ghost31711

2017 RX here in southern California, i change my oil every 7.5k miles. That equates to 40 oil changes to drive this thing to 300k miles which is 10 more than what Toyota recommends. So if each oil change cost $35 at most (it's less since I DIY), i'm spending and extra $350 and 10 hours of my life which i wouldn't know what to do with otherwise over the span of 15-20 years.... to prevent repairs that can cost many many folds..... yeah I'm sticking to my schedule.

Puertex

I use synthetic oil and change it every 10,000 miles more rather than less.

I am a mechanical engineer and know my machines and can tell you that new modern synth oils do not degrade with heat like the standard oils.

Mobil 1 is now rated up to 15,000 miles or one year !

I will soon will do oil changes once a year.

Puertex

mikemu30

Everyone has an opinion on this but nobody can prove anything. Becomes a matter of personal choice. Lessees will merely do the minimjum required. Owners who want to keep it long term will likely do it more often as when you do the math, changing it every 5 - 7k doesnt cost that much more.

Quantum501

Agree....I always purchase my cars b/c of the mileage that I put on each year. I like to do my changes a little early since the cost (I do my own work) is minimal. This goes for the other fluids as well. I know Toyota/Lexus says that the transmission fluid is lifetime....if that is the case then the warranty should also be for lifetime. I do mine at 60k the first time and then keep an eye on it on the way to the next 60k.

goto35

currently have 50k miles. hoping to keep 2016 rx450h forever. is 5k oil changes overkill?

ravenuer

Assuming you use synthetic oil, yes, I think 5k is overkill. 7k if it makes you feel better, otherwise stick with the original 10k.

GSFRX350

The manufacturer knows what's right, in fact they most likely encourage you to change oil more frequently than required to keep services flowing and cash going to dealers.

ghost31711

you must have never owned anything other than Lexus, because as a BMW owner, i disagree with your statement.

BMW once recommended 15k oil change interval, but switched back to 10k once their engines had sludge problems,

GM recommended 10k oil change interval for their north star engines, but it ended failing due to sludge build up because oil passages were too small for thickened oil to pass through

guess what... all those mistakes were made by engineers.

you also need to think about the oil that is used... a very light weight oil that was chosen possibly to help the engine meet emissions.

all the Japanese car that survived for decades, and hundreds of thousands of miles did it on shorter change intervals of 3k-5k miles or 6 months on thicker, more viscous oil (5w30ish, synthetic or not)

and most importantly, not everyone drives the same way, or drive in the same environmental conditions

so get a blackstone report on your used oil at whatever mile you think is best to change your oil and decide for yourself. but remember... all they can analyze is what came out, not whats build up in the engine.

I make my statement with the best intentions to help you make you decision, i don't mean to offend anyone and i'm genuinely sorry if i have.

ericsan13

It's the internet, always assume you've offended someone. =P #unsolicitedadvice for your #unsolicitedadvice

GSFRX350

I've never owned a BMW or GM crap, only had Jap cars for 40 years, over 3 million kms, 271K, 240K, 305K, 180K, 350K, 180K were some of the memorable cars and plenty more. Never worried about oil changes just did them as per the manual and never had issues with the engine.

We are talking about a Lexus so other cars are irrelevant, stick with the 10K changes (15,000km for me).

Cocal

It did not use to be like this, but now it is: The owner's manual is written by marketing people, if you want to get close to what the engineers want look at the severe service schedule.
In the end everyone is free to do as one wants.

ghost31711

​​​​​​
ok, I respect that. You've driven more miles and owned more high milage engine than I have, and you did it by following the manual.

And 10k interval is really not unreasonable, and I'll admit I ciuld be just paranoid or overly cautious.

​​​​​​out of curiosity, what's your take on the transmission fluid? Are you gonna change it? And were any of your past 200k+ mile car a toyota with trans fluid that was never changed?

SoCalRX

I've always changed my engine oil before the recommended interval simply because I reside in Southern California. To give you an example I once made a small trip and encountered a 2 1/2 hour delay going one direction on the freeway and upon the return trip (same day) encountered a 3 1/2 hour delay on the freeway (they shut down the freeway due to an accident across all lanes). Stop-and-go traffic is a way of live here. Engine oil gets recycled and when I change engine oil myself, I always take the used oil to be recycled. Our next vehicle, and all successive vehicles, will be an EV, so engine oil will be a thing of the past.

New oil standards take effect this coming May 1, 2020: Get Ready for GF-6 Motor Oil

ravenuer

SoCal, thanks for the link about GF-6. I'd never heard of it.

GSFRX350

Again whatever the service manual states is what I would do.
Never had a Toyota vehicle before as a personal car, only work ones which were serviced by the book.