$65 for my first Oil change, inspection, and tire rotation. Longo Toyota Monrovia California. They have a very good reputation.
As long as they don't have a weasel clause that says synthetics extra. Even if they didn't have the clause, it would be a take it or leave it situation. Perhaps you could take them to small claims court but probably not worth your time. I got my "free" change done yesterday. I made sure up front they would be using 0W-20. They ended up using Mobile One, no charge.
I just completed my first 5K service. $72 listed on the service report at my local dealership. I was told that the technicians know the 2010 Prius uses the 0W20 synthetic motor oil. I purchased a Maintenance Agreement, up to 30K miles, so there was no charge for the service, even with the synthetic oil. The service report shows they used 0W20 oil. It does not show what brand. I checked the oil level and it is just below the full mark like it should be. I had the Reverse Beep change to once. They even washed the car for me before returning it. It looks like I am going to be as satisfied with the local Toyota dealer as I am with the Honda dealer.
Oil for the Prious, Toyota oil is as expensive as mobil 1 0w-20. There has been some interesting posts on oil forums about addatives, oil weight and increased engine problems with lower weight oils. I wonder if Toyota oil is so expensive because Toyota lubrication engineers feel special addatives are necessary for the new engines to run 0w-20 oil? The 0w-20 may be better for mileage but not for engine wear. Several automotive lubrication enginers on line say because of the frequent starting of hybrid engines it is better to change the oil more often that use synthetic oil. I still think our local dealer is stealing form us by geting 85 for a 5000 mile check with regular oil. So locals call dealers stealers I can see why. Barn
I called the lab to discuss the analysis. He told me that the viscosity ratings on my report read a lot more like 0w20, than 5w30 (50.4 SUS@210F, 7.38 cSt@100C), so I should not worry at all about the oil the dealer put in. I feel much much better now.
I wonder if these "lubrication engineers" are aware how a Prius motor is started? It already has oil pressure before fuel and spark are started. Taxi fleets are a good proving ground to dispel the myth that frequent start/stops somehow result in less engine life. If that was the case, especially in a severe climate like Winnipeg, you'd see Prius taxi's dead left and right Overall, hybrid taxi's cost much less to maintain in severe duty. Conventional vehicles used as taxi's, things like brake pads are frequent replacement items. Transmissions also don't last very long in city stop-and-go
The first oil change can be at the dealers. Since the car is new, they usually don't have an excuse for hosing you with charges. They want to look good. They don't want to say you need all this fixing just after 5000 miles. The first two oil changes will be fine at 5000 and at 10000. Only a crazy dealer would charge extra. Then the charges will slowly creep up. Cabin filter here, injector cleaning there. Finally, the customary engine rebuilt and transmission overhaul at 30,000 miles and replacing all the electrical system at 60,000 miles. (only kidding).
Just got my 5K service done in NJ for $59.95+tax minus $5 coupon from the dealers website. Dealer used 0-20W synthetic, rotated tires, and did the recommended inspection. The 0-20W synthetic Toyota oil was $6.75 per quart for those who like to change their own oil.
John, thanks for your stats! The cost of 0W-20 (Mobil 1) is the same here for me. I've always done my own service work. That way I know it's done RIGHT! But have had my GenIII up on the rack as soon as I got it, and does a panel have to be removed to get at the drain plug and oil filter?? I couldn't see either one while looking under there! What's the proceedure? Thanks for any info.
Hi, This is now 2010 and I have a 2010 Prius coming up to 5K. Confusion reigns. My dealer stated that it was not necessary for an oil change but recommended tire rotation and air filter change. This would be $47.65. It would be $120 if oil change was included. What should a new Prius owner do here ? Txs Peter Lowe
Pretty easy to look at the filter and judge whether it is dirty enough to warrant replacement. Unless you drive in dusty environment (or smog, maybe) it should still be fine. Guessing the rotation alone would be around 30? I'd probably wait till the oil change if I couldn't do rotation myself. If you never rotate, you just end up buying pairs of front tires more often than the quads of evenly worn tires, but pretty much the same cost overall. 30/5000 is an extra 0.6 cents/mile (really 0.3 cents I guess over 10000 miles). Cost of rotation not recovered if you are willing to do pairs. Only economical if you want even wear all around...
Wow an additional $72 and change for the oil change? My Toyota dealer sent me a coupon for the oil change for $34.99 for oil change and $5 more for synthetic. Found similar coupon online. Dealer was longer drive so I stopped by the dealer closer and they would honor any toyota coupon. So with tax it was $43 and change which included washing the car....
Engine and cabin air filters are replaced every 30K, not 5K, if you follow Toyota's recommendations for non-Solar Roof Prius. No need to rotate tires every 5K, I do it every 10K like on every other cars I've ever owned.
It's good to have the same make and model of tires front and rear. A mismatch can seriously mess up handling. That said, if a person still wants to go the no rotation route, move the old rears to the front and put the new tires on the rear. That way you wear out the older set of tires before they get too old. Try very hard to stick to the same make and model of tire. A tires shop will generally do that for free if you are buying two ties. A better minimal labor way is to keep track of your tire wear and time it so you average tire lifetime wear with one tire rotation. I prefer the 10k interval for cars withg tires that wear 40k to 50k miles like I have heard Prius tires do. I also do it myself so I know it's done right and I get a chance to look at brakes, check bearings, steering linkage, etc.
Hey John. Thanks for the detailed Toyota oil change stats! I agree with the comment above. Always check the bearings and brakes. All these little things can have an effect.
Yep I couldn't agree more when it comes to the toyota oil change and eveything that comes with it. I never had a rotating tire issue though thankfully.
