Official (OEM) Toyota Prius 2016 (Gen 4) oil-change instructions

Yes it is.

The spin-on is less fuss, and maybe more dependable?

Too, it was just a very tempting mod.

 

Probably, in theory; Practically, tossing an oil-soaked filter into the paper bin gets recyclers' panties in a knot. Its like cheese-soaked pizza boxes, it "contaminates" the scrap. Toss a can full of oil-soaked paper into the metals bin, and nary an eyebrow is raised. Those organics won't last where they are going.

 

True. But assuming all the shop waste is considered hazardous and treated accordingly, is it possible to retrofit a paper-filter style filter in place of a spin-on? Does anyone make such cartridges with replaceable filter elements?

 

At first I thought that 0w16 was probably manufacturers attempting to squeeze a little more mileage out of their engines. But after a little more research it's starting to sound like 0w16 may be better designed for cold weather, quick-start applications, and may contain detergents and additives that would enable low emission engines to run cleaner for longer. And then there was that gen 3 cold weather knock issue that seemed completely unrelated....but a little pressure in the wrong place on the wrong day.... It's really difficult to get reliable data on anything oil related.

 

I purchased the oil, filter, from Toyota and bought the filter wrench and changed it myself. It was painless and felt more confident that I can save some money and do it right.

 

Last time I tried to recycle filters along with the oil at Autozone, they said, "No. Throw them in the trash."

 

I always return my used oil to the Toyota dealer that I refuse to use for service or buy anything from ever again due to the most horrible purchase experience I ever had. My used oil is about all they deserve...

 

I do not even do that for my local dealer. The last time I tried them for sales they would not budge on their price. The last time I tried their service they botched the free 5K tire rotation and inspection on the car I bought elsewhere.

 

I don't understand the quality difference between the Group IV and Toyota's III. Can you explain or provide some links.

I guess I would still buy the filter from Toyota for replacement as I am not sure of the quality of other manufacturers.

By the way I installed Femoto valve, to make change easier it works great
F103SX: New Generation Valve with 12mm-1.25 Threads

 

More info?

Maybe Canada's different, and I'm buying bulk TGMO 0W20 from a dealership (bring my own reusable container), but fwiw, I'm getting the Toyota oil currently for $2.80 CDN per liter, roughly $2 USD per US quart. Basically peanuts; the cost of the drain bolt washer almost rivals the oil cost, lol.

 

Does Toyota dealers in the US required to use TGMO (Toyota Genuine Motor Oil) for their services? I am asking this because when I get regular oil and lube done at my local Toyota dealer, they put the "Your Next Oil Change" sticker with printed Pennzoil logo. I never asked the service manager at the dealer, but I have a suspicion that dealers use whatever the cheapest bulk oil they can get and not necessarily Genuine Toyota brand.

 

Yeah the thing with bulk oil is trust. Funny thing: you can pour any oil into a bottle with any label. I take them at their word, have used nothing but TGMO 0W20 (knock on wood...) since we got the car (new).

In the earlier years I purchased bottled, but was getting depressed about all the empties I was adding to the recycle stream. I can say the appearance of the bulk oil is identical to the bottled.

I suppose I could buy a bottled liter, and get it analyzed, compared to the bulk. But yeah, trust.

 

Are appearances of different brands of oils of the same or very similar grade different? That is, by looking at the oils in the clear bottles, can you tell the difference between Toyota Genuine or Honda Genuine or Mobil or Pennzoil or heck the Amazon's own cheap brand?

 

The only thing I've noticed is with the Toyota 0W20, either bottled or bulk, it's quite amber colored, when poured into a measuring pitcher. To be fair, I've only started using a pitcher with the Prius, not sure how previous oils I've used (in the past, with other cars) would compare.

 

For my most-recent oil change I bought 5qts. of Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy 0W-20 at our regional supermarket for $22.xx and got a $10 prepaid VISA card via online rebate. The Fram XG10358(?) filter was about the same price as the after-rebate oil.