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Maintenance required

Discussion in 'Prius c Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Cee, Mar 21, 2017.

  1. Cee

    Cee New Member

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    I'm new to the Prius C (2014) family, I bought my car through CarMax. I was wondering if it is safe to go to jiffy lube or should I go to CarMax or Toyota for oil change. My maintenance required message is on.
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What's the mileage?

    I would stay away from the quicky oil places, stay with Toyota. Even then bad things can happen, but they're definitely more reponsible, and will start a log on your car.
     
  3. Cee

    Cee New Member

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    34510 miles
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats and welcome!
    if you can't find a reliable local mech, take it to toyota. either way, check the oil level before driving home.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you car only needs oil and filter every 10,000 miles. the maintenance reminder is for anything and everything. 35k would be tire rotation. it should have had air and cabin filters at 30k.
     
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  6. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    Not really accurate.
    The oil change interval is 10K ONLY if not used in "severe" service and if synthetic oil is used.
    And I'm pretty sure that the maintenance reminder is one year or 5K miles.......so it only applies to something that needs attention every 5K miles.......the main thing is tire rotation.
    I take mine in every ~7K miles and do both tires and oil.
     
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  7. Cee

    Cee New Member

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    Ty bisco
     
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  8. Cee

    Cee New Member

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  9. Samprocat

    Samprocat Active Member

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    Do this yourself....it is not that hard....use synthetic and Toyota brand oil filter.....Remember cars don't have hearts...but they do have souls.....So it's up to you .....
    Fast oil change companies use recycle oil and cheapest filter brand they can find.....
    So if you think that is cheaper to have them do this....it will be what you pay for vs yourself and know exactly what you putting on

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  10. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    Here we go again with a vast conspiracy theory......that ALL quick change oil places are thieves and liars.
    Sorry but it just ain't true.
     
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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    agreed, they're inept as well.
     
  12. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Diatribe:

    One thing, concerns about bulk oil are putting a lot of spent oil bottles in the recycle stream. Maybe a decade back I finally started returning my empties to oil recyclers (instead of slipping them into the "garbage"), as soon as they became acceptable.

    My understanding is, and this is at least where they're not surreptitiously being dumped: the used oil bottles can be shredded, steamed and oil extracted via centrifuge. Similar methods are used with oil filters. Then about 3 years back, I approached my dealership and asked about buying bulk oil, eliminating bottles completely. No problems, and the price is about $1.50 cheaper per liter to boot.

    Listening to a recycler being interviewed on CBC, his one tip for DIY'rs: always do your best to get as much of the oil out as possible. One thing I've found that helps, after doing an oil change, let the bottles stand overnight, then put the funnel back in the oil fill and tip the bottles again. There's invariably another tablespoon or two collected at the bottom. You can actually do this a couple of times.

    Another tip, especially if you're doing a fairly short interval: only change the filter at every second oil change. Single handedly cuts spent oil filters in half, and saves money.

    Society long ago accepted buying gasoline in "bulk". Long overdue to to do the same with oil, turf out these shelves of bottled oil at retailers.
     
    #12 Mendel Leisk, Mar 22, 2017
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2017
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  13. cutter44

    cutter44 Member

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    I never understood this thinking, from the moment I heard it 40+ years ago when I started driving. You're just mixing dirty oil from the filter in with your new clean oil.
     
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  14. edspecR

    edspecR Member

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    ^^ seriously. its funny that when you take your car into the dealer for parts/repair, they're the thieves and shops are recommended. but when you take your car in for maintenance, the dealer is trusted and the shops are to be avoided.

    If anything, I've been taught to change the filter every 5k and the oil every 10k. never heard of vice versa...
     
  15. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    To change the oil filter at every second oil change is Honda policy now. Still, Honda dealerships, at least the one I've used recently, treat you like you're nuts if you ask them to follow that.
     
  16. Sam Spade

    Sam Spade Senior Member

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    And this is because.......in normal operation, the filter capacity is maybe only 10% used up during a normal change interval, or less.
    The oil itself does not "wear out" and it is changed partly because the additives are used up and wear out.
    That small amount of used oil left in the filter causes absolutely no problem.

    This has been the standard recommendation for many or all car companies for DECADES now.
    If you have never seen it before, you should start reading your owners manuals. :whistle:

    NOW......having said all of that, with extended change intervals, I would change the filter every time too.
    If the recommended interval is 7K miles or more and you insist on changing it at 5K or less.......then you are just wasting time and money on filters.
     
  17. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I follow the recommendation (filter change every second time) with a couple of Honda's, and (so far) change filter every time (per Toyota recommendation) with our Prius. I'm a little leery of the Prius style filter going longer, the O-ring gluing on or whatever.

    OTOH: with out Prius the (6 monthly, Canadian schedule) oil change is always date governed. I would say we're perfect candidates, to only change filter at every second oil change. Still thinking on it.
     
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