DIY oil changes on the Prius v

I've changed the oil in my v twice now and definitely agree that the AST Tools TOY640 oil filter wrench works very well. Absolutely worth ~$20 when you consider how much easier it is to remove the oil filter housing with this tool.

 

Yes- and anyone who has pretensions to being "green" should support the cartridge filter. The "spin-on" filter is very convenient, aka thoroughly American, but it's an environmental disaster. Very difficult to recycle / remove the oil. The cartridge filter is primarily paper, and is easily compressed for removal of the spent oil. Cartridge filters actually go back a long way, we had one on our '67 M-B 250S back in the day. That design was messy, but there's no denying that it's a better filter arrangement.

 

No. You can absolutely do your own maintenance (this is federal law and goes back decades), and your records are legally just as good as any stamp or dealer receipt when it comes to establishing warranty. Just be sure you DO keep written records, because your memory, however good you may think it to be, is not legally the same thing.

 

Cartridges typical of Porsche too.

 

True but that coverage already ended for my 5K ago on my 2012 Prius Plug-in Advanced. Time to start doing the oil changes at home. The extended warranty I purchased is still in affect however thankfully.