it's time again for an oil change on my GS4 with 60k miles...
would it be wise to switch to synthetic now? or should i
stick to regular oil? i'm thinking of using Mobil 1 5w30.
my regular interval now is 3000 miles.. what should be
the interval for synthetic? leave me some feedback..

 

Mobil 1 is the right choice. I have Mobil 1 in my 95 LS400 and I am very happy with it.

 

I have extreme conditions for my 99 RX and I use a 3,000 max miles for a change with Mobil 1. I took a trip of 5,000 miles recently (roundtrip) and oil was a little burned.

 

You guys need to go to "bob the oil guy websight". He tested different oils and filters, had the oil tested at different intervals etc. Engine wear increased during the first 3000 miles after an oil change then dropped until 6000 miles. If you are changing you oil every 3000 miles you are wearing your engine out. I know it is contrary to what jiffy lube and there GED graduates have always told you but it is hard to contradict scientific data. Lexus recommendation of 5000 miles on dino oil is about right. If you use synthetic you can easily go to 10,000 miles and if you change the filter and top off, 18,000 miles. It appears the addiditives in oil get better with aging.

 

synthetic is fine and change it at 5000 miles. That is what runs well with me. My engine is the 1MZ-FE, and I would not go over 6000 miles between changes EVEN WITH synthetic.

beware, you have opened pandora's box with this question as you will get heated arguements from both sides (pro-synthetic vs pro-dine). Just search the topic and see for yourself.

The bottom line is to go with what you feel comfortable with.

steviej

 

porsche recomends you change the oils every 6,000 miles as well. and thats what i use to do and never had problems with there cars .

 

on the car makers that suggest >7500 miles, check the volume of oil required for the car. I think you will find most of the cars that allow extreme high mileage changes have greater than 8 quarts of oil on board.
I have even seen some oil capacities of 13 qts. This adds to the allowance of greater intervals.

I think the GS capacitiy is 6 qts and the ES capacity is 5 qts.

steviej

 

5,000 mile oil changes with synthetic oil is fine, I wouldn't go past 6,000 or 6,500 IMO.
Also depends on the environmental conditions your car is exposed to as well as how "hard" a driver you are.

 

I suggest an oil analysis so you know how/what the possible wear characteristics are for -your- engine. While you can follow the maintenace schedule, your driving patterns may have effect on your drain intervals...this can only be determind by analysis.

It is a very resonable cost to check on how your engine is doing, there area variety of labs to select from and most will cost about $20.

 

Don't waste your money, just run Castrol 5W30 !!!!!!

 

Thinking of dino oil, when cleaning the garage long ago, I came across a can of Mobil 30wt. I dear guess from the late 60's. Being a clueless kid back then, I tossed it out. Saw one of those car memorbilia shows and some guy's oil can collection not long ago...

 

Castrol burns off easily. Try a different brand of dino.

 

sams have mobile 1 full synthetic for 23 bucks 6qtrs. i think its a good deal, where would we get the filters,and which filter is better

 

This does not take into account the fact that moisture condenses and accumulates in the oil with age...especially in a humid area and with a lot of short trips. Sludge can also build up with age and mileage and lead to oil gelling....the Toyota / Lexus 3.0 V6 is a classic example of this. Very small, microscopic engine particles and impurities that are too small for the filter to trap also build up. And the filter itself gets dirtier and dirtier with age. So this idea that 5000 miles is better than 3000 miles is a bunch of nonsense......"scientific" data can ( and often is ) manipulated to skew the results into whatever the author wants.
5000 and 6000 mile oil changes are adequate ONLY under the most ideal of conditions for oil.....moderate temperatures, light engine loads, constant engine speeds, clean air and lack of dust, long trips to get and keep the oil warm, etc...... Most of us, most of the time, don't drive that way. For those who do, fine.

 

good point, there,
so every 3000 is okay,
and full synthietic is okay too.