My 1st Oil Change I think I did good....

Hi Michelle,

You did good. In the future it would probably be easier to give the dealer 3 quarts of oil to use. Then when you get home, use a funnel to add the remaining 0.5 qt.

 

I am about 600 miles or less away from my first oil change. My husband has been nagging me about getting an oil change since the odometer hit 3000 miles. I told him, " No I don't need to change oil until 5000 miles. It says so in the manual" Of course he didn't believe me until I got out the book and showed him.

He brought up oil change again the other day, and I told him I was going to change it myself (never done it on any vehicle), and of course his response was "Oh no your'e not! You're not going to screw that car up by having the oil filter or oil plug fall off and having all the oil drain out." Has lots of confidence in my abilities, doesn't he?

So I'm debating if I should just do it myself when he's not home, or take it to the dealer and bring them 3 1/2 quarts of oil.

And you did good on making them do it your way.

Connie :thumb:

 

Hi Michelle,

Sounds like your DH is competent to change the engine oil and filter on other vehicles, so there should be no problem having him show you how to do the same on Prius. Just make sure the car is IG-OFF (not READY or IG-ON) before you start, to avoid problems. Regarding the use of ramps, note that the front of the car is pretty low so you will need relatively low-rise ramps.

The Prius oil filter requires a cap wrench that fits on the end of the filter for removal. I suggest you buy the correct filter, then shop for a cap wrench that will fit on the filter.

Note that the instructions printed on the Toyota-brand filter suggest 3/4 turn after the gasket touches the oil filter flange. I have found that 1/2 turn is sufficient and makes it easier to remove the old filter. Before installation, I suggest filling the filter 3/4 full with new engine oil, so that the engine oil pump doesn't have to spend a few seconds doing this, during which time your engine is not being lubricated.

It is recommended that the fiber gasket on the oil drain plug should be replaced each time the drain plug is removed. Tightening torque on the drain plug is 28 ft.-lb.

 

I'm sure he could change the oil if he wanted to, or show me how. He used to change the oil on our vehicles, but that was many years ago. I think he decided it was much easier to take it to someone else to do. And I doubt if he will be too receptive to going back to home oil changes.

I will probably take it to the dealer with 3 1/2 quarts and check the oil level before I leave to make sure they didn't add any extra.

 

I have to say Patrick that i enjoy reading all the replies/advice you give to people on PC,unlike some replies that are only short of berating the OP for asking....because they shouldn't be so stupid for asking in the first place!!
Well done you!!:yo:

 

I think that I have finally gotten the attention of one of the service writers at the dealer we use. He knows that I am particular about things like an oil change. Attached is a scan of part of the last service ticket. Note the part that is highlighted. All I said is please do not overfill, he added the rest.

I will probably go back to doing my own oil changes when I run out of the "free" ones.

 

Michelle,

Good for you for taking them to task for not following instructions. I am glad to hear that they at least listened to you and appear to have been thinking (perhaps not correctly, but trying.) The tech seems to have been instructed in the past (or assumed) that fills should be on the full mark so he probably considered what he did very conscientious. He's at least not dumping it all in and not checking.

I'll bet you made an impression and that they will be less inclined to do their own thing next time you are in.

This is one of those things that Toyota is screwing up and the dealers are not catching. A sharp dealer's service dept. should be asking, "Why are we over the dipstick 'full' indicator when we follow Toyota's fill quantities?" The next step would be for them to tell their techs how to avoid that.

They've got most customers trained to expect slap full/overfull on the stick now...so some will likely throw a fit if it comes back from the dealer anywhere below the full mark. ("They cheated me out of a *full* oil change, I didn't get all the oil I paid for.") There is no way they will make us all happy.

p.s. I also found it useful that you've provided another indication that Toyota's recommended 3.9 qt "capacity" is too much since ~3.75 put you on "full."

 

I definitely agree with this! All of Patrick's posts that I have read have been courteous, professional and knowledgable. He's a great asset to the forums!

 

Thanks to halpos4, Connie, and Michelle! Many long-time Prius owners were kind and answered my questions when I was a new owner, so I am glad to pay forward the kindness.

 

I had my first oil change yesterday. I had it done at the dealer. I brought them 3 1/2 quarts of oil and told them that was all I wanted put in. No argument from the service writer. The guy who was going to do the oil change was standing nearby though, so the service writer asked him how much oil the Prius takes. He said 4 quarts. So that's what they would have put in if I hadn't brought my own oil and specified no more than that. But the oil change guy said 3 1/2 quarts would be okay, I'd still be in the range between the dimples.

I also told them I wanted my tires set at 42 in front and 40 in rear. No argument again. He wrote it on the sheet. And they followed my instructions exactly. Only put in the oil I brought, and my tire pressure was where I wanted it. And I was in and out in a half hour. So, a totally painless experience!

They actually had a new Prius on the lot that was for sale too. I saw my saleslady while I was waiting and she said they had gotten one in the week before and it sold the same day it came in.

 

Thanks for posting. This is one of the things I suspected would be an issue when I saw Toyota's "capacity" listing of 3.9. I figured it was a good bet that many techs would round it up to 4 and put in that much. Since 3.9 is already too much, 4 just makes it worse.

 

Michelle
Do you have wiener dog stickers on the back of your car? I may have seen you in the drive-up line at my bank.

Rod

 

Here is a writeup I did a while back on how easy it is to change the oil. Maybe it will help if you want to do it yourself eventually.
http://priuschat.com/forums/knowled...39094-how-change-oil-your-prius-pictures.html

 

The one thing that should be added to oil change write ups in my opinion is to use a torque wrench when tightening the drain plug to get a proper seal with the gasket. Burly types will be less inclined to overtighten and strip the threads this way (which will result in an annoying dripping leak until you replace the plug.) According to Patrick's post when I asked, and the Toyota oil change pdf (LU-1), the proper setting is 28 ft.-lb. The advantage of the torque wrench is in knowing you will get a proper crush of the gasket.

 

Thanks for the link. Pictures are always very helpful!!
Now I just have to convince my husband that we can change the oil ourselves. That will be a hard sell I think.

 

Anybody can do it as long as you have common sense. The most important things to do is to make sure your oil filter and drain bolt are tight afterwards and to not overfill it. Another good tip is to check the dipstick level later that day or the next to double check any possible surprises.