[wayneswhirld]

I haven't seen questions about this in the archives (sorry if I missed it), but as I'm edging up close to 3,000 miles on my awesome Prius (latest tankful yielded 53.1 MPG in hilly Vermont), I am wondering if it's ok to wait until the manufacturer's recommended 5,000 mile oil change or heed the warning of the dealer salesperson to do the intial change at 3,500-3,750 (which throws off all the 5,000 mi. oil changes thereafter--8,750, 13,750, etc.).

 

[firepa63]

I always go by the manufacturer's recommendations. I got my first oil change at 5000 miles on my 04 and I get it done every 5K. My thought is dealers make recommendations of 3000 or 3500 just to bring in more business. Keep in mind that 5000 miles on the engine of the Prius is less than 5000 miles on a standard vehicle since the ICE does not run continuously.

These are my opinions. I'm sure you will get others who will recommend a lower mileage interval.

 

[wayneswhirld]

That's helpful and I didn't take into consideration that the ICE doesn't run all the time, so it's very possible it runs 20-30% less than a normal ICE. Unless anyone can refute this logic, it's 5,000 for me.

Ok, just thought of something...the fact that the ICE goes on and off more often...would that affect the oil's longevity?

 

[mrv]

and I'll note that in other countries, like the UK, the service schedule is every 10,000 miles... Classic Prius, with the same engine as the 2004-? Prius, had a schedule for every 7500 miles in the US... Waiting for 5000 miles, you'll be fine.

 

[DanMan32]

No, because ICE isn't started like other cars. The ICE is spun close to 1000 RPM before fuel and spark is introduced. Very little wear is presented when starting the ICE like this.

 

[Tideland Prius]

And the reason our scheduled maintenance is 5,000 miles is because...?

 

[RSnyder]

And the reason our scheduled maintenance is 5,000 miles is because...?

This question would be better posed to a group of Toyota engineers rather than a group of Prius owners. Any answer you get here will just be speculation. I've yet to see one official Toyota response here.

Sadly, I don't know where Toyota engineers hang out. Actually, I don't even know for sure that engineers made the final decision on the number.

 

[galaxee]

All Toyotas have scheduled maintenance at 5K intervals. Who knows why...

 

[Luv2golf]

I was told by my dealer and few other Prius owners to switch to the synthetic blend at my 1st oil change. IMO, It'll give you the POM, plus the synthetics are supposed to be better for your engine, but I am sure that can be argued. Anyway, I agree firepa63 - by time you hit 5k overall; your ICE won't have ran that distance so there shouldn't be a worry to wait. Arrive alive!

 

[jeromep]

If you are going to put in a synth blend, just go up to a full synthetic. The blends are there to make a little extra money for the oil companies by creating a product which is mostly regular oil and adding in a bit of synthetic oil to call it a blend. If you can buy regular oil for 99 cents a quart and synthblend is 2.50 or 3.00 quart you are getting jipped, since a snyth blend is mostly regular oil will a little synth put in to support the marketing claim.