where do you get your oil changed?

This.

The Prius is no different from any other car when it come time for an oil change. Your owners manual has the oil specs and amount. Drain and filters are in the usual locations. The only catch is the prius is very low so you need ramps but only the low-rise style will work as the front air dam will catch on steep ramps and push them.

Do it yourself, know that is was done right, and a whole lot cheaper.

 

and buy the proper oil filter wrench. i would grab a filter at the dealer, and get some mobil 1 from walmart or whoever has cheap. ignore the maintenance warning, and change your oil every 10,000, starting from the last change.
do NOT go to jiffy lube. if you don't want to do it, take it to the dealer or a trusted local mech like avi.

 

Yep, change it yourself. You can also put on a bigger filter that way too. I use the Purolator PL20195. Fits perfectly and is almost twice the size.

 

Lately been going to our local AAA repair shop. They have reasonable prices and do good work.
Just got an estimate from them for brake pad replacement that includes machining the rotors, all 4 , for $512.
Not bad.

I agree with the other posts, stay away from Jiffy Lube!

 

welcome! on a 2011? how many miles on her?

 

I take mine the local dealer. Its maybe $75 for the change.. the local shops charge $60-65+, so I figure its worth it if I need anything else done.I live in a small town and most of the shops rarely deal with a prius.

I have 117k on my 2010.

 

As the Prius uses an internal filter (medium in a plastic housing), how does this work?

 

Not if you have a 3rd generation, which is what this thread is supposed to be about.

 

The Purolator PL20195 fits only Gen II Prii. The Gen III has a cartridge filter and only one size will fit.

 

You're in LA, so that means your Jiffy Lubes probably see Priuses every third or forth car.
If you don't DIY your oil changes in LA, that's fine.
I don't blame you.
They probably make you wear hazmat gear and file an environmental impact study anyway.

Just make sure that they use the right oil (0W20 IIRC but you'll want to look that up!) and check your oil BOTH before and after they work on your car, and while you're checking the oil level make sure they tightened the oil fill cap on the engine, and give a quick look underneath the car to make sure that you're not leaking oil.
You'll also want to check your engine oil level at least every thousand miles. For Angelinos that's probably every third visit to the gas station.
Of course, people never do this , which is why it's important to at least check the oil level before going to the Jiffy Lube to see if you're using oil yet.

Believe me......you have just as much of a chance of the dealer botching the oil change as you do at a Jiffy Lube....IN LA.

You can get rid of the service notification yourself.
Instructions are in the manual but it goes something like...make sure you're in Trip-A and turn off the car, then turn it on while pressing the miles/kpm switch.

Good Luck!

You care enough about your car to be asking these questions, which is great.
Become familiar with the maintenance requirements for Priuses and this will help you to stay away from dealers until it's time to buy another car...........in about 8-10 years.

 

While that may be true, I still would recommend NOT using a Rippy Lube. Use to use them on my older "standard" cars that I owned and I had to watch them the whole time. The amount of times they see a vehicle doesn't seem to matter, they can find ways to be incompetent.

I use to use one next to a shopping store. Most people would drop off and go shopping. I wouldn't. I'd stay and watch. Caught them putting in the bulk oil when I had requested and was being billed for synthetic. They would pull the perfectly good air filter, just to show me the bare minimum of dust, and try to get me to upgrade the service and have them replace it at a premium cost. Then when I said no, they would inevitably NOT put it back correctly.

IMO their 32 pt, inspection that is included in their full service oil change was really 32 bogus chances to try to get you to pay for something you don't need. I got tired of going in for an oil change and that turning into the gauntlet of guilt as they would parade out 3-5 other "recommended" service that IMO the vehicle never needed. I got tired of saying No, followed by...I'll take care of it myself.

I think they are independently run, so maybe I just got a bad one, although I did have problems at more than one location.

In short, my experience has been the convenience not worth the potential pain. I'll pay more and spend more time, just to "hopefully" get it done right.

 

^ I concur that JL might not be an optimum solution, but I've seen too many dealer horror stories to buy into the pay more/get more scheme.

In fact.....the reason that I drive a Toyota every day but still refuse to buy one is that I got doinked over by a Toyota dealership one too many times.
EVERY TIME I log into this forum lately my feelings about Toyota Customer Care are affirmed.
As you pointed out, JL tries to up-sell their customers as well, but there is a fundamental difference them and the OEMs that goes well beyond up-selling the customer for an extra air filter.

MY solution is to familiarize myself with the maintenance items in the manual and make informed decisions about my car care, including doing as many things myself as I can.

If you're an apartment/condo dweller or you just plain don't want to bother with swinging wrenches you can still manage your vehicle's care without getting ripped off by dealers, independent mechanics, or places like Jiffy Lube - just like we're both doing.

For some people, this means scheduling a dealer appointment every time the service reminder comes on in their car....which is still OK!
Just make sure that you're familiar with what's needed and why....and check their work!!!

Taking ownership of the ownership experience is the really green way to go.....both kinds of green!

 

Correct it only works for the GenII. But for the GenIII changing the oil yourself is still pretty easy apart from that silly plastic flap.

 

Since I have lifetime Oil changes, Tire rotation, and car washes I just take it to dealer and let them handle it. I take it in anyway about every other week to get washed.

 

I can't remember ever seeing a Prius in a Jiffy Lube............I guess Prius owners are bit more careful with their cars.