2009 Prius Oil Type???

2008 and 2009 do not require synthetic oil. You can use standard 5W-30 engine oil. Synthetic engine oil was not introduced until 2010- 2011 these models use either 0W 20 or 5W 20 which are partial synthetic and full synthetic oils.

 

I found Mobil 1 5W30 to be superior to regular oil like Quaker State or Pennzoil. I also saw a slight increase in MPG.

Refer to the owners manual for more information.

Pay attention to the amount of oil when it is changed. Three and one half (3 1/2) quarts is all that is needed with a filter change. Four (4) quarts is TOO much and will overfill the crankcase. You do NOT want to overfill the Prius engine as it will cause problems. It is best to keep the oil in between the two marks on the dipstick and NOT above the top mark.

 

I think it depends where the op is from. In the UK the gen2 uses synthetic 5w30 oil because of the 10,000 mile service intervals. It is my understanding that Toyota UK authorise 0w20 oil in the gen2, though not sure I'd recommend that in a car with high(er) miles that has got used to 5w30.

 

Excellent point, it would help if the OP would update their profile to show where they are located. OTOH, I always thought 10K seemed to be excessive on miles for oil changes, but I come from the old school type where one changed oil at 3 months/3K intervals whichever came first.

Even though I do recommend the synthetic Mobil 1, I still change ours at the 5K/6month interval as per Toyota spec.

 

according to the picture you posted, it takes 5w-30

 

oil changes on my 2013Prius V is 10k, you still bring the car in every 5k, but the oil is only changed every other time

 

With the Gen III Prius IIRC all of them are running synthetic now, is that not correct? What does the oil look like at 10K?

 

I don't care what they say. I run synthetic and change it every 5K

 

While the 10K sounds like a good idea, I wouldn't advise anyone to stretch it that far.
I wouldn't ever go more than 7,500 until the filter life technology can match the oil life.
I've seen what happens to engines from extended oil change intervals. Most owners never
do proper oil changes and they pay the price. Carbonized piston rings are never a good thing.
Don't cheap out on changing your oil. I know what the book says. I also know what happens from
extended oil service. The DOT has mandated extended oil life, but what's been done besides extending
the intervals ??? Oil is better and synthetic is the best, but it has limitations. 7,500 is my maximum with
any ICE.

 

Like the guy says above in the video, some drivers will be able to do the 10K. But then he goes on to talk about what is commonly known as "severe service". The average driver will at some point fall into that category. If you stop and think about it, the oil is the lifeblood of the engine. Changing the oil at 5K vs 10K is only a difference of the cost of the oil and the filter. However, if that oil is contaminated and allowed to stay in the engine for 10K, the wear is dramatically increased over time. It is far cheaper to change the oil every 5K/6 months than repair or replace a engine due to poor lubrication. Remember the oil is the lifeblood of the engine. I too have seen what poor oil change habits and lack of proper lubrication can do to engines.

 

The guy in your video is a Toyota service manager. They know less about cars than most owners

 

I agree with you completely, it was the point of what the guy was saying about oil changes and recommended intervals.

 

I read today about a company that has a product that checks engine oil, thus letting the owner know if e.g. continuing on towards 10k miles is a good idea.

Experiences or opinions, anybody ?

 

Go to Walmart and you can get a 5 quart jug of Full Synthetic 5-30 Mobil 1 for $22.95.
Just bought one.

This engine holds 3.8 quarts with a new filter. Remove a little more than 1 quart out of this 5 quart jug and keep it in a sealed container so wherever you take the car and give the jug too they will be unable to mess up the quantity. I assure you if you give that 5 quart jug to a dealer they'll pour in 5 quarts.

Then ask for the M1 empty jug back and then put your extra quart back in that jug. It's a slight hassle but its alot more of a hassle dealing with an overfilled crankcase which we have seen 100's of times here.

Some people go 10,000 mile between oil changes with no issue on M1 some like to take better care of there engine.
Depends if you want to keep the car till it dies. If so then go with the Drdiesel program. Can't lose.
I lean more towards like 6-7,000 only because its so damn hot here. Don't know where you live.

If plan on selling or a lease go 10,000 no problem.

 

We've all been here before many times but over here we have oil change intervals of 15,000 miles, 18,000 miles and even 20,000 miles as the norm AND most manufacturers offer 100,000 mile warranties on their cars (including the engines). They wouldn't do that if they thought the extended periods damaged their cars. Sure there will be some wear with those intervals but a car is a consumable product and will wear eventually and we don't have engines imploding any more than you do.

It's simple, you have 5,000 mile intervals as that's what the dealers like - keeps you coming back and extracting money from you. You all find it weird to have the 10,000 mile period on the newer Prii, yet here a 10,000 mile period is classed as poor.

I guess you can change it every 5,000 if you want, it's your car. You could change it every 1,500 miles like they did in the 1950's if it makes you feel better - why change? It was good enough then, so why not now? Why not de-coke and rebore the engine whilst you're at it too? Heck, that's what they did every 10,000 miles back in 1937 (said tongue in cheek)

But I guess there's no totally right or wrong way. Toyota say every 10,000 so unless you're a taxi or abuse your car that should be fine. Knowing Toyota 10,000 miles will be conservative anyhow.

 

While I agree with Grumpy's tenor, I have to say that an OCI that increases the risk of an engine not lasting much more than 100k miles is not the optimistic message I am looking for

I think our Floridians are right: It probably behooves us to at least check a UOA once after a difficult interval to confirm that our OCI is reasonable. Cheap insurance.

So tell me, which is harsher on oil: summer in the 90sF, or winter in the teens F ?

 

Sagebrush penned it very well "It is cheap insurance".

 

I agree Grumpy 100%.

I would rather run 100,000 miles on one M1 change than a lifetime of dino 3K changes.
Apparently Amsoil makes a wicked good engine oil too. Never tried Amsoil.

I just do my interval to satisfy my fluid ocd...lol. That and it's 90F+ here everyday.