Hybrids Service (Oil Change)

[Galle]

I’m having an Axio hybrid (2014). Agent recommend to do a service at every 5000 KM.

as vehicle run on EV mode as well (in EV mode, engine is not running), mileage include this as well.

Can’t we used the engine oil more than 5000 KM ?

Appreciate your comments.

[Muditha420]

Okay this thread is about done, so: Could you please elaborate on this? So some guy pulled over to a random house by the side of the road and asked to charge his Nissan Leaf up? But wouldn't that take hours to do?

Okay seriously I have no clue what possessed either parties to accept this situation, i just wanted to know why he was going to all the trouble of putting the cable over a wall since the house was on the road side and clearly there was a gate too. only by asking i got those info as well.

who know why?? only a Leaf owner will elaborate on this i just thought it was freaking funny... Damn should have taken a picture though...Ohh well life of a Leaf owner is something i tell ya

[luckey007]

Okay this thread is about done, so: Could you please elaborate on this? So some guy pulled over to a random house by the side of the road and asked to charge his Nissan Leaf up? But wouldn't that take hours to do?

Or can carry 2 hooks attached to the charger and hang those in electricity lines with a crook in a desolate road side.. I really expect to see those situations in news soon as this is Sri Lanka.

Dear All,

Appreciate if you could read this article...

http://www.edmunds.com/car-care/stop-changing-your-oil.html

There are some good points in this article.

Read the article.. Does any one know what are the vehicles equipped with oil life monitors , being used in Sri Lanka?

[Magnum]

Are synthetic oil the ones which needs an oil change at 10,000KM?

Edited June 27, 2015 by Magnum

[gayanath]

The United States does not have the same ambient heat that Sri Lanka has. Most parts of the US are subject to seasons and the servicing adjusted accordingly.

The roads are heavily congested particularly in Colombo and there is a lot of stop start traffic. The United States have open roads and free flowing traffic. In modern cars which have intelligent servicing schedules, you will notice the service interval come forward if this is the type of driving you do even in the US or the UK.

The humidity is quite high and you have to add the dust into this as well. The same conditions exist in some parts of the US but guidance is given in general.

The quality of fuel in Sri Lanka is quite poor. This leaves residue and sediment which interact with engine oil and cause chemical break down of oil

The engine oil we get in SL is not the same quality as the ones sold in the United States even if it is the same brand as its sourced from different manufacturing points

A lot of the cars in Sri Lanka were not designed to work in Sri Lanka for prolonged periods. Some vehicles have experienced fairly adverse problems like cracked heads and leaking head gaskets due to the ambient heat coupled with standard operating temperatures. Many were imported from milder climates and while most on the surface run ok they need to be carefully managed to avoid issues in the long run.

And finally and most importantly, we have very many recorded instances of the sludge issue manifesting itself in many vehicles. In modern cars a lot of things are based on oil pressure and this this changing has serious consequences.

And most importantly this is local knowledge, and knowledge obtained at the expese of other people who have had to pay for the repairs. These facts are actually acknowledged by the importers of Engine oils as well. You might think its in their best interest if people change engine oil all the time. 15 years ago when synthetic oils became widely available, they sold synthetic and semi synthetic oils exactly on that premise. Long service intervals. But the negative publicity generated by sludge issues have caused most to retract those claims.

I really have better things to do than argue with you over and over. Do whatever you want man. Its your money after all.

Dear Friend,

Now you become professional and come-up with some technical points. Lets take one by one. My comments have underlined.

The United States does not have the same ambient heat that Sri Lanka has. Most parts of the US are subject to seasons and the servicing adjusted accordingly. - In this case Sri Lanka is better than America as we have no seasons. Actually we do not need multi grade oils too and mono grade oils are more than enough (this is not my idea. It was told by one of my college who is Chemical Engineer in Cal***x four years before) but we are using them due to high performance due to other additives and most impotently oil manufactures are not manufacturing products targeting our small market. So no need to reduce the changing interval.

