"Toyota" oil filter

When I picked up my Prius the boss salesman repeatedly told me that the car required a special oil filter, something about a pressure relief valve, and that my warranty depended upon it. He was quite insistent that a Toyota dealership do the oil changes. Sounded like typical salesman B.S.

Was he telling the truth, and if so is this filter widely available and likely to be used by for example my Dodge dealer whose service department I really like? What do I ask/check for to make sure the right filter is used? Thanks, Jeff

You can use whatever filter you want.

It is. The Toyota oil filter is very well made and a good filter. There are a lot of other filters that fit

I suppose if your Dodge dealer is trustworthy, they can handle the simple things like oil changes. Caution them about oil overfill though. 3.5 quarts is plenty. Maybe try 3 quarts and see where that puts the level

On my Prius, 3 litres puts the oil about 2/3 of the way up the Add dot. Adding around 300 ml put the oil exactly on the full dot

Oh, and make sure you instruct them on how to properly start and stop the Prius. If at low speeds in the shop, the motor probably won't run and they'll think it's off. They'll have all the oil drained out, the battery SOC will reach a certain level, and the motor starts up. Ruined motor

What the dealer told you is just a way for the dealer to line his pockets. That said, I use the Toyota filter all of the time. I tried another brand once and it failed. So I stick with the Toyota brand.

There are a lot of good filters out there that aren't made by Toyota ... they have equal or better features, and they're typically more expensive. I'm a firm believer in "You get what you pay for." The same can be said about the oil you choose as well.

It's something you should look into if you're doing your own oil changes.

OR:

Just buy the Toyoto filter at the dealer parts counter for $ 6 like I do. Roll up to Jiffy Lube. Give them 4 qrts of Mobil 1 05-30 and tell them to put 3.5 qrts in....2.6 minutes & $ 19.99 later they give you back 1/2 qrt of Mobil One & your rolling out of there and never even got out of your car....as opposed to the 20 minute conversation about 3.5 qrts at the dealer....and they still put in 4 qrts.

I use an oversized filter (Pureone PL-20195) and throw in 4 quarts of Mobil 1 EP 5w-30. Comes right up to the line.

Bigger filter area, slightly more oil, and I don't have to mess with a 1/2 quart.

I think that the Mobil 1 M-203 will also work.

Interesting. In eastern PA, you have to get out of the car at Jiffy Lube.

You can buy an 10 pack of filters for about 4$ each on ebay including shipping.

Just curious, what happened when the other brand of filter failed? I've never heard that before.

Stay away from Fram filters.

We use Bosch, as that's what we can pick up locally... sometime, we'll probably get a case of Toyota filters from eBay or someplace, but the Bosch is a good filter.

It started to leak after about 2000 miles. I can't remember the brand, but it was major brand and was designed to be a Prius replacement.

That's the best course of action. Since OEM Toyota filters can be had for around the same price as any quality aftermarket oil filter with a little research, it's not worth the potential for future headaches to use non-OEM.

That dealer is saying nonsense and can't be trusted. Yes it does require a pressure relief valve, but so do most other car oil filters. It is much rarer not requiring the valve. Any filter made for the Prius will have the valve.

I have posted my best MPG numbers using the mobil 1 M1 filter.

There are a couple of Toyota dealers that sell parts on-line at good prices.

I did exactly that a few months ago and the filters I received have one letter different on them on the end. I got a feeling there for first gen Prius's. The correct filter for an 07 is: 90915-YZZF2. The replacement filters from eBay are: 90915-YZZA2. They look the same on the outside but a little different on the inside. I have not used them.

Sounds like your dealer knows my dealer. The sales lady said we really wanted to have the oil changed there 'because it is a Prius'. Search the forums and you'll find my tales of woe trying to get this dealer to PROPERLY and REPEATABLY put in 3.5 quarts of oil instead of 3.9 (or 4).

They also routinely do alignments at 15K miles, unless you know to tell them not to. They charge 15 minutes ($18) to change the cabin air filter (not included) when you can do it yourself in 3 if you are really slow. The service manager said they charge the same amount of time for all vehicles. Well, I don't care if it takes 15 minutes on any vehicle, it doesn't in a Prius and I shouldn't have to pay extra just because some take longer. They don't charge for replacing the engine air filter and it takes about the same amount of time.

Put in 3.5 quarts, it will be just shy of the mark. 2 oz brings it to the line. I'm not sure a 2.6 minute Jiffy lube change will drain all the oil, maybe specify 3 quarts and check/add the rest yourself. Of course that takes the 'no work for me' out of the process.

I put Fumoto drain valves in both cars. It takes longer to drain than pulling the plug since the diameter of the drain is smaller. But there are no wrenches to deal with, no over tightened drain bolts (the dealer) and you can drain it directly into a plastic 1 gallon milk bottle, no oil drain pan to mess with. Of course, the filter will still be messy. I'm using the 'nail in the filter' technique I read about here to get the oil out of the filter before unscrewing it. that way it doesn't drain out all over the outside of the filter. It is best to unscrew it just a bit to make sure you CAN before pounding a nail into it

File a "Received item significantly different then described" report and make the seller refund you (may have to ship it back to seller).

I think the A2 is the older version of the F2. Depending on where they were made and how much you paid for them, you might have gotten a good deal. OEM Toyota oil filters made in Japan are more expensive than those made in other countries (although the quality is probably equal).