Just checking to see - and this is not exclusive to any particular Generation of Pri... I keep a spreadsheet of all my vehicle maintenance items, and the price of an oil change at my local Toyota Dealer here in Southeast Michigan went from $49.99 in June 2022 to $74 at my last oil change October 2023. This does not include a tire rotation or any other service. Im just about ready to start doing it myself at that price! Before it was about convenience and having it on my service history records, but the car is 9 years old now. So where are you located and what is the Toyota Dealer charging in your area?
Honest question, why are you still going to a Toyota dealer? They're great for warranty work, but just too expensive for everything else. I wouldn't even think to take our car there.
Agreed... Though It seems to be that most everyone I know doesn't understand that a Toyota Delearship is the wrong place to go because they think if they do warranty work, they must do other work too. Wish we could change that...
I truly didn't mean to unalive you... I mean, I understand very little of what you say, but least of all do I understand your word "topic" when it comes to our daily grind for free here on PriusChat PS: I can usually do a Prius repair for 10% of what dealer charges because I'm a shade tree mechanic who charges $48 per hour. Being a super cheap mechanic with no ownership of significant property/assets does wonders for not just personal liability if things go wrong, but also huge tips if things go right.
$50 oil changes are a bit of a loss-leader. I would weigh the costs, for oil, filter and drain bolt washer, then add 1/2 hour labour. That labour charge is basically what you’re paying. $50 USD for that alone would be reasonable. If you DIY this, say with floor jack and safety stands, you’ll appreciate it’s not a trivial task. For fit/experienced mechanics with a lift and top-end air tools it goes quick, but that equipment and know-how does not come cheap. FWIW I still prefer to DIY, affords you the opportunity to check tread for nails, repair as needed, wash/wax rims (and lug nuts), apply a little ant-seize to the hub interface, check pressures, eyeball the brakes and so on. And you can do it at your leisure
Interesting observation just now that I had not realized: I bought a new 4Runner in October 2023, and brought it in for its first oil change, the same dealer charged $67.95 and this was 1 day apart from the Prius oil change. The 4Runner uses more 0w20 than the Prius - 6.6qts to be exact- but they charged less?? I just googled the oil filter and they are the same price for each vehicle. You cannot tell me the oil change on the Prius is more difficult; the 4Runner requires the removal of a very PITA skid plate. I give up with this dealer oil change math And the $74.95 oil change price, which includes nothing but oil and filter, has been the consistent price for the last 3 oil changes, so its not like its a 1 time fluke. Since these are Toyotas, why are we even changing the oil again?! lol jk jk Going to use the remaining "free" oil changes that were included from Toyota with the purchase on my 4Runner ("Free" maintenance for 2 years), and just like I am going to start doing with my Prius, start changing it at home.
Well if you need a number my answer isn't much different from rjparker... Around $24 for a 5-quart jug of oil + a $4 filter.
This thread motivated me to check Costco price: $10 off the usual $60 (CDN funds) right now, for a 2-pack of 5 quart bottles of Kirkland motor oil. That’s $18~19 USD per 5 quart bottle. oil filters through dealerships range $8~12 (CDN), and drain bolt washers around $2
I opted to do an early oil change at 3,000 miles to get the break-in materials out; The dealer refused to allow me to use a free one at 3,500 miles because of course, Toyota wants you to wait to 10,000 miles for the First oil change (!). It's not even recommended to follow the 10,000 mile oil change interval on our Prius, I can't imagine following it for the old school v6 that is in the 4R'r.... especially for the very first oil change.
The pragmatic approach: you still have your 2 free oil changes. Do your earlier one, either DIY or employing pros. Say at 5k. Then get the free one, and so on, back and forth. You eventually get your free ones. up here in Canada, no free oil changes, no service reminder in the dash, no problems. FWIW, even if Toyota Canada was offering free oil changes, I’d pass.
The two free changes and rotations were and are designed to get you used to going to the dealer. The two free started with the gen3s when they moved the oil change interval from 5,000 miles to 10,000 because of recommended synthetic oil. The rest is history. By the way, the dealers around here often send service postcards with buy one get one free oil changes. Not too bad of a deal paying $79 total. You do need to get on their service dept mailing lists.
i had to argue for a 5,000 mile oil change on my 2012. threatening to go to another dealer helped. for our '24 hycam, i asked and received without issue. they do like to remind you that you only get two, like you're truing to scam them or something. downside of dealer oil change is that it's overfilled by a half inch.
Generally for my car I don't go to dealerships for any work. Though my HV battery did just die for the 3rd time in 4-5 years and from what my new mechanic says my old "specialist" has been giving me old/refurbished batteries, which means I'm probably going to see if a dealership can replace it with a new one. But outside of big big stuff like that(used to go to a local mechanic who also does hybrid stuff, stopped when it became obvious they started doing shoddy work and a lot of local people suggested new mechanics) I just go get my oil changed or tires rotated or get maintenance done at Jiffy Lube or Pep Boys now. Jiffy Lube generally you can get a coupon online and its ~50-70 depending. Its not bad at all.
