Calypso13

i just bought an IS and wanted to know if i should, on my first oil change, buy my own synthetic oil and have them put that in, for ofcourse the rest of my lexus IS 300 life, or have them put their oil in. does anyone know what oil they put in anyways. AND if i go the synethic oil route..do i have to go to the dealer to do this if its my own oil anyways....can i just go to any other mechanic?

Ive heard go the synethic route. do you guys agree. just a note...im on automatic, eshift, no mods.

RON430

No downside to synthetics other than cost and a lot of upsides. My local Lexus dealer doesn't have synthetic so I get it and leave six quarts in the trunk. They do the change and use my oil and refund a few bucks on the oil change. They have no problem with synthetics and in fact, every service writer I have had thought it was a good idea.

steviej

iTrader: (1)

I have always used synthetics and swear by them for the cold NE winters.
My Lexus dealer does offer Mobil 1, of coarse at a higher price. They will use my oil if I bring it in and it is consistent with what is recommended in the owners manual (5W-30 or 10W-30). If I were to bring in 15W-50 they wouldn't put it in (liability issues).

I actually on have them do it as part of the major services (15,30,45,60, etc). Other than that, I do it myself.

It will not void your warranty to have independents do the oil change. It won't void your warranty if you do it.
Just keep your reciepts for your records. When ever I do it myself, I always write the date and mileage on the new filter with a sharpie for one last record visible to the next guy that changes it.

I highly recommend you switch to synthetic. It saves in the long run, cause the oil change intervals are longer, there seems to be less wear and tear on mechanical parts, and you might just pick up a 1/2 a mile to a mile/gallon.

steviej

Calypso13

thanks guys!!!...you just confirmed what i was thinking.

Lexmexico

In an IS, I would only put in a synthetic 5W-30 preferably Mobil1 in the U.S.

One thing, with a new car I usually like to keep the dino oil in before the first oil change. It creates a base of protection in side the engine. After that, I switch to synthetic.

Incidentally, I use Mobil 1 15W-50 for my 99 RX, but at a 7,700 foot altitude it makes much more sense as the engine works much harder, especially with hills and mountains.

I usually take my car to a garage and do the oil change myself, including the filter which is a real pain on an RX as many of you know.

kreativ

You could get the first free oil change and switch to synthetic at the second one. For the amount a lot of Lexus dealer charge for their conventional bulk oil, you wouldn't have to pay much more for synthetic if you purchased it yourself and brought it in.

steviej

iTrader: (1)

I agree with kreativ. get your two free services (1k and 5k) then switch to synthetic on the 10k.
Don't give them anymore money than you already have for now.

steviej

Davidsc4

HEY GUYS,
PAST YEARS, I HAVE BEEN USING REGULAR OIL + SLICK 50(ENGINE TREATMENT) AND I CHANGE EVERY 3000 MILES. THE RESULT IS EXCELLENT. SLICK 50 WARRANT TO PROTECT YOUR ENGINE IN THE TOUGHEST CONDITION.

Lexmexico

Slick 50? I would never put that stuff in my Lexus.

joeydingo

Slick 50 and most of their competitors (Duralube, Prolong, etc) have pretty much proven to be worthless, and in some instances even harmful to engines (though to watch the infomercials, you'd think they make your car last forever). Check out this info from the FTC website
http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1997/07/slick.htm

I use Amsoil 5W30 and am very satisfied. (no I don't sell the stuff, just a consumer). This is a pretty interesting link on Amsoil 5W30 compared to Mobil 1. http://www.amsoil.com/performancetes..._vs_mobil1.htm

That being said, it seems to me that one of the major determining factors is how long you plan to keep your car. If you realistically will only keep it 3 or 4 years, your wonderful Toyota engine should have no problems with regular dino oil and you'll save some money. If you're a "drive 'er into the ground" type of guy who plans to go over 150k, I'd say the synthetics are worth the money in the long run.

This stuff all gets debated to death on the website below if you want more info. Only thing to watch with this site is that a lot of the posters sell a specific brand of oil (Amsoil, Redline, Royal Purple, Schaeffer's, etc) so there is some slant to the product recos.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

BuyERTS

Yeah, and the Amsoil vs. Mobil 1 comparison is on the Amsoil website, so you have to take that with a grain of salt too.

joeydingo

Good point, although at least looks as though the claims on the Amsoil website came about as the result of some real scientific testing, which Mobil would probably sue them for (and win) if they could prove the claims were incorrect or the testing methods were flawed.

One thing is for sure, Mobil can foot a larger team of lawyers than Amsoil!

In any case, some of the people who use Amsoil are like Moonies about the stuff, and I'm not one of them. I'd simply talked to a number of people who used the stuff for years and swore by it, checked it out, and it has worked well for me. That being said, I don't think you can go wrong with Mobil 1 either.

Lexmexico

bobistheoilguy is a great site!

They gave me the idea to use a product called Restore in my 99 RX, and it really performs after its use. In addition, there are the ever present recommendations of using Techron.

I do not think you could go wrong using Mobil 1 or Amsoil. I have an American friend with a Celica here who has used both a 10W-30 Mobil 1 and Amsoil and he cannot tell the difference between the two despite using a K&N gold filter both times. He used 10W-30 rather than a 5W-30 due to altitude difference.

808SC300

AMSOIL...nothing but that in my trans, motor, diff, and fuel.

koreanpers

Hi guys, new to the boards. We just bought a 98 GS4 w/ 33,000 miles. We already own a bmw and on our bimmer, we change the oil every 7,500 miles...w/ synthetic. Does the Lexus need the oil changed more frequently than 7,500 for everyday normal city driving? thanks