The roads are heavily congested particularly in Colombo and there is a lot of stop start traffic. The United States have open roads and free flowing traffic. In modern cars which have intelligent servicing schedules, you will notice the service interval come forward if this is the type of driving you do even in the US or the UK. - This is good point. Lot of start stops means more idling which falls on severe condition. No any argument on this. Under this condition Toyota recommends 5000 miles which means 8000 km. Same time, I have one more idea and still not concluded. Which is that, in toyota hybrids they have reduced idling time by stopping the engine. On the other hand, more start stopping (I mean engine shut down) tends to wear the engine bearings (Dr. Mendis who is the pioneer of automobile engineering in sri lanka told us, "push your vehicle by hand for minour movements withing your garden without starting your car) but according to toyotas researches they found that, cost of engine wear due to frequent start stops are cheaper than the fuel wast due to dling as the new engines are low friction. Thats why they have introduced intelligent start stop system for non-hybrids too. This scenario act positively for oil life.

The humidity is quite high and you have to add the dust into this as well. The same conditions exist in some parts of the US but guidance is given in general. - Agreed with humidity matter and will put this under severe condition. Then it's 8000. I have not visited US but visited Japan. No difference of the dust condition as our roads are not so bad now.

The quality of fuel in Sri Lanka is quite poor. This leaves residue and sediment which interact with engine oil and cause chemical break down of oil - We are using two products. one is directly from our refinery which is one of the best in the asia (I know personally about that and do not under estimate our products). Other one is imported fuels from world market and cannot be poor as rest of the world too using same. I will not comment about I*C products and not using same. So no difference.

The engine oil we get in SL is not the same quality as the ones sold in the United States even if it is the same brand as its sourced from different manufacturing points - Lots of multi national companies now transfers there production plants to china, Thailand, India etc due to low cost labor but they are maintaining there product quality same level. But still some countries maintaining non-china policies so they are exporting reputed products (I mean made in Japan, etc.) to that countries. Those policies will change near future. So, if we are smart enough to buy reputed brands, no issue.

A lot of the cars in Sri Lanka were not designed to work in Sri Lanka for prolonged periods. Some vehicles have experienced fairly adverse problems like cracked heads and leaking head gaskets due to the ambient heat coupled with standard operating temperatures. Many were imported from milder climates and while most on the surface run ok they need to be carefully managed to avoid issues in the long run. - This interpretation may be valid for very old engines 20 years back but now there are well functioning control systems for temperature control to obtain optimum fuel efficiency and same will safe guard the engine components too. But agreed that still failures are there due to issues in material, manufacturing process, careless repairs, etc. They are common for all countries. If you still have same dought, lets consider this as severe condition which means 8000 km

And finally and most importantly, we have very many recorded instances of the sludge issue manifesting itself in many vehicles. In modern cars a lot of things are based on oil pressure and this this changing has serious consequences. - In case of Toyota, they have identified this excess sludge issue was due to design issue of engine components and they have improved it. However, Its true that, we cannot avoid sludge formation in the engines and frequent oil changes will reduce the accumulation. Changing intervals are deciding by manufactures considering same and tolerating the cost factor (and essentially they are using safety factor too). Otherwise they will recommends to change oil every 1000 km or less. So your point is correct but no need to over estimate. If you still have same doubt, lets consider severe condition which is 8000 km

And most importantly this is local knowledge, and knowledge obtained at the expese of other people who have had to pay for the repairs. These facts are actually acknowledged by the importers of Engine oils as well. You might think its in their best interest if people change engine oil all the time. 15 years ago when synthetic oils became widely available, they sold synthetic and semi synthetic oils exactly on that premise. Long service intervals. But the negative publicity generated by sludge issues have caused most to retract those claims. - Actually, not oil importers but people who are working in service/repair stations (including authorized dealers/agents) are in their best interest if people change not only engine oil but also other parts too all the time. Bec, they need money. On the other hand, lots of people who are working as service advisers are not properly trained and qualified. I have much more experiences regarding this matter. The issue is, there is a big gap in knowledge transferring in our community.

I really have better things to do than argue with you over and over. Do whatever you want man. Its your money after all.

Dear Friend, Don't under estimate any one.

