Dealer Adamant About 5/30 Oil For Gen3

[ormi]

yip we use 0,20 for the prius and all 1.33 that have stop start..

[Grumpy Cabbie]

yip we use 0,20 for the prius and all 1.33 that have stop start..

I'm sure the majority of Toyota dealers use the correct oils but it's a shame there's a handful out there skimping on costs or maybe just plain wrong who are causing problems.

Odd that such a simple thing as using the correct oil plays such an important part in the performance and economy of a car.

Do you have any contacts that the OP can use to report his mistaken dealer? (other than filling in the after service survey).

[cbcdesign]

I have decided I am going to test my dealer before I decide if they will be servicing my Prius by asking them a simple question:-

What is the correct grade of oil for the 3rd Generation Prius?

If they answer correctly I will give them the first service and subject to satisfactory service continue using them but if they answer incorrectly they won't be getting my business.

The annoying thing about this oil grade issue is that it compromises the performance of the vehicle in terms of mpg which is one of the features that make the vehicle attractive in the first place. Its staggering that some dealers don't realise of care about this crucial point.

[johalareewi]

Back in March 2010 the official Toyota UK position was...

Melissa Coulton says:

March 23, 2010 at 12:35

Hi again Dave,

I’m pleased to say that I now have the definitive statement you were looking for.

All Toyota Centres have now been issued with revised guidelines that clarify which oil grades are suitable for use in Toyota vehicles. I can tell you that the recommended service grade for third-generation Prius is 0W-20.

For further details, please see my reply to Kev.

http://blog.toyota.co.uk/new-prius-everything-you-need-to-know/comment-page-2#comment-10742

Many thanks for your patience.

Reply

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Though one wonders how many disappointed gen3 Prius owners there are out there wondering why they spent all that money for what is now a slow car that now only gets 45 mpg. It's probably because the dealer skimpted on the oil and lowered the tyre pressures to 32 psi. :censor:

Correct oil and correct tyres and tyre pressures = 70+ mpg and happy owner

[Opifex]

Though one wonders how many disappointed gen3 Prius owners there are out there wondering why they spent all that money for what is now a slow car that now only gets 45 mpg. It's probably because the dealer skimpted on the oil and lowered the tyre pressures to 32 psi. :censor:

Correct oil and correct tyres and tyre pressures = 70+ mpg and happy owner

The sticker on my door says that the rears should be 32psi. What do you recommend?

[Grumpy Cabbie]

If the sticker says 32 psi then I'd go with the sticker. I'm guessing you have the low profile posh tyres. On my cheapo base model the tyres should be 35 or 36 psi but the dealers used to stick them at 32 psi after service, which badly affects the mpg's. I'm guessing the dealer must be using the instructions for the bigger alloys on mine crappy alloys.

[Ancient Nerd]

The sticker on my door says that the rears should be 32psi. What do you recommend?

Don't whatever you do let the pressure go below 32. I tend to leave mine at 34, but there are some here who use significantly higher pressures, and have checked the wear profile to support that. My feeling is that the wider the tyre, the less variation is acceptable without uneven wear across the tread width. But it is only a feeling, I haven't tested it.

[Ancient Nerd]

If the sticker says 32 psi then I'd go with the sticker. I'm guessing you have the low profile posh tyres. On my cheapo base model the tyres should be 35 or 36 psi but the dealers used to stick them at 32 psi after service, which badly affects the mpg's. I'm guessing the dealer must be using the instructions for the bigger alloys on mine crappy alloys.

Don't knock the unposh tyres. I think Toyota GB made a mistake specifying 17" wheels as standard on the T4 and T-Spirit. They are less economical, more expensive and make for a harder ride.

[markleigh]

RESOLVED! Took my car in with a note re: the oil and printed several postings from the forum and the very helpful after sales manager contacted me to say that he had educated his staff and it would be filled with 0w/20...

Picked up the car this afternoon and the invoice confirmed this.

Well done Jemca Kingston!

[johalareewi]

Don't knock the unposh tyres.

+1

Thanks to the unposh wheels, new tyres are a lot cheaper and I was able to easily get winter tyres.

[Chris Dance]

Good news markleigh. Glad you got it sorted just needs ALL dealers to get the message about the correct oil now. I am checking with my dealer tomorrow.

[Parts-King]

This has always been a difficult subject and it should never have been so. The problem was with the mixed messages being given out by Toyota

The car is filled with 0w 20 from the factory and it is recommended that you continue to use 0w 20 at service time

Where the confusion started was with fleet companies not wanting to pay the higher charges for 0w 20 oil on the OPTIMAL DRIVE CARS and Toyota said "5W-30 Premium Fuel Efficient (PFE) TGMO, which has been tested by TMC, is available as an alternative to the factory fill grades in order to support cost of ownership and National Fleet Pricing for Toyota Optimal Drive vehicles"

The Prius and Auris Hybrid were then looked at seperatly from the rest of the Optimal Drive models and they now say

New Hybrid Synergy Drive vehicles, such as the Prius MK3 and Auris Hybrid are filled at the factory with 0W-20 TGMO. We recommend you continue to use 0W-20 TGMO as the service grade.

So you should put 0w 20 in your Prius and Auris Hybrid, however, it would not harm your car to put 5w 30 in it, just your fuel consumption

Kingo

[Chris Dance]

Went to the dealer this morning asked what oil they used in the Prius Gen 3. Without hesitation he said we only use OW20. (Which was good news.) The technician knew about all the problems of using 5W30 in the Gen 3 Prius.

A small piece of plastic I found in the boot of the new car was from the rear of the boot. The technician knew exactly where it was from.

Very pleased with my visit to Mr T this morning.

[Jan&tone]

Went to the dealer this morning asked what oil they used in the Prius Gen 3. Without hesitation he said we only use OW20. (Which was good news.) The technician knew about all the problems of using 5W30 in the Gen 3 Prius.

A small piece of plastic I found in the boot of the new car was from the rear of the boot. The technician knew exactly where it was from.

Very pleased with my visit to Mr T this morning.

Lovely to hear good news for a change

Well done Chris