Oil change

The manual is not that rigid:

Engine oil selection [FONT=Arial,Arial][FONT=Arial,Arial]"Toyota Genuine Motor Oil" is used in your Toyota vehicle. Use Toyota approved "Toyota Genuine Motor Oil" or equivalent to satisfy the following grade and viscosity. Oil grade: ILSAC multigrade engine oil Recommended viscosity: SAE 0W-20
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The ILSAC (International Lubricant Standardization and Approval Committee) Certification Mark is added to some oil containers to help you select the oil you should use.

 

So why are some dealerships telling 2010 owners *not* to use Mobil 1 0W-20? I'd guess they were trying to drum up business for their own service department

 

Hey all -

Related question, sorry if it's already been covered and I missed it:

- Is the oil filter any different from that of the Gen II Prius? The reason I ask is that I'd like to patronize a local independent establishment, with whom I have a good, longstanding relationship. But if mine is the first Gen III Prius they see, and it's a different animal, I'd rather bite the bullet and (gulp) go to the dealership.

btw, I keep seeing refs to Toyota dealerships being prone to overfilling the crankcase. Is that true? If so, any ideas why?
thx
T

 

I was in my Toyota dealership here in LA today and yes they want you to use 0W-20. You can use a regular oil once, but the next change needs to be OW-20. I went to a local parts store and MOBIL ONE sells 0W- 20 and OW-30 for around $6.25 a quart. Good oil is critical to a well functioning engine and cost should be the least of your concerns. Don't "game" this one. I suggest that you change it a 1,000 miles and when ever the schedule requires it.

BTW....... while I was there, I got the tech to change the reverse beep to once and the seat belt to zero. He could not change the door opening to the driver and passenger side. Darn

Linkster[/quote]

I have used AMSOIL synthetic for years in my other Toyota's and have great results. They make a 0 - 20 for the Prius so I will us it too. 25K or 1 year with this oil and it does not affect your warranty. Give it some thought

 

I have used AMSOIL synthetic for years in my other Toyota's and have great results. They make a 0 - 20 for the Prius so I will us it too. 25K or 1 year with this oil and it does not affect your warranty. Give it some thought[/quote]

 

Yes, the filter is a cartridge system, not a spin on

 

Has anyone purchased from this Toyota parts vendor:

Genuine Toyota Oil Filter - 10 Pack at Sparks Toyota Scion - Toyota Racing Development Parts

That seems like a really good deal for a ten pack.

 

Replace Pts>Filter Parts and Accessories for 2009 Toyota Corolla

I paid 45.00 per case of 10 with shipping included. Watch for shipping prices which can really add to the price.

alfon

 

Just got 10 for $42 shipped

 

Being an employee in a reputable Toyota service department I take offense to statements like this. The 2010 Prius like many other 2010 Toyota/Lexus vehicles require 0w20. It doesnt come from the "rusty tote bin out back" and we certainly dont use "generic crap 5w-30" in them either. When we get a vehicle like the 2010 Prius, when we take our R.O. (repair order) over to the parts counter it is recognized as needing Toyota's synthetic 0w20 and 5 quarts of it are given to us, along with the catridge filter, o-ring and the drain plag gasket. No, we dont put five quarts in, we use 4.2-4.4 or until full, yes, full, but not overfilled. Oh, and in case your wondering, our bulk oil is regular Mobil 5w20.

 

A few 2010 owners have reported just the opposite, so I'm happy to hear you're filling the cars with the correct oil. Even better to hear you're using sealed individual quarts, not an improperly maintained tote bin system

You claim your regular bulk oil is Mobil 5W-20. Do you even use that oil in 2004-2009 Prius, which clearly state they require 5W-30? Although I personally used Mobil 1 0W-20 in my 2004 Prius, others have had problems running lighter oils in older Prius cars

Speaking of bulk oil, take a walk out to the tote bin where the bulk oil is kept. Most service departments use a bulk oil system, a tote bin, as the unit cost is much lower than keeping individual quart bottles.

Inspect how that tote bin is vented. If it doesn't have a desiccant breather/filter system to vent - a simple inverted pipe instead - the oil is automatically contaminated with moisture and dust

I've noticed that every dealership bulk lube tote bin I've seen in this area (Toyota, GM, Ford, Chrysler, Honda, etc) all use a simple inverted pipe as a breather. None bother to spend $100 a year on the proper desiccant breather

The only way to verify the quality of the dealership oil, and if its contaminated, is to do an oil sample. I suppose you wouldn't have a problem with a customer doing so?

 

A while back Toyota sent out a list of engines they approved of running 5w-20 in and directed us to switch our bulk oil to 5w-20. The 1nz-fxe that is in the 2nd gen Prius is on the approved list, as well as many other modern Toyota engines. If we service a vehicle that is not on the 5w-20 approved list we get the correct weight oil from the parts department, once again in individual sealed containers.

Our tote bin is in our service area, against the wall, and is not exposed to the elements. I will inspect it further when I return to lunch tomorrow, and will get as many pics as possible of it and the vent system.