Finally, considering all dough's, Can't we go for severe conditions which is 8000 km for toyota. Actually earlier I have proposed at-least 7500 km or 6 months which ever come first.

However, in Japan average annual millage of a car is around 12000+ km and expect Sri Lanka, will be slightly less. So lots of people have to changed there oils before 5000km or below due to exceeding the 6 months factor.(although there is a safety factor too for this time period but better to follow it)

​Open for your valuable ideas which will enhance the knowledge of not only myself but also entire community.

[gayanath]

Lol, oh dear Gayanathyou read part of some internet doc I see.

What you stated was only a very small part of that list and I believe you made an excellent point of showing how misguided u are. Severe driving also includes:

-constant stop and go driving (good thing wdont have that in SL)

- driving in high heat / low temp (again dont worry, SL has a const 25 deg temp so u r safe)

- excessive short trips, apparently engine doesnt get to prop op temp. But since we all drive 10+ km in each trip and low temp means less oil burning who cares a crap

- constant use of poor quality petrol. Well SL has world grade fuel besides since it is a Hybrid u dont need petrol

The list goes on. So well done on your light browsing, you certainly taught me and now I can save so much money by following what you said. Can we arrange for this guy to provide an info/training session at dealerships for their techs ?

To Crosswind: I got enlightened only after reading his reply. I am a f*** moron. I should care more about the planet. So, if you drive 5000 miles and the electric motor works 25% of the time u can change oil at 7500mi, so get the motor running 50% you can do oil changes at 10000mi. YES !! EAT THAT OIL COMPANIES !!!

Could you please refer post #30 if you have enough time..................

[Kavvz]

Or can carry 2 hooks attached to the charger and hang those in electricity lines with a crook in a desolate road side.. I really expect to see those situations in news soon as this is Sri Lanka.

Okay seriously I have no clue what possessed either parties to accept this situation, i just wanted to know why he was going to all the trouble of putting the cable over a wall since the house was on the road side and clearly there was a gate too. only by asking i got those info as well.

who know why?? only a Leaf owner will elaborate on this i just thought it was freaking funny... Damn should have taken a picture though...Ohh well life of a Leaf owner is something i tell ya

Hilarious! The life of the EV owner I tell you!

(And as apparently since the thread is NOT dead after all; I apologize for talking the thread off topic...)

[iRage]

Now, I live in japan 6 months of the year, own one car there now after having two. Having said that this is the first time I've heard that Sri Lanka is equally dusty as Japan. Where on earth in Japan did u go to ??? Also, it is not just dust but other matters in the air as well but I will give u the benefit of the doubt that u meant this too. Secondly, the oil change interval for both my cars have been around 5000km. Not 8000km. Japanese dealerships are probably the most honest u would come by. We are talking about ppl who talk u out of buying a 3mil yen Premio and suggest you buy a mark x or an atenza because it would be cheaper or talk u in to a fit rather than an aqua because it meets my needs better. When I needed a fancy oil for my corolla they found a much better alternative for a lot lesser and showed that the fancy one I wanted doesnt make sense for my application. So I am confident they did not reduce service mileages to sell more oil. Also, you said something about SL cars doing lesser miles per year than Japanese and Japanese doing 12000km on avg ?? Where did u get that from ? Most Japanese do far far less than that especially in cities. Think u meant it the other way around.

Then the quality of fuel u mentioned. Even if the fuel originally was clean there are too many lapses further down the supply chain that adultrates it. Ex. Poorly maintained tanker trucks, storage tanks at fuel stations, etc. A few years ago i personally saw the fuel truck dumping some diesel in a petrol tank. Granted it was for less than a minute but still enough to mess up the petrol. The shed still went pumping petrol as nothing happened.

As for your post 30 are u referringto the edmunds article ? Well good for u. I commend u for being positive about SL being on par with countries like the US and Japan. You should also know that if u look for it you will find enough articles on the interweb that humans have bunny ears and donkies tails

Also howcome I can't find a oil change interval in the owners manual of my RAV4 or the CRV or the Corolla (all JDM versions)? There are service intervals in themaintenance note(log) book though. So no idea which owners manual u keep referring to.

