Refusal To Change Oil With 5W-30

Slight overfilling is not a problem. 1/2" is significant and you wer eright to have it reduced.

No excuse for not using 5W-30; I'd call Toyota regional reps and report this dealer's baloney.

 

When you specifically ask them to not waste that extra oil, yes, it is a problem.

 

I meant that it would not pose a problem for the ICE. But 1/2" over is probably enough to risk ingesting oil where it shouldn't.

 

Did they reset your "Maint Required" light?

 

If you do go back to a dealer, see if you can bring in your own oil. Every dealer I've been to will and will also deduct that from your bill. You can give them 3 quarts and tell them you'll put in the rest later.

 

Wow. I'd look for a new dealer!

On this subject... does anybody know which Fumoto drain valve is the right one for the Prius II? The Fumoto site always leaves you guessing.

 

I believe you can get it for even less than the 10% off discount price (on Fumoto's website) if you instead order it from Lubricationspecialist.com.

 

Craig:

That one in particular caught my attention. "Too watery." What *exactly* does that mean? That they've tested many different viscosity oils and reached the conclusion a 5W-30 is "too watery?"

I wonder if you're aware that the newer Ford's and Honda's in your area run a 5W-20 year round? See many of them explode?? So what did they fill with instead, a 20W-50??

I really think the entire issue of viscosity is way overblown. For example, here in Winnipeg a conventional 5W-30 oil is *too* thick for winter, as it won't work much below -30 C. On the other hand, in some hot climates there may be additional protection for the motor if a thicker viscosity is used, at a corresponding loss in fuel economy.

At the normal test temperature of +100 C, Mobil 1 5W-30 has a viscosity of 11.3 cSt (CentiStokes). Mobil 1 10W-30 at the same temperature has a rated viscosity of 10.0 cSt. It actually tests a wee bit thinner than the 5W-30!

For any motor rated to use an xW-30 motor oil, a test viscosity range of 9-13 cSt is fine.

Even some of the EU car makers have changed their ideas on viscosity. For example, VW, BMW, Mercedes etc used to specify heavier oils for higher temps, such as a 5W-40. Now they're specifying a 5W-30, and VW is specifying a 0W-30.

Hate to say it, but that dealer of yours is really out in left field. There is nothing worse than Old Wives Tales presented as "fact."

Yeesh.

jay

 

watery oil? yeahhhhhh.

go somewhere else next time. that's a load of BS.

 

Craig K5VMI, leave the nest.

 

I switched to full-synth oil at my first oil change. My dealer's service rep told me to bring my oil, because they charge alot for full-synth. "Just make sure it's 5W-30" he said, so I wouldn't void my warranty. (I'm not too much further north than you.)

I agree that you should report this to Toyota Corp. Your dealer has voided your warranty. They might owe you a new car for that. I hope you kept your service invoice.....


P.S. - My dealer also dropped my tire pressure, down to 34psi. They claim my tires were "over-inflated." I had them at 42 front and 40 rear. Max is 44psi. Hmmmm.....

 

I also agree that this dealer should be reported to Toyota. Of course their motivation was money.

It is probable that your dealer didn't void your warranty. But it is important to determine what viscosity oil they used. It does state, at least for the 2005 Prius, that 10W-30 oil can be used if 5W-30 oil isn't available, but it should be changed for 5W-30 at the next oil change. That is on page 287.

If the person who told you the oil was "too watery" did so with a straight face they should switch to the acting profession. As jayman pointed out with the Mobil1 oils, it depends on the particular oil. Believe it or not, there are 0W-30 oils that match, if not exceed, many 5W-30 oils.

And even funnier is that it is winter now in the northern hemisphere, and it has been known to get cold even in southern Louisiana. Honda says you can optionally use 10W-30 oil only if the temperature is not going to drop below 60 degrees, if I remember correctly.

Since it is winter, I really would insist that Toyota provide a voucher so you can go to another dealer and get the oil changed to the correct 5W-30 as soon as possible. It won't wreck your engine to drive with it for awhile, but it will diminish its lifespan ever so slightly if you're running it in cold weather with the 10W-30 oil.

 

Try Lakeside Toyota in Metairie. When I bring my Prius in for an oil change, I generally bring in my own oil. This way I know for certain they will use the right kind of oil and the correct amount, as I remove some of the oil from one of the containers. As for the air in the tires, they have to go by what is recommended, not what is preferred. It's easy enough to correct the pressure yourself after you get your car back.

 

Highly improbably that your warranty is void. Although oil viscosity is important, a slightly thicker viscousity oil will not do any damage to your vehicle. It is more likley to provide greater resistance on the pump, which means some power rob from the ICE, but that is also going to be limited. No oil would be much worse than a different weight.

However the dealer that did this work is way off from center with Toyota. I'm not surprised by hearing this. The practices of dealers in the GST region are of legend on the boards.

 

If they have any horror stories to relate where 5W-30 caused an engine to fail, please let us know. So far, I haven't found one for even 0W-30...

 

The service rep you got is an idiot. I grew up in southern Mississippi/Louisiana (Natchez area specifically), and 5W-30 is just fine. I always used either 5W-30 or 10W-30, depending on the specific vehicle. The Prius is recommended to get 5W-30, it should get 5W-30, even in the worst weather possible there.

Yes, definitely do it yourself. I just did the 15k for myself (dealer did 5k and 10k) and the oil was definitely overfilled, slightly over 4 quarts. I haven't noticed any permanent effects yet, but my mileage has improved (beyond seasonal effects).

 

Hello,

Please remember that the SAE sets the viscosity guidelines for motor oil in their J3000 specification. This specifies that an oil can get no thicker than ###cSt at very cold temperatures and no thinner that ###cSt at hot (100-deg-C). I believe that an oil that is between 9.3cSt and 12.5cSt is consider to be SAE 30 regardless if an individual person thinks it is too thin.

here is the J3000 spec

Grade Cold Cranking (CCS) Cold Pumping (MRV) Kinematic Viscosity, 100°C HTHS, 150 °C
unit (cP @ T °C) (cP @ T °C) (cSt) (cSt) (cP)
- Maximum Maximum Minimum Maximum Minimum
0W 6200 @ -35 60,000 @ -40 3.8 - -
5W 6600 @ -30 60,000 @ -35 3.8 - -
10W 7000 @ -25 60,000 @ -30 4.1 - -
15W 7000 @ -20 60,000 @ -25 5.6 - -
20W 9500 @ -15 60,000 @ -20 5.6 - -
25W 13000 @ -10 60,000 @ -15 9.3 - -
20 - - 5.6 <9.3 2.6
30 - - 9.3 <12.5 2.9
40 - - 12.5 <16.3 2.9 (0W-40, 5W-40, 10W-40)
40 - - 12.5 <16.3 3.7 (15W-40, 20W-40, 25W-40, 40)
50 - - 16.3 <21.9 3.7
60 - - 21.9 <26.1 3.7