Does Prius Burn Oil?

Thanks guys for all your input! So when the 5,000 maintenance light comes on, you just bypass it? (Sorry for all the questions. I'm a new Prius owner. Trying to glean from the wealth of knowledge here)

 

I n the UK we do not get the light at 5,000 miles, but for you yes.

 

In my 2007, you can change the mileage for oil changes in the maintenance menu. Im not sure if it will delay the "Maint Reqd" light from coming on at 5000 miles though.. but if it comes on, Ill just reset it and go another 5000 miles

 

I've noticed the same thing. My girlfriend driving my Prius easily results in ~2x-3x more oil consumption than when I drive.

 

60K miles on my 07 and no oil loss ever. Been on Mobil One 10-30 since 900 miles.

Not checking the oil and letting the oil run low and driving it like that will guarantee a car that will now consume excessive oil. The low oil idiot light will come on when its just about dry so don't rely on that. Check the oil every fill up. So many posts about checking the oil I timed that event.

Takes 45 seconds from your seat to checking all the reservoirs & oil to back to your seat.

 

Could not agree with you more. My car now at 89,400 miles on 0w20 Mobil or toyota oil from first change. No oil use between oil changes at 10,000 mile intervals.

John (Bitprius).

 

I believe some people have a misconception of what the oil light is.

The oil light is not a low oil level light "although this will cause it to come on" the light is there to tell of low oil pressure to the bearings and if it illuminates the engine should be turned off immediately.

Obviously if the oil gets so low the pump can no longer pick it up the pressure will drop but by this time damage will already have been done. The oil pressure can go low for other reasons even with the oil at the correct level, pressure relief valve stuck open, worn pump, worn bearing, blocked oil strainer, and on some cars broken chain or shaft drive.

John (Britprius)

 

It's wonderful and all if you don't burn any (noticeable) oil, but burning a small amount of oil is no big deal either. Some wont, but many Prius (as with other similar small engine cars) are likely to get a least a small amount oil consumption gradually increasing after 100,000 miles. Mine's at about 105000 miles and it burns about a cup of oil every 5000 km (3000 miles). To me this is basically nothing.

I'm doing 15000 km oil change intervals and I add about a cupful at 5000 and again at about 10000 km. It's so minimal that I could probably get away without topping at all, but the embarrassing truth is that I enjoy it.

Anyway, whether or not you're currently burning oil, always make sure check the ol' dipstick regularly. You never know when it might start either a little bit if burning or of course a leak.

 

Our 3rd gen doesn't seem to consume any oil between changes. But with a lot of cars we've had over the years there was some oil consumption, typically about a pint between changes.

 

I agree there will be probably be some slight oil consumption above 100,000 miles but if you are in the habit of never checking the oil through out the life of the car this bad habit could get very costly in latter years.

It takes seconds to check the fluids.

 

Ill let you guys know if I consume any oil this oil change... I only have 60,000 miles on my 07 but I just switched from Mobil 1 5w-30 oil to Mobil 1 0w-20 oil. Some have said that change alone has increased their oil consumption...we'll see.

I will say that when I used Mobil 1 in the 5w-30 flavor for the first time, in the first 2000 miles I used 1/2 quart. After that, it didnt burn any more. There was nothing particular about those 2000 miles that stands out either; no excessive highway driving, no WOT runs, etc. I dont know what was up with that. I ended up running the oil for 4000 miles with no more consumption.

 

Make sure you track your fuel consumption and let us know if the 0W20 gives any noticeable improvement.

I recently did the opposite, changed out a thinner oil for a slightly thicker one (ACEA A3/B4 rated, 3.6 cP hths). Haven't noticed any loss of fuel economy but I think I've noticed a slightly lower oil consumption. I'm currently 2500 km on this oil and I can't detect any noticeable change in oil level yet. It's still a bit early to say for sure, but anyway it's kind of irrelevant because a small amount of oil consumption is not an issue to me.

BTW. I didn't change the oil type to control consumption, I just wanted something very robust for a long drain interval over a long hot Australian summer.