Met a 10,000 mi/month, Prius Prime owner

My 2010 Owner's Manual says 0W20. No distinctions regarding synthetic, though I'd assume all 0W20 is synth.


(page 560)

 

For two of the three years that Lincoln pick up was available, the oil change interval was 5000 miles.

For 2008, perhaps the increase to 7500 was for marketing, or maybe the oil passages were enlarged, or the specified oil was better. I do know that when Ford switched to 5w20 oil, they back certified many engines for it on the road, but not all for technical reasons.

Toyota paid for those sludgy engines.

What exactly was the failure?

The only blown engine I'm familiar with happened because of problems with the cooling system.
Of maintenance items to do early because of potential engine destruction, I'd have timing belts at the top of the list.

Yeah, 0w- isn't possible without at least some actual synthetic oil mixed in.

 

I'm kinda floored at the paranoia here of not using even moderately extended oil change intervals.

I change the oil on my '07 Prius 1x/year whether it needs it or not.
It's coming up on 330,000 miles - do the math.
(Actually, there were a number of years I drove >>30,000 miles/year.)
And it does not burn any oil in the conventional sense.
And after this little addition, it appears to use no oil at all anymore.

Had my valve cover gasket replaced while changing out my PCV valve recently (@ ~300kmi) by an ex Honda Master Mechanic and he was surprised by the minimal amount of wear after becoming aware of my oil change interval. View attachment 177271 View attachment 177271

 

Wow. That is impressive.

It is pretty mind boggling how reliable the 1.8l engine is.

The oil catch is also a great idea.

 

The engine is very reliable since it is never pushed to the limit under high load. Sure it revs high but that engine was designed to do that.

 

Still 30K oil changes are impressive. I must say the picture and the oil change schedule has changed my mind. I will "push" it off to 10K.

 

European engines require better oil than is commonly available here in North America. It costs more and it lasts longer. Look at the ACEA specs vs. SAE & ILSAC specs, although the gap is narrowing.

The sump capacity needs to be factored into the oil drain intervals. A larger sump lets the oil sit there longer where it's not being stressed in the bearings. Our tiny 1.8 liter engine has a relatively large sump. Some Porsche engines have a long oil drain interval and a 10 quart sump, for example.

Synthetic oil, even the Group 3 base oil faux-synthetic we usually buy, oxidizes at a slower rate than conventional oils made from Group 2 base oil. This adds to the oil life.

 

Yea, I drive the same per month. I guess it's not too crazy considering anyone that bought a Prime has high mileage. At 10k, that is something.


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