Oil change questions
07-21-13, 04:51 AM
#1
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Oil change questions
I'm sure this was all covered in previous threads, but I can't find them. So apologies to the search police.
My F seems to request an oil change sooner than I would have expected. How often do you change your oil, and what do you do about the annoying dash warnings?
Do you trust your local garage to change the oil, or is there something crucial about the oil/computer interface that only a dealer can do?
At 20K miles, my F is starting to remind me it wants an oil change. I have 10 quarts of Mobil 1 and a new filter standing by.
My F seems to request an oil change sooner than I would have expected. How often do you change your oil, and what do you do about the annoying dash warnings?
Do you trust your local garage to change the oil, or is there something crucial about the oil/computer interface that only a dealer can do?
At 20K miles, my F is starting to remind me it wants an oil change. I have 10 quarts of Mobil 1 and a new filter standing by.
07-21-13, 05:58 AM
#3
To get rid of the oil change reminder on the dash, push the engine start button twice to turn the car on and push the trip reset button until it shows the total mileage. Push the engine start button to turn off the car and hold down the trip reset button while you push the engine start button twice once more. If you look at the odometer you should see a sort of countdown animation. Wait til it finishes then release the trip reset button. The the reminder shouldn't come up until another 5k miles if I'm not mistaken.
As for oil change intervals there are several threads about this, but in general the F can last much longer than 5k miles on a single oil change.
As for oil change intervals there are several threads about this, but in general the F can last much longer than 5k miles on a single oil change.
07-21-13, 06:23 AM
#4
It's like any other car in the aspect of changing oil. As far as oil change intervals it really comes down to personal preference and belief. There are studies and people that have even sent their oil in for analysis to blackstone and I will leave it at that. The reset instructions are in your owners manual and there is nothing that the dealer only has to reset. There is a filter wrench for around $14 on the big auction site that works better then the plastic wrench.
I did make a mess the first time I did it, lol! Once I got the plug out the oil shot damn near pass my oil container and started to bounce out of the container!! I never had that problem before then again I never had a vehicle that needed 9.5 quarts of oil.
I did make a mess the first time I did it, lol! Once I got the plug out the oil shot damn near pass my oil container and started to bounce out of the container!! I never had that problem before then again I never had a vehicle that needed 9.5 quarts of oil.
07-22-13, 04:19 AM
#5
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Conflicting opinions already. I'm approaching 5K miles since the last change, and while I want the best for my baby, I'm reluctant to change the oil when it still looks clear on the stick.
07-22-13, 06:04 AM
#6
The F does not, I repeat, does NOT require an oil change at 5k miles. That is a fairly arbitrary number based on manufacturer specs and not on actual oil analysis. Lobuxracer has done testing on this, as have others. He ran his oil at over 10k miles if I'm not mistaken, and then sent a sample out to Blackstone labs for analysis. He found that the oil was well within acceptable limits for contaminants.
The only way to know for sure what your car requires is to have it tested, but plenty of us run a good quality oil over 5k miles with no detrimental effects on the engine. I use Amsoil 10W40 XL which is a full synthetic, and I ran my last fill out to 8500mi. The 5k mark is not a magic number. You can change every 5k if that makes you feel more comfortable though.
The only way to know for sure what your car requires is to have it tested, but plenty of us run a good quality oil over 5k miles with no detrimental effects on the engine. I use Amsoil 10W40 XL which is a full synthetic, and I ran my last fill out to 8500mi. The 5k mark is not a magic number. You can change every 5k if that makes you feel more comfortable though.
07-22-13, 06:19 AM
#7
Lexus Champion
oil changes at 5000 are recommended, but vary depending on your driving habits and driving conditions. You can read this and that and whatever and get millions of different opinions. You can try and save some money and not do it as often and that's up to you.
I change my oil ever 5000 because I do it myself, it costs $60 with a filter. Yeah you can get your oil analyzed, and everytime it's going to cost you $25 to do it, which is almost half the cost of the oil change itself.
