Oil Change Interval

The car manufacturer wrote a couple of pages in the manual for changing the oil. But he did not indicate the oil manufacturer.
Because driving styles are different, and oil manufacturers are different.
What does the oil become after 1000 miles, 2000 miles... after 5000 miles?
Look and think.

 

For 3rd gen, unlike the States, Toyota Canada stuck to 8k kilometres (roughly 5k miles) or 6 months, whichever comes first. Similar to Gen 2.

With our 2010, due to low-and-declining usage it was always the 6 months governing. Anyway:

I stuck with that for about the first 12 years, doing changes mid April and October, ‘til after one spring change I see it had been barely 1000 kilometres since the last change.

That’s when I changed, to 8k kilometres or yearly, whichever comes first.

 

Something automatically goes off in my brain for some reason I don't know why between 5:00 and 8,000 mi in any of the four or five vehicles that I own I don't know how that works but I also monitor oil even in the cars that I don't personally drive when they come in at night evening whatever every few days whatever I look at the oil on the stick smell it and all that kind of stuff and as soon as it looks like it's getting where it needs to be out it comes and all of that.

 

A real mechanic tests the oil with his teeth.

 

If you want your engine to last longer, 5000 miles is the smart interval.
In the maintainence book look under extreme conditions....

 

Every precaution needs to be taken with the gen 3 engine, hopefully preserving the head gasket.
In a rare instance, I agree with the nut

 

5k miles makes sense for any engine. Our 22 Rav4 engine has had 5k changes since new with an additional low mile break-in change.

It's no coincidence that gen3 Prii in 2010 where the first with 10k intervals recommended by the factory. Gen2s were 5k miles. Toyota also encouraged the habit change by giving the first two free at 10k intervals. Some gen3 engines needed rebuilds in the first 50k miles.

Oil changes are far cheaper than a factory extra cost when new extended warranty which won't fix oil burning or the resulting egr cooler clogs unless it's burning a quart every thousand miles.

However no oil or additive (I am looking at you Valvoline R&P and Berryman B12) will fix an existing oil burner, hg problem or existing damage leading to a future hg.

 

I stretched my oil changes in my Gen 3 Prius, mainly because the engine only runs part of the time, and it's a full synthetic.
In fact, I've done that with all my vehicles for over 20 years. Never saw any engine wear, even up to 300,000 kms.

 

Doesn't apply to the OP, but on Toyota's latest cars, the specified oil viscosity is ridiculously low at 0W-8!!!

I can see a smallish 1.8L four cylinder engine running a low viscosity 0W-20, but not a 2.5L four cylinder running on 0W-8.

So, yet another debate is introduced on top of the OCI question, which is what oil viscosity will you be using?

SM-G781V ?

 

I’ve never seen any engine wear, but I’ve never opened one up

 

This one is for my archive

 

That’s a unicorn Prius! My Drives are 95% highway and ICE is always on the highway.

 

There is no universal answer.
Based on the principle of reasonableness, the amount of distance traveled, the season of the year, etc.

 

Post #3 is my solution.

Honda has a Maintenance Minder system, much more advanced than the Toyota USA’s odometer counter: it counts down percent to the next scheduled service (which typically include oil change or oil/filter change), and may have more items (shown with a code). There’s also a footnote with caveat, saying regardless of the MM percent, change oil (or oil/filter, they alternate), at least yearly.

 

Toyota says 5k miles or 6 months for

Extensive idling and/or low speed driving
for a long distance such as police, taxi or
door-to-door delivery use:

Replace engine oil and oil filter

There is little doubt this kind of use causes excessive thermal cycling of the engine.

 

Oil's brake down over time. If you don't put many miles on it, you follow the time intervals.
I never had this issue, except for my van which almost never gets driven. I had 3 years before I
changed it.
If you drive the car every week, even if it's short distances you would safe to follow the mileage intervals.

 

I just use the maintenance light, which comes on at 5000 miles on my 2010. Kind of seems like a lot of oil changing for as much highway driving as we do, but I'm seeing minimal oil consumption at 247k - would like to keep it that way.