Official (OEM) Toyota Prius 2016 (Gen 4) oil-change instructions

Do a dry run?

 

Why is this too high? All those engineers at Toyota got this and the drain plug spec wrong?

 

it seems like for my AWD 2019 version, it recommends 0W-16. They also state with this grade that it can go for 10,000 miles. I get 2 years of maintenance so I'll look to see if the dealership puts in 0W-16 at my next oil change. I'm not sure if there are any engine differences from mine to previous years.

 

I believe there was some contradiction, some places it says 20, others 16. I emailed Toyo Canada and they said stick with 20.

 

yeah, a lot of confusion. and the maintenance manual recommends that you can use 0W-20, but the next maintenance job, use 0W-16. I see no worry using 0W-20, and since the wife's car uses 0W-20, it makes things easier for me. Luckily our local mart (Walmart) sells 0W-16, so I'll try to use it as much as I can. I am getting 55 MPG on my first tank of gas for AWD, so if 0W-16 is suppose increase efficiency, it is showing.

 

I wouldn't look too hard for 0W16; aren't all these thinner oil increments primarily to gain Toyota mpg "brownie points"? And at what cost?

 

I would agree I shouldn't look too hard. But if the manual says to use a certain grade level viscosity and it's easily available within similar cost to 0W-20, then I would use 0W-16 whenever I can. Being in the owner's manual requires some type of qualification (I hope). or could this be a situation which CAFE pressures are pushing companies to recommend certain things with limited testing

 

It was rumored that the Gen 4 had 0W-16 from the factory but recommended 0W-20 because it was more widely available.

 

The specific wording from the maintenance manual is:

"Your vehicle is certified with Genuine Toyota 0W-16 motor oil. For VEHICLES CERTIFIED FOR 0W-16 motor oil, the oil change interval is 10,000 miles or 12 months IF 0W-16 MOTOR OIL IS BEING USED. If 0W-16 is not available, 0W-20 oil may be used. However, it must be replaced at a 5,000-miles or six-month INTERVAL with 0W-16 motor oil."

You are on a shorter oil change cycle with 0W-20.

The owner manual says:

"SAE 0W-16 is the best choice for good fuel economy and good starting in cold weather. If SAE 0W-16 is not available, SAE 0W-20 oil may be used. However, it must be replaced with SAE 0W-16 at the next oil change."

It is the maintenance manual that specifies the oil change frequency, and when 0W-20 is in the sump, it is 5,000 miles.

 

"Certified" means the mpg testing?

 

Hard to know without seeing the test protocol and results. However they certify it, these are the terms under which they warranty the car. Do the maintenance per the maintenance schedule, etc.

Perhaps they did change some clearances in the engine, oil pressures, etc. Perhaps somebody will know if there were any physical changes made to that model year engine.

 

@thomassster what does it say on the oil filler cap? Picture would be cool.

 

0W-20 on mine...

 

What year?

 

2016 Toyota Prius 4

 

No, it’s the EPA emissions certification. For 2019 model year Prius cars with AWD, for example, see page 3 of the Certification Summary Information Report (PDF), where the “Oil Viscosity/Classification” is stated.

That may be; use of “low-viscosity 0W-16 engine oil” is among the measures for friction reduction mentioned in the SAE technical paper from 2016 about the fourth-generation engine, and in Japan, 0W-16 has been among the specified oil grades since the first fourth-generation cars in 2015.

 

This is the first I have heard of a 5K oil change interval for 0W-20. What changed from earlier Gen 4 ?

From the 2017 manual:



Maintenance log:

 

I'll take a picture when I get back to my car in couple hours of my oil cap. But it was mentioned in a different thread within the 2018 maintenance manual had that same verbiage of 0w-16, but on other pages of the same manual suggesting conflicting wording, 0w-20 to be used every 10,000 miles as well as the recommended oil for that car. It's very difficult to believe any of Toyota's wording in any of their manuals.

 

How so? I have found the wording to be very clear. Is it that the wording is not clear, or you don't believe what the wording is telling you?

 

The only issue I have that makes my head scratch is the 2018 owner's manual conflicts with maintenance manual. and you can see it's clear that they took the same wording and modified couple words/numbers for the 2019 version.

2018 owner's manual:

2018 maintenance manual:

2019 owner's manual

2019 maintenance manual: