going to synthetic oil at 78k miles?
09-02-11, 10:54 AM
#1
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going to synthetic oil at 78k miles?
i have a 06 is250 with about 75k miles. Up to this point I have been getting my oil changed at a neighborhood indie car shop. Im planning on now doing all the diy mainentances on my own to save some money and be more aware of whats being done to my car. Im wondering if its going to be ok if i switch from regular conventional oil to synthetic at this point? I read some posts on CL saying that it may be not recommended to do this on some high mileage engine due to gasket wear/sludge that may occur when doing the transition. Not sure if ~78k miles is considereed "high". any thoughts?
09-02-11, 11:24 AM
#2
Unless you have been abusing your car and neglecting your motor, you should be perfectly fine to switch to Synthetic oil even at 78k miles. Good decision on doing the services yourself though. It's always nice to know exactly what is going on with your car. Switch to an oil like Mobil 1 Synthetic and then you can do oil changes every 10k if you like. Some people just change the filter around 6-7k and run the oil for 10k without any issues. Quality reports from Blackstone have shown Mobil1 to hold up fine even at 10k miles.
Here's an excerpt from Mobil1's website too..
http://www.mobiloil.com/usa-english/...ics/myths.aspx
Here's an excerpt from Mobil1's website too..
Myth: Mobil 1 will leak out of the seals of older cars.
Reality: Mobil 1 does not cause leaks. In fact, new Mobil 1 was tested in dozens of industry standard and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tests to prove its seal performance. It is fully compatible with the elastomeric materials from which all automotive seals and gaskets are made. If an older engine is in good condition and does not have oil leaks, Mobil 1 provides the same advantages as when used in a new engine. ExxonMobil recommends taking measures to repair the leaks, then using Mobil 1. ExxonMobil also recommends following the automobile manufacturer's manual for the proper oil to use.
Reality: Mobil 1 does not cause leaks. In fact, new Mobil 1 was tested in dozens of industry standard and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tests to prove its seal performance. It is fully compatible with the elastomeric materials from which all automotive seals and gaskets are made. If an older engine is in good condition and does not have oil leaks, Mobil 1 provides the same advantages as when used in a new engine. ExxonMobil recommends taking measures to repair the leaks, then using Mobil 1. ExxonMobil also recommends following the automobile manufacturer's manual for the proper oil to use.
09-02-11, 12:40 PM
#3
Is there any negative (besides cost/time) to changing your oil & filter every 5k miles, even when it's synthetic? I figure it's not that expensive to do and may actually pay for itself in higher resale value with me being able to show I changed the oil, as scheduled, every 5k miles (even though it's unneccesary, some buyers don't care).
09-02-11, 01:12 PM
#4
Is there any negative (besides cost/time) to changing your oil & filter every 5k miles, even when it's synthetic? I figure it's not that expensive to do and may actually pay for itself in higher resale value with me being able to show I changed the oil, as scheduled, every 5k miles (even though it's unneccesary, some buyers don't care).
Only negatives are:
It's a massive waste of money (especially doing it with synthetic) for something that provides literally no objective benefit of any kind
You're opening up the system more often, so more chances to accidentally contaminate it with something (ie put the drain plug down someplace it picks up metal shavings or some grit or something that you don't notice when you put it back... if you're super-**** about avoiding this then no problem, but some folks aren't)
09-02-11, 01:22 PM
#5
^ Well, the objective benefit would be having a "perfect" service record in the Lexus system, which I can use as a selling point when it's time to switch cars. I'm well aware that's it totally unncessary to change the oil every 5k miles, especially with synthetic, but my future buyer might not be as smart. 
09-02-11, 01:41 PM
#6
^ Well, the objective benefit would be having a "perfect" service record in the Lexus system, which I can use as a selling point when it's time to switch cars. I'm well aware that's it totally unncessary to change the oil every 5k miles, especially with synthetic, but my future buyer might not be as smart.
09-02-11, 01:49 PM
#7
^ You'd think, but that wasn't my experience last time when selling my car. I changed the oil every 7.5k-10k miles yet most potentional buyers asked me why not every 5k like the schedule says. Stupid, but it is what it is.
Why stick with conventional/blend oil on a 5k schedule?
Why stick with conventional/blend oil on a 5k schedule?
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09-02-11, 02:06 PM
#8
^ You'd think, but that wasn't my experience last time when selling my car. I changed the oil every 7.5k-10k miles yet most potentional buyers asked me why not every 5k like the schedule says. Stupid, but it is what it is.
Why stick with conventional/blend oil on a 5k schedule?
Why stick with conventional/blend oil on a 5k schedule?
09-02-11, 02:38 PM
#10
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I have brought my car to outside store like Jiffylube or Chevron gas station to have oil changed, every 4 to 5.5 thousand miles, using only conventional oil because it is just so much cheaper. It feels perfectly fine to me. Only my father's bmw requires synthetic oil and that cost almost three times more.
09-02-11, 04:18 PM
#12
I have brought my car to outside store like Jiffylube or Chevron gas station to have oil changed, every 4 to 5.5 thousand miles, using only conventional oil because it is just so much cheaper. It feels perfectly fine to me. Only my father's bmw requires synthetic oil and that cost almost three times more.
Lol if they cost the same i guess you could just run synthetic. It's not synthetic is going to damage anything when used for short intervals.
09-02-11, 05:20 PM
#13
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I still change mine with full syn at 5k intervals but i typically buy it when its on sale so it works out to be about $4-5/qt. Costs me about $30 to do an oil change. For the peace of mine its worth it to do it every 5k, plus like brocoiuz said the "average" person is going to "feel better" with a record that shows every 5k
09-03-11, 02:05 AM
#14
I still change mine with full syn at 5k intervals but i typically buy it when its on sale so it works out to be about $4-5/qt. Costs me about $30 to do an oil change. For the peace of mine its worth it to do it every 5k, plus like brocoiuz said the "average" person is going to "feel better" with a record that shows every 5k
09-03-11, 02:16 PM
#15
Ummmm Knock Knock??? Anyone ever had an issue with their car due to lack of oil change or the type of oil they use...be it synthetic or not? I just think it's funny all the back and forth about synthetic/regular and 5k/10k. The truth of the matter is it doesn't matter what you do as long as you don't continue running dirty oil for thousands of miles.
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