Oil % - where to check it?

If it’s dark on dipstick replace

 

Prius doesn’t include an oil quality measurement system as is common on GM products. Oil change intervals are dictated by calendar and odometer. The car does have a maintenance reminder system capable of alerting you via dashboard text prompts if you set it up and re-set it at each oil change. Full details in the owners manuals. Free pdfs from Toyota if your car didn’t come with any.

…and as @tankyuong points out, what you find on the dipstick matters most.

 

In my car it trips a bit before a 5000 mile interval. Not sure about your model but I expect it’ll be similar. It’s easy to reset the system with a secret handshake button sequence when you do your oil changes. All the garages know how, and it’s not really secret, the manual tells you how.

 

Canadian Prius don't have the maintenance reminder. No great loss.

 

Really?? And you still bought the car?

 

Honda has a "Maintenance Minder", which is actually useful. It is apparently not simply counting kilometers, as evidenced by owners with different driving patterns having the percent-to-next-service count down at varying rates. I'd speculate it might be monitoring miles (of course), but also start ups, coolant temps, mean rpms??

It drops in 10% increments, always displayable, so you know where you are, until it's down to 20% remaining. Then it goes to 15%, and starts displaying a warning, and continues down to zero percent, in 5% increments.

Also, from 15% down, it displays an alphanumeric code, which you can look up in the maintenance booklet, which explains specifically what needs to be done. This is good for owners, and hopefully keeps the dealerships more honest.

The Toyota reminder (US only), just comes on every 5000 miles, ignores the "months" element of service timing, and is mainly an irritant. I believe there's a stickied thread, on how to reset the dang thing?

 

It is also a two-stage irritant: a gentler reminder starting at 4500 miles, converting to a harsher and more-difficult-to-hide version at 5000 miles.

No initial setup required, it is hard-coded and you cannot get rid of it. The only thing the consumer can do is to reset the mileage counter to 0 to banish these warnings for the next 4500 miles.

The reset procedure involves setting it to Trip A, turning car off, then restarting while holding down the steering wheel button the clears Trip A. Done right, it clears only the maintenance minder counter. Done wrong or fumble-fingered, it clears Trip A instead, which is why using Trip A as a lifetime MPG meter is risky. The shop techs occasionally clear it by accident.

Look up the actual reset procedure, I probably didn't give the full sequence here.

 

Gee, I remember the days when you just REMEMBER when the oil needs changing.
You know, by using the math you should have learned in elementary school.

 

I've done only a few oil changes DIY on my and now my son's HONDAs. I can not figure out what really causes oil % decline and eventual maintenance reminder warning. Miles driven definitely plays a role, but something else for sure. I always look for "A-1" maintenance code, since that's the easiest and cheapest one. LOL

What happens if I reset the mileage counter before the 4500 miles? Does it reset the counter to 0 at that point, or does it ignore it until the warning starts?

 

On my Gen3, it resets at that point.

 

I will have to try that on my PRIME. I did not do the 30K maintenance until 32K. The car is now at 35K. If I reset it now, it should not bother me until 40K when I need to do next oil change. 35K maintenance which is now scheduled at 37K for my car is just tire rotation. I will be doing that when I change to snow tires in next month or so.

 

If you want to open another can-o-worms, divulge what the A stands for...

 

There are also websites you can sign up using your VIN # and enter the miles driven. It will then send you email reminders when registration, oil changes and etc are due soon and passed + enter diy maintenance performed. I used to give out that website out but no one ever replied that they used it

 

A 1, A 2, A 1, 2, 3, 4....... And the music begins!

 

I still think the sticker on the windshield is dumb.
Just keep track of your miles. Add 3000, 5000, 10,000 miles to whenever it was changed.

But some people need help with reminders...