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Prius 2012 - AU engine oil cap and recommended engine oil

Discussion in 'International Owners' started by Nakamoto, May 14, 2014.

  1. Nakamoto

    Nakamoto Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Melbourne
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Greetings!

    Had my vehicle serviced at Toyota Chadstone yesterday and they had my prius 2013 filled with 10W-30. Isn't 10w-30 especially bad for the engine during the winter? Wouldn't it impact on fuel economy and cause long-term damage to the ICE?

    I'm fuming mad about this! The dealership kept on insisting that there is nothing wrong about having 10W-30 filled even though I told them SAE 0W-20 is the recommended engine oil grade.

    The service centre guy kept on arguing about this issue, instead of trying to find a middle ground, he went on to talk about his stupid 600HP car that is on 10W-30 with no issue. and told me I must pay $30 - $40 extra for synthetic 0W-20 even though I'm on capped price servicing.

    Got back home and I discovered that the engine oil cap that we had here is different from elsewhere! SAE 0W-20 isn't printed on it nor it is clearly stated in the owners manual that SAE 0W-20 is the recommended engine oil grade.

    What's gives? Do I have a case for raising a complaint to Toyota Australia?
     

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    #1 Nakamoto, May 14, 2014
  2. Rob.au

    Rob.au Active Member

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    Location:
    Sydney, Australia
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    i-Tech
    As per the diagram, 10W-30 is rated down to -18°C so it's unlikely to be an issue in Australia. The book does say "SAE 5W-30 or lower viscosity engine oil is recommended", so it would be reasonable to expect the capped price servicing would follow this specification. It doesn't say 10W-30 will kill your car though... and our manual is not like the US one and does not say SAE 0W-20 must be used.

    For the record though, my dealer has been putting 0W-20 in my c.
     
    #2 Rob.au, May 15, 2014
  3. Nakamoto

    Nakamoto Junior Member

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    2012 Prius
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    Hey Rob,

    Thanks for the input. Did you specifically request for 0W-20? With capped price servicing did you had to pay extra?
     
    #3 Nakamoto, May 15, 2014
  4. Rob.au

    Rob.au Active Member

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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    i-Tech
    No and no... other than some customisation settings I had changed at my 1000km check-up, I've never done anything other than tell them which service needed doing. They use 0W-20, do what it says in the logbook and charge me my $130.

    I take my mother's Corolla to the same place - I forget off the top of my head what oil they put in it, but I remember it's not 0W-20.

    The only thing that bothers me about the 0W-20 is that it's so thin, you can barely see the stuff on the dipstick. I remember the old days of cars when you pulled the thing out and at a glance could go "yep, that's the level". Now I'm standing there at the servo swivelling around trying to catch the light in the right way and going "hmmm, is that it, I think that's a trace of it I can see there".

    Oddly that's the only part about driving a Prius that I find slightly emasculating. :rolleyes:
     
    #4 Rob.au, May 15, 2014
  5. Nakamoto

    Nakamoto Junior Member

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    2012 Prius
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    0W-20 is thin because of its viscosity, this should mean faster engine warm-up, lower emissions and better economy. I read somewhere Prius is developed to use 0W-20 too
     
    #5 Nakamoto, May 15, 2014
  6. Rob.au

    Rob.au Active Member

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    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
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    i-Tech
    Wasn't querying that... just that it's very hard to check on a smooth dipstick. I'm not sure if an older-style dipstick with cross-hatched ridges would be any better.

    I'm sure they could come up with some way to make it easier to check the level of thinner oils.
     
    #6 Rob.au, May 16, 2014
  7. Feri

    Feri Active Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Maldon Victoria Australia
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    My dealer has been putting 10w-30 in mine since new. I'm approaching 200,000 kms and have had no problems. My oil still stays clear between changes. Apparently, while a wide range of viscosities are recommended in your manual, Toyota Australia recommends 10w-30 for Australian conditions, 0w-20 for US conditions. I live in Central Vic where conditions can get cold for Aus but no where near US.

    I do a lot of high speed highway travel and low speed dirt road rural. My long term average is 4.8L/H kms.
     
    #7 Feri, May 27, 2014
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