Oil Change

Some dealers have had people come in at 1,000 miles, but it isn't required. I think they do it to make more money. I had my first oil change at 5,000 miles and suspect most of the folks on PriusChat did the same.

 

Yep. Your daughter has contributed to the dealer's new boat fund :_>

Probably a good idea to read the Prius' maintenance guide, a document separate from the owner's manual (which says nothing about service intervals). For the next (in this case, the first recommended) scheduled service she should tell them explicitly what to do, as she sees it listed in the guide. This is in toto: change the oil and filter, and rotate the tires. If she asks for some generic 5,000 mile service package she'll probably get charged for stuff that isn't needed (for example, air cleaner inspection) and stuff that can't even be performed on a Prius (for example, chassis lube).

Be certain they don't overfill the oil. In the Prius the FULL mark indicates maximum system capacity, the do-not-exceed level. The safest way to avoid trouble is to give the servicers three quarts of oil, and tell them to use all of that and no more. I check the oil after letting the car sit OFF for 15 minutes while in the dealer's lot, just to be sure.

 

My dealer gave me a coupon for a free oil change at 1000 miles when I picked up the car. I went ahead and did it because it doesn't hurt to get any bits of break-in wear shavings out of the system, but I wouldn't have paid for it myself.

 

When I purchased my Prius in Oct, the dealer gave me a coupon for a free initial oil change and inspection. However, for the Prius, they recommended waiting at LEAST until 5,000km were on the odometer.

Despite the fact they also sell Amsoil and Mobil 1 lubes, they also warned me to wait until at least 10,000km before using synthetic motor oil. This dealer has a very good reputation, so it looks like they know what they're talking about.

Their Prius-certified tech also warned me about the dangers of overfilling the oil. He only puts in 3 litres, then runs it to check for leaks. At the most, he may have to add 0.3 litres to just below the Full mark. He warned me under NO circumstances fill beyond the Full mark.