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

Engine Oil Analysis on 2007 Prius with 82k

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by LDPosse, Aug 17, 2011.

  1. LDPosse

    LDPosse Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2011
    35
    27
    0
    Location:
    Hershey, PA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I purchased my '07 Prius in January of this year. I did my first oil change with Mobil 1 5w30 and sent it out to Blackstone for analysis. I only ran 6,064 miles on this sample to get a baseline reading before attempting a longer drain interval. This sample was done with just over 82,000 on the car.

    My daily commute is very short (4 miles each way), however I do enough other driving to frequently get the motor up to proper operating temps.

    I looked at some older posts here on the forum about UOAs and longer drain intervals, but many of the cars seemed to have relatively low miles on them. Has anyone driven their vehicles north of 100k on extended intervals? I've already put 12,000 miles on this car this year, and I hope to keep it around a LONG time! :car:

    Thanks!
     

    Attached Files:

    1 person likes this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    that's a nice report, i like their commentary. how much do they charge?
     
  3. LDPosse

    LDPosse Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2011
    35
    27
    0
    Location:
    Hershey, PA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    The analysis was $25. I could get it done cheaper locally, but the commentary Blackstone includes, as well as a significant database for the universal averages makes it worth the expense.
     
  4. Simtronic

    Simtronic Active Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2009
    290
    116
    1
    Location:
    Surrey, UK
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius PHV
    Model:
    Business Ed. Plus
    I change mine every 10000 miles and am at 110000miles now, the last year I have had a plugin kit (enginer) so I'm sure the engine is getting an easier life. I Always use a quality oil but have never had it analysed.
     
  5. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2010
    3,326
    1,512
    38
    Location:
    Santa Fe, NM
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    There's no need to be super conservative here. The engine is the most abundant major part in the salvage catalog (car-part.com). Why not just go for it? Try a 10,000 mile OCI on 0W-20?
     
  6. krousdb

    krousdb NX-74205

    Joined:
    Jul 16, 2005
    580
    498
    47
    Location:
    Raleigh, NC
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    1 person likes this.
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    seeing that i don't keep my vehicles beyond warranty, i'm wondering if i should change the oil at all?
     
  8. uart

    uart Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2009
    4,215
    1,200
    0
    Location:
    Australia
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    If you don't change the oil you wont have a warranty, so the point is moot. :)

    Anyway changing the oil in the Prius would have to be about the easiest maintenance item ever. I find the filter and drain plug so easy to access compared with some other cars I've owned that I don't even need a jack or stands. I drive the left front wheel up onto a 5" piece of lumber and that's all I need.
     
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    the whole warranty or just the engine?
     
  10. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2010
    4,539
    1,433
    9
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Only what they can legitimately (or illegitimately in some cases:eek:) blame on using too long an oil change interval.
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    so, if you have a warranty issue, do you have to produce receipts? to be honest, in 40 years of driving, i have never had a serious warranty issue, so i'm not familiar.
     
  12. xs650

    xs650 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 2, 2010
    4,539
    1,433
    9
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Normally not, but if it looks like an oil related problem to the dealers or manufacturer you may need them.

    With a 10k interval on the Gen III, it's not much of a burden to keep them.

    They can't deny a warranty claim for your lack of maintenance unless it looks like your lack of maintenance contributed to the problem...or if they just want to lie about it to weasel out of a claim.:eek: I don't think it's a common problem with new car warranties unless your lack of maintenance pretty obviously contributed to the problem.

    OTOH, if you poorly maintained your car and then sold it to some unsuspecting sucker, you would be a bit of a douche bag.
     
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i would never do that, i would trade it in to some unsuspecting dealer. :)
     
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2010
    54,468
    38,103
    80
    Location:
    Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    I'm sticking 8000 km (5000 mi) or 6 months. It's the Canadian interval. If it were to be revised to align with the US interval I'd still stick with it. Cheap insurance. I don't really buy the argument about conserving oil either: the car consumes many times more oil in the form of gasoline than a few liters/qt's at an oil change, and it can be recyled responsibly.
     
  15. BAllanJ

    BAllanJ Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2008
    667
    77
    0
    Location:
    Kingston Ontario
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I'm also doing the 8 Mm interval... but I don't use synthetic either.
     
  16. EffinRed

    EffinRed Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 21, 2011
    32
    2
    0
    Location:
    Boston, MA
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    That's great info, I'm going to try this service a few times granted it will take me a few years to put appreciable miles on the car. I probably drive 8k a year max.
     
  17. Jah

    Jah Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2013
    7
    3
    0
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I think unless you are a fleet manager or something of that sort, that the oil analysis is a novelty and conversation piece. If you take one or two tests and then adopt a long term oil change schedule, you're only seeing a small time slice of the potential wear pattern. The tests are as much about trend as they are about absolute numbers. If you follow a recommended test schedule and don't get a fleet discount, you are spending as much or more for your conversation piece than it would cost to keep fresher oil in your car. I use Mobile 1 primarily because it is the most commonly available motor oil on the planet and with coupon discounts at Costco, costs less that the non-synthetic's at an auto parts store. I change my own oil but use OEM filters (bought cheaply by the case off EBay) for warranty validation if necessary. Personally, I don't think the tiny Toyota filters do well on small particles because my oil is darkened after 5K miles. There is no way to get an ISO fine test dust result specification for a Toyota filter without paying for it yourself but I'm guessing their filtration falls off sharply below 20 microns or so. That's another reason why I change it. When the warranty expires and I go to a better filter, I may extend the change period some but not enough to bother with the expense and logistics of oil analysis.
    BTW, pushing the cheapness factor to extremes because there are salvage yard engines commonly available is illogical. Swapping a Prius engine is not a fun experience and you won't know that your supposed low miles engine is good until you've invested heavily in the swap. I've seen too many low time engines that were not stored appropriately.