You are a thick headed person for better or for worst.

Edited June 28, 2015 by iRage

[The Don]

Dear Friend,

Now you become professional and come-up with some technical points. Lets take one by one. My comments have underlined.

The United States does not have the same ambient heat that Sri Lanka has. Most parts of the US are subject to seasons and the servicing adjusted accordingly. - In this case Sri Lanka is better than America as we have no seasons. Actually we do not need multi grade oils too and mono grade oils are more than enough (this is not my idea. It was told by one of my college who is Chemical Engineer in Cal***x four years before) but we are using them due to high performance due to other additives and most impotently oil manufactures are not manufacturing products targeting our small market. So no need to reduce the changing interval.

The roads are heavily congested particularly in Colombo and there is a lot of stop start traffic. The United States have open roads and free flowing traffic. In modern cars which have intelligent servicing schedules, you will notice the service interval come forward if this is the type of driving you do even in the US or the UK. - This is good point. Lot of start stops means more idling which falls on severe condition. No any argument on this. Under this condition Toyota recommends 5000 miles which means 8000 km. Same time, I have one more idea and still not concluded. Which is that, in toyota hybrids they have reduced idling time by stopping the engine. On the other hand, more start stopping (I mean engine shut down) tends to wear the engine bearings (Dr. Mendis who is the pioneer of automobile engineering in sri lanka told us, "push your vehicle by hand for minour movements withing your garden without starting your car) but according to toyotas researches they found that, cost of engine wear due to frequent start stops are cheaper than the fuel wast due to dling as the new engines are low friction. Thats why they have introduced intelligent start stop system for non-hybrids too. This scenario act positively for oil life.

The humidity is quite high and you have to add the dust into this as well. The same conditions exist in some parts of the US but guidance is given in general. - Agreed with humidity matter and will put this under severe condition. Then it's 8000. I have not visited US but visited Japan. No difference of the dust condition as our roads are not so bad now.

The quality of fuel in Sri Lanka is quite poor. This leaves residue and sediment which interact with engine oil and cause chemical break down of oil - We are using two products. one is directly from our refinery which is one of the best in the asia (I know personally about that and do not under estimate our products). Other one is imported fuels from world market and cannot be poor as rest of the world too using same. I will not comment about I*C products and not using same. So no difference.

The engine oil we get in SL is not the same quality as the ones sold in the United States even if it is the same brand as its sourced from different manufacturing points - Lots of multi national companies now transfers there production plants to china, Thailand, India etc due to low cost labor but they are maintaining there product quality same level. But still some countries maintaining non-china policies so they are exporting reputed products (I mean made in Japan, etc.) to that countries. Those policies will change near future. So, if we are smart enough to buy reputed brands, no issue.

A lot of the cars in Sri Lanka were not designed to work in Sri Lanka for prolonged periods. Some vehicles have experienced fairly adverse problems like cracked heads and leaking head gaskets due to the ambient heat coupled with standard operating temperatures. Many were imported from milder climates and while most on the surface run ok they need to be carefully managed to avoid issues in the long run. - This interpretation may be valid for very old engines 20 years back but now there are well functioning control systems for temperature control to obtain optimum fuel efficiency and same will safe guard the engine components too. But agreed that still failures are there due to issues in material, manufacturing process, careless repairs, etc. They are common for all countries. If you still have same dought, lets consider this as severe condition which means 8000 km

And finally and most importantly, we have very many recorded instances of the sludge issue manifesting itself in many vehicles. In modern cars a lot of things are based on oil pressure and this this changing has serious consequences. - In case of Toyota, they have identified this excess sludge issue was due to design issue of engine components and they have improved it. However, Its true that, we cannot avoid sludge formation in the engines and frequent oil changes will reduce the accumulation. Changing intervals are deciding by manufactures considering same and tolerating the cost factor (and essentially they are using safety factor too). Otherwise they will recommends to change oil every 1000 km or less. So your point is correct but no need to over estimate. If you still have same doubt, lets consider severe condition which is 8000 km

