$65 for oil change? am I being ripped off?

I took in my oil + filter to a local shop I use. I was going to go 10K, but decided why not at 5K... Mobile1 (4.25 qt) $30, filter $7, tire rotation and oil change, $14 - look on the guys faces - priceless...

Yes - they had not done a 2010 - but the mechanic knew what he was doing (I trust them), the supervisor looked at the car top and bottom, and in the end, I was happy.

As a side note, after oil, you turn the car on, pressing the KM/MPH button to reset the oil "message"

Side note 2 - removed plastic wheel covers - and I think I'll leave them off a bit - it loos better {IMHO - 2day}

Side note 3 - I put in 4.25 qts (I know 4.4 is the standard - there is debate on the magic number, so instead of 4.4 or 4.1 for mileage, I chose 4.25) - but we all could not figure how to turn the car "on" to fill the filter... I went into pwr mode, but we couldn't get it to idle in gas mode...............

 

I have never had a hybrid Honda, so can't speak for that, but I did ask how much is the oil change in the Insight last week when taking my Odyssey for an oil change in my Honda dealer and they said $29! The oil change in my Odyssey costs $32 and it also includes all the other inspections that goes along with it including a free car wash. I actually never paid more than $30 for the oil change in ANY of my Hondas in my lifetime here in Indiana, in Texas, or Wisconsin (I have had 6 Hondas) because Honda dealers always send me coupons.

Right now, Prius 5K maintenance cost me more than 3 times what I pay for my Odyssey. That's just the maintenance. How about the insurance? 2 times more expensive than any of my Hondas. Am I being ripped by my insurance company? I don't think so,... I recently got quoted in 8 major insurance companies and they all have a policy at least 1.5 times more expensive in the Prius compared to the Odyssey.

Does that answer your question?

 

My insurance on the Prius is about 1/3 less than either my Chrysler Pacifica, or my 05 Solara.

 

Yeah the insurance on my Prius is within a few dollars of my Chevy Venture.

PS. If you want your Prius to idle with the gas engine on for some reason just turn on the defrost to max heat and it will idle forever.

 

$65 is OK for a synthetic oil change. *

Around here, non-dealers typically charge $60 to $75 for a synthetic oil change.

Personally, I buy the oil filter and synthetic oil myself when they're on sale and pay a guy $15 to $25 to do the work.

* But within the context of $29 for a dino oil change, I agree that an additional $36 for using synthetic oil is too much.

 

Yes it does. Does the Odyssey use regular dino oil or synthetic? That might explain the difference in price.

As for the insurance, it all depends on where you live. I guess people with a Prius are likelier to get in an accident in your area. What may also explain the difference in insurance would be that the Odyssey is likely to be cheaper to repair and/or replace than a Prius.

 

$22 for a gallon is very cheap. Is this the 0w20 or 5w20? And if it is 0w20, which Walmart has it?

Local Walmarts are $6.27/qt (Mobil1), 0w20. I could not find 0w20 by the gallon, but 5w20 was in stock.

 

I was there today - they do not have 5 gallon 0w20 - but do have 5 gallon 0w30 for like $25 (easier than waiting for rebate). I went 0w20 as it is winter in So Cal (joke). I'll probably switch to 0w30 next swap...

 

<---noob

1.is synth oil required for gen3 prius?
2.is it confirmed that oil change should be done at 10k, or is it still 5k?
3.can oil change be done at independent shops for cheaper price(or jiffylube/pepboy/etc), or should be done only at toyota dealer?

 

No, the Odyssey does not require synthetic; neither did any of my Hondas in the past. But, still, we are talking about an extra cost of $50 for the oil change in the Prius. That's a lot in my opinion, and that is the cheapest I can get.

About the insurance, you are right. Every time I got quoted I asked the same question: why is the Prius policy much more expensive than my Odyssey if both have a similar value? The answer was always like "the price for the Prius policy you are getting is the standard for your area unfortunatelyâ€; but at least 2 agents did say that Hondas typically carry the lowest insurance policies in the market.

