What oil..120k

I would recommend switching to a "high mileage" oil. The additional additives in high mileage oil can help older engines run a little smoother and may prolong the time before The Burn. If you have always run straight Dino stick with straight Dino. If you have always run synthetic stick with synthetic. My $0.02.

My Ema has always run Dino and still does to this day although she is now experiencing The Burn to the tune of about 1 qt./2K. If you haven't made checking your oil a standard practice every 1K or so I would start now. With a 2006 even though your miles aren't that high you may start burning some.

Hope this helps. Happy Driving!!!

Chris

 

Hi Redskin. You haven't told us either your location or what type of oil you've previously been using, which makes it kinda' hard to tell you if you should change.

One thing I'd say though, unless you're somewhere really cold, don't use 0w20 or 5w20. And as Chis said, make sure you check you're oil every 1k to 2k miles at least. Using a little bit of oil is no big deal for an engine, but running low on oil is. And many prius do start using a little bit of oil after 100k miles.

Tells us where you are (what type of climate) and what oil you're currently (or previously been) running to get better advice.

 

It won't actually be "5 weight" (well let's hope not). It will either be 5W20 or 5W30, which are actually 20 weight or 30 weight respectively at operating temperatures.

Ok 5W30 is good year round for your climate. You don't really need to change it every 3k. Any decent oil will do 5k miles (or more) fairly easily, but you do need to check the dipstick regularly and top off if needed.

BTW. Who changes your oil. Do you do it yourself or does the dealer or lube shop do it?

 

Redskin Prius,

5W30 straight dino is what I use in Ema. I go and buy Pennzoil 5w30 high mileage oil in the 5 qt. container at Walmart for $16. Then tell the dealer to put 3.5 qt. in at the oil change and use the remaining 1.5 qt. as "top off" between 5K oil changes.
I might go back to 3K changes and am currently testing to see if anything helps with The Burn. That is a topic for another thread however. Like this one ...

2008 Prius - burning oil at 135,000 miles | Page 2 | PriusChat

Happy driving,
Chris

 

You've got a G2...but I can make all of this pretty easy for you.

Whatever you've been doing?
Keep doing that.
120K isn't 'high mileage' for your motor.
I would tell you to check the dipstick every time you get fuel, but we both know you're probably not really going to do that. I'm pretty anal and I usually check about every other fill-up.
It's important to make sure that you're not using much (if any) oil, and when (if) you begin to just make sure that you stay topped off between the 3k changes.

I change between 4 and 5 myself. I just like getting all of the ash and other contaminants out of the motor. I used to change at 3K on the dot, but I'm getting lazier in my old age.

Good Luck!

 

Hello fellow Redskin fan, how will RG3 do this year? I knew where you were from.

No need to change oil policy unless you see an issue. I use exclusively Mobil-1 synthetic and I change oil every 6k mile or so. Mobil-1 synthetic has a number of flavors, including high mileage formula which helps to reduce oil leaks. But I would not use that formula unless I started to see a need for it.

In other business, how do you like our new taxes/hybrid fees in north VA? Here is a tip, if it applies to you, go to DMVnow.com and register your car 3-yrs in advance to escape the new fees. I did this, have my tags registered thru 2016.

P.S.- We just crossed the 120,000 mile barrier too!