And most importantly this is local knowledge, and knowledge obtained at the expese of other people who have had to pay for the repairs. These facts are actually acknowledged by the importers of Engine oils as well. You might think its in their best interest if people change engine oil all the time. 15 years ago when synthetic oils became widely available, they sold synthetic and semi synthetic oils exactly on that premise. Long service intervals. But the negative publicity generated by sludge issues have caused most to retract those claims. - Actually, not oil importers but people who are working in service/repair stations (including authorized dealers/agents) are in their best interest if people change not only engine oil but also other parts too all the time. Bec, they need money. On the other hand, lots of people who are working as service advisers are not properly trained and qualified. I have much more experiences regarding this matter. The issue is, there is a big gap in knowledge transferring in our community.

I really have better things to do than argue with you over and over. Do whatever you want man. Its your money after all.

Dear Friend, Don't under estimate any one.

Finally, considering all dough's, Can't we go for severe conditions which is 8000 km for toyota. Actually earlier I have proposed at-least 7500 km or 6 months which ever come first.

However, in Japan average annual millage of a car is around 12000+ km and expect Sri Lanka, will be slightly less. So lots of people have to changed there oils before 5000km or below due to exceeding the 6 months factor.(although there is a safety factor too for this time period but better to follow it)

​Open for your valuable ideas which will enhance the knowledge of not only myself but also entire community.

There is no point continuing this conversation as it is just going around in circles. Service your car at whatever mileage you like.

[amalbasnayake]

For Toyota latest vehicles Toyota full synthetic oil is the best. But according to my knowledge it is not available in Sri Lanka. Best alternative is other brands of full synthetic motor oils(Mobil 1, Castrol, Valvoline etc).According to your service manual you can change the the engine oil & oil filter.Eg-For Aqua 2013 oil grade is 0W-20 and oil change interval is 10,000 miles(because of the roads are dusty in Sri Lanka it is suitable to change oil after 10000km or 1year duration).Also you can save money from using Fully synthetic oil.

Eg- For Toyota Aqua

When you use Toyota Semi synthetic or synthetic blended 0W-20 oil

4L oil can =Rs5500x2=Rs11000

Toyota Oil filter =Rs2500x2=Rs 5000

Total cost =Rs16000

When you use Mobil 1 fully synthetic 0W-20 oil

1L oil can x4(with discount)=Rs8500

Toyota Oil filter =Rs2500

Total cost =Rs11000

According to above calculations you can save Rs 5000

Advantages of Full sunthtic oils

1. Reduced sludge formation

2. Not degradable in higher engine temperatures

3. Protect parts in engine from friction

4. Increased oil change interval and save money

[B2Spirit]

maybe i have got this wrong.

But Isn't the decision for going synthetic largely dependent on usage rather than cost.

I have heard lot of people recommending to stay away from synthetics unless you are using the vehicle frequently.

The common thing i hear is tht unless u r doing around 10k distance within 6 months forget synthetics.

Edited August 4, 2015 by B2Spirit

[Magnum]

Now theres two of them

[B2Spirit]

For Toyota latest vehicles Toyota full synthetic oil is the best. But according to my knowledge it is not available in Sri Lanka. Best alternative is other brands of full synthetic motor oils(Mobil 1, Castrol, Valvoline etc).According to your service manual you can change the the engine oil & oil filter.Eg-For Aqua 2013 oil grade is 0W-20 and oil change interval is 10,000 miles(because of the roads are dusty in Sri Lanka it is suitable to change oil after 10000km or 1year duration).Also you can save money from using Fully synthetic oil.

Eg- For Toyota Aqua

When you use Toyota Semi synthetic or synthetic blended 0W-20 oil

4L oil can =Rs5500x2=Rs11000

Toyota Oil filter =Rs2500x2=Rs 5000

Total cost =Rs16000

When you use Mobil 1 fully synthetic 0W-20 oil

1L oil can x4(with discount)=Rs8500

Toyota Oil filter =Rs2500

Total cost =Rs11000

According to above calculations you can save Rs 5000

Advantages of Full sunthtic oils

1. Reduced sludge formation

2. Not degradable in higher engine temperatures

3. Protect parts in engine from friction

4. Increased oil change interval and save money

Well this calculation is strange.

