DIY Oil Changes with Platinum Extended Warranty?

Just keep your reciepts of the oil purchased and the oil filter. Technically, you need to use a Toyota oil filter, but I doubt Toyota will look at it that hard if you had a problem.

 

That wouldn't be enforceable anyway unless Toyota proved that the particular model of filter used caused damage. And in that case they would be up against the filter manufacturer.

 

I understand that you should be getting the extended warranty contract, which is called a Vehicle Service Agreement, in the mail.

 

We have the extended warranty, and do our own oil changes.
In your packet of manuals, there should be a blue Maintenance booklet. It has a place for each oil change to be documented.
I put in the date, the mileage, and sign each page as that oil change is done.
When Costco rotates the tires, I put that in there, too.
You just have to have reasonable records that routine maintenance was done in a timely manner.

Enjoy your Prius!

 

Be careful. I looked in the warranty booklet, it specifically states non-toyota parts as an exclusion and basis for warranty negation. However, later on, it says that non-toyota parts are acceptable as long as the non-toyota part is equivalent in quality. So, I guess it comes down to what they consider acceptable brands. I would GUESS that the big players are fine, but if you tried to use a nylon sock, a zip tie, and a few rocks, they might have a problem with that But, they do say that not having records cannot be used as a basis for denial of claim.

Reading further, in big bold letters, "Non-Genuine Toyota Parts, or any damage or failures resulting from their use, are not covered by any Toyota warranty."

If you use a Fram oil filter, and there is a problem with it that causes your engine to blow, toyota can and must likely will, deny your claim. Your problem would then be fighting with Fram.

 

My understanding is that the Magnusson-Moss Warranty Act prohibits them from pulling this sort of stunt unless they can prove the failure was caused by the filter. That puts the burden of proof on Toyota, not Fram, not the consumer. Not that dealers won't attempt to void their own warranties under false pretenses anyway...I've seen that before with a Toyota dealer.

 

Personally, I'd never use a Fram oil filter in our Prius.
This has been discussed, ad nauseum, in another thread.

We use Bosch filters, but would use Toyota filters if necessary. (I happen to think that the Bosch filter is better quality than the T filter)

 

Times are getting tough. I have no doubt if a dealership can find an excuse to void a warranty, they would. You would then be involved in a huge fuster cluck trying to straighten things out

Consider the engine sludge class action settlement, the motors that were serviced to the longer - but approved - interval were initially denied warranty

Never mind that Toyota's in the EU have a 12 month or 10,000 mile interval. If an owner here went that long, good enough to deny warranty. Even though perhaps a slow coolant leak sludged up the motor, they would try to nail you on the oil change interval

Perhaps to play it safe, get the filter from the dealership. Keep the receipts, but make sure to photocopy them first. Most thermal transfer receipts fade after a year or so

 

I have an '07 Camry Hybrid w/ NAV, however, I believe the general info for the MFD "service history" should be close to the same.

1) Anyone can enter the data.

2) On my system, I have a CALENDAR page where you can enter MEMOs. My NAV has a limit of only 100 entries.

3) In the MAINTENANCE page, I can enter UPCOMING maintenance (By date and / or mileage). It will not remember / retain previously performed / scheduled maintenance.

Example: You set air filter change for 30 K miles. At 30 K, you get a reminder, and it stays in the system. (No notification that you actually performed service.)
Now you reschedule the AF change for 60 K, the previous 30K entry has been overwritten.
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4) Remember, that you cannot download the data from your car for long term storage. I do not know if the data will be deleted if you remove power to the MFD (pull battery, etc.).

I hope this answers the question to this area.

 

Shawn, you are correct on the M-M act. No automobile company can deny a warranty unless the problem was specifically found to be the issue with the aftermarket part itself. Just to set the record straight, I can't stand Fram. I wouldn't use them to filter my water for my lawn. That is why I used them in the example.

But, like I said above, if an aftermarket (non-genuine toyota) part causes a problem, such as a junk oil filter and the problem with the engine was low oil, toyota can and will deny the claim. That just makes sense. If it was a toyota part, and the same problem arose, toyota will not deny the claim. If you use a fram oil filter, and the power window motor goes out, they can't deny the claim. If the repair is directly related to the part, you have a problem. Since the toyota oil filter is about the same cost as many good aftermarket ones, I just recommend using it and reducing your risk.

 

Jabber, Fram has a poor reputation when it comes to filters. Filters made by Wix (various brand names) have a great reputation. K&N and Amsoil filters also have a good reputation.

I would not use a Fram oil filter. I wouldn't use a K&N air filter, but I would have have used their oil filters in the past. In fact, I have a new one for the motorcycle ready to go when I change the oil soon.

 

I'm not defending Fram, but the K&N air filters work just fine if you want to make more power. I used them for hundreds of thousands of miles in Texas without any problems. K&N aren't kidding about those horsepower claims. And they have a warranty against causing engine failure that the FUDsters like to claim will result.

Not that I believe the K&N will filter as many of the finer particulates out, but it is more than enough for any vehicle I've owned, including my 240 that was seeing redline every day for years and had a few performance mods. Now if I expected the engine to last well over 250,000 miles I would be less inclined to use the K&N air filter.

 

Absolutely, use OEM filters. For the tiny savings, why give someone a reason to deny replacing a blown engine? Also, be careful with aftermarket filters. I bought a used BMW. There was a NAPA filter installed. When I removed it, the paper fell to pieces. I still have the pieces. (BMW does not use a spin-on type filter, so the defect was obvious.)

 

Perhaps the filter material hasn't ever been changed? Thus its structural integrity kept on degrading until you took it out.