[Hotftoot2]

Just wondering: All my usual cars, especially diesels, I change at 3000 miles. Any thoughts?

 

[richard schumacher]

If you drive more than 3000 miles in six months then you're changing oil too often. It's a waste of oil and time. But hey, it's not much oil and it's your time, so go for it :_>

 

[KURT]

Oil

I change my oil every 3,000 miles. The way I look at it, it's the "life blood" of the car and it's a cheap investment.

 

[Daniel]

There's folks that do. Personally I think it's unnecessary. The Classic had a change interval of 7,500 miles.

But if you get to 6 months before 5,000 miles, then you're supposed to change it. That's my situation.

 

[melgish]

If you drive more than 3000 miles in six months then you're changing oil too often.

I dunno...

I'm driving my Prius, as I've driven my 1998 Saturn SL2: about 3000 miles a month.

For the Saturn, following the maintenance schedule, I've had it in religiously every 3000 miles, except once when we evacuated for hurricane Floyd. After 188,500 miles the car still runs very smoothly, and I've only had 1 major repair (water pump) ... I have no reason not to believe that my son will be able to put another 100,000 miles without any problems.

My Prius is sitting at 4,500 and I again plan on follwing the manual with just as much zeal.

On a side note, I just realized something... 188,500 miles, and I never once washed the car... Saturn did it. I never once added winshield fluid... Saturn did it. I never once vacuumed it out... Saturn did it.

It will be interesting (and hopefully not too disappointing) to see how Toy of M compares...

 

[karenann]

MELGISH WROTE:"On a side note, I just realized something... 188,500 miles, and I never once washed the car... Saturn did it. I never once added winshield fluid... Saturn did it. I never once vacuumed it out... Saturn did it.

It will be interesting (and hopefully not too disappointing) to see how Toy of M compares..." Well, here in St. Louis I have yet to find a Toyota dealer who does the wonderful things that your Saturn dealership did. Saturn has a lot of neat things going for it in their service department.

By the way, Saturn does service all makes of cars. The problem here is that the Prius is new technology and they are not savy with this 2004 Prius. (Heck-- even Toyota isn't all that savy either....)

 

[smtrader]

I've learned from reading some articles on car maintenance that whenever you change oil, it's helpful to the car. You can even change it daily but the benefits will not be felt...diminishing returns. 5000 miles is recommended, but since I want to baby my car, I plan to split the difference with 4,000 mile changes. That's my plan. BTW, I'm using regular oil and not synthetic. Someone on this forum agreed with me that with such frequent changes, the difference may not be all that noticeable, especially since I live in a mild climate area.

 

[john1701a]

Every 3,000 is too often. The oil I've drained out of my 2004 Prius at 5,000 miles is in much better condition (thinner & lighter) than anything I've ever seen come out of a traditional vehicle at 3,000 miles. Heck, with my 2001 Prius, I could even say that about at 7,500 mile intervals.

See, Prius is no where near as hard on oil as traditional vehicles. The hybrid system avoids the main factors that cause oil to age. The engine RPM redline is much lower than usual and engine runs much cooler. So the oil will naturally last longer.

 

[hyperion]

Most american cars now have their computers wired to give you a message when oil should be changed. The computer keeps track of long stretches of driving along with short and most oil monitor messages appear around 7,000 miles plus or minus 1,000. Toyota says gas engine runs under power only 60% of time.

 

[Joel]

I have mine changed every 5000 miles simply because the car is already at the dealer for regular service. If I didn't service the car at 5k intervals, I would say 7500 miles is appropriate under standard driving conditions - but that's just my opinion.

 

[melgish]

By the way, Saturn does service all makes of cars. The problem here is that the Prius is new technology and they are not savy with this 2004 Prius. (Heck-- even Toyota isn't all that savy either....)

I thought about that, but for the same reasons I took the Saturn in to Saturn for all the mantienence, I'll be taking the Toyota to Toyota. I will be liking the fact I can go about 7 weeks betwen maintenance instead of 5.

She's going in for the 5000 tomorrow. Wish me luck

 

[AgentElrond]

Neither my wife nor I put on more than the listed miles, so we're sticking with the 6 month interval as recommended by Toyota. Having it done at the dealer (so far) and getting their "stamp" also helps avoid any warranty questions. Switched her 2003 to synthetic on its last change; will be doing the same for my 2004 next weekend. 8)

 

[jflowerus]

If Toyota thought oil needed to be changed every 3000 miles, that is what they would recommend.

I go with the factory recommendation.

 

[LowCO2]

If Toyota thought oil needed to be changed every 3000 miles, that is what they would recommend.

Well, my dealer recommends Prius oil change every 3000 mi, while the factory recommends every 5000. I think the dealer is just trying to make a few extra bucks, as our previous vehicles (Saturns, Subaru, Toyotas) all did fine with oil changes every 5000-7500 miles.