Hey guys and gals, Just picked up my 2010 Prius today and have an oil question. I live in Vancouver Canada. Where I work, we have bulk quantities of Shell Helix 5w40 fully synthetic oil. I was wondering if I could use it in my Prius (hardly ever gets below -5c here). If I am able to use it, how far can I stretch my oil change intervals (will be doing mostly city driving). Thanks
I know Paradox is right for the US, I seem to recall that there are a broader range of correct answers for Canada, but in Vancouver you won't get much different weather than the lower 48.
A 40 weight oil is just about as far from correct as you can get in an oil weight for a 2010 Prius without going into the exotic rare 50 and 60 weight oils that a few high performance cars call for (e.g. BMW M3). Perhaps if you owned the Prius in Death Valley and like to drive fast and hard in the summer heat a 40 weight oil would be more appropriate, but even then I would use a 30 weight oil at most. For Vancouver the 0W-20 is the correct weight to use. So, what might happen if you use the Shell Helix 5W-40? It is possible that the oil pump of the Prius cannot generate enough flow with a 40 weight oil to allow for proper lubrication upon startups before the engine has achieved operating temperature. This might lead to increase wear over using the proper weight oil. An example; my Ford Explorer with a V6 cannot use 20 weight oil because of it's oil pump having the opposite condition - it cannot generate the proper pressure with oils thinner than a 30 weight. The later V6's had a redesigned oil pump to handle the 5W-20 oil that Ford went to for most of their cars/light trucks. This issue might not be the case for the 2010 Prius, it's oil pump might work fine with any oil. The question is do you want to be the one running this experiment that has little payoff besides saving a very few (Canadian) dollars on an oil change? Rumple
Ask yourself if you will prevail when the engine blows, and Toyota refuses to pay a dime because you failed to follow their Motor Oil Requirements ? ? ? Change the oil 3 times in the first 5K miles when the engine wears the most (as much as it will wear in the next 50K), unless its a lease. In that case you get to unload it on the unsuspecting dupe that gets the car after you're done abusing it.
in a new car Always follow the recommended oil wt and spec. this engine starts and stops many times,, thick oil might not get to the bearings.''''
It's not worth the saving of by using your own 5W40 oil. The last time I checked with the dealer, the Toyota brand 0w-20 (P/N: C0009-00w20-12) synthetic oil, is selling at CAD5.30/ liter bottle. You may need about 12 bottle for 3 oil changes a year so the total cost is less than CAD70. What advantage do you have by using your own 5W40 oil other than the minimal saving? The answer is clear to me. It's not worth the risk at all.
