Required Maintenance

I wouldn't use a Jiffy Lube. It will be a few years before I trust them to change the oil in my Prius. I would go pick up the oil you want to use at your local auto parts store or discounter along with a good quality filter (that means nothing from FRAM) and take those with you to your dealer. They should only charge you for the labor associated with your oil change. Then you are in control of the oil type.

It is good to rotate your tires at 5000. The dealer can do that also when they are changing the oil.

Of course, you can always change the oil yourself and safe lots of money.

 

[font=Comic Sans MS:5e953a2b2b]Get your oil filter from Toyota, dealers frequently run specials on them, if you do the 5K maintenance yourself. If you use a Toyota filter at your scheduled maintenance, there can be no recrimination on that point if you need engine work later. They are good filters and the built-in back-flow-preventer valve keeps oil in the system better.

You never have to rotate your tires, they rotate constantly as you drive. Of course, if you want your tires to last, swapping them front/back helps. Tire rotation is for your benefit, the car doesn't care.[/font:5e953a2b2b]

 

Not to disagree with Bill, but consumers have choice. There are some very good non-manufacturer branded filters out there. Purolator PureOne filters are very well built and heavily tested. They are my choice in all my vehicles. The price is competitive and I firmly believe it is a better filter than most others that you can buy on the market. Toyota filters are built by the U.S. arm of Denso, which supplies lots of the parts in the Prius. They are good filters, but nothing to write home about.

I'm always a little surprised about the attitude about OEM parts. Maintenance parts and service parts for any vehicle are subject to quality ups and downs. I've seen factory branded OEM parts in replacement situations perform beyond expectation, and I've seen factory branded OEM parts fail over and over again when they shouldn't have. On the flip side, I've seen third party parts outperform, and I've also seen them underperform. It isn't a crap shoot. A little education, some reading and some personal, historical, experience with products and brands gives you a good idea of which ones perform and which ones do not.

Read this article at corolland.com. I think you might find it helpful.
http://www.corolland.com/oil-filters.html

I would only purchase Toyota filters if there was a special running. Otherwise, stock price, and pass through price on your parts invoice when getting a dealer oil change is way too much compared to purchasing a quality filter at your favorite car parts retailer.

Also, we have laws in the U.S. which prevent manufacturers from "monopolizing" the service on your vehicle due to warranty "restrictions". You have the right to change the oil yourself, have a third party shop do it or have a dealer do it. On top of that, you also have the right to provide parts of your choice when those jobs are done. A quality brand name filter is a safe bet, along with brand name oil.

I have never found a dealer that would deny warranty service because you chose to do regular maintenance on you own or from a third party.

 

[font=Comic Sans MS:1390180463]I don't disagree with you, jeromep. I was just giving my advice.

I usually take my Toyota to a shop that specializes in Toyotas and Subarus. I used to bring my own synthetic oil, but they saw the light and now offer it as an option at about the same price I was paying at the store. They use Toyota oil filters. The also put a small, powerful magnet on the outside of the filter to help trap any metal flakes.[/font:1390180463]

 

I'm sorry if I came of too strong. That wasn't my intention. I look for solid value in everything. I do my best to not buy junk. I work too hard for my money.

My first oil change was done by the dealer, (mostly to register it in the system, but it was convenient for me to do that at the time, I still prefer to do my own changes) but I brought in Mobil1 and my PureOne filter and the service writer was impressed that I didn't bring them crap to put on my car. On the phone they had tried to steer me toward OEM parts, and that would have been ok, but I kind of wanted to move up to what I'm used to using myself and I had purchased my oil and filter on sale at Bi-mart.

I hope we aren't spinning the head of our original poster.

 

Also change filters every 30K, or sooner if they get real dirty.

 

I juts picked my car up and they now reccomend oil changes at 3,750. Anyone else get that?

 

Ask the Dealer whether that is their recommendation or Toyota's.

The right answer is that Toyota recommends oil changes at 5,000 miles.

There's no reason to change it more often than 5K, and you could probably go further. Many other countries have longer recommended intervals. However, to keep your warrantee in effect, it's wise to follow Toyota's service schedule, and keep reciepts.

The dealier would happily change your oil every 5 miles if they thought they could convince you to come in once a day

 

[Ask the Dealer whether that is their recommendation or Toyota's.
The right answer is that Toyota recommends oil changes at 5,000 miles.
The card with the maintainence schedule on it lists, 3750/7500/15000/30000
and what each level entails. Im guessing that may be a standard list and not specific to the prius.

 

[font=Comic Sans MS:fcb32f3ec7]I got a blue Maintenance booklet in my lit pack, not a card, and it is for the Prius and says 5000/10,000/15,000 etc.

What card are you taliking about? Something from the dealer?[/font:fcb32f3ec7]

 

That service interval seems a bit odd.

The first oil change at 3,750 mi? A bit early.

The next service is 4,000 mi later.

The one after that is 7,500 mi later.

And the one at 30,000 mi is a full 15,000 mi past the previous service.

Are they referring to something else perhaps? Maybe an inspection of the cabin air filter and engine air filter?

 

My dealer is saying 3750 miles, but I plan but I plan to go with the 5000 mile service outlined in the manual - unless I have some unusual conditions.

Also, did anyone get a card from their dealer giving you a web site and a user name/password (which you can later change)? I received one and checked in. Found that the record of my visits to the service department are there - no big suprise.

BUT, there is a place that tells the miles on the car and it keeps changing as I drive. When I check the site, it is generally accurate within about 10 miles. how do it do it? Is my car talking with the web site while I'm driving?

Hi Big Brother !!!!!!

 

The card is FROM the dealer. Its a very easy to follow and lists prices but Im betting its generic. Ill folow the PRIUS book and do 5k etc.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(RMunroe\";p=\"95072)</div>

If you are talking about the Toyota site for owners, they gestimate your mileage based on past statistics. If you got your 5K oil change in 1 month, then you drive 5000 miles/month, or 166 miles/day.

 

"1) Has anyone received a letter such as this?"

I have gotten emails from them. Don't know the exact wording. Often they get my mileage wrong and state that I had exceeded my 5K interval, when I still have a few K left.

"2) Can they void my warrenty if I change my own oil?"

No, they can't. Keep a log of when you performed your maintenance, and keep receipts.
I suppose you could have them stamp your passport on verifying you have clean oil in the car by checking from the dipstick.

 

My local Toyota dealer put a sticker on the window showing 'current + 3500' miles for the next change. I ignored it. The Honda dealer always used current + 3750 for my Odyssey.

I figure my Prius, especially now that it is warmer, isn't running the ICE anywhere near enough to need oil changes every 3500 miles.

Plus, near as I can tell, it uses electric when I first start off (before the engine has warmed up) more than it does later. I think it might be making sure the ICE doesn't have to stress when cold?

If I did a lot of heavy driving on dirt roads or some other form that worked the ICE harder, I might consider changing the oil more often than every 5000 miles.