With my low mileage, OK to skip this year's SYNTHETIC OIL change?

Check your oil level. Driving in ECO mode and slower than most drivers doesn't protect you from a possible leak. Besides, checking your oil regardless is easy and important. Too many posts of people who didn't check and "expected" their oil level to be fine, only to discover it wasn't. IMO you just need to check your oil not count on the unknown and unseen expectation that your oil level is fine. Confirm.

We all make decisions and do things as our personal budget allows. But IMO budget or otherwise for most people their vehicle is one of the bigger purchases they make and own.
After making that investment? I never understand the approach of then going frugal on Oil Changes. Comparative to most other maintenance, oil changes are one of the least expensive things we are burdened with doing, in maintaining a vehicle.

Even with the supposed durability of synthetic oil and the relatively low miles accumulated since your last change, I would still maintain the schedule and change it. Most recommendations from manufacturers are to change yearly, regardless of mileage.

Unless you are trading life sustaining medical treatment for the cost of an oil change, my advice is very "Nike"....just do it.
You will then have another whole year of NOT having to worry about it. And if you are diligent about checking the oil level, one less risk to the vehicle and one less worry. IMO...well worth the cost of an Oil Change, especially on the average of 1 every 365 days.

 

I knew I read every 10k somewhere but the mechanics said no way!!! I have been changing it every 7 or 8k. Thanks

 

Canada recommends every 10k km.

 

Oh, so it's every 10k KM??? Not miles???

 

In Canada, t's every 6 months or 8000 kms, whichever comes first. This is excerpt from 2012 Prius c, Canadian Owner's Manual Supplement:



Both Oil and Filter and Maintenance services involve an oil/filter change:



Here's a link to the full pdf:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/toyota.site.p01/toyota/manuals/OMS1012U/OMS1012U.pdf

Australia maybe is 10K kms or 6 months?

 

Frequently Asked Questions for all things Toyota.
What are the oil change intervals using synthetic oil?

 

Not sure, I thought it was Canada... but I obviously mis-remembered.

 

Weird that it's 6 months 8k for the first 18k miles, then it's 16k after.

 

No, the schedule is confusing, but it's every 6 months or 8000 kms, always. Both "Oil and Filter Service" and "Maintenance Service" include an oil/filter change.

FWIW, the fourth gen Prius goes to 16K or yearly.

Personally, I would stick with 6 months or 8K regardless, it's my decision.

Also, we have no freebie maintenance up here, nor the in-dash maintenance reminder. Almost a plus; life is simple.

 

That's the link we need for the Prius C. Out car needs 0w20 only. That means that oil and filter change is every 10k miles. Every 5k tire rotation and fluid check. Thanks a lot!!!

 

Some car manufacturers install a computer program, called an Oil Life Monitor (OLM), in the car, which continuously monitors the operating conditions, and uses an algorithm to estimate how much the motor oil has deteriorated. Some people have reported that in favorable conditions, the OLM calls for an oil change at nearly double the standard schedule.

A standard maintenance schedule can naturally only be a rough approximation of an optimum schedule for one's particular conditions. But for the vast majority, it is nevertheless close enough. For a few, who have special conditions, needs, or desires, there is also the option of used oil analysis.

For most people, the savings from longer oil change intervals do not justify the cost and time of used oil analysis.

I, for example, am one of the few who decided to use used oil analysis. I did it primarily out of curiosity, because I knew that I would probably recoup the analysis costs only after about 200k miles. With few cold starts, but many easy highway miles, and with long life motor oil, analysis showed that the oil was still good at 15k miles.

 

My Gen4

I'm glad I bought that Mobil 1 "Extended Performance", guaranteed for 15.000 miles.
(I might stretch it to 10.... but not 16. )

​

 

I better not disclose the kms between oil changes I'm doing, you guys might try to have me committed... Suffice to say with the 3rd gen Canadian interval (6 months or 8000 kms), the 6 months invariably comes long before the kms.

 

The Walmart near me has the 5 quart 0w20 oil on sale for 25 bucks

 

My 2014 Prius c also has the banner that says maintenance required which shows each five thousand miles....I believe this is to remind us to rotate our tires if the oil was changed five thousand miles ago. I like the reminder but do not do oil changes until ten thousand miles has come.....my GEMA is running beautiful and I am very happy with her.

 

Honda's one example, with the Maintenance Minder. However there's a disclaimer in the Owner's Manual:


(This is a 2010 Pilot O.M., just as an example.)