1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified!)

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by hkazemi, Dec 22, 2009.

  1. GreenClipper

    GreenClipper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2009
    116
    7
    0
    Location:
    Tulsa, Ok.
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    Susan I think it's obvious as per my post #139 above. Don't expect any of these dealers to willingly tell you: "Yeah you can go a whole year, or 10K before oil/filter change". This is MONEY out of their pockets! My use of this car is going to be "ideal" as far as the manufacturer is concerned,....and yet my service mgr. may admit to the change, (because I let him know that I knew it was SO), but he started in on me about the "service" of the car... ie: dusty conditions, extreme heat, or extreme cold, or short commutes, or if he could have gotten away with it,, holding my mouth wrong. All adding up to "you really need to stay with the 5K service interval. The dealer isn't the arbitor of whether you have complied with warrantee details, the manufacturer is, and Toyota has said the car can go 10K. They're who count. I will probably never go 10K, although if a full synthetic oil can't go that long what can? You may not be old enough to remember, but years ago when synthetic oil was introduced we were told that you never need to change your oil again, and the precision of the manufacture of engines wasn't nearly as good as it is today, but everyone soon came to the realization that you "never say never"! When I lived "in City", 3K was the limit for me, now 25 miles out, and a lot more miles per year, + better engines, and oil, I think 7.5K will be the point I start to think it's time to get it done.
    Congrats on the new Prius! Enjoy the ride! :welcome: Lyle
     
    1 person likes this.
  2. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2007
    429
    52
    0
    Location:
    Central Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    I'm going to go along with the manufacturer warranty recommendations. I don't think my dealer will object because I'll have or get what I need in writing from Toyota. Someone may review my driving conditions but I don't think staying on paved roads in Central Oregon is outside normal driving conditions. And last I heard/read driving once in a while in abnormal conditions doesn't change things--the car is still classified to be driving in overall in normal conditions.

    I hope I learn some things next week and don't disover anything else wrong with the new car to damper my liking the Prius any.
     
  3. sundevil

    sundevil New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2009
    34
    1
    0
    Location:
    Gilbert, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    I emailed Toyota to clarify some issues with the oil change interval and the dealership I used. The first email they sent me said that the interval was 10,000 miles and they gave me links to documents. All of the documents said 5,000 miles, so I emailed them back to see if they had updated guides.

    This is what they emailed me back:

    I apologize; the links/PDF information I sent you is correct; and the dealer is correct, because a 10,000 mile oil change program doesn't exist anywhere in the US at this time, including Arizona. I thought it did, but I had misunderstood; my mistake, and I apologize.

    Doesn't exist anywhere in the US ???????????????

    Has anyone received the letter notifying owners of the change ?
     
  4. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2007
    429
    52
    0
    Location:
    Central Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    One person in one of the threads (maybe this thread) said they had a letter from Toyota. But I don't know if they were U.S. or not. This doesn't surpirise me. I get the impression that Toyota wants to/needs to be careful about this subject but is handling it in a sloppy way perhaps. Fortunately for me (maybe) they have 5K miles (6 months) to get their act together. Bear in mind that the dealers aren't going to like this one bit since they will loose revenue.
     
  5. web1b

    web1b Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2007
    817
    52
    0
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    There is some confusion on this issue.
     
  6. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2007
    429
    52
    0
    Location:
    Central Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    It certainly wouldn't be to smart to take any risk with this issue while the car is in warranty unless Toyota officially give a blanket okay, or a driving region okay state by state, or a car by car okay.
     
  7. ksstathead

    ksstathead Active Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2007
    1,244
    243
    0
    Location:
    Kansas
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    Toyota has told you in this very thread that it is official. That ought to end the story...
     
  8. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2007
    429
    52
    0
    Location:
    Central Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    No, _Toyota_ hasn't told me anything offical here. The letter in the start of the thread is directed to the Chicago area; not Central Oregon, and in it it mentions sending out revised maintenance schedules and the like. Not to care...5K miles or six months will fix everything I'm sure and I will continue on to 10K then. My Toyota dealer and Toyota's Customer Service have not given me any green light on this yet. I don't have to be concerned about it since I'm no where near my 5K yet. Let's just let this play out properly. If I had a new car under warranty that was at 5,000 miles I would have a problem with the dealer and I would want to insist on something in writing from Toyota. If I couldn't get that protection from Toyota then I'd give up and have the regular 5K service.

    PriusChat is not a Toyota run official forum. Everything said here by anyone has to be taken with some grain of salt. If the president of Toyota posted something here you'd be a fool to believe it fully, to act on it fully, to bank on it fully.
     
  9. prius4driver

    prius4driver Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2009
    74
    12
    0
    Location:
    Sublimity, Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    Susan, I talked to the Toyota service department in Salem today when I made an appointment to get the brake situation fixed. I asked if a coupon they sent regarding a discounted oil change could be used past the 31 March end date since I wouldn't have 5K miles on my car by then--I plan to do the first at 5K, then extend it. He said just split the difference and do it at 7.5K. He seemed to acknowledge the change in his conversation.
     
