Despite the Synthetic Oil requirement, 5000 mile change intervals are still "required"

You don't need Toyota filter for the Prius?

What's the benefit of extra capacity?

Thanks!

 

yeah, DH was concerned about this pita process and how it will affect diy oil changers. it'll be an irritation in the shop too, and that undercover will make it easy to miss an oil leak if they just crank the thing back on, drop the car down off the lift, start it, and go.

 

I recall that the chief engineer had trouble finding the oil filter on the cut-away car in Detroit!

 

Dealers here are selling Eneos (Nippon Oil) 0W-20 for ~$9 per quart. If you can get 0W-20 full synthetic for $5 per quart that sounds like a great deal.

 

looking at it from Europe, the Toyota/Lexus oil change intervals seem a bad joke (though other manufacturers are equally scary). However, other manufacturers like i.e. Volkswagen are currently at 2yr/30,000km intervals - this is linked to an obligation to use slightly higher-spec (and higer priced) oils, but even so, it's less of a hassle.

 

It's not only the Prius.

The 2010 Camry ICE with the 2AR 2.5L engine also requires 0W-20 oil. However...as HTMLspinnr noted the manuals state that IF 5W-20 is used then follow that by 0W-20 for the next change.

IOW....you can alternate the two. At 5K 0W..at 10K 5W..at 15K 0W..etc.

 

Yea . . . even the Gen II allows for either 5w-30 or 10w-30 turning on how hot / cold your location is. I've never even SEEN Ow-20 ... only 0w-30. Let me guess . . . only made by Toyota and other high end price places?

 

OUr store also offers free oil/oil filters for life ( SoVA ). Since we discovered that both the 2010 2.5L Camry and now the 2010 Prius require 0W-20 oil we've added a clause to the Buyer's Order that there may be an extra charge ( above $ZERO ) as a result.

We understand that Toyota's wording requires using synthetic only on every other oil change. 'If 0W-20 is not available then 5W-20 is acceptable.'

 

Hmmm. Oil change intervals - Oil type - scheduled maintanance. Good thread, but I'm confused.

- Seems as if Euro has extended oil change interval requirements, per previous post. How can this be? Does Toyota have overall worldwide standards and warranty requirements?

- If this 1.8 engine is similar to other Toyota models, with some modifications, why does the stricter oil type requirement + synthetic differ?

- Does the engine generally run 'hotter' in the Prius?

- Perhaps the ICE engine on / off cycling - necessitates more frequent changes?

- Would the newly-required syn oil be available through auto parts stores and usual retailers?

- I enjoy some DIY as well. Any further details as to the difficulty of a '10 DIY oil change? underbody panels. location/removal of oil filter. special tools required. lifting the car-does Prius have standard jackstand points. average approximate time to complete?

- Is 'free oil changes for life' a factor that can be used in Dealer purchase negotiation (perhaps the final - "OK, we have a deal if...")?

- Are there additional maintenance requirements for the Prius compared to a standard non-hybrid vehicle? ie - how does a Prius compare with a Corolla side by side?


No doubt PriusChat will be a quick link on my PC Desktop for many years to come.
Invaluable and friendly resource of information, a decade of experience, and expert advice.

 

Quite the opposite, it runs on the cold side.

Nope, there's less strain on the engine. Startup is much better than that in traditional vehicles.

It already is. Though I haven't seen it in bulk, just quart bottles.

Patience. I intend to provide a document just like this one for the Iconic model, which gets downloaded quite a bit... lots of DIY owners.

.

 

Leads to another question Rick.
You've previously talked about the Prius maintenance reminder. Is it an alert light on the instr panel? Only for oil changes? Driven by the stated interval in Maint manual supplied with the car? Can the 'reminder' be rest / turned off by the owner - unlike BMWs...

 

ok then, BUT if we ask you questions, you could answer them right??

 

It's now $15 for TWO days.

 

Mobil1 has made 0w-20 oil for years, although it used to be very hard to find. It has been re-released in the last year or so, and you'll find it at most parts stores with the other Mobil1 flavors, notable for its bright green cap. The original Honda Insight and my 2007 Civic hybrid require 0w-20, and I've never had any problems finding it.

 

Interesting post by Rick J. on the oil change procedure in the 2010. I note the numbers quoted for torque values of 27 ft-lb for the sump drain plug and 18 ft-lb for the oil filter retainer.

Do these same values apply for an oil change in the 2004 - 2009 Prius? If not, what are they?
I could find no references to the applicable torque values in the OM.

 

As I mentioned last year, it would be helpful for newbies if the torque spec for the drain plug was added. It's not in the manual, although it is in the Toyota official procedure online (Toyota's procedure has that and the wrong amount of oil to add... refilled with 3.0 quarts last time and am having my best mileage so far.)

Something I didn't notice until now is that the "put the plug back on" step is before the removing the filter step. Ideally, it might be best to put the plug back on after the filter has been removed and replaced.