[gasik1417]

So the dealer billed me for four quarts of oil for the prius. Should I be worried? How do I check if it has too much? I know check the oil to see if they fixed the drain, but what about too much?

 

[hyperion]

I believe that unless you make quite a "noise" and establish a reputation at your dealership that's what you will pay for and that's how much you will get. My dealer says if that's the amount the factory puts in their new cars, that's good enough for them.

 

[mrv]

So the dealer billed me for four quarts of oil for the prius. Should I be worried? How do I check if it has too much? I know check the oil to see if they fixed the drain, but what about too much?

Better than when I first went to one dealer - they charged for 5 quarts. I didn't notice until I got home.

After mentioning it to my salesperson in passing, I then received in the mail an apology from the dealership, and a coupon for a free oil change. The next time I went in (with my other Prius), sure enough, it was only 4 quarts, not the 5 they last billed me for...

 

[richard schumacher]

Perhaps the dealer rounds up and bills any fraction of a quart as a full quart, in which case they didn't necessarily put in too much.

Next time tell them to put in exactly three quarts. Then the car doesn't get overfilled and you don't get overbilled.[/list]

 

[hyperion]

Three quarts would be alarming on the dipstick and time to add oil. The amount is in there for more than just lubrication.

 

[richard schumacher]

Keeping the oil at the FULL mark will indeed increase heat loss through the oil pan, but, because the engine runs as needed to maintain itself within it's desired operating temperature range, this will only make the engine run a little more than it would otherwise and so burn a little more gas. There is no benefit in this.

Per the U.S. owner's manual, the oil capacity at the FULL mark, including filter, is 3.9 U.S quarts (p. 312). At the ADD mark it is 3.9 - 1.6 = 2.3 U.S. quarts (p. 282). Using 3 quarts at an oil change leaves the level almost exactly halfway between ADD and FULL. (In my experience, the small amount of retained oil leaves the level a little above halfway.) If that were not acceptable the design engineers would have put the ADD and FULL marks somewhere else.