Another oil question

isn't the fuel pump inside the gas tank like other gens?

maybe he meant the oil pump

 

No, I think it's the muffler bearings Just kidding...

I believe the OEM calls for 0W20 oil. Why are you using that "thick" oil? Do you have oil burn issues? Your mechanic is correct, your warranty may be voided if they find out you were not following OEM recommended guidelines. At the same time your mechanic is incorrect; good quality 5w30 will run fine in the car as long as temperatures stay well above freezing. You may loose a few mpgs because of the added resistance created by the thicker oil.

I had oil burn issues on my old PriusC, once I got over 60k miles. It burned about a quart every 10K miles. I've had worse; but it irked me. I switched to 5W20 and the oil burn slowed to less than a pint every 10K miles.

I believe your power-train warranty is 5 years 60K miles, so your just outside warranty. The EV portion of your warranty is still in effect 10 year 100K.

 

Same engine - but 2016 PRIUS Manual - in AUSTRALIA:

 

Yea, but the USA manual doesn't give us that kind of oil options. I'm too lazy to post a copy of our manual, but our maintenance manual clearly states that 0w20 is what your suppose to use, and your allowed to use a different weight in an emergency and that it must be changed back to 0W20 on the next service interval; which is 5K miles apart, not kilometers.

BTW; you've got some smudging, going on in that picture "NOT FOR REPRODUCTION" (it's a joke; don't take me seriously). I did mention that his mechanic is wrong. The OP could probably ship the car to Australia to get the warranty work done, since the oil he's using is valid over there.

 

It's seriously weird. We get a 7 year drivetrain warranty, but have to do 10,000km services.

Oil - that's fairly common here - as in the middle of Australia, temps are very different from in the Alpine areas.

BUT then - the USA isn't any different - I imagine the difference between the Arizona and your snowbelt is even greater - but you only have the one oil to "choose".

 

And then, a year or two further into gen four Toyota in North America has gone to 0W16; basically edited the owners manual thus:

5W-20 < 0W-20
0W=20 < 0W-16

You may be right. FWIW, for 2nd gen Prius Toyota in North America spec'd that oil. But yeah, maybe just stick with 0W20, to avoid "rocking the boat".

Another thing to consider: stick with 6 month or 5K mile interval for the change. It is recommended for "severe service", if you need justification.

 

Gasoline Direct Injection engines can/will have problems with longevity if you don't use oils that meet the OE specs. There it's more of "what anti-wear additives" are in this oil vs "what viscosity" is it? Oil quality is key for any engine. Walmart synthetic might be adequate for some "old school" designs - if you keep relatively short OCI. For GDI, fancy multi-chain cam drives, or extended OCI, then you need to do some homework on what you're putting in the crankcase.

That said, in the US I'd expect that they only have one spec because of MPG ratings. I also think that many shops only use the "recommended" oil as a CYA policy. They don't want to be paying for some Euro-car engine after an oil change "because" they didn't use the OE oil and it gackked 15k later.



Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

See that light?
It's the "Change Mechanic Soon" light......

I disagree with your reasons for wanting to club up to 5w30, but in the end it's not going to matter very much one way or the other.
The G4 is liquid cooled and thermostat controlled which pretty much means that the temps where the oil is hanging out are going to be at or near 195-200-degrees F whether you're driving in the inhospitable frozen North (say...anything above I-20) or creeping along on the scorching asphalt in one of America's urban deserts.

Either way....if your mechanic told you that the (electric) fuel pump is oil cooled then you need a new mechanic.

SOONER rather than later.

Good Luck!
(where YOU live, you're going to NEED it!)

 

?

 

IMO giving a mechanic oil and or filter to install is a waste of time effort and money. Mechanic will use whatever they are going to use, anyway. How would you know the difference?

 

and she'll take your oil home for her personal use