicles at release than what they do during normal maintenance. These include extra cleaners and lubricants intended to remove manufacturing rough spots around moving parts and they recommend that you NOT change that set of oil until the recommended window has passed a minimum of 3 months and at least for the engine oil 5k miles.

Again, I don't know if Toyota does something similar but this could account for a darker lubricant coming out because it contains additional materials intentionally to improve long term wear and performance. Removing this oil may actually have downsides to longevity rather than improving it. FYI - this was a hotly debated topic on the Ridgeline Owners Club for a while as well, I add this only for whatever value it may have, I don't care when someone decides to change their fluids, it is entirely up to them. Personally I try to avoid taking my vehicles in until it is deemed necessary by the vehicle maintenance guide which for me is once a year. I have only once put 10k miles on a vehicle in a year, although now that we are down to one vehicle maybe that will happen more often.

 

Any links, regarding the Honda "break-in" fluids, their cautions to not do early changes? I'm a little sceptical.

 

I remember reading that some people think Toyota us putting in the newer 0w16 oil at the factory. It is supposed to give higher mpg than the widely available 0w20 oil.
0W-16 Oil for Gen 4 Prius (and other cars) | PriusChat

 

Sorry very slow lately, been very busy at work and not much posting time:
5. When you buy a new car, change your oil at 3,000 miles to remove metal particles from the engine break-in process. There might be a grain of truth to this, according to the experts at Blackstone. Oil samples from engines during the first 3,000 miles of driving show elevated "wear-in" metal levels, coming from the pistons and camshafts, says Ryan Stark, Blackstone's president. But he added, "To me, it doesn't make that much difference because if the filings are big enough to cause damage, they will be taken out by the oil filter."

However, a Honda spokesman says its cars come from the factory with a special oil formulation for the break-in period. Honda advises owners to not change the oil early. Stark said Blackstone Laboratories' test of Honda's break-in oil shows it contains molybdenum-disulfide, an anti-wear additive. But Stark said Honda is the only manufacturer he knows that's using special break-in oil. The take-away? If there are any special break-in recommendations from the manufacturer, follow them. And consider analyzing the oil at 3,000 miles.

Source:Top 7 Urban Legends About Motor Oil
Posted: First oil change? - Honda Ridgeline Owners Club Forums

It appears it is a Honda thing and not a general practice.

 

One recommended practice when rebuilding an engine is to use a dry-paste-grease so the initial operation has lubrication until the oil pressure can take over and wash it out. These can also surface treat the load bearing surfaces.

I have no idea if these assembly greases can be detected in an oil analysis.

Bob Wilson

 

I bought a new Honda Civic HX in 2005 and the owners manual made it very clear not to change the initial oil until the 10,000 mile mark, and then Honda was not as strict on subsequent changes but recomended every 10K. (The dealer wanted to change the initial oil at 3K which I did not allow.) I did not understand the reason behind the 10K initial change and asked my friend who beat his boyhood drag racing hero when my friend was only 20 years old, and later got his PhD in Mechanical Engineering. His explanation for Honda doing this was to get proper wear between the rings and cylinders. My friend recommended oil changes with Mobil 1 Synthetic every 7K when I asked how to make my car last the longest while not throwing away money. My Civic HX has 219,000 miles on it now and still does not use any oil or leak any oil and runs like it did when new.