We would not have a problem with a customer wanting a sample of the bulk oil or any other oil we use for that matter. If you would like, I would be willing to take a Blackstone sample kit with me to work tomorrow and sent a vial off for analysis. I'm curious too.

 

I performed the first oil change on my 2010 Prius II @1100mi. Removing the 3 push pins and folding back the panel under the car added about 1 min to the time required to do the oil change. The is just enough clearance in the front to use my ramps w/o using the extensions (thats great). There was lots of room to remove the filter canister using the Toyota socket. BTW dont get the cheap 65mm-67mm socket because it is to loose. Use the 64mm socket PN. TOY640 for $24.95.
Oil was Toyota 0w-20 4.6qt @ $6.66/qt (cheaper than Mobile @ $6.95/qt from Walmart)
Filter $5.41
Washer $1.11
Total was $64.77 (socket included) $39.82 without the socket.
My dealer charges $67 for the oil change so I guess I'll save the rest and not drive 20mi and wait 1 hr when I can do it myself in 30min.

 

I was one of the early adapters of xW-20 in my 2004 Prius, with no problems whatsoever. I switched my Prius to synthetic when it had around 8,000 miles on it, so no worry of too much varnish/deposits causing problems

Based on used oil analysis, my Prius had better results running Mobil 1 0W-20 than Mobil 1 0W-30. Both are great oils.

OTOH my 2007 FJ, the 4.0 V6 had bad shear and high nitration running both the dealership 5W-20 and Mobil 1 5W-20. I switched to Mobil 1 0W-40 and everything is fine. No difference whatsoever in fuel economy

Since Mobil 1 0W-40 is getting hard to find, I recently switched the FJ to the made in Germany Castrol Syntec 0W-30. I'll find out how well the FJ motor does with that oil, next time I change it

Having the tote bin inside helps, but the shop area is still pretty dirty. How about when the floors are swept/cleaned? If your dealership is really on the ball, a proper desiccant breather system will be in place. Not only does that keep the fine dust out of the oil, the normal venting action of an oil storage bin won't result in condensation/moisture

I've posted results of my dealership oil. It resulted from a pissing match I got into Toyota Canada with, over alarming results after my second oil change running Mobil 1.

Not only was sodium sky-high, but there was evidence of dirt in the oil. The test lab was concerned enough to call me and suggest possible courses of action: check air filter and intake system for leaks, coolant leak, etc

Eventually I contacted Mobil, and they also became concerned. I did an accelerated oil change, and the results were still bad, though not as bad as before. I had a quart from the lot I used to do the oil change, sent a sample off to be tested.

The virgin sample of Mobil 1 had no problems at all. Which only further deepend the mystery. Although high sodium can indicate a coolant leak, the other indicators were not there. The levels of sodium in my motor would have suggested a *massive* coolant leak, the motor probably wouldn't be running

We went over the entire history of the motor, then the engineer assigned to my case asked what oil was used previously, and if it would be possible to get a sample of that oil. By this time I also had Toyota involved, and they had the balls to suggest my use of Mobil 1 was ruining my motor, and my warranty would be invalid.

Cute

So I swung by the dealership, got a sample of their wonderful Toyota-approved oil, sent it off Priority Shipping to the Mobil engineer. The Mobil engineer called back a couple of days later, chuckling.

That wonderful Toyota approved oil was complete crap, and contaminated to boot. The engineer forwarded the results to Toyota Canada, who very promptly STFU over any suggestion of ruining the motor or losing warranty

So, I'm eagerly awaiting photos of the tote bin bulk lube system you're using. Pay particular attention to the bin venting system

 

Here's my info...

$5.15 = Cartridge & 0-Ring (Element Kit, Toyota 04152-YZZA6)
$2.09 = Plug Gasket (Toyota 90430-12028)
$8.63 = Filter Wrench (Toyota 00113-30359-91016)
$1.14 = tax
------
$17.01 gotta like that number!


$6.27 = quart of Mobil-1 0W-20 oil
$0.43 = tax
------
$29.48 total for 4.4 quarts


So, that ultimately comes to $46.49 for the first oil change and $37.24 for subsequent changes.
.

 

Do you know what kind of ramps you're using?

 

Two questions:

1. Where are you buying your oil below $7/qt.?

2. Could someone explain the difference between installing a regular oil filter and a cartridge filter? Maybe someone could post of picture of it.


And John, I downloaded your oil maintenance pdf and am looking forward to your 2010 update! Thanks for all your contributions!

 

They are Blitz Rhino ramps. Plastic rams I bought at an auto parts store
link

 

I bought my Toyota brand 0w-20 from my local Toyota dealer for $6.66/qt. Here is what the oil filter looks like for the Prius Gen III. It goes inside the canister that you remove

 

Hi Jayman, sold my '05 with the TC problems and replaced it with a '10.

Quite a difference!

Pardon my possible stupidity but what is "STFU?"