Quote:
Originally Posted by Smilygo
I hate my wife's 2014 Prius v because changing oil isn't as easy as our previous cars. I don't know why Toyota designed it like that. I replaced oil/filter this past weekend and it took much longer than our previous cars (non Prius). I had to remove pins and bend the under-cover. To bend the cover, I really had to raise the car high. The direction the cover bent is towards the front of the car and the cover itself is pretty large. Once the cover is open, access to the drain bolt was easy. But the oil filter?! My God! The oil filter cap (that black plastic thing) even has some kind of interlock so that loosening the filter cap took a long time. Just wondering why Toyota doesn't use a regular spin on type. I completed the oil/filter change but exhausted  My wife used to drive Nissan Juke and oil/filter change was breeze. I will need to purchase a set of car ramps for the next oil change.
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I can see how you would become frustrated, with what used to be (and still is), a normal home routine for millions of people. I mean, who has not changed their own oil in the past (besides most women). Our 2015 Prius is too new for me to have even considered the project, and our 2015 Honda Fit that my other daughter drives, also comes with a large plastic cover (that I hate as well). Your post has deterred me from even attempting the project, and I thank you for that.
Perhaps it is my age, but I have become somewhat lazy, and now let the dealer perform those tasks. It free's up my time for more gardening (something I truly enjoy), and at the same time gives me a documented history of the maintenance performed, should I, or my daughters, ever need it. The dealer usually has pretty good deals for an oil change, and while my cars are there, I also have them rotate the tires.
My Dad was a car guy, and could take a car apart and put it back together. Near the end of his life, even he had stopped servicing his own car. He could still however diagnose the problem, and could school the service writer or even the mechanic on how to fix it.
About the only thing I "tinker" with now is my John Deere Diesel riding lawn mower (built in 1996). If I screw up and it does not get put back together quickly, it just means I need to hire someone to mow my yard for a few weeks. Otherwise, I am free to spread parts all over my garage, while at the same time satisfying the manly desire to play in grease and oil.