2004 Toyota Prius: DIY Oil & Filter Change

The thumbs up at the end makes the video. LOL

The sound of you breathing makes the whole thing creepy.

You are a man of few words Dan. That wrench attachment is neat, much better than the flexible metal ring on a handle I've used. I think it's called an oil filter wrench.

Dan,

Take a few minutes & clean the damn engine bay! REAL 'CARGUYS' wouldn't tolerate all that filth.

I bought that oil filter wrench attachment for a 3/8-drive ratchet at Autozone for $5. Fits a lot of small-car filters.

As for the filth, A guy once told me to look-out for over-clean engine bays when buying a used car. You have to wonder what sorts of leaks the seller might be attempting to hide. With this, you can tell there are no gasket leaks, and haven't been for a long, long time. Underhood dust is mostly harmless. Water, in the wrong places, can screw things up.

And this is a hybrid with lots of high-voltage stuff going on under those plastic covers. I'd rather not be spraying water around in there.

Finally, and this is the big one, it's not my car.

What type of camera is that - the mic IS amazing.

My Canon point-and-shoot still camera. PowerShot SD790.

This video will probably cost toyota dealers millions and millions of dollars in lost revenue worldwide. lol.... Awesome video. a lot of work though. Almost tempted to just pay $30 at the dealer. lol.

what a coincidence, I just got done changing the oil in my 03 corolla. The only things that I do differently is use latex gloves when removing the drain plug and filter, and I also put some oil into the new filter before I screw it back on.

I'm not as much of a perfectionist when I change my oil. Although I do use a proper funnel.

Excellent video! Good for old hands and newbies to see it done right.

BTW, its not the camera - its the person behind it and in the cutting room that makes this a great video.

Nice vid Dan!

I always use nitrile gloves. It just makes clean up easier, less gunk under the nails and better grip on oily filters

Nice.

Is that a yellow T-bird in the background?

Also, that 5W30 poured like water in the video. Every quart of oil I've dealt with seemed much thicker.

Dan,

I realize that it's not your car, but please, PLEASE, PRETTY-PLEASE, spray some Simple Green in that engine bay. Let it sit 10-15 second then mist it off. It should not damage anything (especially if the engine is warm it will dry quickly) and you will make us car guys feel a lot better. If it makes you feel better, after you clean it out go drive for 15 minutes and the engine bay should be dry....even in a Prius.

If you do this....please post pics of before and after!

Thanks!!!

7driver, I agree, that oil does indeed look and sound pretty watery. I've only been using Mobil1 for the past 7 years*, so perhaps I forgot what regular oil looks and sounds like.

*All cars owned during this period recommended Mobil1 - TransAm WS6, Corvette, CTS-V.

Awesome video Dan (and co if you had help).

The thumbs up at the end made mad me laugh out loud.

Ugh, old oil on the gasket? I always use new oil for gasket and pre-fill the filter 1/2 way to get some oil in the system. I don't know if it matters but it makes me feel better and that's the way I learned to do it...

Nice video, makes me want to change my own oil.

@actualsize thanks for the vid!

Dan,

I wipe down my engine bay every 7-10 days, using a small duster & a damp cloth, takes about 3 minutes. I've never used a hose. I've had my current ride, an '07 Civic, aka a genuine HONDA POS, for 3.5 years. 95% of the engine bay still looks like new, the other 5% I can't reach.

Thanks for the DIY video, Dan. You make it look so easy. Now if I only had a decent shop jack and jack stands...one of these days.

Anyway, what's the OTHER car in the driveway in the video? I'd like to see more of that one.

Something about that was righteous.

Excellent video! What program did you guys use to edit it?
Also, I don't know why you used overpriced synthetic blend Castrol instead of plain conventional or for a little more $ just pure synthetic... I still think "high mileage" oils just a marketing gimmick.

Anyway, filter seems to be a pain in the neck to get to. I am so glad that past several BMWs I had used canister type oil filters. Easy as pie to replace, since it is right under the hood and no need for special filter wrenches. Also, less environmental waste too, since it doesn't use metal outer shell...
And if you have MityVac fluid evacuator, you don't even have to get under the car to change oil!
:)

What is it with all these "car guys" wanting to wash out the engine bay?
It's a company car. Do you detail your company car???