chucktaylu

How often should I change my oil on a 200t? I might not even hit the recommended 5k interval in 2 years of driving.

offroad200

The recommended oil change interval is 10k miles or 12 months. So even if you aren't driving it that much, it's still recommended to change the oil once a year.

LexMan2003

I would at least change the oil every six months, regardless of the mileage. BUT, I am a DIYer, so for me to do it is very easy and not expensive at all. If you're not a DIYer and you're concerned about the cost, then I would agree with offroad200 and do it every year regardless of mileage.

Also, on a NEW vehicle (like your's) I would do the first oil change well before the 5k mark.

I'm on a 5k change cycle. I don't care that the mfr recommends 10k intervals, I'm doing mine every 5k.

I have to say that out of ALL the vehicles I've ever owned, this 2020 NX is the EASIEST oil/filter change. I don't even have to lift up the car or take any splash guards off!

no1SomeGuy

This is honestly overkill...an early first change isn't a terrible idea in case there's any metal particles left from manufacturing, but modern synthetic oils still test to the same levels as new conventional oil on their interval (e.g. 5000 mile synthetic is as good as new conventional).

The year recommendation on service intervals is more about giving them a chance to inspect for any other problems (wear, leaks, loose components, etc.) and less to do with the actual oil condition. It's still worth doing something yearly on the vehicle, but don't think it's because the oil is worn out. If you don't believe me, send some samples off to blackstone and you'll see what I mean.

CLightning

I agree with this as it's taken straight out of the Lexus Warranty and Services Guide. With all due respect, I also feel that changing the oil every 5K for our NX's is overkill.

LexMan2003

Well, I happen to be very big on preventive maintenance for my vehicles. Also, I really enjoy working on them - including oil changes!

And, as I said, it is very simple for ME to do it, and relatively inexpensive - OEM filter and Mobil-1 Synthetic oil - appx. $30 total (a far cry from the ~$150 that a Lexus dealer may charge).

It took me a while to get on board with synthetic oil and the 5k change cycle. I had been accustomed to a 3k cycle and non-synthetic oil. The tipping point for me was when I read that synthetic has an advantage when STARTING the car (perhaps in colder weather?) since it will flow quicker. Also, the price of synthetic oil has come down over the years.

There is NO WAY I am going to wait 10,000 miles for an oil change. I was shocked when I saw that in the Lexus docs!

I also read a few articles on turbo engines that mention how these engines are 'harder' on the oil, so I used my own math skills to add up 2 + 2 and come to my own conclusion.

You can do an internet search on "turbo engines and oil change interval", then use your own mathematical skills to come up with the result of 2 + 2. I expect that most people that believe that a 10k interval for the NX is acceptable would have somewhat of a change of mind after reading a little about it. Of course, this discussion is probably more applicable to those who OWN their NX, versus those that lease.

That's precisely why there are 24,300 members in the forum, and 24,301 opinions Forums like this give us all an opportunity to share our experiences, ideas, opinions, etc.

no1SomeGuy

Oil technology has improved massively in the last couple decades and so the days of needing short intervals is over. Honestly, take some samples at different intervals and send them to blackstone if you are that much of a DIYer and serious about your oil. You'll see that the properties of the oil at the recommended intervals are still more than sufficient to prevent wear. Unless you plan to try to get 500,000+ miles out of your engine, there's no point in upping the change frequency even if it is cheap to do. And even then, you're going to have failures in the engine not related to lubrication far earlier (gaskets, timing chain, valve deposits, etc.).

I'm more DIY than the average person (I have a lift, fully equipped garage, etc.) and the last thing I feel like doing is spending my hard earned time and money doing extra oil changes for no reason.

The G Man

I once send out oil sample after 12 months and 15000 miles and the oil came back fine, A lot of old school do it yourselfer still stick by that 5000 miles oil change because that was the interval once used when engines were design for dino oil. Even the new car first early oil change is not necessary since car manufacturers no longer use break in oil and modern day engines are machined to a much tighter tolerance than the old days which result in less metal shavings from the break in period. Modern day engines also use bigger oil filters which extends the filter media's service life allowing for the longer oil change intervals.
For those who enjoy working on their cars, I guess $40 worth of oil and filter parts is cheap entertainment to kill an hour or two but by no means one should think that they are doing their engine any good by changing the oil early when it is not necessary. In fact, there are some evidence that might point to the contrary.

LexMan2003

OK. You've convinced me. You've convinced me to at least look further into this. I WILL review Blackstone's website and send a sample for analysis.

Thank you!

LexMan2003

I read a whole bunch of articles (perhaps 10) on this topic, from various (reliable?) websites/sources.

I am now a tad more open to a longer oil change interval as a result.

My intention is to wait until my next oil change (another 4,400 to the 5k mark) and then send a sample in to Blackstone for an analysis.

Thinking ahead, my next step would be to change the oil at the next 7.5k interval, and once again do an analysis. If the results are satisfactory, I will then go 10k and do another analysis.

OR, if I read more about it, I MIGHT be compelled to wait 7.5k NOW, and skip my current 5k interval this one time in order to expedite this.

VERY interesting.

The G Man

A lot has to do with the type of driving you do and how often you drive your car and for how long. No matter what, you should change your oil at least once a year to protect against condensation and other contaminates,

chucktaylu

Thanks for all the responses. Annual sounds like the sweet spot for me.

LexMan2003

From the few articles I read, some of them mentioned that even if you don't meet the mileage limit (what that may be for you), the recommendation is to change it AT LEAST once every 6 months. So if it were me, that's what I would do. To each his own !!!

ALSO, you might want to look into what you can/should do about your fuel. I'm not sure it's a good idea to have fuel in your lines that is too 'old'.

Just my 1 1/2 cents (*inflation adjusted)

The G Man

One of the biggest enemy of low milage driving is water in engine oil which comes from lots of short trips and not driving it everyday. The engine needs to be up to temperature for the water to start evaporating, a long trip once a while will help with that problem. If your car is in a heated garage, it will help with condensation also. The Blackstone test is the proof for all that have doubts, Its not one size fits all, everybody have different driving habits but 6 months to a year is a safe interval.

ViktorG

iTrader: (1)

Hi all,
I am a Lexus Master Technician and I am creating a series of maintenance/repair how-to videos covering the 2015-2021 Lexus NX models.
Here is my video showing how to replace the engine oil and filter.
Hit me up with suggestion on what other things you would like to see.
Cheers!
Viktor

You Tube