AJT123

Yeah. An oil temp gauge would be nice (so would volts, oil pressure, etc. like in old cars) though.

An LS doesn't rev much above 2200-2500RPM anyway with normal driving so it's about the last car I'd worry about hurting the engine.

But if I lived in Canada or something and it was parked outside I'd let it idle for 15 seconds or so.

Johnhav430

Funny how BMWs (my 2007 though they've changed) have oil temp, or had it, but not coolant temp (warning light for overheat). On my car, some people were bothered that the needle was not in the middle, it seemed high. So BMW changed the scale lol In a way I could see that say you had a coolant temp gauge, and normal were 75% to the top, I supposed some would be bothered. The LS430s is lower than in the middle and it's exact across everyone's cars--psychological I guess.

I think the G20 loaner had coolant temp. Since BMW went mainstream on turn signals and wiper stalks it wouldn't surprise me on coolant not oil temp today.

Toys4RJill

All modern cars have low-pressure lights. I think the temp gauge is insignificant. What are 15 seconds gonna do?

Old

Oils have changed a lot since I started driving 40+ years ago it used to be 3000 miles or 3 months.
When I managed a Jiffy lube 35 years ago It was the same recommendation. Engines have become much harder working and along those lines a heck of a lot more efficient. the machining is far better then the 60's 70's and 80's etc. if the manufacture recommends 10k 5k 6k miles then do it until their warranty is out. for me ( I own nothing newer then12 years old) I try min of 3 times a year. two reasons engine wear on older cars and it is very dusty here. we have a very fine dust all over White shirts are a NO go unless you buy a lot of them. just hanging in a closet the get dungy. Why do I say that? Well atmospheric conditions. can and will contaminate your oil. not a lot but it does influences it's lubricating properties. Use your best judgement.
Interesting note, at one time WAY Back, they used to recommend every other oil change, change your filter. This one cracks me up, if any thin change your filter more frequently With a GOOD quality filter purolator or wix. Just my suggestions. Napa brand filters are made by Wix. Fram for Air only. I will do my best Never to run a fram oil filter. Heck a Wal-mart filter is better (this is My opinion). Check the Video On You tube.
Another thing stay with the manufactures recommendations or your machinists'( they have to warrenty their products they must have an in side track on wear and tear of their products).
Do not forget the Trans and Boxes too. Boxes meaning Differential transfer case etc. two to three years. is what I read now days. The auto trans was recommended yearly and then changed to 100k miles for US manufactures. check again with your manufactures recommendation. OR Your local machinist/ mechanic. They are the ones that fix them and why. These are My opinions take it as you will.
Honestly I used to swear by Fram until I saw some cut open. then did it my self, Oh boy. Don't take my word for it. do your own foot work.

AJT123

I know exactly what you're talking about, lol. My Dad had BMWs in the 90s and the coolant level was always above the middle notch. I want the coolant gauge though, I wouldn't be happy to drive a car without one. One of my old cars overheated once and I noticed it as it was creeping up. I don't want an idiot light to say "sorry, your car overheated" as opposed to nipping it in the bud before the car gets too hot (turn heat on, get out of congested traffic so air can flow, etc.).

I like a full set of gauges. My truck has them. Oil, volts, temp, and fuel. The more gauges the better. Back in the day most cars had them. This friend of mine bought a $500 1987 Subaru just to junk around and I drove it, it had full gauges. Nice.

LX has a full set of gauges but what people don't know is the oil gauge is for oil TEMP, not pressure.

Toys4RJill

That is actually not true. The gauge is a pressure gauge. Our LX has the gauge as well, for the pressure

AJT123

You're right, I just downloaded the owner's manual.

However the info I had about it being an oil temp gauge came from a genuine Lexus pdf, too.

I'd rather have oil pressure than temp in a truck anyway.

mmarshall

I'm with you on traditional analog (or electronic/analog-style) gauges...the more, the better. Depending on the sensors, most of the red lights for oil-pressure come on around 5 PSI...right on the threshold for engine damage, if you don't shut the engine off pretty quick after that, even if you are on a busy freeway. And, likewise, the red light for engine-overheating comes on at temperatures on the threshold of engine-damage, particularly with petroleum-based/non-synthetic oil. With gauges, you can usually watch a slow upward creep of the needle and get a potential warning in advance.

Why are lights used? In most cases, cost-cutting...it's cheaper to wire them in than to use proper gauges. The most extreme examples of this I can remember was with some Ford and Chrysler products of the early 1980s. They had one single "ENGINE" light...when it flashed red, it was EITHER coolant-overheating OR low oil pressure. That's right....one single bulb wired to two sensors. You had to stop the engine, open the hood, and figure out for yourself what the problem was. And we wonder why the American cars of that decade caused so many to convert to Japanese makes.

And cheapness in bulbs wasn't confined to American cars by any means. My brother once had a 1979 Renault 5, with one green light on the dash that flashed with a single double-ended arrow for either left or right turn-signals.


Some GM products, even in run-of-the-mill passenger-cars, have an almost complete set of gauges. My Lacrosse, which uses one of the standard GM layouts found in Buick and GMC products, has gauges for engine-coolant, fuel-level, oil-temperature, and voltmeter..but a red light for oil pressure. It also includes backup lights for some of these functions.

Johnhav430

I've never timed it per se but on my BMW I would say it's in the same ballpark, that it would take probably 7+ minutes for the oil to reach normal temperature. Contrast that to heat, which is full on by the time I reach the end of the driveway. I always like to throw in that I live in a normal house, not Southfork or King Ranch. People knock German engineering but I always thought it was cool and if not cool interesting, that the car has heat for about 20-30 min after being turned off, without idling the engine.

I see people idling engines both in winter and summer, to use heat and AC respectively, and I've always wondered if that's because they lease. I would never idle a car for 30+ minutes for that sole purpose, seems like excessive wear and tear not to mention not environmentally friendly.

Again I think we change oil too often only because we can afford to, neither because we need to nor benefit from it.

AJT123

Nice. Yeah GM is usually pretty good with the gauges. And the redundants. The gauges (except tach) don't work in my truck ($150 fix I haven't gotten around to) but the digital information display at the bottom tells you literally everything. Even "start vehicle" if the battery starts to get low with engine off. It will tell you if the engine is getting hot and then if you literally need to shut it down ASAP.