I have just 600 mile on my new 2005 Prius. The dealer said the engines now days are prerun and I do not need oil change before 5000 miles. Does anyone really know if a pre-schedule oil change, say at 2500 miles, is really necessary? Thanks
From the horses mouth after asking why the oil change is 10,000 miles in the UK. Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. We appreciate the opportunity to review your inquiry regarding the maintenance for your 2005 Prius. Our recommendation is to change the oil every 6 months or 5,000 miles whichever occurs first. Our Scheduled Maintenance Guide is designed to help you make sure your vehicle receives proper and timely maintenance. Maintaining your vehicle according to the factory recommendations ensures that your warranty coverage remains intact, since damage or failure caused by lack of proper maintenance are not covered under warranty. If your Toyota dealership is recommending more frequent maintenance intervals or more maintenance services than those listed in the Scheduled Maintenance Guide. These additional services are not required to maintain your warranty. Please feel free to contact the Customer Relations Manager at your Toyota dealership for an explanation of any recommended maintenance not included in the Scheduled Maintenance Guide. We apologize; we do not have the exact differences between our vehicles and the vehicles in the U.K. Each Toyota distributor is responsible for testing and providing their own maintenance schedules. Thank you again for taking the time to email Toyota. Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file #2xxxxxxxxx65. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us. Toyota Customer Experience
Thank you (I think???). I guess if there is no compelling reason to change the first oil after 2500 miles, I'll just stick to the 5000 miles as recommended.
When I bought Prius in 2001, I was also told at the dealership that the engine is 'run in' at the factory. Still don't know if that's true. Some owners have done very early 1st oil changes, and aside from cost and another filter and pan of oil to dispose of, there is no reason not to. One Priuschat poster, Tadashi, analyzed his first 5K oil change. It was somewhat elevated in copper and silicon, compared to other (older) Prius oil analysis. The copper almost certainly represented initial engine wear, the silicon may have come from the new engine seals, but overall it did not raise a red flag that earlier oil change was required.
