Prius 2010 Oil Change Interval Revised? Not yet... (closed)

The Prius Team did respond, early on, probably have nothing more to add since nothing has changed.

 

Well, their response was

So basically they said "We can't answer this yet, but will be able to at some point in the future. We'll let you know just as soon as we can." So expecting that they'll chime back in at some point seems pretty reasonable.

 

I think I need a picture of a mulberry tree to make the point: No one is covering new ground.



If you want to have no possible questions about engine maintenance, then take your car to the Toyota dealer every 5,000 miles and have them perform the recommended maintenance.

If you feel 5,000 miles is too short for the OCI, then go to whatever interval you desire. I just suggest you request a used oil analysis (UOA) regularly to prove the oil was still in good condition when changed.

If you are just mopey or a bit upset that your U.S. car has to have the shorter OCI than European models or the 2011 models, then get over it. If you can't just get over it, then sit down and read the parable of the workers in the vineyard -- no one has changed the bargain on you or me.

(Me? I remain a bit miffed at Toyota for not being more upfront about the change in cost for oil changes -- going from Gen2 to Gen3 Prius. Other than that, I'm OK. I'll stay with the 5,000 mile interval for now, though I very well may start a 10K OCI after the 10,000-mile service.)

 

I guess I will sit down and read the parable of the workers in the vineyard then.

 

Hope this helps (sit down and read!):

Mateus 20
A ilustração dos trabalhadores na vinha

1-2Esta é outra ilustração do reino dos céus: O dono de uma propriedade saiu cedo certa manhã para contratar trabalhadores para a sua vinha. Combinou pagar-lhes uma moeda por dia e mandou-os trabalhar.
3-6Duas horas depois, passando por uma praça, viu ali alguns homens à procura de trabalho. Então mandou-os ir também para os seus campos, dizendo-lhes que pagaria no fim do dia o que fosse justo. Ao meio dia, e também perto da três da tarde, fez o mesmo. Às cinco horas daquela tarde, outra vez na cidade, viu mais alguns por ali e perguntou-lhes: 'Porque estiveram sem fazer nada o dia inteiro?
7'Porque ninguém nos contratou. O dono da propriedade disse-lhes: 'Então vão juntar-se aos outros nos meus campos.
8-11Naquela noite disse ao pagador que reunisse os homens e lhes pagasse, começando pelos últimos. Quando os homens contratados às cinco horas da tarde foram pagos, cada um recebeu uma moeda. Os outros contratados mais cedo, quando foram receber o seu salário, julgavam que lhes seria pago mais, mas também eles receberam o mesmo. Puseram-se então a refilar:-
12'Aqueles só trabalharam uma hora, e, afinal, tu pagaste-lhes o mesmo que a nós que trabalhámos o dia inteiro, à torreira do Sol. 13-15'Amigo , respondeu o lavrador a um deles, 'não fui injusto contigo! Não aceitaste trabalhar o dia inteiro por uma moeda? Toma-a e vai-te, porque resolvi pagar o mesmo a todos. Não tenho eu o direito de dar o meu dinheiro como quiser? Zangas-te porque sou bondoso?

 

Very impressed, thanks! In Portuguese, although, construction of the sentences shows a very odd organization and style, but still, it was perfectly understandable!!!

 

You're kidding - right? Or should I translate?

 

Glad for that!! If it wasn't for the "Mateus 20" at the beginning, I wouldn't be able to make heads or tails of it!

I'm just suggesting that we all know the score, that we aren't being treated differently than what we bargained for, and that we should not get all grumbly just because next year's owners will get a break. (I'd rather have my 2010 for the additional year and still pay double for oil changes.)

 

Too many posts to requote all of the passionate comments expressed since we last posted in this thread, but let's just say Archermoo wins the prize by digging up and explaining our last comment.

As much as we'd like to tell you all exactly what goes on behind the scenes, Doug and I do indeed represent Toyota USA on PriusChat when we sign in with the Prius Team name and we therefore have to be a little careful with what is said if you want us to be here tomorrow and the next day....

Here's what I will say to try to calm the community....we still have nothing new to report and the policy on intervals is still 5K as confirmed by your owner's literature, your calls to the customer service line and many of your dealers. When we adopted the synthetic oil requirement for Prius and other 2010 models, we did so with the intention to study many related topics, one of which is the interval for oil changes. When/if there is an OFFICIAL change to be shared, you can be sure we will be on this forum letting you all know just as soon as we have news to share. Until then, we'll keep reading along.

Best,
Erica G, Prius Product Marketing, Toyota USA

 

Yep -
#1 - as an example, read the news flash hot off the press below>>>

Urgent' recall of 3.8M Toyotas; accelerator may stick



Toyota is recalling 3.8 million Toyotas and Lexuses because floor mats could make the accelerator stick, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced.

