lexus114

and what brand/viscosity do you use?

greeknasty

toyo 0w20 synthetic every 10k

99celsior

99 Ls400 ... I use 5w30 full syn every 8k

F250

Only had my 2010 450h for two weeks, but I will be doing virtually ALL of my own maintenance and repairs.

Kopavi

Mobil 1 0-20 Advanced Full Synthetic Advanced Fuel Economy

Save $12 with this rebate that expires October 31, 2016
https://mobiloil.com/en/promotion/mo...nd-mobil-super

Amazon has this oil in a five quart capacity for $22.88
https://www.amazon.com/Mobil-120758-Advanced-Synthetic-Motor/dp/B00J00X5YO/ref=sr_1_2?srs=2596709011&ie=UTF8&qid=1473277885&sr=8-2&keywords=0-20+5qt

I use Toyota Filters, you can purchase 5 of them for $26 on eBay or your local dealer may have them for roughly the same price:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291306894028?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

May want to install a Fumoto valve for another $21.95 while you are at it to prevent stripping the oil pan drain plug
https://www.amazon.com/Fumoto-F-103-Engine-Drain-Valve/dp/B003UT6LCO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473278059&sr=8-1&keywords=fumoto+f103

This You Tube video walks you through the oil change process:
Lexus RX350 oil change tire rotation fluid check and more by froggy - YouTube

MellonC00

do you use a device called an extractor?

F250

I have a topside vacuum extractor, 2 gallons, which I picked up from Northern Tool for about $49. Manual pump. Does an outstanding job.

I've used it for engine oil, diesel fuel, transmission fluid, gear oil, and power steering fluid.

Clutchless

I have always changed my own oil. On my RX I have used Toyota 0W-20 Synthetic which is made by Mobil to Toyota specs. It has been found to be excellent stuff per the folks at www.bobistheoilguy.com who do virgin oil analysis and used oil analysis and post their results. I also use Toyota/Lexus oil filters although I did use a Fram one once and may get a K&N filter next time as they look interesting and very similar in design to the OEM filters. I have heard mixed results with aftermarket filters that have the end caps on them, such as the Fram. Some think the caps interfere some with oil flow.
I did put the new Pennzoil 0W-20 made from natural gas in my hybrid HS250h last time and think it made the motor quieter. However I am not sure if gas mileage is the same or worse.

lexus114

yes i have used the pennzoil platinum in my rx as well and noticed the same thing as you. but i also noted a 1mpg more in fuel millage. good stuff. i'm going to try the castrol GTX magnatec 0W20 next though first before i go back to the pennzoil. its highly rated oil over on bitog as well. current oil in mine is the mobil-1 0W20 ep. runs good but my millage is down from the pennzoil platinum.

F250

Just because oil changes do not extract all oil from an engine, the general rule of thumb is that it takes 3 OCI's to get a complete conversion over to a new brand/type/weight of oil. Runs of any fewer than 3 OCI's will be "blended" with the previous oil and the benefits of the "newer and better" product will not be fully realized. [I spent about 4-5 years representing the oldest private oil blender in the US, selling premium synthetic products into both automotive and industrial applications.]

lexus114

very interesting

Clutchless

F250 - What's in your engines?

F250

Great question, but my answer is not quite as simple or straight forward. CLARIFICATION... I meant to say "oldest" instead of "largest", as they had been in business for well over 100 years. They ARE, however, still also the largest fuel additive blender in the US.

The company I represented is Schaeffer Manufacturing which only sells by word of mouth to individuals and otherwise directly to businesses. They are not in the box stores, but some mom and pop shops will sometimes get approved as resellers. I remain convinced they have absolutely the best lubrication products available because of their technologies and some proprietary patented additive components. Given the exposure I had while representing Schaeffer (training, research, product test comparisons, etc.), I could speak at great length about oils & lubes, but won't dig into those issues any further than your question at this point.

Side note... I started representing them when I got laid off from my engineering office (KBR) in late 2009 with the economic downturn, and kept representing them for three years after returning to the same KBR engineering office in late 2010. It just became too difficult (and unnecessary) to continue trying to make sales calls in evenings and late on Fridays once my contract engineering position became a permanent position again, so I let it go.

1. My primary garage includes two 7.3L Ford diesels (a 2002 F250 Crew Cab 2WD, and a 2003 Excursion 2WD). Each diesel requires 4 gallons of diesel-rated oil per change interval. Since I've equipped both of these vehicles with a 2 micron bypass filtration system, I relied on used oil analysis to determine that Schaeffer's 5w40 synthetic oil would run about 18K miles between changes before the viscosity sheared down and needed replacement. Even then, the wear metals, contaminants, and anti-oxidation & anti-foaming agents remained at acceptable levels. I could not get anywhere near that life on either Amsoil or Shell Rotella products. Time for BOTH vehicles to get an oil change right now.

2. After doing some trial runs with a few other diesel-rated oil suppliers, I ran only Schaeffer full synthetic engine oils in ALL of our vehicles. I actually began running Schaeffer oil in my F250 BEFORE ever choosing to represent them, and made that decision based solely on my own individual research and comparisons. The additional things I learned as a rep simply reinforced that decision. I can still get it at wholesale pricing with free shipping, but I have to order $375 worth of product to do so. I may or may not go back with them, but it depends on simple issues of convenience for me. The whole ordering process now complicates things because I'm no longer ordering for sales call supplies or customers, especially with the volumes required and the fact that I'm getting ready to sell one of those two diesels.

3. When not running Schaeffer engine oils, I run either Mobil 1 full synthetics or Shell Rotella T6 full synthetic in my diesels,. and Mobill 1 synthetics in my kids vehicles (currently a '99 4Runner, '06 Outback, and a '07 Volvo S60). If I decide to order more Schaeffer product, I'll run that as well in the Lexus. Otherwise, I will probably stick with the Mobil 1 product line..

lexusrus

Yes, I have used the extractor on my non-AMG Mercs. This is the actual preferred method of oil change per official MB tech manual. Since the oil filter sits on top of the engine, changing the oil on non-AMG MB's are relatively easy without having to go under the car. The MB dealers still charge an arm and a leg for routine oil changes. For AMG MB cars, still got to go under and undo TWO draining bolts!!!

For my Lexus, I still prefer the old fashioned go under the car and drain the oil method.

Zmon

iTrader: (2)

On the RX? I'll leave it to the dealer until the powertrain is out of warranty. I believe they only charge 60-70 for a blend. After warranty, probably the same oil I use on my IS. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum (the black bottle) w/ a Lexus filter, probably will use 0w20 in the RX vs the 5w30 I use in the IS.