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First Oil Change at less than 1000 miles

Discussion in 'Gen 5 Prius Main Forum' started by Argyros, Dec 3, 2023.

  1. Argyros

    Argyros Member

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    Hey all,

    I know there will be a LOT of feedback (and probably negative responses) for this, but I took this advice from the Motor Oil Geek in the video below. The premise is that when an engine is new, and it's not 'settled' into it's own yet, there's more damage done at this time prior to 1000 miles, than at any other time in the new car's life.

    If you do an oil change prior to 1000 miles, then whatever microscopic particles that sheared off in those first miles while an engine is getting seated, it will flush those particles out of the engine, and will allow an engine to last so much longer. After watching the video, I decided to do this. I went to my Toyota dealer this morning, and they had a special on an oil change of $ 69.95, to which I told them I wanted to pay on my own, and use the next 10k oil change for free when I reach that time. Time will tell, but I want my new car to last me 300,000 miles or more. Hope this helps.

     
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    a bird in the hand is worth 2 in the bush
     
  3. Doug McC

    Doug McC Active Member

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    Your basis for following this person’s advise is a YouTube video where he claims he is an expert. Interesting. For what it’s worth, I agree with you doing it, but I don’t base my ideas on YouTube idiots.
    I base my decision on Intelligent sources such as The Petroleum Institute of America and American Institute of Petroleum, among others.
    I don’t think basing decisions on others opinions are very wise, unless those people actually have the expertise to qualify them to actually be experts.
    Basically you probably made a good choice but based it on poor information.
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Can’t hurt; might help.
     
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  5. Tom_06

    Tom_06 Active Member

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    You have to watch how many miles are with the engine running. My 2017 Prime had its first service at 6 months with just over 2,000 miles on the odometer. I had only put gas in the tank once for a total of 8.8 gallons shortly before that service. I probably only had at most 450 miles on the engine that point, the other 1,500+ miles being on running on battery.

    If I had changed the oil at 1,000 miles, the engine only had a little over 200 miles on it. For the 2017 I had a "free" oil change every 6 months. If it wasn't for a couple of 1,400+ mile trips that were all on gas I wouldn't have had 1,000 engine miles even at the 12 month oil change.

    Should I ever manage to get the 2024 that I want, I will try to get an oil change after I burn about 20 gallons of gas which should be about 1,000 miles.
     
  6. AndersOne

    AndersOne Active Member

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    Whats wrong with just following Toyota recommendations? In europe they give 15 years of warranty if you follow their maintenance schedule so I assume they have high trust in it.
     
  7. Harters

    Harters Active Member

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    I'm in the UK and I have only ever followed Toyota service schedule, which in the UK is 10,000 or 1 year whichever comes first.

    We also do not have any tyre rotation schedule that you guys in the US seem to have.

    Once a year is the only time my car ever goes into the Dealership. I do my own tyre pressure checks of course and keep an eye on the levels, but apart from adding some water in the washer bottle, that is all I ever do.
     
  8. AndersOne

    AndersOne Active Member

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    I guess thats more a nice to have - if I resell the car no one cares about how I rotated the tires but they surely do care whether I did the official maintenance/servicing every year.

    For european countries that switch to winter tires - rotation is a nobrainer anyway...
     
    #8 AndersOne, Dec 4, 2023
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2023
  9. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Their decisions as to what needs doing, and how frequently, may be shaped by many variables, some of them possibly detrimental to the car’s longevity.
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    We’re not treated as nicely as Europeans, perhaps you have better consumer protections laws.
    We get nothing for following Toyota recommendations, and it is thought by some here that they never should have changed from 5 to 10,000 mile oil change recommendations
     
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  11. AndersOne

    AndersOne Active Member

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    @bisco
    Im the first to praise the EU but I dont want to paint the wrong picture here. Just following the schedule is not enough, we have to go to an official dealership and get it for quite a sum of money. So its not just a nice warranty of Toyota but a lifelong, lucrative customer milking.

    And if they could find a reason to milk even more often they would gladly do it I guess.
     
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  12. Pdog808

    Pdog808 Active Member

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    I've always changed my oil within the first 1000 miles (1200 with the Prime). Better safe than sorry.

    Kirkland sells 0W-20 oil that will work until you get your first oil change. Good price on it also (sub $20 I believe). And YES, I know they recommend 0W-16 but 0W-20 won't affect your engine. It could possibly cut your mileage down by a few tenths of a mile per gallon (if that).

    Using the gas gauge as a measurement of engine mileage is a great idea @Tom_06
     
  13. Buschfeuer

    Buschfeuer New Member

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    Hello team, first post here. This thread made me chuckle a bit because two months back I bought a brand new '23 Prime in New Jersey (USA) and drove it 1300 miles down to South Florida the next day. Didn't even think of taking it slow to break it in, or to perform an oil change on arrival. I hope the car will be just fine sticking with Toyota's recommended oil change interval though :)
     
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  14. Preebee

    Preebee Senior Member

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    15 years of warranty lol. And you guys wonder why you can't ever get the cars you want.
     
  15. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    You don't need to do this. Those metal particles will be caught in the oil filter and cannot cause any harm.

    If you really care about ICE longevity, do not drive faster than 55 mph during the first 1,000 miles and accelerate very gently as well. This break-in is very important for maximum fuel economy in the future.

    Oil change at 1,000 miles—you don't need it.
     
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  16. Gwyd

    Gwyd Member

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    Where did you get that information from?
     
  17. ken2023

    ken2023 Junior Member

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    Toyota has a few recommendations in the manual, which all boil down to "drive normally, don't do anything crazy or unusual". For the first 200 miles (300 km): Avoid sudden stops. For the first 600 miles (1000 km): Do not drive at extremely high speeds. Avoid sudden acceleration. Do not drive continuously in low gears. Do not drive at a constant speed.

    As for the suggestion to not drive faster than 55mph, that is not an "extremely high speed", ha ha. I'd interpret that as 90, 100mph. Some folks I think just go a little overboard obsessing over the car. The manual is a big vague though, and for Gokhan 55 mph is extremely fast. For others, 80 mph is extremely fast.


     
  18. Gokhan

    Gokhan Senior Member

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    Haha, perhaps 55 mph is extremely fast for me. ;)

    55 mph for the first 1,000 miles used to be the golden rule of break-in in the owner's manuals of the past.

    I understand few like me have the patience for that anymore, and that's why the owner's manuals for newer cars have entirely eased up on that, only mentioning extreme speeds.

    Nevertheless, I would certainly not accelerate hard during the first 1,000 miles. I do baby mine by limiting it to 55 mph in the first 1,000 miles as well. I also try to ensure that no one has test-driven it before I get my hands on it. I believe break-in is the most important thing for your car. As one of my neighbors once told me, your car is "better than new," meaning that I followed a very rigorous break-in. I see a consistent 70 mpg fuel economy on mine, and no one in the entire forum has ever come close to my consistent DTE values over 720 miles. Was my rigorous break-in a factor? Perhaps it was and perhaps it wasn't, but I would like to think so.

     
  19. Aquest

    Aquest New Member

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    Do these new Toyotas have a magnetic oil pan plug?
     
  20. Alan Nomoto

    Alan Nomoto New Member

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    As an aircraft owner who has replaced both aircraft & auto engines, I find any advice given on YouTube dubious at best. Remember, they’re there for clicks to monetize. The advice is a means to an end. If I follow the manufacturer's guidance, any defect is on them. Go rogue & they’ll find a reason to void your warranty.

    Hey, we’re talking about a medium where people jump from planes (& go to jail) for clicks.
     
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