Engine Oil

[FROSTYBALLS]

Devon Aygo has recently supplied the following information on oil requirements:

"The issues over which oils are used is caused by a European law called "Block exemption" the same law that states that manufacturers can't insist on main dealer servicing, also stops Toyota from insisting what oils are used by anyone wishing to service a car including their own dealer network. All Toyota are allowed to do is list a set of specifications that the oil used must meet they can also list a "preferred" oil. For example I have listed below the requirements Toyota have for the mkiii Prius, a car that has caused a lot of posts over the oils that have been used during servicing. This info is taken from Toyota's Service data sheet for European Prius mkiii only!

Preferred option:
0w20

Other listed options:
5w20
5w30
10w30
15w40
20w50

These grades above are listed by Toyota as they meet the following required specifications:

API grade SL or SM multigrade engine oil
API grade SL “Energy-Conserving”. SM “Energy-Conserving” or ILSAC* multigrade engine oil.


Toyota can only require the oils used meet the minimum specifications above. So long a the oil used meets the above the oil grade is not enforceable.


At present Toyota have "asked" but cannot enforce the dealer network to use the following,

Mk3 Prius, Prius plug-in, Prius +, Mk1 Auris HSD, Mk2 Auris HSD & Yaris HSD 0w20

Mk1 & Mk2 Prius 5w30

Optimal drive petrol models 0w20 or 5w30

Other petrol engines 5w30

Diesel engines incl Optimal drive 5w30

Diesel engines with DPF including optimal drive 0w30 or 5w30 meeting C2 low ash specifications"

[Parts-King]

All available from Kingo, 0w 20, 0w 30, 5w 30 PM me for prices. Please state the grade you require or let me know what model / engine type you have

Kingo

[ToyotaAurisHybrid]

Is there a brand of 0w-20 oil anybody can recommend? - I always like to keep a litre in the garage to keep things topped up

Thanks

[Red Yaris 54]

Is there a brand of 0w-20 oil anybody can recommend? - I always like to keep a litre in the garage to keep things topped up

Thanks

Toyotas own brand is good......Available from Parts-King........Mobil and Castrol Extreme are potential alternatives

[Ancient Nerd]

Is there a brand of 0w-20 oil anybody can recommend? - I always like to keep a litre in the garage to keep things topped up

Thanks

The last few services, I've used Total Quartz 9000 Future, from Nielsen. Around £30 for 5 litres.

Before that I used Motul 8100 Eco-lite from Opie. An excellent oil, but the price has increased massively over the last two years, so I stopped using it.

Both oils are from reliable French companies, are fully synthetic and meet the required API standards.

I always take my own oil when the car goes for a service, so over the life of the Prius so far, I have saved between £200 and £300 pounds.

So far, I have never needed to top up between services, so your top-up litre may stay in the garage a long time!

[ToyotaAurisHybrid]

I saw the Total brand on Amazon last night when I was looking - quite reasonably priced I thought too.

Thanks for the replies to date - much appreciated!

[Nicolai]

Is it a good idea to top up the oil? I mean, you'd be mixing new, fresh oil with an old, used and dirty one?

[FROSTYBALLS]

Should the car's oil get low and need topping up to the required level, it is best to top up rather than risk the engine's health by leaving it. Obviously it is best to use the same specification of oil for topping up. New oil should mix quite readily with the oil already in the car.

[Nicolai]

Thanks. Just to clarify: The oil level should stay on max- an engine that drinks oil is a faulty engine, right?

[FROSTYBALLS]

No it isn't as straightforward as that. Some engines do use oil and it is only if and when the oil consumption becomes excessive that there may be indications of a problem. Heavy consumption varies from manufacturer to manufacturer but I think generally 0.5 litres per 600 miles is heavy. Toyota petrol engines are usually very good as regards oil consumption. My last Auris never needed any topping up between services in the 3 years 2 months I owned it from new. The Corolla I owned before needed topping up by approx 200ml in the three years I had that.

Ideally the oil level should be kept at or slightly below the Max marking on the dipstick. Care should be taken NEVER to overfill the engine with oil.

[Yolina]

It will say in the handbook what the maximum acceptable oil consumption is ;) for the Yaris hybrid it's apparently 1 litre per 1000 km though mine hasn't needed topping up yet , its first service is due in 2 months so shiny new clean oil soon.

[Nicolai]

Wauw, 1 litre pr. 1,000 km /600 miles????? That's way too much in my opinion....

[Parts-King]

Wauw, 1 litre pr. 1,000 km /600 miles????? That's way too much in my opinion....

But not Toyota's opinion............. ;)

[Nicolai]

How much was considered too much with regards to the 1.8s replaced for free by Toyota?

[Yolina]

That's the stated maximum acceptable, it doesn't mean that your car will actually use that much - mine certainly doesn't.

