I was told it was shipped with 0W20 and I think I have read this somewhere else, eaither way I want synthetic oil in the engine due to the fact it starts and stops so much. The synthetic oil should cost a bit more than regular oil. It is going to cost me $42 from now on, but I can buy my own 0W20 and Toyota will do the change for me for $13. I do not have a pre paid maint. program, just my first oil change was free.

 

I finally reached 5,000 over the weekend and took my beauty in for her first oil change. I requested synthetic and got it...but there was some confusion...as they wanted me to pay the whole bill...I have a pre-paid 3 (or is it 4?) x a year oil change...the service desk guys were nice and said, ok, take your car and we will figure it out. I dropped by today and they are 'still looking into it' ... they need to figure out what the prepaid oil change paperwork said...whether it was for synthetic or not. I told them I didn't know as I didn't realize it needed to be synthetic at that point. I asked what it would cost me to have the synthetic oil put in and was told $30!!! Isn't that a lot extra??? (The total bill would have been $58) Cutting to the end, they took care of all the charges on this change...so I will need to be well-versed on all of this in 3,000 miles (that's what the sticker says...)...haven't taken a look at the oil cap yet, so I need to do that and will take a picture and bring that in if necessary...When I bought my car in August it was only the 2nd or 3rd sold...

I did see MANY new Prius in the lot today as I was leaving, still in their packaging...not a lot of TCH, though... Since I am Jasper Pearl, I am VERY UNIQUE and they will remember me (and so does everyone else...I have to be GOOD...!!!) (I even went to the bank drive thru the other day and the teller said, 'oh, I've seen that car at the xxxx school lot...what a pretty color...etc...!!!)

 

You're right, that is excessive. At our local Kragen store, regular, high grade oil (non-synthetic) goes for ~$3 per quart. They sell Synthetic oil for $6.00 per quart (Mobile 1), a difference of $3 per quart. The manual says the car takes 4.5 quarts but I found that 4 quarts fills it up even with the filter change. 4 times 3 is 12. So the maximum I could see paying extra for synthetic is $15. Incidentally, I was told by my Toyota dealer that they sell Toyota branded synthetic oil for $4.50 a quart. Sounds like you need to have a heart-to-heart conversation with your local dealer or get it changed elsewhere.

 

That's because it doesn't need synthetic. It only needs 0w-20 or 5w-20 and there are 5w-20 oils out there that is non-synthetic. As long as the dealer installs the proper weight oil (synthetic or not) they are meeting the vehicles requirements. If you insist on synthetic they have the right to push back or charge extra IMO.

 

Somewhere on this forum I had gotten the impression that we should have synthetic oil put in...if it isn't necessary then I will certainly not push it...because of the cold here in the winter I will insist on the 0w-20 for cold weather, at least. Thanks for the clarification, schmidtj.

 

Barb, there certainly has been active discussions about the benefits of using synthetic oils. Each "side" has valid arguments. The bottom line is this, some cars require synthetic oils...your Camry Hybrid doesn't. That doesn't mean you can't use it, but I personaly doubt it is needed with a 5,000 mile change interval. (The last sentence is my personal opinion....)

 

The attached TSB lists the oils for the AZ class and specifically the 2AZ-FE (non hybrid). No mention of the 2AZ-FXE specifically but it would fall into the general AZ category I assume. Nowhere is the word synthetic used. 5w-20 is listed as being "set as the Toyota genuine oil". 0w-20 is listed as an alternative for the 2AZ-FE but not the FXE for better cold starting and fuel efficiency. It doesn't mention the downside (if any) of using the 0w-20 other than it is not "set as the Toyota genuine oil" as is the 5w-20 oil. My printed Hybrid owner's guide does list 0w-20 as an "alternative" to the recommended 5w-20 for its cold weather and fuel efficiency benefits.
Personally I wonder what (if any) negatives can be attributed to insisting on the alternative to the Toyota genuine oil? Engine wear, poorer hot engine protection? No FUD intended.

 

I asked my dealer's service mgr yesterday about the oil. He told me that 5w-20w is what they put in. I could also put in 0w-20w but it would cost more because it is synthetic.

is 0-20 synthetic oil??

 

From posts on this board it seems 0w-20 is currently available in synthetic. I don't know if 0w-20 could be made in a non-synthetic form. Conversely there is no reason 5w-20 could not be synthetic but I think Toyota's 5w-20 is currently non-synthetic.

 

I lie in Ottawa, Ontario Canada. Nearby dealers wanted to put 5w30 in and I refused it. I finally took it to Orleans Toyota on the east end of Ottawa. When I inquired about synthetic, they produced a tech bulletin that stated that if the car came from the factory with synthetic (which they said the TCH does), Toyota would pay the dealer extra for putting synthetic in the car (I have four free changes with extended warranty). I got my first change free WITH 0W20 oil included and no charge of any kind. It would be nice to know why the three other dealers in the Ottawa area insist that one, they can't get synthetic or two, Toyota doesn't recomment synthetic.