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Oil questions, oil loss x high mileage oil

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Lance DiBitetto, Feb 26, 2017.

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  1. Lance DiBitetto

    Lance DiBitetto Junior Member

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    I have an '04 Prius with 257k miles, I put roughly 900 to 1200 miles a week on the odometer, I use Mobil 1 Extended 15,000 mi. oil.

    now, there is a certain amount of oil loss at the mileage I am at, I spoke to a Toyota Mechanic and I was told that losing about a qt every 3K miles is about right.

    Seeing that I need to add a quart of oil every 3 weeks to my engine, would it be just as safe to run a more affordable oil with the Mobil 1 extended filter? maybe Mobil 1 economy. Seeing that I am loosing/replacing 5 quarts of oil over the a 15k period? essentially completely replacing (and then some) the engine oil over that period of time.

    I hope I'm am being clear.
     
    #1 Lance DiBitetto, Feb 26, 2017
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    This 5 qt extended oil is always on special at Amazon for $28.xx

    I think that's a very low cost for 15000 miles
     
    #2 JC91006, Feb 26, 2017
  3. Lance DiBitetto

    Lance DiBitetto Junior Member

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    Yeah, I know what you mean, but, I would have to buy two of them every oil change to keep the engine oil topped off over a 15 week period.
    because one quart at every top off costs over 9.00 no matter where you buy it.
     
    #3 Lance DiBitetto, Feb 26, 2017
  4. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

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    You’re not actually replacing the oil when topping it many times. You always have more than 2/3 left when topping so even after all the top offs you still have about 1/4 of original oil left at the oil change. So engine would need to use lot more oil for that to be actually player here.

    You could add normal oil on those last oil top offs. But is it really worth it? The prize that JC91006 quoted sounds so low that I would just buy that.
     
    #4 valde3, Feb 26, 2017
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Up here I buy Toyota synthetic 0W20 through the dealership for $4.50 (Can) per liter. It seems to be a sweetheart deal though, not sure if US dealerships are doing similar deals.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Feb 26, 2017
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    He's using the extended oil formula, guaranteed to go 15000 miles. The regular stuff might be the same, less the marketing.

    Similar thinking to battery rebuilders offering batteries with 1 year warranty vs 3 year warranty at different price points. It's the same battery either option you choose
     
    #6 JC91006, Feb 26, 2017
    Mendel Leisk likes this.
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