I took my 2010 Prius for it's first non-Toyota service at 30,000 miles to an independent garage. They changed the oil and filter and told me they used synthetic oil and the car needed a special filter. They charged me a total of $92.95 (including a tire rotation and tax). They said everything else was fine. My gas mileage seems to have gone down from an average of about 50 mpg to 47 mpg. Could this be due to something they did at the garage? I checked the tire pressure and it's fine. Also did I pay too much? Thanks.
:welcome: kind of high, i pay about $35. for non synthetic at the local gas station. special filter just means prius filter. mpg's can change from them driving it. it depends on how many miles you have on the tank.
The special filter is about $6 at the dealer. The oil is $20 at WalMart. Next time, bring your own and have them discount their standard price by the pennzoil and normal filter not used.
Check the oil level. It can be difficult to get just the right amount and it's well documented that overfilling the oil will affect fuel economy (and is not good for the engine either). Some posters even like to have their oil level just a shade below full to be sure.
This happened to me with my 2000 Insight, the quick lube place used three quarts instead of 2.5, I dropped 5 mpg. I never used that location again and I insisted on seeing the amount of oil put in. iPad ?
I had a similar issue with the very first Toyota service. Then I checked the tire pressure and increased it back to 40 F / 38 R. Just curious, is your tire wear the same on the front vs. rear? Keith P.S. I actually like the harder ride with the tire pressure greater than Toyota's standard.
I don't buy the argument that a slight oil overfill will cause reduced MPG. Yes, the Prius does require a "special" filter. It is a cartridge filter, not a spin-on. I'm guessing that the bulk, generic filters that shop suppliers generally stock does not include the Prius filter. So, they likely had to acquire one from a local parts store. This means a higher cost. Auto shops do not shop at Walmart. 0w20 is still not a common oil. Last that I checked, the local O'Reilly is charging $8.79/qt for 0w-20. Autozone and NAPA are similar, and I don't believe shops get much of a discount at all on oil. Toyota dealers have an unfair advantage here because the Toyota 0w20 product is offered at a special price to dealers in a bulk program. $93 is fairly reasonable for a routine synthetic oil change, tire rotation and inspection. If you consider: 5 * $8.79= $44 1 low-quality cartridge filter= $4 That's $48 in parts alone. $44 in labor to do the job is not unreasonable at all. Shops that charge $10-15 to do this job are the ones that are trying to find things to sell you in order to stay alive. Legitimate shops will charge more because they are not underpricing services in hopes of making money on unnecessary upsells. As for causes of poor fuel economy after a service, consider these items: 1) Tire pressure. But since you have checked it, you can rule this out. 2) e-brake adjustment. Some shops do this as a courtesy with each service, and a lot of techs tighten it way too tight, which causes drag. 3) Oil shears down in viscosity with use. New oil will always be at a higher viscosity than the used oil, which may affect fuel economy-- this may be exacerbated under certain conditions.
Every time this is reported, it's always because the oil was overfilled! Change the oil yourself or at a garage you have a good relationship with and supply them with the 4 quarts of 0w20 that must be used!
Book says 4.4 U.S. quarts with filter, I put in 4.3 which leaves it about 1/8 inch below the full mark.
It could be that they used a 5w30 oil instead of a 0w20. The paperwork should state the oil type used. Or it could be that you need to run another tank or two to be sure that your mileage is lower.
I used to pay about $60 for oil change and tire rotation in MI and OH. Now I only get the oil changed since I have free tire rotations from Discount Tire. I ask the dealer to fill 3.75 quarts. I have noticed that the mpg goes down sometimes after oil change, and I attributed it to them running the engine during this time. So, gas is used and hence it drops the tank mpg. I am probably wrong, but that's what I think.
