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Oil change every 5K required for limited warranty

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by prius_amy, Apr 21, 2016.

  1. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    Hey all, I just bought a 2013 Prius Two (46K on it) from the local Toyota dealership and it came with a 2-year/100,000 limited warranty. But I just noticed on the paperwork that "in order for this limited warranty to remain in force, the minimum requirement on oil and oil filter changes is every 6 months or 5,000 miles....and all other maintenance and servicing must be followed as recommended by Your Vehicle's manufacturer". But doesn't Toyota recommend oil changes every 10,000 miles? Wondering if I should try to do the oil changes myself to save some money but then what about the other maintenance recommended in the maintenance book (like inspections of brakes, tire rotations, etc.)? Not sure how I would show proof of things getting done. Any advice would be much appreciated. Seems like this limited warranty excludes more than it covers so I shouldn't worry about it...?

    Oh! I should add that I am planning on taking the car to a local hybrid auto shop when it hits 50,000 for a complete inspection/top of fluids (for peace of mind). Is this a waste of money? Incidentally, that is when the next oil change is due according to the mobil 1 sticker in my car from the last oil change toyota did, so I figured I can have them do that too.
     
    #1 prius_amy, Apr 21, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2016
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    congrats and welcome! read through the warranty, to see if it's worth it. you still have several factory warranties in place, especially the 8/100 hybrid system. and ask the if 5,000 miles is a mistake. the wording might just be repeated from gen 2. all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Apr 21, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2016
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  3. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    Tried to post a pic of the paperwork but can't figure out how to do it on here lol (not a computer person). What is an image URL? :giggle:
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    what?:p is that a link? i think you need 5 posts. talk to me.:)
     
  5. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    Oh right! Forgot about the factory warranties (thank goodness for those). Thanks, I'll try stopping by and asking them.
     
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  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    me neither, sorry.:unsure:
     
  7. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    Lol I have no idea what I'm doing. Clicked the little "image" icon on here (if that's even how you post a pic haha) and it asks for an image URL. The pics are downloaded onto my computer (they say .JPG?). Oy vey. I need to take a computer class.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    on the main forums page, theres a 'priuschat website questions' forum. one of the stickies is about pics. you can also start a thread with your question if that doesn't help.
     
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  9. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    Thanks! I will definitely check that out.
     
  10. DoubleDAZ

    DoubleDAZ Senior Member

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    The key is the "Upload a File" button next to the "Post Reply" button.
     
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  11. yeldogt

    yeldogt Active Member

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    Did they give you a third party warranty or is this the Toyota CPO (certified Pre-owned) warranty?
     
  12. FuelMiser

    FuelMiser Senior Member

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    As far as I know, if you do oil changes at 5,000 miles, you can get away with "dino" oil. Full synthetic is only required if you want to go the full 10,000 miles. This would save some money on the service. If your warranty requires 5,000 mi. oil changes and full synthetic oil, then they are just out to rip you off.
     
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  13. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    Ah, thank you!
     
  14. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    #14 prius_amy, Apr 21, 2016
    Last edited: Apr 21, 2016
  15. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    No, it's not the Toyota CPO. So I guess it's a third party? Haha I am really unfamiliar with warranties. I'll try to post a pic of it.
     

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  16. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    That's a great idea! It doesn't say anything about what kind of oil to use.
     
  17. Former Member 68813

    Former Member 68813 Senior Member

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    it's one of those dealership "warranties." shady if you ask me. they require services at their facilities (watch out for the oveinflated 15,000 mile and 30,000 mile services) and they will force you to pay exorbitant diagnostic fees when something happens and likely deny any warranty (see "obligations").
     
  18. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I do not know if our nearby dealership is some sort of golden goose, but their Toyota 0W20 (full synthetic) is hands down the cheapest oil going: $5.91 for bottled liters, or $4.50 in bulk.
     
  19. prius_amy

    prius_amy Member

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    Thanks for the heads up. I opened up their recommended maintenance schedule on the dealer website and noticed that the 30,000 and 60,000 services were overinflated compared to the actual maintenance manual that came with the car! Sneaky!
     
  20. macman408

    macman408 Electron Guidance Counselor

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    I do my own maintenance. I keep receipts for the consumables (oil, etc.) and note the mileage in the warranty booklet when I perform something. I also take it to a dealer periodically to get checked out; they do all the basic checks for free with the hope that they'll find something broken that I'll pay them for.

    That warranty very carefully picks out things that rarely fail (or, like the supercharger and turbocharger, just don't even exist on your car), if you ask me. A lot of them will be covered by other warranties, too. I believe Oregon is a CARB state, so you get the CARB warranty. At least as of 2010, the powertrain warranty was 5 years/60k miles, the hybrid system warranty was 8 years/100k miles, and the CARB warranty was 15 years (10 years for the battery)/150k miles. If it were me, I'd risk it and not bother with doubling the oil change interval for their stupid warranty - and if it comes in handy, maybe I'd get lucky and they wouldn't ask for all my maintenance records. But do what makes you most comfortable, I guess.

    As far as the CARB warranty, it's not totally clear to me exactly what all is covered, but it seems like basically anything that makes you fail a smog check. Since a check engine light is an automatic failure, I'd imagine that this covers quite a large number of things. Probably not the turbocharger, though.