Replacing the oil, air filter, and checking on all your fluids are some of the most basic things you can do to keep your car running for a long time. Also, make sure you reset the computer to get rid of the warning light, and if you use the internal maintenance tracker, reset that as well.
I hope your next question is not "what kind of oil do you guys use" because that's going to cause a whole 'another huge debate
I change my oil ever 5000 because I do it myself, it costs $60 with a filter. Yeah you can get your oil analyzed, and everytime it's going to cost you $25 to do it, which is almost half the cost of the oil change itself.
Replacing the oil, air filter, and checking on all your fluids are some of the most basic things you can do to keep your car running for a long time. Also, make sure you reset the computer to get rid of the warning light, and if you use the internal maintenance tracker, reset that as well.
I hope your next question is not "what kind of oil do you guys use" because that's going to cause a whole 'another huge debate
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07-22-13, 08:29 AM
#8
Tech Info Resource
iTrader: (2)
Real world results, no speculation.
Yeah you can get your oil analyzed and it's going to cost you $19 each if you buy them prepaid in bulk, and you'll have a complete wear and maintenance history of your engine which is something you won't get anywhere else. It also guarantees if you have an oil or wear related problem, you'll know about it long before it's a serious problem. Changing oil at fixed intervals tells you nothing at all about your unit's performance or wear patterns.
Yeah you can get your oil analyzed and it's going to cost you $19 each if you buy them prepaid in bulk, and you'll have a complete wear and maintenance history of your engine which is something you won't get anywhere else. It also guarantees if you have an oil or wear related problem, you'll know about it long before it's a serious problem. Changing oil at fixed intervals tells you nothing at all about your unit's performance or wear patterns.
07-22-13, 08:46 AM
#9
Real world results, no speculation.
Yeah you can get your oil analyzed and it's going to cost you $19 each if you buy them prepaid in bulk, and you'll have a complete wear and maintenance history of your engine which is something you won't get anywhere else. It also guarantees if you have an oil or wear related problem, you'll know about it long before it's a serious problem. Changing oil at fixed intervals tells you nothing at all about your unit's performance or wear patterns.
Yeah you can get your oil analyzed and it's going to cost you $19 each if you buy them prepaid in bulk, and you'll have a complete wear and maintenance history of your engine which is something you won't get anywhere else. It also guarantees if you have an oil or wear related problem, you'll know about it long before it's a serious problem. Changing oil at fixed intervals tells you nothing at all about your unit's performance or wear patterns.
I been reading that post of yours from time to time!
My last 2 oil changes intervals for my F has been 8000 miles
07-22-13, 08:51 AM
#10
It all comes down to this... changing your oil at the factory recommended intervals (5K miles) will not hurt your car, but is probably a waste of time and money. If it makes you feel more secure to do that, and you don't mind the time or cost, then by all means change away. If you're changing your oil simply because you feel that a failure to change it every 5K causes harm to your car, then you're probably wrong, but the only way to know for sure is to get your oil analyzed.
07-22-13, 09:28 AM
#11
I changed my oil a few weeks ago when it hit 5K. as far as oil goes, i used 10qt of 5w30. Save yourself money on buying $20 or more oil filter wrench from sewell. i bought a $5 OEM/Oil filter "F" cap style wrench (Part # 25404) from auto zone and it work just fine.
07-22-13, 09:32 AM
#12
if you want to truly know your oil interval, do a blackstone lab analysis with TBN check. At 5k send in the oil and they will check the TBN values which will give you a good idea of how long the oil can really go. If you put synthetic in it, it can probably go 10k easy. All the lexus coming out are being approved to go 10k miles on synthetic.
07-23-13, 04:44 AM
#13
Pole Position
Thread Starter
Yeh, I was thinking 8000 as well. My car is not driven hard, sure I floor it whenever possible but never have it on a track.
07-23-13, 05:26 AM
#14
if you want to truly know your oil interval, do a blackstone lab analysis with TBN check. At 5k send in the oil and they will check the TBN values which will give you a good idea of how long the oil can really go. If you put synthetic in it, it can probably go 10k easy. All the lexus coming out are being approved to go 10k miles on synthetic.