More On OW20 Oil Confusion

I absolutely agree. For Toyota to not have something similar to GM's GMOLS is foolish. To be touted as "green" car to require oil changes on something as arbitrary as a mileage interval is irresponsible at best.

 

To dream of a winter than warm...



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81 mpg at 20 below? Jeez, John.

Toyota's OCI is 5k fleetwide, at least partially in response to sludge forming in (other Toyota) engines whose oil change intervals were 'stretched' to say the least.

You can say that Prius drivers suffer unfairly from this, but you can change your oil on any interval you like. Use good oil, an appropriate OC interval and develop a history of used engine oil analyses. I would not lose a moment of sleep that the engine would be rent asunder and Toyota would tear up Magnuson Moss under my nose.

 

I have approx 65000 on my 2007, been using Mobil 1 5W20 since 2000 miles up until my last oil change. Then switched to the new Mobil 1 0W20.

Typically I would get approx. 10,000 out of the 5W20, adding a little at about the 7000 interval. Color still amber at 8000. With this last oil change and the 0W20 I'm at 11,000 miles, color still Light Amber and just needed to add a little. Don't think I'll go beyond 12500 on this change.

Everyone's mileage interval will be different, due to weather, driving habits, type of commute, dirt and dust etc. I drive 100 miles a day, 40 of it at a fairly steady 40 mph on rural roads, and 60 of it at 75mph on the Interstate. Hence, the long change interval and lack of dirt in the oil.

I would highly recommend Mobil 1 0w20, buy it cheap at WalMart and signup for the Mobil 1 rewards at mobiloil.com. Get $5.00 in reward points for each 5 quarts purchased!

PS: Love my Prius, cumulative mileage since new 48mph, including 60% at 70-75mph!
Only issue is the HID headlight failure.

 

I ran 0W-20 for most of the life of my 2004 Prius. No issues whatsoever and very good used oil analysis results, even at 10,000 miles

 

Ditto. Used AMSOIL 0-20 and AMSOIL filter along with Z-MAX since day one in my '07. Change once a year. Doin' great.

 

Walmart sells 0W20 dino and I plan to use that on our '10 Prius IV.

 

What brand? Who makes it?

Details please?

 

Please tell us what you have found. I have never seen a non-synthetic 0W(anything) motor oil.

 

Do you guys who recommend regular used oil analyses send the used oil over to special labs that offer the service, or is this routinely available at oil change service centers? Also, how much does it typically cost?
Thanks,
Mihir

 

I would be very surprised if this was the case.

My local Autozone here in LA has 0W20 Mobil-1 for $6.99/qt. Amazon sells a 6-pack for $47 (free shipping and tax in most places) but that's actually $1 more than Autozone even when you add in our almost 10% sales tax in Los Angeles.

On another note, it seems Toyota is switching to 0W20 as the recommendation for a lot of their 2010 cars. Upping the MPG rating on their cars (Even by 1 or 2mpg) helps their CAFE ratings. The 2010 Camry (non hybrid) is also spec'ed for 0W20 synthetic now.

I really believe all this 0W20 vs 5W20 vs 5W30 crap is just for CAFE and nothing else. Is the engine in the 2009 Camry any different than the 2010 Camry? No. Ford also switched to 5W20 from 5W30 mid-cycle on their cars -- with zero changes to the engines, even though they emphatically state you have to use 5W20 where specified. I'm sure running 5W30 synthetic on the Prius will just result in a very slight mileage decrease but no other detriments. It could possibly lower wear slightly, though the low power and low rpm operation of the Prius probably keeps wear low. I often hit 10,000rpm on my bike, which makes more HP than the Prius from a 998cc motor. (It has over 60,000 miles)

My old Mazda called for 10W30 in the manual and I used to run 5W30 synthetic and eventually 5W40 (Rotella T) in it. I went to 5W40 as that was the same oil I put in my Honda motorcycle, even though that calls for 10W30 or 20W50. (So the same 1 gallon jugs on both.) Sold the Mazda to buy the Prius -- had it for 8 years. The Mazda and my bike don't burn any oil, run perfectly, etc....

