ARGHH.. I checked my service report from my last oil change approx. 9,000 miles and yep, you guessed it 5W-30.. Now I'm getting pi%$ed !. First they gave me a hard time about tire pressures, lost two of the special caps, had the incorrect pressures when I left, put in the wrong oil weight, Said they had to 'order' new valve stem caps and finally, they had to order a piece of foam rubber from around the radiator which another poster said was un-needed and his dealer threw away. I am not too thrilled with my service department. I may start taking it to another dealer for service.

 

jbollt, as I will also be having my oil changes at a dealership in Tucson, would you mind telling Precisely which dealership in the Desert changed your oil? I have gotten two answers to what oil they use, one obviously incorrect. I will check the invoice when it's done, hoping it's accurate, and appreciate the "heads up" here. Hopefully we Squeaky Wheels will get the correct oil without having to go through all of this in the future. By the production numbers there seem to be quite a few of us around. I have seen only one other TCH here so far, but it looks as if there is a Prius on every street down here so the service departments should be seeing TCHers also, sometimes twice for the same oil change it seems. Thanks!

 

You're probably correct. I had asked a senior tech about it when I was told 5W20. But they don't put their senior techs on oil changes. All that's required for that is an opposable thumb to grip the wrench.

I'm wondering what the Prius requires and whether Prius owners run into the same problem.

 

Precision on Wetmore. For what it's worth, they have been very good in the past, and were very accomodating when I brought this to their attention. The service writer, however, still tried to back-pedal, and said the correct oil WAS used, it was just a paperwork error. Whatever.... The service manager didn't care, he had the oil changed again. I am satisfied now.

 

Part of the problem is that during the last decade the oil change has changed from a cheap routine maintenance to a boutique job. I remember that the standard oil was 10W-30 or 10W-40 and it cost 75 cents a bottle, even less if you got on a sale. And a filter was $2.00. The total cost was $5.00 or $7.00 max if you did it yourself. And the oil change chains charged you $15 and the dealer probably $20, taking into account a 50 % overhead expenses.

Then came the low weight oils and then the synthetic oils. The synthetics cost more than 5 times the regular motor oil. And the filters became more high tech and started costing 5 times more. I went to Wally’s world yesterday and checked on some prices.

Mobil 1 0W-20: $6.47 per quart (the only 0W-20 available there)

Pennzoil 5W-20 synthetic: $3.97 per quart

Pennzoil 5W-20 regular: $2.12 quart

Havoline 5W-30 or 10W-30: $0.97 per quart

Oil filters $2.00 to $8.00. Toyota TCH K & W filter online was $9.57.


So an oil change with the 0W-20 synthetic would cost $6.47 x 5 plus $9.57 for a total of $41.92 cost. Even if you need a $35 overhead for the service dept. it comes to $75. And we certainly balk at that figure for an oil change, having got used to the $15-20 oil changes. If we have to do it every 5000 miles we will cry foul.

So the dealer makes compromises by intentionally using 5W-30 oil and can afford to charge $50 for an oil change. And he makes a profit. How many TCH owners will ever notice the slight difference in the oil used? How many of us will fight and have the oil changed again. The senior tech will look like good guy even though they have clearly instructed the actual tech to use 5W-30. Otherwise how can all the Toyota dealerships all over the country make the same “mistake”? I do not think that you can get them to use 0W-20 without then charging us an arm and a leg.

I felt that the best option for me would be to change oil regularly at 5000 miles to keep the warranty alive. And do it on my own. And use the regular 5W-20 oil and a regular filter. The cost will be $15-20 per oil change. And not have to go through hassles of having different oil put in by the dealer than what Toyota recommended.

 

While I agree with your post in principle, you made one major leap in assumption. My dealer used 0W20 as he was supposed to, but he uses a blended 0W20 instead of a full synthetic. I have no idea what his cost is on the blended stuff, but it's gotta be cheaper out of a barrel than the full synthetic by the bottle, and he still satisfies the factory requirement on oil weight. So there is a middle ground and we should not assume that a dealer will jump from 0W20 synthetic straight to 5W30 in order to cut costs.

 

I looked for petroleum based 0W-20 in Walmart and the Net and did not find any. And if it was available it would still cost more than 5W-30, even in 55 gallon barrels. Look at all the people who have gotten 5W-30 oil changes, though it states 5W-20 or 0W-20 on the cap. And the explanations given like “it is as good”, “it is always what we used”, “viscosity is better’ etc. All the fudging. They want to use cheaper oil and increase profit. Many dealerships have the profit center in the service department, not in the new car dealerships.

You have a more competent service department but it is more of the exception rather than the rule, judging by the posts here.

 

I just talked to the service department at the dealership (Regency in Vancouver, BC) I bought my TCH from, and asked questions re. hybrid technicians and oils. They have 2 Hybrid Technicians, and have both 5W20 and 0W20. Looks as though Regency is Hybrid-ready! How many Hybrid technicians does your dealership have on staff?

BTW, I'm planning to do my first oil change at approx. 500 miles. Should I use 5W20 or 0W20? When should the switch to synthetic take place?

 

Look guys, Toyota introduced 5W20 oil for the first time in 2007 year models, that means even 2006 Prius used regular 5w30 oil. So some mechanics won't even know TCH has different oil spec (mechanic at the dealer told me it was his first TCH ever when I took mine for first oil change in July and it's a big dealership), some try to save money since most people won't ever ask what oil they use, assuming dealer knows best and some won't even care. And at the end it may not make such a big difference after all.

 

I love it when people make claims like "it's just as good" or "there'll be no difference". I'd like to see the back section of the service department where they're scientifically using both oils in different engines, running them under scientifically controlled conditions making measurements about fuel and oil consumption and then breaking down the engines and inspecting and measuring parts for wear and tear.

Until they do that I'm going to be extremely skeptical about statements like "it's just as good".