Pokeham

Hi Everyone,

A question on how often I need to change my motor oil on my IS.

Currently I have Mobil 1 5W-30 Synthetic Oil with an OEM toyota filter. I do a lot of stop-and-go city driving and don't put a lot of miles on the car (approx 6-7K a year). However, I make sure I continuously drive the car some distance (at least 30 miles) once a week or so to get the oil hot and reduce build up.

Any suggestions on how long I can go between changes? It has been 5K since my last change, hoping that I can go another 2-3K, but of course I want to do what is best for the car. The dealer recommends every 5K but that is with regular oil, not synthetic.

Thanks!

rominl

iTrader: (4)

well i change my oil every 3k miles. if you want, i think 6k miles is pretty safe

CRB

Change it once a year minimum regardless of miles.

flipside909

I used to do my other vehicles at 3-4k mile intervals using regular dino oil. With this IS, i'm sticking to the factory 5k. So far i've done 2 oil changes on this car through Lexus. Doing those at 3k mile intervals can get too pricey esp. w/the miles I drive per year.

IS_Dude

5k is fine if you don't drive it excessivly hard w/ syn. if it's stop and go that's tough, but you should still be fine for 5k. The stock filter is very good, and the LS430 is much better if you want to go the extra step. You don't need to, but I'm just mentioning it if you are interested. don't get the fram or mobil filters, they aren't better than the stock filter and they are generally the same price or more.

flipside909

Yep that's right. The LS430 filters are a little larger than the oem. And it's best to get the Denso Japan made OEM filters...not the Denso USA OEM stuff. The pleats and filter material are superior of the Purolator made Denso USA ones.

mmarshall

Conventional wisdom says the first oil/filter change during the 1500-mile break-in to get any shavings and impurities out, then every 3 months/3000 miles for severe use (extreme temperatures, stop-and-go, hard acceleration, low mileage, short trips, dusty conditions, etc). 4000-6,000 miles is OK for long trip driving, constant speeds, moderate outside temperatures, and thorough engine warm-ups. Use of the factory Toyota/Lexus filters is not mandatory for warranty coverage (by Federal law) but is probably a good idea if you have any oil or filter-related problems....if you can document all-factory filters you will sometimes have more of a case.
I myself use Castrol 5W-30 dino-oil and the factory filters.....3-month changes.

This year some Lexus vehicles have the Service Reminder Light that supposedly calculates the oil change time based on driving style, but I don't trust those things...never did. BMW is having big engine problems with them.

flipside909

The 04 IS300's and Lexus models have this feature as well as many new 2004 Toyota models. They go at 5k intervals like the factory service manual says. I bet you can change the frequency of this light through your C-Best settings. As for intervals...the "MAINT REQD" indicator light flashes after startup for a few seconds when you are nearing the oil change. When you're about 50 miles near the actual interval, the light stays on until it's reset.

False: The service reminder light for Lexus and Toyota vehicles DOES NOT operate by driving style calculations.

Fact: the service reminder light for Lexus and Toyota vehicles on 2004 and newer models operate at 5,000 mile intervals regardless of driving style.

mmarshall

OK, Flip...if the service lights on new Toyota / Lexus products programmed for a constant 5K , fine....that's reasonable. I'll take your word for it...I have a 2001 without the system. But Mercedes and BMW have had a lot of engine warranty work recently ..........sometimes even replacing them....because the engineers have set the maintenance / oil change light to come on from a combination of miles and driving style....and have just not guessed right.
You're a smart guy...I'm sure you would agree with me that the simple and foolproof thing is to change it every few thousand miles or so regardless of the light. Fortunately, the 3.0 L straight-six has not been the disaster the 3.0 V6 becomes when you let the oil go.....gelling up and causing the bearings to sieze.

mmarshall

Also, for you guys who want to save money and don't do your own changes ( I do my own when possible or feasible), I'm not sure how the dealerships work out West, but here in the East you can take any Lexus product to a Toyota dealer and get the SAME filters and often the same oil you get at Lexus shops for about half of what the Lexus shops charge. Here in Virginia a Lexus oil change with a factory filter is about $50....at the Toyota shop the same service and filter costs about $25-30 (less if you supply your own oil or filter). Same goes for other routine things such as coolant drain / flush / refill, transmission service, etc.....
The only real difference is that Toyota shops usually do not hand wash your car like a Lexus shop does, and they also cannot do Lexus warranty work....gotta go to the Lexus shop for that. But so what?...I don't let anyone wash my car but myself anyway...even a Lexus shop.