But the dealer said...

IMO the dealer is not a bonehead. The dealer is a thief and a liar. Start with the owner's manual. I believe it is conservative and written to Toyota's advantage. Then read through the posts here and follow whatever well reasoned advice you believe will be of benefit to you.

 

So your saying your oil dipstick has no fuel smell at all? I changed my oil at 800 miles because the oil stick smelled like fuel. In fact back then poking around when I looked down the throttle bore with the butterfly open to the bottom of the intake I saw a puddle of what looked like fuel.I looked down the bore the other day and can still see a puddle down there. Looks like a puddle of fuel. The car runs perfect no smoke and excellent acceleration. I average 48 mpg's with spikes to 53 every day. I think its just the way the motor is with the way the Atkisson intake works. I'd sure like some other new 07 owners to smell there dipsticks. But an UOA is indicated.Thank you.

 

Nope, zero fuel smell. What you're seeing in the bottom of the intake manifold is oil, not fuel. That appears to be a Prius thing, I noticed that in mine a couple of years ago and the dealer cleaned free of charge.

If you search for oil in intake, you should find the reports here. At first we thought it was due to overfilling oil, but perhaps it is due to how the PCV works and the location of the PCV near the timing chain

I forget the forum member name, but he picked up the fuel-in-oil thanks to a used oil analysis. It was something like 4%, a warning level

 

Hmmmm..thats disconcerting. Looks like I'll be taking a sample this weekend.
Thanks.

 

it is still traditional to change the oil at 3000 miles. not necessary of course with newer vehicles that have fuel injection and computer controled burning. my benz recommends 10,000. that being said., i am going to have my first oil change and filter at 3000 miles. then im switching to mobil 1 and will do approximately 5000 miles. i agree that you should stick close to what the manufacturer recommends. its your vehicle and their warranty.

 

The service manual says 5,000 mi. for the 1st Oil Change. Your Dealer is blowing smoke.

 

Yeah, what they said

Every 5K BECAUSE it will keep your warranty valid. Not earlier, waste of money, oil and filters. My dealer kept putting 'next change' stickers on the windshield - 3K miles. I immediately threw them out. Plus, given all the trouble I have had with them, I change my own oil now anyway (Mobil 1 since the 10K change). Have now gone over 60K so I can extend the interval. Will be getting the current oil analyzed just to reassure myself that it is still OK after 5K miles at 60K on the 'system'. Who knows how many on the engine.

They really should toss the xx miles interval and put in an engine hour meter since the number of miles over the planet has nothing to do with the number of miles on the engine.

 

5k is fine... no need for synthetic.

 

It's both. If your oil is contaminated with particles, that means your filter is dying and needs to be changed (It's bypass valve should be open if your filter is maxed with dirt and stuff).

If your oil is breaking down, and all the chemicals that protect your engine are getting neutralized, then that oil needs to be changed no matter what. If your filter is empty of dirt and stuff, then it can stay on there.