evident

my MIL just asked me to change her oil but I dont have ramps at her house. Do you need ramps or to jack the car up in order to access the filter or drain plug on this vehicle? I know on the 2nd gen it's a close call but it's doable.
2016 RX450H

PhxBill

No ramps required. Just squeeze under and do it.

jrobe

A floor jack is not very expensive and doesn’t take much room in a garage. It is much easier to take 30 sec to jack up one side to make it easier to change the oil. It can be done without it but it is tight. I can also use it to rotate my tires in far less time than it would take me to drive somewhere to have it done. If you are capable of some maintenance things, you should have a floor jack.

evident

of course. I am going to her house for the weekend and want to knock it out. won't have all my tools or my floor jack.

NotAFiat

Just did mine without a jack or ramps. Its tight, but doable. Drain plug access is easier than the filter cap removal. The skinny among us will have an advantage.

Randyp1234

You must like your MIL more than I like mine. Good for you!!

pentaprism

Even with a floor jack, you still need a pair of jack stands. I don't trust any kind of jack.

Years ago when going to college, I changed the engine oil of my 1972 Pinto (bought it for $700 and later sold it for $60) by parking it with two right wheels on the sidewalk, two left wheel on the street. The sidewalk was 6" higher than the street, giving me access to the drain plug and to the oil filter.

c3uo

I don’t think I usually jack up my RX450h for an oil change. I just use a low profile oil pan and blanket or cardboard on the garage floor. The hardest part is the oil filter cap - make sure you have the special Toyota adaptor. The oil filter is right up front on the passenger side.

I prefer to not jack it up. It’s neater as there’s very little room to splash.

ravenuer

Ha! I remember doing that back in the day when I didn't have any other way of doing the oil change! Memories....

Barncobob

use the curb idea.

sderman

Up until recently, I changed the oil and filters on the multiple ES's and RX's I've owned over the last 25 years (I use a local Toyota dealer now). I was never comfortable driving up a commercial ramp, thinking I would overshoot it. So, using 3/4"plywood, I made a sandwich with 2 sheets screwed together, staggering one over the other so I would first drive over the 3/4" piece and then over the 1.5" sandwich. The 1.5" rise was enough to comfortably get under all of my cars for the oil changes.

Lexspeed

I'm a not too slim 72 yo and I change my own oil and filter on my 2022 RX350 without jacks, stands, etc. It's tight but doable for me. I have Race Ramps drive on ramp for my Corvette oil and filter changes but don't feel need to use them for my Lexus.

JeffKeryk

Just be safe. The curb idea is good, if you can't fit.
The filter housing can be a pain... I love my MityVac; I do 5K OCIs and swap the filter every other service.

evident

I was able to squeeze under and drain the oil and filter without a jack. Thanks everyone

SoCalRX

I have custom Race Ramps and highly recommend them. If you need special heights or configurations Race Ramps can manufacture them for you. I have yet to change the oil on our RX as I purchased an extended warranty, so any and all maintenance is done via a Lexus dealer. At the Lexus dealer I use now they have sign that they recommends 5,000 mile engine oil changes.

On another note, has anyone used an oil extractor to remove the engine oil prior to changing the oil filter and drain pug washer? I own an oil extractor and some engines it works well on some engines (mostly European and Japanese) and on other engines it does not work on at all. As I stated above I have yet to change engine oil on our RX owed to extended warranty concerns. Before someone mentions laws regarding DIY and factory warranties, I have gotten into it—deeply into it—with Lexus Corporate on a major issue and will not allow anyone, including myself, touch the mechanics of our RX, other than a Lexus Service Department, should I run into any other major issue, until the Lexus warranty expires, so that I can avoid having to use an attorney to resolve said issue(s).