USA TODAY auto writer Chris Woodyard has the details. The NHTSA "strongly recommends taking out removable floor mats on the driver’s side in certain models and not to replace them with any other mat, either from Toyota or any other brand."

Read the news release.

"This is an urgent matter," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "For everyone’s sake, we strongly urge owners of these vehicles to remove mats or other obstacles that could lead to unintended acceleration."

The affected models are:

2007-2010 Camry

2005-2010 Avalon

2004-2009 Prius

2005-2010 Tacoma

2007-2010 Tundra

2007-2010 ES 350

2006-2010 IS 250 and IS 350

It's the company's largest U.S. recall.

 

Makes sense to me!... Synthetic is the only way you can get 0W-20W... so it would be reasonable to assume oil changes could go to 10K... not so with cars that use regular oil.

On that note, there are pure synthetics that claim protection up to 25K for regular use and 15K for Severe use.

whats gets sticky is if Toyota makes a change to go to 10K, or 15K, or even 25K, Toyota has to have the same faith in the product that the manufacturer of that synthetic product does. "we all know how ads go".

And the other sticky issue is Toyota trying to warranty something for an extended period of time based on a given product with no guarantee the customer will not cut corners and use a cheaper product that doesn't protect as well.

For political reasons, Toyota cannot recommend a specific brand to use, but they can recommend "their" brand to use. But then customers will still cut corners and use less than.

In other words, it makes it hard to extend oil change recommendations without also being able to control what the customer uses.

Its already difficult to pin the customer down to "prove" how often he did his oil changes should a problem arise, let alone "prove" what product he actually put in his prius, regardless of what paperwork he provides.

If there was an official authenticated way to prove what product you put in and when, it may be easier for Toyota to extend the time without fear of needlessly increasing their liability.

Why its already been extended in other countries?.. I don't know.

 

"requirement"... that was an interesting choice of words. So is it a "requirement" or a "recommendation"?

Peter

 

I would read that as "specification", or spec. Spec's are requirements.

 

The 5,000 mile OCI is a recommendation. Using 0w20 oil is a requirement.

 

My bad... I was thinking OCI not type.

 

I have to agree with you and I believe most Prius owners love their cars and are loyal enough to get over things like these. However, if this happens to the Chevy Volt, for instance, the whole car community would go nuts and blame it on GM's poor reliability and customer service. I'm obviously not giving up my Prius just because of this OCI issue, but I have to admit that this whole confusion did hurt my impression of Toyota's reputation to some extent. 10K is a pretty safe mileage limit for the synthetic oil, even with heavy use, so it's really very hard to understand why Toyota has not yet recommended the extended OCI in all Prius models with the 1.8l ICE. Some dealers are charging over $100 for the recommended service every 5K, so can you imagine how much would that add to the cost of ownership over time? I mean, where is the so-much-promised low cost of maintenance that Toyota dealers and community stress so much when comparing it with other brands? With the 5K OCI, my Prius regular maintenance is going cost more than my 2 Hondas (Odyssey and CR-V) combined, without mentioning the insurance that is already twice the CRV-V and the insurance company’s excuse is that the Prius is a new car, therefore, more expensive premium (?#*^%@!!!). Whether the explanation for the 5K OCI is $$$$$ or not, as some has suggested, the inconsistency and delay for an official note is a disrespect to the customer. The least Toyota could do is to send an official note to dealerships explaining why they are keeping the OCI recommendation to the US 2010 Prius, if that is the case, or send an update notifying where they are in process of reassessing it.

 

Wow, just went through a 32 page thread. The only conclusion is the title of this thread is wrong. It should just say "Prius 2010 Oil Change Interval Rumored to Be Revised in the Future!". Logic makes sense, but it's not there yet.

 

Thanks, Indy, and I think you're right, but I don't want to let Toyota off easily on every point. I do think the move to synthetic should have been accompanied by a change in the OCI. Regardless, I believe a change like this, after so many years in a different oil "world", should be clearly stated. Yes, I took it when I bought the car, and I won't just call Toyota names over and over again, but I would encourage Toyota to make the OCI change or explain why it cannot. (And please tell me it is something other than "Too many lawsuits will be filed.")

Good perspective-changer.

Ouch!! I paid $41.95 for my 5,000 service (with 0W-20). I know it will go up, but it won't approach $100. That's highway robbery!!

I saw my insurance increase, but not by much. I think it went up about $20/year, compared to my 2007 Prius (Pkg #6). Perhaps you should shop that insurance?

 

Owner's Manual page 560 about the middle of the page "Recommended viscosity: SAE 0W-20".

Also read the last sentence on page 560 which allows for the use of higher viscosity under some conditions. Rather confusing and in need of clarification by someone in authority at Toyota.