1st of all regardless of the oil the oil filter is changed only once 10000km.

So now ur saving drops to 2500 rupees.

Since we are at the nitty gritty level of costs, if you go with standard 10w-30 oil, the cost of option 1 drops even further because they charge you for the exact amount (3.8L) not the 4L can

When you think about it thats only like 150-200rs a month difference on a 3mil+ car.

Is it even worth worrying about (That is not considering the benefits you get by getting the car looked at every 6 months as opposed to 1 year) ?

Edited August 4, 2015 by B2Spirit

[Kavvz]

maybe i have got this wrong.

But Isn't the decision for going synthetic largely dependent on usage rather than cost.

I have heard lot of people recommending to stay away from synthetics unless you are using the vehicle frequently.

The common thing i hear is tht unless u r doing around 10k distance within 6 months forget synthetics.

Its can hold true the other way round as well. Synthetic oil is just as useful / beneficial when you don't use the car frequently as it doesn't break down overtime as fast as non-synthetic oil does. For example take an arbitrary Mr X pensioner who drives around 500km-1000km or so a month, with lots of cold starts, lots of city driving and short journeys where the car gets shut down before it reaches operating temperature: I would recommend synthetic oil over non-synthetic oil as the car has a lot of stress put on it with that kind of useage and with that kind of usage would be at risk of rapid oil breakdown (leading to potential sludge formation). Using Synthetic oil in this scenario would decrease this risk.

But you're right when you say its recommended that you use synthetic oil over non-synthetic oil in cars that record high mileages within a short period of time too, as in those scenarios you can stretch out the oil changes beyond 5000km without too much risk of oil break down

Edited August 5, 2015 by Kavvz

[Kavvz]

For Toyota latest vehicles Toyota full synthetic oil is the best. But according to my knowledge it is not available in Sri Lanka. Best alternative is other brands of full synthetic motor oils(Mobil 1, Castrol, Valvoline etc).According to your service manual you can change the the engine oil & oil filter.Eg-For Aqua 2013 oil grade is 0W-20 and oil change interval is 10,000 miles(because of the roads are dusty in Sri Lanka it is suitable to change oil after 10000km or 1year duration).Also you can save money from using Fully synthetic oil.

Eg- For Toyota Aqua

When you use Toyota Semi synthetic or synthetic blended 0W-20 oil

4L oil can =Rs5500x2=Rs11000

Toyota Oil filter =Rs2500x2=Rs 5000

Total cost =Rs16000

When you use Mobil 1 fully synthetic 0W-20 oil

1L oil can x4(with discount)=Rs8500

Toyota Oil filter =Rs2500

Total cost =Rs11000

According to above calculations you can save Rs 5000

Advantages of Full sunthtic oils

1. Reduced sludge formation

2. Not degradable in higher engine temperatures

3. Protect parts in engine from friction

4. Increased oil change interval and save money

While I agree that generally synthetic oil is the better choice, I struggle to understand:

For Toyota latest vehicles Toyota full synthetic oil is the best. But according to my knowledge it is not available in Sri Lanka.

How would Toyota full synthetic oil be any different to Mobil 1, Castrol, Valvoline? Isn't it just a re-branded version of one of those oils or the like? (In fact I wouldn't be surprised if Toyota full synthetic oil is just a re-branded version of Castrol Synthetic / Castrol Syntec)

(Because of the roads are dusty in Sri Lanka it is suitable to change oil after 10000km or 1year duration)

Okay someone explain this one to me: Dusty conditions mean that oil breaks down sooner? Why? Is it because the dust contaminates oil via the combustion mixture (assuming the air filter lets in a bit more dust than usual?) But if that's the case isn't that increase in dust particle contamination pretty negligible?

Edited August 5, 2015 by Kavvz

[tcfern1]

Is it essential to fix a original toyota oil filter for o milage toyota hybrid cars?what about other brands like VIC?

[isam]

Dear iRage,

Actually, for normal use its 10,000 miles (16,000 km) and for severe condition 5,000 miles (8,000 km). That's why I suggested at least 7,500 km can be done if not more than 6 months time from last service. That Severe condition is properly defined as vehicle which idling with engine on like Police vehicle, Taxi, Towing trailers and some environment conditions.

