Best place to get the oil changed for a Prius?

I like @home

 

If you bought your car from this dealer. You really don't have to buy tires or oil change for the rest of your car life. I didn't know they offer that. My only give me 35K free maintenance and 5 oil changed and lifetime car wash. :-(

 

I do @ home for the convenience of doing it at my own time and place

 

There is no "national best" that I'm aware of, so you're either going to have to provide a more specific location in the hopes that someone local will respond or just check local places to see if any have experience with a Prius. If you check places yourself, make sure you get prices for Toyota's (or comparable) synthetic oil, etc., ask if they have the filter removal tool, know the drain plug washer needs to be replaced, know about the cover that needs to be opened (or removed as some folks do) and if they know where the lift points are. I know a lot or people here don't like/trust dealers, but I've had no problem with mine, so I'd start there to at least get a price for comparison purposes. My dealer charges $50 unless you have a service contract. If you have a AAA Service Center, you might check there too, I'd trust them before Pep Boys, Jiffy Lube, Walmart, etc. There is nothing really special about changing oil in a Prius as long as you follow the steps, so if you have a local shop that has been servicing your previous cars and you trust them, you might want to give them a chance to learn, they all had to start somewhere.

 

As noted above, I would probably avoid the Jiffy Lubes, Pep Boys and Walmarts.
And if you are someone who has used any of those places with success? More power to you. They just wouldn't be my place to start, or my place to trust.
Since you evidently don't have a long time "trusted mechanic", that kind of limits you. In my opinion the internet here becomes your friend. I'd search for local Toyota Dealers, and compare reviews and rankings to find the one accessible that seems to have the best reviews and rankings for their service department.
I'd also search for local independent hybrid shops. Depending on where you live, there can be independent shops that specialize in servicing Prius and Hybrids. If you find one, do the same search for reviews, rankings and/or complaints.

Then choose. Then Roll The Dice. It's perfectly OK to have a gut instinct about how you are treated, and how much you are charged. If you don't like your experience? Move on.

I think with a Hybrid vehicle it's important, even with just a basic oil change, to try to establish a relationship with a service department that can service your entire vehicle, hybrid components as well as basic oil changes. Nearly any place "should" be able to do the oil change, BUT someday you'll need your "Hybrid" vehicle serviced, so IMO establishing a trusted relationship with a service venue able to service your entire vehicle is important. Might as well set that ground work with Oil Changes.

And finally, After the Oil Change, wherever you get it, be sure to check the job. Make sure the Oil was not overfilled, under filled. Look for leaks. Check it shortly after the change, and check it again a few days later.

My logic, which may be faulty, is that a Toyota Dealership that sells Prius, SHOULD be most familiar with servicing them. They should be the most connected to Toyota in terms of recalls and TSB. They SHOULD know about the minutia of difference doing a Oil Change for a Prius. I'd probably start at that starting point.

Some locations have REALLY trusted independent hybrid shops with great reputations. If you're lucky enough to be near one of them? That's an expanded option.

 

I have a long time trusted mechanic, but because it is a Prius, and I know my mechanic has not worked on any Prius before, I prefer going to my local TOYOTA Dealer. I have had no issues with oil changes, and like knowing they have the right oil filter and synthetic oil.

 

I'm big on DIY oil changes, that's all I've done with ours. But appreciate it doesn't work for everyone, lol. Dealership might be safest bet, but even they can be a gamble.

If pros do it, you're pretty much guarenteed a broken access flap. The best way to avoid that is to take whole panel off, and be very careful with the fasteners. And best way to do that is DIY.

Also, it's hard to judge oil level right after drain and fill, even with a few minutes run time. Best to put in spec amount, verify its in ballpark, then do serious check a few days later.

There's one guy here, dealership did all the changes, then he finally did one, and discovered no oil filter inside housing. It's actually TOO easy to do.

 

I say the good old fashioned way at the Toyota dealership because there's nothing more valuable than the Toyota records that are kept in their system about the maintenance you do or have done on your car and when it comes to sell the car sometime down the road you will have all of your records that they can print out right there at the dealership. If you want it done right take it to the dealership they'll do a complete inspection for free along with your oil change and usually you can get 10 percent off if you ask

 

You shouldn't trust anyone else to work on your Prius they know your Prius the best and if they make a mistake they always correcting but for me they've only made one mistake over the four years that I've had mine and this is not the time to penny pinch you going to save a few dollars by going to some Joe Schmo down the road and he's going to mess your car up by putting in the wrong oil and then look at the cost so do it right the first time pay a little more to have it done right as well as having all your records in the computer

 

I wouldn't heap praise on the dealerships. They're a mixed bunch, and can screw up. I do agree they're a notch above the budget oil change places. And you are within your rights to DIY stuff like oil changes. Just keep receipts and a log.

 

...and knowing it's done right!

 

My last oil change was done by the students at a tech school under my supervision. I supplied the oil and parts. The dealer's shop is going to assign the job to the lowest paid guy.

 

Lowest paid guy does not imply that he will screw up, everyone has to start somewhere in their occupation.

 

Check the service specials at Toyota dealers near you. Some have a very reasonable price for oil changes. The dealer I go to has an express lane for oil changes. No appointment necessary.

 

That is true. My point is: Don't expect the Hybrid Tech to change the oil in a Prius just because it's a Prius. Do something enough times & everyone will eventually screw up.

 

Use that video. It is straight forward. Save money. Costco carry 0W20 oil now

 

Unless you are handicapped, blind or have other physical impairments that prevent it, learn to change your own oil/filter. If you just don't want to, roll the dice.

 

C'mon. There's lots of situations where it's not possible, or at the least very inconvenient to DIY.

Come to think of it, I used to hang out with a blind man when I was wee; if he'd had a car I've no doubt he'd be doing his oil changes. Checking the dipstick might be an issue, but other than that...

 

doing your own oil changes and checking your oil level is a valuable easy skill to have. you save a little money and you know its done right every time.

roll the dice and end up with a stripped or cross-threaded drain plug or engine damage, and the culprit will weasel out on it and say they didn't do it, it was like that when it came in, etc.