I also switched from the Mazda and Honda oil filter specified to the Purolator PureONE PL14610. It was great to use the same oil and filters on both my vehicles! The PL14610 is longer than the stock filter on the Mazda and Honda bike -- and cheaper than stock yet much more highly rated. Never had a problem running that filter on either vehicle either.

 

Even pre-armed with all the info in various posts on this board, I ended up getting the wrong oil put in my brand new 2010 Prius!!!

I had a coupon good for a free oil change. I specifically told the Service Advisor, "I want SAE-OW20 oil."

He said, "You'll get it automatically. Back in the garage, they key in your VIN and the computer delivers the correct oil for your vehicle."

I trusted that he knew what he was talking about and handed him the FOB.

Later, examining my invoice, I saw 5 quarts of bulk oil listed. I went home, a little hot under the collar but not wanting to make an issue of it. The next day, I got a letter form the dealership saying they hoped I'd give them an "Excellent" rating on the upcoming survey. The letter said if I was not happy I should call them.

So I did. I asked the Service Manager, "Is bulk oil SAE-OW20?"

He asked, "How much did they charge you for the oil change?"

I told him I had a coupon, but that the invoice listed the oil change as $29.88.

"No, you didn't get SAE-OW20. That would have been seventy dollars."

I told him it wasn't a question of price - I had been specific in my request for a certain oil and had been assured I would get it.

Long story short, they changed the oil again and gave me the $70 oil free of charge. They also threw in a complimentary tire rotation.

Point of story...when they tell you, "Don't worry, we'll get it right," don't be afraid to counter "Are you absolutely sure?" Although they ended up giving me a few freebies, I had to sit through an hour wait twice.

 

Funny!... and that happens all the time..... I honestly don't think in most cases its malicious..... more like negligent.... most of those grease monkeys just don't care and can't wait to go home.

they can hire anybody to change oil and pay them very little, all the big buck guys "that care" are doing much more sophisticated chores.

 

I checked where we get our vehicles washed, they now have an oil change station, and they
wanted $71 to change the Prius with Mobil 1, I don't think so.

 

If you are going to use a dealer's service department you need to let them know exactly what you want and then check on them, over 90% of the customers they deal with don't have a clue about their cars and they can get away with almost anything.

I think nothing terrifies them more than having to deal with customers that understand what they are talking about.

 

Some because they are crooked, others because they have to pay attention and be accountable.

I know it sounds bad to dog the dealers when there are a few good ones, but like anything else, the majority of bad ones has earned a bad reputation for the few good ones.

Most of the mishaps and recklessness that happens in Government and business is because of no accountability as they know no one is the wiser.

 

I bring my own oil in for the dealer to use.

 

Stopped by the dealer today to check on the Cargo Net situation with the Parts Department. Cases and cases of 5W20 stacked up against the wall and 8 bottles of 0W20 on the shelf

 

There had been a run on 0W20 oil due to the GEN 3, WalMart is completely out of Mobil 1 and Pennzoil 0W20.

I always use 10W40 and 20 W50 on my 350Kmile Camry from day one, this is to provide the best lubrication to prevent wear. The compressing test got 190-195 psi on all cylinders after 300K miles. When I took the cylinder head off for replacement, there is no measurable wear of the cylinder wall.

IMHO, the 0W20 oil provides less viscosity to reduce friction to get get better FE sacrificing engine wear. As stated in previous posts, engine wear occurs mostly during start up because there is not enough oil between moving surfaces as the oil pressure haven't build up yet. The lower viscosity oil will drain out of the surfaces faster especially during morning start or the engine sits for a few days.

So I believe the 0W20 oil gives better mpg but reduces long turn engine performance,
meaning it may not reduce reliabilty of the engine but engine output power will be reduced and higher oil consumption.