Further important thing which we didn't consider is our environment. Who pays for the issues due to adding more used oil to environment unnecessary. If we use 7500 km (which still below the recommendation by manufacture) means we reduce 50% environmental damage.

Please consider that aspect too. Otherwise, we can change oil in every 1000 km if we have enough money.

Engineering designs are optimized to some points considering each & every factors. That's why they are manufacturing Hybrids (to save environment).

I guess if you are really enviroment conscious you will not buy a hybrid: http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/19/study-the-toyota-prius-has-a-dirty-side-after-all-manufacturi/

"There are plenty of revelations in the annual sustainability report recently released by Toyota. By and large, the company is as ecologically-minded as a multi-national corporation can be, but as we've touched on before, not everything is as squeaky clean as it could be. The Toyota Prius has earned itself as one of the greenest vehicles on the road – a perception that the company's report confirmed by detailing the fact that over its lifetime, the Prius is likely to emit much less carbon dioxide than other comparable vehicles.

Unfortunately, that truth is offset a bit by the fact that the vehicle performs marginally worse than average when it comes to the emissions generated to build hybrid. Specifically, Toyota cranks out extra non-methane hydrocarbons and particulate matter, thanks specifically to the manufacturing of the car's electric motor and battery pack. Those two pieces require larger amounts of energy and materials, snagging the Prius lower than average ratings across all five manufacturing emissions categories."

Many are not aware of this ugly side of the Hybrids. Even the Hybrid and Electric car sales are allowed in SL, I see no authority working in drawing strategies to dispose those battery packs when they are done! I just hope they will not allow throwing them in the landfills or the waterways. That would be much more disastrous than the pesticides overuse poisoning drinking water.

Edited August 5, 2015 by isam

[gayanath]

The United States does not have the same ambient heat that Sri Lanka has. Most parts of the US are subject to seasons and the servicing adjusted accordingly.

The roads are heavily congested particularly in Colombo and there is a lot of stop start traffic. The United States have open roads and free flowing traffic. In modern cars which have intelligent servicing schedules, you will notice the service interval come forward if this is the type of driving you do even in the US or the UK.

The humidity is quite high and you have to add the dust into this as well. The same conditions exist in some parts of the US but guidance is given in general.

The quality of fuel in Sri Lanka is quite poor. This leaves residue and sediment which interact with engine oil and cause chemical break down of oil

The engine oil we get in SL is not the same quality as the ones sold in the United States even if it is the same brand as its sourced from different manufacturing points

A lot of the cars in Sri Lanka were not designed to work in Sri Lanka for prolonged periods. Some vehicles have experienced fairly adverse problems like cracked heads and leaking head gaskets due to the ambient heat coupled with standard operating temperatures. Many were imported from milder climates and while most on the surface run ok they need to be carefully managed to avoid issues in the long run.

And finally and most importantly, we have very many recorded instances of the sludge issue manifesting itself in many vehicles. In modern cars a lot of things are based on oil pressure and this this changing has serious consequences.

And most importantly this is local knowledge, and knowledge obtained at the expese of other people who have had to pay for the repairs. These facts are actually acknowledged by the importers of Engine oils as well. You might think its in their best interest if people change engine oil all the time. 15 years ago when synthetic oils became widely available, they sold synthetic and semi synthetic oils exactly on that premise. Long service intervals. But the negative publicity generated by sludge issues have caused most to retract those claims.

I really have better things to do than argue with you over and over. Do whatever you want man. Its your money after all.

There is no point continuing this conversation as it is just going around in circles. Service your car at whatever mileage you like.