I really like my Prius and I save lots of money with it on the pump because I drive a lot, but in my experience there is no car brand that has a low cost of ownership comparable to a Honda.

 

My two have cost $85 and $68 so I don't think so. I now have oil and filters and will be doing my own from now on.

 

I bought a 5K service agreement through 30 K miles with my 2010 Prius for $564. That works out to about $94 per visit. But the 30K has some additional services beyond the oil and filter change and tire rotation.

At first I thought I had paid too much but after reading the issues with synthetic oil up charges, etc., maybe not. Thanks to this forum, I contacted my dealer about the synthetic oil. He contacted the dealer's corporate office and came back with the statement that anyone purchasing the agreement for the 2010 Prius at that price, the dealership would honor the agreement including the synthetic oil since this is what Toyota recommends.

My impression was that since the dealership was just picking up on the synthetic oil requirement for the Prius, future agreements were going to be at a higher cost.

 

That's really interesting, honestly, and I will consider a Honda then for my next car purchase. Just a bit of info for you though concerning insurance--I called my insurance agent last month to inquire about the insurance rates for the Corolla LE, Camry LE, and the Prius, and all were pretty much the same (I think the Prius was $2 per year more expensive). He then added that the Civic was one of the most expensive cars to insure here because it's the most stolen car here. I'm not sure how much more it was--I was afraid to ask!

 

Well, no belts but....

I wonder how many chasis lube locations there are. Most cars these days have no Zerk fittings and are "life-time" lubricated.

 

I see. Car theft is not really a big deal where I live or travel to, but these insurance companies follow statistics, so I assume they get lots of Prius claims in my area unfortunately. Well, I have never filed a claim before after many years being insured until recently when I accidentally hit my Prius... but that occurred after I was quoted and renewed my current policy.

I once had 2 Civics in Texas, one 1999 and the other 2003 and the full coverage 6-moth policy for both combined was around $150, which was pretty cheap.

 

I see. Car theft is not really a big deal where I live or travel to, but these insurance companies follow statistics, so I assume they get lots of Prius claims in my area unfortunately. Well, I have never filed a claim before after many years being insured until recently when I accidentally hit my Prius... but that occurred after I was quoted and renewed my current policy.

I once had 2 Civics in Texas, one 1999 and the other 2003 and the full coverage 6-moth policy for both combined was around $150, which was pretty cheap.

 

Again local issues. My 05 Prius costs less to insure than our 04 4WD Highlander.

I have not spent one dime on oil or oil filters on either vehicle for their entire lives ( 133,000 mi and 40,000 mi respectively ). If both were 2010 models then the Prius would cost $18 per synthetic oil change and the Highlander would still be $0 per dino oil change.

Local issues, it has nothing to do with Toyota nor the vehcles per se. I appreciate that you are spending much more than I am but put the blame where it belongs.

 

I live in New Mexico and pay the same Liability insurance rates on my Prius and Subaru -- about $230 per car per year for $250k/500k with American Express. Comp on the Prius through last month was about $250/year with a $1000 deductible.

All in all, I find my Prius has rates about the same in my limited experience. If you think your rates are high relative to your driving record, start shopping around.

 

Agree partially, but, remember, I'm not taking the Prius for an oil change in one place and the Honda Odyssey in another part of the country, in fact, the Honda and Toyota dealers I go to are right in front of each other with a few feet separating them! Also, it's not like each car resides in a different part of the country! So the blame really goes to the new Prius high maintenance schedule, you can’t argue that unless, you have a Honda to compare with your Prius in your area. Remember: I’m labeling the Prius with a incredibly high cost of ownership because I’m comparing it to my Honda. Pointing out that your Prius cost of ownership is very cheap in another part of the country compared to my Prius is pointless for the discussion. My Honda dealer is doing its part, can't speak the same for my Toyota...