What kind of oil should I add?

Re: What kind of oild should I add?

Since any new engine wears as much during its first 5000 miles of driving, as parts wear-in and create metal wear particles that contaminate the engine oil, as it will during the next 50,000 miles, you should change the oil more often than the manufacturers minimum requirement during this period. After all it is a small price to pay for the protection of a very expensive new car. I went a step beyond that and made the dealer install the best oil filter, the TRD oil filter, which employs a synthetic filtering media instaed of just paper media that is in the cheaper filters. The better filter removes smaller wear particles, and holds more of them, it also has a better quality drain-back valve.

I use 100% sythetic oil, as it makes for a cleaner engine with no 'sludge' formation. Regular petroleum oils form sludge as they break down from the heat in the engine. So called semi-synthetic oils offer no such benefit, and still create engine sludge from the petroleum portion of the oil. The 100% synthetic oils also do not contain 'parrafin wax', and so do not thicken in the cold. This characteristic of full synthetic oils protects your engine during start up, and especially when the oil is very cold because it flows and lubricates easily even when cold.

If you intend to keep the Prius for a long time, this makes sense. if you are going to dump the car at end of lease, and move on, you'd only be protecting some future owner of the car, so it wouldn't benefit you as this kind of maintenance shows its fruits over time.

 

Re: What kind of oild should I add?

1- The car probably came with Toyota 0w-20 synthetic. I've read a few postings on oil, and my conclusion at least is to stick with using that oil, esp. since that is what Toyota uses & formulated.

2- I changed out my oil at 2,500, but I'm just a bit paranoid. I like the idea in an earlier post of using a TRD filter (at least for the first oil change).

3 - As Tideland said earlier, make sure to keep your receipts if you change yourself. Also I would goto toyotaownersonline.com and register yourself & car. You can add your own maintenance records into their online database as well, which on top of your receipts for the DIY oil change (oil + filter receipt), no one can complain against.

 

Re: What kind of oild should I add?

Remember that the Prius Owners Manual suggest you use a higher viscosity oil, (0W-30, For Example) if you will be subjecting the car to high stress driving, like extended Highway driving, or heavier loading. I recently drove from New York to Atlanta and back so I first had the dealer install 0W-30 full synthetic oil, and a new TRD filter. I will now have them change the oil to 0W-20 100% synthetic, and another new TRD filter.