Oil change every 5k miles or 3 months?

IMHO, 3 months would be too frequent. 6 months would be generally accepted as normal. Usually I go by 5K miles or 6 months whichever comes first. Oil gradually goes bad with time even if it is not used much.

 

The maintenance schedule says 5,000 mi or 6 mo. which every comes first. And if you don't have it done at a Toyota dealer then you should be saving your receipts to prove it was done just in case you have a warranty claim.

 

6mo/5k is(are) the magic number(s)

 

You should have it done at 9,000 miles (4K + 5K). Having had a change at 4K you should see the Maint Req light pop on for a few seconds once you hit 8.5K and at 9K it will stay on. Or if it is sooner, have it done in April (Oct + 6 months).

My dealer always puts a sticker on the upper left of the windshield, which I ignore because they note the next change at 3K or 3 months.

 

Do a search for the used oil analysis I posted a few months back. With Mobil 1 0W-30, an oil change every 6 months or 5,000 miles is *plenty*

This motor is gentle on oil. Another fact to keep in mind is the EU Prius has a scheduled oil change interval of 12 months or 10,000 miles, running a semi-synthetic or full synthetic.

It all depends on the type of oil you run. I had a mystery to solve of very high Na levels in my used oil, and the testing lab assumed a slow coolant leak. As it turned out, after chasing a bunch of dead ends, they finally asked for a virgin oil sample of the oil from the last oil change, and from the dealer as well.

It turned out the dealer bulk motor oil was very nasty and poor quality stuff.

 

hi guyz and galz,

I got my new Prius 821 miles ago and the dealer i bought it from put a sticker on my window saying to change the oil at 1000.

The book says 5,000.......whats up with this?

 

your dealer is full of it. believe the maintenance book before the dealer when it comes to routine services.

 

I run mobil1 and yesterday I checked the oil at 5 months and 7500 miles and found it to be amber and not a bit lower than the level at the time of the oil change. amazing

I have 46000 miles on the car. Probably only 32000 on the engine though. It's off so much, dontcha know.

 

I do all of my own mainainance. How do you check the hybrid coolant system?

 

Reservoir level check = full, Benighted. It's pink or red (depending on your model), just like the engine's. Transparent in both cases, in other words it should look beautiful.

 

Thanks for the info. It sure beats getting charged for "maintainance" to just check it yourself

 

It is my understanding that oil for Europe is slightly different from the oil for North America. I know at least Pennzoil sells a 5W-30 Euro oil, so it seems that there must be a different specification for the oil.

 

Why would they use different oil on the same motor?

 

I my experience Toyota dealers frequently recommend an early first oil change to remove the break-in wear debris. You will probably find it is "free", and if they remember to reset the oil change interval the maintenance required light will signal the next change at 6000 miles.

 

The motor oil approved in the EU is far more than "slightly" different.

Because in the EU the car maker is free to set their own oil specifications, not the oil company dictating it like here. The organisation is known as ACEA (Association des Constructeurs d'Automobiles) and you can find detailed and *free* oil test specifications at:

http://www.acea.be

By contrast, the API/SAE is rather secretive and prefers to charge you around $150 to peek at their specs.

Overall, the ACEA oil specifications - especially the A3/B4-02 specs - are far stricter than typical North American specs. The oil test regime is run 250 hours instead of 40/60 hours, makeup oil isn't allowed during the test, and the oil is only allowed to thicken 80-90%.

The "Starburst" rated oils are run for a much shorter cycle, sludge and varnish are allowed, up to 7.5 litres of makeup oil are allowed during the test, and the oil will "pass" if it thickens 250% during the test.

If you search with my user name and the topic of oil specification, you will find very detailed posts on the subject.

 

A lot depends on anticipated driving cycle, government regulations, and local attitudes.

Overall, the EU frowns upon frequent oil changes, as they recognise the danger to the environment posed by those frequent oil changes. Mention "3 months or 3,000 miles" and they'll look at you like you just stepped out of a flying saucer.

In the EU the car maker is free to set the oil specification, and not have it dictated by an oil company. Here, with API, they're in the business of promoting frequent oil changes to boost profits, espcially for those Qwickie Lube Whilst U Wait places.

The specifications are far different for ACEA rated oils than for API oils. An example of an oil available here that meets some ACEA spec is Mobil 1. I posted a used oil analysis a few months ago after 5,000 miles running Mobil 1 0W-30, and the oil was clearly good for much more: TBN was still quite high, and wear metals were negligible.

Consider that in the EU, the VW cars with TDI/PD motors have a 24 month or 50,000km oil change interval. A lot of that is due to the special oil they use, along with very tight and refined engine assembly.

I also posted the results of a virgin oil sample of my dealer's bulk motor oil, after having an unusually high Na reading. That stuff was pure crap, bare minimum API spec. I'd probably change that garbage every 3,000 miles.

 

That makes sense. I run full synthetic in my car so I could go longer than 5,000 miles, or maybe just restet the "Maint req'd" and run it for 2 cycles?

In the Prius how often do they change the oil in the EU? Is it possible to get EU quality oil?

 

The regular service interval is 12 months or 16,000km/10,000mi.

Many of the synthetics available here are ACEA rated. For example, Mobil 1 5W-30:

http://www.mobil1.com/USA-English/Lubes/PD...obil1_5W-30.asp

It claims to meet the ACEA A1/B1, which is defined as: "Medium service for motors designed for a low viscosity motor oil"

The Extended Performance Mobil 1 5W-30 claims to meet A1/A5:

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lubes/PDS...Performance.asp

The ACEA A5 spec is designed for: "Extended drain intervals in motors designed for a low viscosity motor oil."

A popular choice around here is Castrol Syntec 0W-30. It has no relation to the semi-synthetic Syntec oil, it's actually made in Germany and has an odd green color. It also smells of gummi bears. It meets the ACEA A1/A3/A5 B4-02 specs.