Actually in 20 years I've never had a car where the oil has needed topping up between services.

[Nicolai]

I realise it is "worst case". Hoping mine won't use oil....

[Parts-King]

Ruddy hell Nicolai...............wait til you have the car and run it for a while before worrying about how much oil you MIGHT one day have to put in it.............relax man!

Kingo

[sanzomat]

That's the stated maximum acceptable, it doesn't mean that your car will actually use that much - mine certainly doesn't.

Actually in 20 years I've never had a car where the oil has needed topping up between services.

In 30 years of car ownership I've only had one car that needed oil topping up between services. That was an Audi A6 2.0tdi, bought new in September 2007. Since getting it everyone seemed to confirm that Audi 2.0tdi's use a lot of oil. Mine started off using 0.5l every 800 miles or so (there is 0.5l between full on the dipstick and the oil level warning light coming on). I gave it the benefit of the doubt and assumed it could just be a running in thing so gave it a couple of thousand miles, by which time it was using 0.5l in 600 miles so getting worse, not better. I checked with the dealer who pointed out that the manual says 1l/1000km is acceptable so as I was using 0.5l every 600 miles (roughly 1000km) then it was well within spec so nothing they could do, even though I was having to put oil in more often than deisel. They did give me a box of eight half litre bottles to keep me going though. By 5000 miles it was even worse and getting near to the 1l/1000km point so the dealer agreed to take it in. Their rule was that they would drain it, weigh in an accurate dose of oil, drive it 1000km then drain it again and re-weigh the oil drained out. If it had used less than 1l then they would do nothing else. I got a call the next day saying that the light had come on after just a day/300 miles so they had abondoned the test and finally believed me! They kept the car for nearly eight weeks trying to fix it, during which I had 2 loan cars, an A4 2.0tdi that needed 0.5l every 3000 miles and another A6 2.0 tdi that needed 0.5l every 4000 miles so both used oil, just not to the same extent. They eventually claimed that there was a missing piston ring and couldn't find any "bits" in the sump so concluded it must have been misisng from new. The car was always a bit rough but was no better after being fixed. The oil consumption had improved to 0.5l every 1800 miles but stayed the same for my 2 yrs/52,000 miles with the car. Over that time it needed a whole new clutch/flywheel assembly, 2 central locking solenoids, air conditioning compressor, sat-nav control unit, new CD changer, windscreen wiper motor, and I'm sure there were a couple of other issues, all done under warranty but a right pain to have to keep taking it in. Without a doubt the worst car I've ever owned. I was really glad I'd taken it out on just a 2 year lease so was always under warranty and at least I kept my excess miles to a minimum by putting over 8000 miles on their courtesy cars! One thing is for sure, I will never consider getting another Audi!

[PeteB]

That's the stated maximum acceptable, it doesn't mean that your car will actually use that much - mine certainly doesn't.

Actually in 20 years I've never had a car where the oil has needed topping up between services.

My 2nd Prius (a Mk 1 I owned from 2002 to 2011) used no oil at all until it got towards 100,000 miles. By the time I sold it with 163,000 on the clock it dropped to min on the dipstick about 7,000 miles after a service. Adding 1 litre easily carried it to the next service.

Regards, PeteB

[posing]

Had to top up couple weeks before the service because the master warning light pops on when decelerating and taking a left bend. Though the oil light didn't come on the first few times it happened, eventually it did. So probably the cornering caused the oil to go to one side. Checking the dipstick, I cannot see a level. Pouring in a litre, it took a while before I can see the level on the dipstick.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Would suggest that you need to check the oil on a regular basis - leaving it until the low oil warning comes on could cause damage to the engine.

[Parts-King]

Had to top up couple weeks before the service because the master warning light pops on when decelerating and taking a left bend. Though the oil light didn't come on the first few times it happened, eventually it did. So probably the cornering caused the oil to go to one side. Checking the dipstick, I cannot see a level. Pouring in a litre, it took a while before I can see the level on the dipstick.

You need to top it up to the maximum level and keep your eye on it to see how much you are using. Having it that low on the stick is dangerous!

[posing]

I got into the comfort zone 'the dealer does the oil change' and it didn't occur to me to check between service. Car's done over 110k so reading up on other ppl experiences, oil is consumed more after around 100k. Just done a double check. Though the new clear liquid is difficult to discern (to my untrained eye) I can see it now hits the max notch. I will mention to dealer when I get a service in 2 weeks that I have topped up. Not sure if they are supposed to reset the oil reminder when topped up.

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Not sure if they are supposed to reset the oil reminder when topped up.

Be curious how they'll manage that as the European Prii don't have that option. I believe the US market models do though.

[Seamaster73]

I have all those service reminders on my Prius, but they're useless — all have to be set manually (mileage or time). Not like in my old Merc where it was all automated.