  10. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2007
    429
    52
    0
    Location:
    Central Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    I know it is happening and by the time my car reaches 5K it will be clear. I just don't have any coupons or anything from Toyota or my dealer on that clarity yet.
     
  11. DetroitFlyer

    DetroitFlyer New Member

    Joined:
    Jun 13, 2009
    18
    1
    0
    Location:
    Canton, MI
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    Yeah, this is not helping to firm up my general thoughts relative to Toyota.... My dealer in Detroit still has not received anything official indicating that the 10K interval has been approved. I have not received anything from Toyota indicating that the 10K interval has been approved. Of course I have received EVERY bill for my car payment on time.... I can just see it now if the engine failed.... Yeah, I did not change my oil at 15K miles because I saw some posts on an Internet message board that said it was OK.... Please honor my warranty.... I mean give me a break. This is EXPENSIVE, 100% synthetic oil. There is no reason to require a 5K oil change interval other than greed. My 2003 Mini Cooper S has a 15K interval for crying out loud! It must be a miracle that the engine has not failed in that car to date.... Come on Toyota, get on the ball and get this information in the hands of ALL of your dealers NOW!!!!!

    AND, unlike Susan, I am at 14,957 miles.... I cannot wait months for Toyota to get their act together!!!!!
     
  12. zeke

    zeke New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2009
    28
    0
    3
    Location:
    NW PA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    I'm surprised by the confusion. My own dealer's service dept in PA told me 10,000 miles and when I received a mass email about being ready for the 5000 servicing I called again and was told it is definitely 10,000 miles with synthetic oil. When I took my daughter's car in to a dealer near Charlotte, they also confirmed the 10,000 recommendation. No hedging about certain conditions. No effort to do more frequent servicing to make more money.
     
  13. econerd

    econerd Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 10, 2009
    4
    4
    0
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    Just received an updated maintenance guide booklet direct from Toyota for my 2010 Prius today. The cover letter highlighted the new 10K interval. The maintenance light will still come on at 5k though.
     
  14. sundevil

    sundevil New Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2009
    34
    1
    0
    Location:
    Gilbert, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    Another email from Toyota - at least they seem to have gotten it right this time.

    From Toyota ....

    I apologize for any confusion I may have caused, as this is a recent development.
    I have a confirmation, that the letters with the 10,000-mile / one year synthetic oil change interval, for 0W20 oil have in fact been in the mail and are currently in the mail to customers. So yes, it is official that the interval should be recognized, and the customer should present the letter if needed to the questioning dealers.
     
  15. derkraut

    derkraut Member

    Joined:
    Oct 8, 2006
    299
    27
    0
    Location:
    SAN
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    $70 for an oil change?? Talk about a ripoff! You must enjoy having people screw you out of your hard-earned money. Do it yourself in 15 minutes with a rag, 3 1/2 qt of good quality 0/30wt oil, a filter and a couple cheap, simple tools, for about $15-$20.
     
  16. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2007
    429
    52
    0
    Location:
    Central Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    What does over the counter 0W-20 cost anyway? Is 3.5 quarts right too? I'll stick with 0W-20 but I hope that price is way off. Probably not far off though since it must include labor and it doesn't look like much fun reaching the filter--how bizarre is that?
     
  17. LRKingII

    LRKingII New Member

    Joined:
    May 31, 2009
    679
    132
    0
    Location:
    Idaho
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    $6.50 a qt at my dealer for Toyota 0-20w
    On my 5000 mile change awhile back they charged me for 4 qts but gave me the 1/2 qt not used and told me to bring it in to use on next change.
     
  18. Susan4ET

    Susan4ET Member

    Joined:
    May 9, 2007
    429
    52
    0
    Location:
    Central Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    Good, what was the breakdown of the whole bill then including filter and labor if I might ask? This might be the only thing I pay for if I do some light maintenance myself such as changing out air filters for the next several years. I'd want them to check break wear and service liquids and the like. The tires get rotated twice a year when I change out studded tires. I bought a pre-paid maintenance program for the 2007 but figure it was a real waste of money since all they did were the required services every 5K and I needed no road service (which I have AAA for anyway). So for the 2010 I didn't buy pre-paid maintenance. The 2007 was the most trouble-free car I've ever owned.
     
  19. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2005
    4,067
    687
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Oregon
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    Here is the DIY oil change thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii.../67747-oil-change-2010-prius-do-yourself.html

    It takes about 4.3 quarts. Mobil 1 0W20 is about $6.27/qt at Wal-Mart but I just found some on sale for $4. Filters are $4 ea if you buy them 10 at a time on line, link is in the oil change thread. Filter from the dealer is probably $6 or $7. My dealer will change the oil for $18 and supply a filter if I bring my own oil.

    Pretty easy to do, filter is right by the oil drain plug.
     
  20. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,068
    15,372
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Re: Some 2010 Toyota Vehicle Oil Change Intervals Officially Revised To 10000 miles/1 year (verified

    Updated maintenance guide and cover letter arrived ... finally.

    Bob Wilson