chas410

After we ran out of the every 10,000 dealer free oil changes on our 2016 NX200t I started doing them myself. I disliked the idea of going 10,000 between changes and wanted a change every 8,000 using Mobil 1. I changed oil yesterday after the 8,000 and it was black. When I change the oil on my RX350 at 8,000 it is not this dirty. I read that an engine with a Turbo should be changed every 5 to 6,000 miles because turbos are a little harder on oil. I know Lexus will tell you to go 10,000 but they could care less after it gets out of warranty. Anybody on here that have some knowledge of Turbos please put in your two cents worth.

Lex2000TL

No worries. Just because the oil is black, does not mean it is dirty. In turbo engines oil cools down turbocharger, so it is exposed to turbo temperature which is much higher then in normally aspirated IC engine. High temperature darkens oil quicker.
BTW, I do change oil in my NX every 7.5K miles, just as a precaution. Oil change is cheap compare to engine rebuild.

Freds430

Can't really help you with the oil change and turbo but have heard the turbo heats the oil more which logically means quicker breakdown and sooner oil changes. I have been using Mobil 1 for well over a million miles in our cars. I buy it at Walmart where the five quart jug is $23. Twice a year Mobil runs a rebate for $12 in the spring and fall. All done online upload pic of receipt. Takes two minutes and six weeks to get check. This brings it to $2.20 a quart.

no1SomeGuy

If you're worried send a sample for oil analysis to blackstone labs: https://www.blackstone-labs.com/

They'll tell you if it's ok or not after whatever interval you're doing.

chas410

I also stock up with Mobile 1 from Walmart when rebates are going.
I believe I'll start changing around 7000 see how I like that. You're right oil is cheaper than engine.

nigel821

iTrader: (2)

THIS +1.

You can't judge oil by color at all. Send a sample to and they will tell you exactly how the oil is broken down and what other metals are in the engine and will then base a recommendation.. IE: You currently are changing the oil at 10k but you could go to 15k...etc. Or, keep doing what you are doing.

Without that it's 100% a guessing game on if you could go longer or less.

Personally I do the following on all of our vehicles. 5k mile oil changes OR 1 year, which ever comes first. I do this because it's easier for me to remember than to have one car changed at 5k, another at 10k, then another at whatever...etc. The exception to this rule, are my motorcycles and STi - (which has a turbo). All three of those get changed at 3k miles only because they are tuned and make more power than stock.

Our Mercedes recommends every 10k miles. But since that car doesn't get driven 10k miles a year I end up changing the oil which is usually almost still a clear-ish amber color at the 1 year mark. It more than likely would be fine to run it for another year but just as mentioned above, oil/filters are cheap in the grand scheme of things. To change it really isn't a big deal and the bigger picture of having fresh/clean oil is better than having oil that has moisture in it because the vehicle hasn't been driven or gotten up to temp enough times.

My wife's Lexus I change every 5k. When I sent a sample to Blackstone before, they recommended I could go much longer between oil changes and I know they are right. If Toyota is recommending 10k changes it's fine. Oil is vastly superior today than many many years ago. OEM Toyota synthetic oil is good too, it's not some cheap crap. Check out Bobistheoilguy forums and you'll see MANY threads on oem Toyota oil and intervals of changing it. You will actually get overwhelmed with the amount of information people provide on oil.
I wouldn't say Toyota doesn't care about stuff after the warranty has run out. If it was shown that by following the manufactures maintenance schedule eventually did harm to the engine there would be class action lawsuits that would be WAY more expensive in the long run for Toyota and their brand image, so I don't really think that is something one would have to worry about. It's not like Toyota is some new company. One of their biggest things that everyone knows for them is reliability and long term ownership. You don't get that image by having stuff break after the warranty period expires.

-Nigel

gompka

iTrader: (6)

Also, if you look in the manual, frequent trips under a few miles (city driving) + freezing temperatures make you fall under the severe oil change interval which is every 5k. I use synthetic and chance it about every 7.5-8k no issues, like others have said oil does get darker in turbo engines because of more heat.

Lexuswiz

iTrader: (1)

With Walmart now selling the oil filters for my NX, it's a no brainer for me to change it every 5K miles. Next oil change I will be testing/switching to 5W-30 as the NX's outside the US and Canada are spec'ed to run.

olgzr

I also change the oil every 5K miles. As Nigel821 said above, it’s much easier to remember, plus the NX sees mostly city miles so could be considered severe duty.

Piotreknx2

Hi, what type of oil type you use for your NX?
I just changed it (after 10k) -dealer recommended to use Castrol- same as on the picture.

gompka

iTrader: (6)

You are probably fine using any good quality synthetic. I use Pennzoil Platinum Full Synthetic Motor Oil 0W-20, but i get it at deep discounts, I have used Mobile 1 in my other Lexus cars in the past. The brands are probably different or go under different names in Europe/Poland anyway.

nigel821

iTrader: (2)

Use OEM Toyota synthetic oil. It's recommend right in the user manual, can be found at every Toyota dealer and isn't expensive. You can pick up the oil filter from the same Toyota dealer. Go to a "Lexus" dealer and you will pay the Lexus markup on said items. OEM Toyota synthetic oil is actually really good. It's talked very highly over at bobistheoilguy forums.

-Nigel

Piotreknx2

Very true as long as 0W-20 in scope for this type of engine. Couldn't find any rabate for this Castrol which makes it quite expensive. Will check other brands after another 10k. Thank you.