DIY Oil Changes...easy or hard? Worth the hassle?

You'll need expensive 0w20 oil to get the best economy out of the vehicle.

Some people enjoy changing their own oil, getting oily wrists and then disposing of 5 litres of dirty contaminated old oil.

Not sure about US dealers, but here you can often negotiate on price or at least get them to try and price match a more local, non Toyota dealer. The Prius only needs it's oil changing every 10,000 miles, so why not keep your service book stamped up with Toyota stamps upto 100,000 miles? The Prius is mainly a computer with a car attached and the dealer will often update the vehicles software, pretty much every year. Worthwhile having that done. Also, and importantly, there is an element of flexibility if you need to make a warranty claim and you're slightly (no definition of that ) over the expiry date. If you serviced the car elsewhere or did it yourself, then the warranty expiry date and mileage limit is strictly adhered to - you've got to draw the line somewhere, but if you have a full service book from Toyota, then there is the possibility of an ex gratia claim payment. I had my inverter replaced 10,000 miles after expiry and have personally known of other drivers having had similar experiences.

Obviously every payment is made on its own merit and there are NO guarantees. A full Toyota stamped service book also helps if you need to sell the car or gives you a better chance with a borderline warranty claim.

 

On the other hand, my dealer seems to be unable to put the proper amount of bulk oil into my crankcase. It's always overfilled.

SCH-I535

 

I think you already know what your going to do.

 

Personally, I don't trust the shops to do it right. Putting the right type and weight of oil in seems a major accomplishment for most. So doing it myself means doing it right. I did my first oil change on our new to us v last week. Not bad at all, and no oily wrists or hands on this one.

 

Do you own another car? Do you have a suitable (safe) location to do oil changes? Is this something that would give you some additional peace of mind in comparison to the hassle?

For me the answers to the above are all yes.

I've found the Prius v to be quite simple and straightforward to do an oil change on, although I've only done the one (its first, I have no interest in "taking advantage" of the dealer provided oil changes.) When I did it I installed the oil plug valve from Qwik Valve (Fumoto F103S) which I expect will make things even simpler. One thing to note is that in order to improve aero under the car, pretty much the entire engine compartment is covered with a plastic assembly that requires removing 3 of those idiotic plastic fasteners. The long term plan for me would be to replace them with something likely to last more than half the life of the car. The 3 fasteners hold a fold down "door" that covers the oil pan and oil filter access and has a "hinge" which is really just a thinned out part of the plastic cover. So, real hinges will probably replace that as well.

The issue with the plastic cover is the only real problem, but for me that doesn't push me towards having someone else do the oil changes - as I think I'm more likely to avoid abusing or losing parts than some hourly guy in a hurry. YMMV.

 

As excellently stated above....this is an individual's call.

It's like owning a Prius.
You almost can't help saving money, and a lot more people can do so than do.

Automotive maintenance is very easy.
Rednecks around here do it with about $10 worth of tools while drinking a lot of beer.....so you don't need a Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering and $15,000 worth of Snap-On tools to provide yourself with excellent preventative maintenance and most basic repairs.

You'll know the job was done right, and if something goes awry, you'll know what happened and why.
You also won't be trying to talk yourself into selling yourself an unneeded fake throttle body cleaning or A/C flush.


Good Luck!

 

Our nearby dealership's parts department sells liters of Toyota 0W20 for under $6 a liter. Maybe check with yours before searching further afield? They also have the filter, replacement drain bolt washer, obviously.

If you've done oil changes in the past you'll have no problems. The oil filter cartridge is a bit unorthodox, just the paper element is replaced (and a rubber O-ring). An oil filter socket with 64 mm face-to-face and 14 faces is needed, or some alternative clamping method. The oil filter cap is hard plastic, so maybe best to stick to using a socket for removal.

Also, assuming you have a plastic underbody panel similar to the regular Prius, I'd recommend to remove it completely for the oil change. Repeated bending of the smaller access flap at the oil pan has led to it breaking off, for a lot of owners.

For the regular Prius, and very likely applicable to the v, there's these torque values:

Drain plug: 27 ft/lb
Filter cap: 18 ft/lb

 

I have been changing my oil on the Prius since day one, 0-20 up here is $$$$$ so I buy it south across the border $22-25 for 5 quarts (liters).
Then I know what oil is put in and the color (condition ) of the used oil.
Have fun it is easy.

 

My 2010 Prius is the first car where I have NOT done my own oil changes.
I only roll up about 10,000 miles per year, so once per year the car goes to the dealer (100 miles distant, but good shopping town), for an oil change, fluid top up , check over inspection and all this is documented by Toyota for about $50 per year
I think it is worth the cost.

 

Not for the Toyota oil. This is from my last invoice, Open Road Toyota:



And this is liters. The other's are often quarts (a bit smaller), and yes, way too expensive. Toyota's oil is fine.

 

I checked the price at lordCo. as the Dealership is almost a hour away. Yours is an excellent price.

 

OP, you do not remove the aero panels for an oil change.
One twist to be aware of: the oil filter has a disposable rubber ring that acts like a gasket. Be sure to put it on correctly.

 

The dealership also sells the third-party stuff, at the usual (insane) prices. I don't see the point. The Toyota oil apparently has a good rep. I don't know the first thing about it; it's just an easy decision for me, especially when I'm at the parts counter buying the other oil change stuff as well.

I wonder what Toyota 0W20 is costing through dealerships in the States. Odd there's not more comment. Maybe we are getting better deals in BC, or Canada? And it's liters

BTW, Toyota's not alone, though I've never seen any other that low. Honda parts departments also offer their own 0W20, it's around $8 per liter.

 

I wouldn't bother. It's by no means hard to remove a bolt, it's a cost, and there's always a risk it might leak, or get knocked off.

 

I bought the 5 qt jug of the new Pennzoil 0w-20 made from NG from Walmart yesterday. It is about $26, but it comes with a coupon that lets one fill up at a Shell station at a $1 USD/gallon discount. That is *cheeeep* oil

 

^ 0W20 such as Pennzoil or Mobil up here..., first off it's very rare. I've yet to see it in Walmart. A few specialty automotive stores have it, in liters, invariably over $10 CAN. Have you researched prices for Toyota 0W20 through dealership, down there?

 

I get mine done at Toyota for about $50.00 every 10,000 miles. I used to change mine on different cars that I have owned but no more. Not worth it for me. Check around at different toyota dealers. Most have oil change specials.

 

I do a lot of things myself, that are break-even monetarily. What they often have in common:

1. I enjoy doing them.
2. It's more convenient, no making an appointment, sitting around.
3. I never argue with myself. (I do mess up, but that's another story...)
4. I can take my sweet time, overlap with other chores.

What drives it home for me is walking by the minute lube, seeing someone sitting in line in their car, head down, surfing Reddit. I don't want to be that person.