Now, I live in japan 6 months of the year, own one car there now after having two. Having said that this is the first time I've heard that Sri Lanka is equally dusty as Japan. Where on earth in Japan did u go to ??? Also, it is not just dust but other matters in the air as well but I will give u the benefit of the doubt that u meant this too. Secondly, the oil change interval for both my cars have been around 5000km. Not 8000km. Japanese dealerships are probably the most honest u would come by. We are talking about ppl who talk u out of buying a 3mil yen Premio and suggest you buy a mark x or an atenza because it would be cheaper or talk u in to a fit rather than an aqua because it meets my needs better. When I needed a fancy oil for my corolla they found a much better alternative for a lot lesser and showed that the fancy one I wanted doesnt make sense for my application. So I am confident they did not reduce service mileages to sell more oil. Also, you said something about SL cars doing lesser miles per year than Japanese and Japanese doing 12000km on avg ?? Where did u get that from ? Most Japanese do far far less than that especially in cities. Think u meant it the other way around.

Then the quality of fuel u mentioned. Even if the fuel originally was clean there are too many lapses further down the supply chain that adultrates it. Ex. Poorly maintained tanker trucks, storage tanks at fuel stations, etc. A few years ago i personally saw the fuel truck dumping some diesel in a petrol tank. Granted it was for less than a minute but still enough to mess up the petrol. The shed still went pumping petrol as nothing happened.

As for your post 30 are u referringto the edmunds article ? Well good for u. I commend u for being positive about SL being on par with countries like the US and Japan. You should also know that if u look for it you will find enough articles on the interweb that humans have bunny ears and donkies tails

Also howcome I can't find a oil change interval in the owners manual of my RAV4 or the CRV or the Corolla (all JDM versions)? There are service intervals in themaintenance note(log) book though. So no idea which owners manual u keep referring to.

You are a thick headed person for better or for worst.

Dear iRage & The Don,

Arguing is one thing and knowing the things correct is another thing. If you have time, please go through this. Don't read this if no time.

We have discussed regarding the oil changing intervals and I have mention about the extended changing intervals for Toyota Vehicles by manufacturer (16,000 km normal & 8,000 km severe) which differ from what we are using here (just 5000 km).

Then you have comment that, extended intervals will not suitable for Sri Lanka due to the weather conditions (ambient temperature, humidity, dust level, etc) and road conditions.

Yesterday I have found an Owners manual & Service booklet of Maruti Alto K10, which manufactured in India. This car has designed for Indian roads and weather. Specially they have keep high ground clearance for this car considering the road condition of India which worst than Sri Lanka.

Please see the maintenance schedule.

1. Engine oil and filter changing interval: 10,000 km or 1 year

2. Engine oil type: 0W20, SL grade (not mentioned as synthetic) which same oil grade recommended for JDM Toyota.

I don't know about the recommendation of local agent (A*W). But, Lets think. Are they (Maruti Suzuki Indian Engineers) foolish? They do not consider to provide long lasting cars to their customers????

Or, they are also smart to produce technologically advanced engines with low viscosity grade oils for better fuel economy and obtain maximum benefits (extended use) due to improved qualities of oils.

But still we are using thumb rules developed in 1960's.

We have to think......

[iRage]

We have to think......

Thank you for enlightening us and thinking on behalf of us....due to your thinking we are all enlightened as to how the local agents rip us off of our hard earned money. Your have saved us as we have all been wrong.

Please do stick to your 8K - 10K service intervals...your car your money With my car I would still go with the 5000km as what my local dealer (both in Japan and in SL) has written on the record/maintenance book.

P.S. : Personally i think we've got you worried about changing oil every 8K-10K and you are trying to find as much evidence as possible to defend and justify your maintenance model.

[tcfern1]

Most service station advice to change mineral oil once in 6 months although the the milage is below 5000 km

[B2Spirit]

oh wait why did you pick maruti ?

You should pick a German Brand, I think their service intervals are longer.

[Aquaman]

I think you should buy a good Jaanese car. Indian cars are not so good, even if you change every 5000kms, very soon engine wear happens.

[bycap]

fun after some time....

[tcfern1]

Want some advice regarding the cleaning of engine bay of hybrid cars

[Magnum]

On my Hiace theres a sticker on dash which mentions the last service done in Japan and the next service odometer reading, the odometer interval they have mentioned is 5000km

[Rumesh88]

Want some advice regarding the cleaning of engine bay of hybrid cars

Use compressed air to blow the dust off.