Do you change your own oil?

Oooh, a lift.

Or even just a pit, for fluid changes. No moving parts, safe as houses. Unless you fall in, lol.

 

we had a pit when i grew up, it was great. they're good at catching mice too. i think they might be illegal here, too many kids fall in?

 

DIY on oil for me.

 

I change my own in my 4Runner (and most past vehicles) but I let the dealer do everything on my Prius—at least until the hybrid warranty is up (7/150k).

 

Well, usually do my own, but I was in a rush to do it, and couldn't figure out the right oil to use. (I did a quick search here, but only found old threads)
I have a new-to-me 2013 Prius.
$56 @ dealer.
Is that a fair price? My friend pays under $40 for her Corolla, different oil?
From the quick search, seems I may need a special tool to remove filter?
Working on figuring this out. Doing my own maintenance next time.

 

$56 isn't bad if the dealer uses the correct 0W-20 full synthetic oil. If you did it yourself, you could go to Walmart and buy a 5 qt. jug of 0W-20 full synthetic oil, probably paying around $25 to $27. Then you can buy the correct oil filter for ~$4 plus shipping from one of the Toyota dealers selling parts over the web at a discount, for example Automation Toyota Gulf Freeway in Houston.

Yes, you need the special cap wrench that will remove the oil filter housing cap.

 

OK, I'll see if I can locate this wrench.
I'll double check, but pretty sure I saw 5w-30, couldn't tell if it was Synthetic.
Isn't that better for the Hot AZ summer?
This dealer has done all the maintenance for the life of the car.
We drive a LOT. Put in 3k miles within the first month of purchase. So, I want to make sure I use/do the correct maintenance on it.
Loving it so far tho! Always found Prius ugly, but this Plus edition is something else! And the MPG really helps to like the car even more.

Thanks for the help!

 

Coming from decades of Hondas, when we got our Prius I tried the Honda oil filter socket I had, it fit fine. The main things:

1. the oil filter housing is 64 mm outside face-to-face, and there's 14 faces.
2. the filter socket should be heavy gauge, unflexible.

The Honda socket I have has an older part number, but I believe this is the current part number:

07AAA-PLCA100

Any dealership would have it, and in the States it's pretty easy to get online:


07AAA-PLCA100 | Honda Oil Filter Wrench - Bernardi Parts


OTOH, the Toyota specific oil filter socket has extended side wall with slots, that fit around stiffeners on the 3rd gen filter housing stiffener ribs. Also, a few members, doing their first oil change after dealer oil changes, report over-tight filter housings, extra difficult to remove.

 

I did my own oil change at 1,200 miles in my garage. Used Mobil 1 0w20, Toyota filter, special tool for filter cap. EZ to do.

Mike

 

Car dealerships are like banks: I count my visits to them on my thumbs, per decade. At most.

 

I don't know why there seems to be such tension or argument between those the change their own oil and those that pay others to do it.

I don't have a garage, or really the proper tools needed. I live in apartments with communal and crowded parking. Doing the Oil Change myself is not really an option, or at least not a very easy one. I would have to "rent" a garage.

But I agree with all you DIY'ers. I don't trust the dealership, but I trust them just a little more than the local Jiffy Rube...not a spelling error.
But if I felt I really had the option, no doubt I'd do it myself. I've said it before, but like Al Pacino in Scar Face, who do I trust? I trust me!

Alas, ramps, wrenches, plugs, and just the logistical room to execute the entire operation really doesn't exist for me. Thus I'm forced to pay out the money, and trust a probably over worked stranger. When I win that lottery, and get the big house with the huge garage? I'll be back to find out exactly what wrench I need.

 

I have been seeing a lot of Prii on the roads with their oil change door hanging down lately

Mike

 

In your situation, if I were you I would not get the free Toyota maintenance. I get it but you have a far different situation than I do. If you put it on a lift it will be easy for you to change the oil and filter. Then you will know the proper amount of oil is put in the car, that the filter and drain plug are not overtightened. You only get 2 free oil changes and 3 free tire rotations at Toyota. Not a big deal. I have a new Avalon and have had 1 free oil change at Toyota. They overfilled it. I am 77. I do not want to change the oil anymore but I am going to start doing it again. I can do it every 10,000 miles.

 

Be sure to read up or u tube research gen 3 oil change...lots of fasteners and a really tough to reach filter cap...messy as well.

 

and what does a replacement cost ?

 

I don't know what one costs for a c but I know what one costs for a regular Prius. $262.00. A Toyota dealer left mine off when they changed the oil. I discovered it a couple of months later. They would do nothing about it. I contacted Toyota Corporate Headquarters and they paid for it.

 

The whole engine underpanel needs to be replaced, somewhere around $300. If you have the flap still, you could re-attach with some sort of hinge.

The first time I changed the oil I started flexing the flap down for access, and flexing was the best description: it did not seem to be meant to bend down. The adjacent panel was flexing in concert. Never did that again.

I just take the whole panel off, which is not that onerous. There are a few 6mm bolts at the front, and the rest are push-in plastic fasteners. There's two kinds of the plastic fasteners. The majority are black, medium duty, and there's a couple of heavier, grey ones, at the oil flap. Flagging the grey ones and adjacent panel with a daub of paint helps keep them differentiated.

Before reinstalling the fasteners, wash them in soapy water to float out the grit, and they'll last a long time. I've done nine oil changes now (every 6 months), haven't had to replace any. It takes about 10 minutes to remove or install the panel.

I've got no problems with the oil filter orientation (horizontal). I used to think an oil filter screwing into the underside would be the bee's knees. I've got one thus, with our previous Honda Civic Hybrid, still doing oil changes on it. Every time you start unscrewing that filter, as soon as it's loose you have oil running down the filter, onto the socket, onto the extension, down your arm.

In the TSB for Engine underpanel attachment, in the diagram, their's two push-in plastic fasteners involved, for it's removal, they're type 3 and 5. Type 2 are the 6mm bolts, and 4 is an internal fastener, can be left as-is if you're removing the whole panel.

For removing the push-in plastic fasteners I use a few tools. In the main I use a paint can opener, like this:



I'll also use a small flat-blade screwdriver, sometimes in concert with the above. I very occasionally resort to one of these:



But typically as a last resort, with a jambed or mis-sized push-in plastic fastener. I've yet to need this on the Prius, the fasteners are fairly accessible and easy to remove.