fomenter

Hi,

I purchased a 2009 Lexus ES (110k) more than a month ago and already put 3k on it. I'm planning to get my oil changed at 115k. Here is my question:

The car has been serviced at lexus dealers since day 1 and oil has been changed every 5k, no missing between intervals. I can't tell if the dealer used regular or synthetic oil, but I'm assuming to be regular..so I would like to use Mobil 1 and increase the amount of time between oil changes (6k-7k-will be mostly highway miles). Will it hurt my engine to switch from conventional oil to synthetic oil with these many miles on the car?Any other suggestions are appreciated

I 'm a bit hesitant to take this car to my local lexus dealer because it has terrible reviews,,I may try the toyota dealer knowing that 3.5L engine is also used on camrys so they should be able to accept my car and get it changed.

ESh

I use Amsoil 0-30 since I bought the car. I do OC every 10000 miles. I am happy with Amsoil but I am switching to Mobil 1 0-20. I think that is the best oil.

chuyrobles

Nope.

My recent oil analysis with 11K miles with Mobil 1 Extended showed the oil was good for another 3K. Use a good synthetic filter and you can easily go 10K miles between oil changes. Just remember to check the oil level every 3K or so.

GrnIdKjun

Regarding your thought on talking it to Toyota for service, I take mine to Toyota.
The Toyota shop is an hour closer.
They are able to do the same maintenance at a fraction of the cost of Lexus.
And for anyone concerned about the waiting area, my Toyota is very nice.
It's an all around more convenient/better deal for me.

isfdude

iTrader: (11)

All I use is Moble 1 or pennzoil ultra platinum with the dealer OEM filter.. But I will never go over 5K for the oil change.

12jimmyjam

Oh man. I learned that lesson a while ago. With typical driving 5k intervals with synthetic is just wasting money changing it that soon.

To the OP, I've switched to synthetic on my last 4 vehicles at 90k, 80k, 75k, and 85k with no issues except for a oil leak that developed on my POS 09 accord. Using a high mileage fixed it though. I do 7500 mile oil change intervals now.

chuyrobles

And it's bad for the environment to be disposing of oil that's still good. But, some folks prefer to remain ignorant or are erroneously convinced they are doing the right thing. And then theres the camp that says its their money to throw away if they want. Sigh.

Tetguy

Most of the Oems are now recommending extended drain intervals. This can be achieved because of newer refining processes for gasoline and diesel which substantially lowered the sulfur content. Through blow-by in the cylinders sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide were introduced into the crankcase. The PCV valve is supposed to get rid of these oxides by recirculating them back into the intake air. Most of it is. Some of it stays in the crankcase and some of it dissolves.. When you shut your vehicle off, condensation starts to form in the crankcase. The next time you use your vehicle to go to the store to get a loaf of bread and go home what happens is that the oxides mix with the condensation and form acids if the vehicle is not run long enough to evaporate the water.. Condensation is more prevalent in the northern climes because of temp change and the number of short trips compound the situation.
The additive pack in your motor oil (virgin or synthetic) is alkaline.As most of you know acids destroy alkaline materials. So by lowering the sulfur content in fuels, much less sulfur dioxide is exposed to your crankcase and therefore the reason for extending the oil change interval To take advantage of this interval you should be using only TOP TIER gasoline.
As far as switching from a virgin base oil to synthetic, you can experience problems with seal leaks depending on which brand of synthetic you choose. Some basestocks are made with polyalfaolefins (PAO`s) others with esters and some more have creaped in since I`ve retired. Seals and gaskets can shrink or swell and some wont be affected. Switch to a different brand of oil if this occurs.
Beware as there are still numerous stations selling the old higher sulfur gasoline and diesel. Gasbuddy.com lists these stations in your area. There`s a heck of a lot more to know about oils. I spent 23 years as lubricant tech rep for 2 of the major oil Co.`s in Canada.
Here`s a link that explains a lot of it in layman`s terms. The author is a motorcycle fan and also pushes Redline oil as well but most of it is acceptable.
http://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/Oils1.html

Tetguy

I should add that my Es350 2008 was run on virgin base motor oil until I purchased it. at 80,000 kms (50,000 miles). I put in Pennzoil Platinum for 2 changes and I`m now on Mobll 1. I have not experienced any leaks or problems so far.

ESh

What grade?

Tetguy

The previous owner used 5w30 in summer and 5w20 in the fall Lexus virgin base. I`ve been using 5w20 Syn.

ESh

What about the piston slap? Do you hear anything with 5-20?

Tetguy

No piston slap at all. The only noise I get from time to time....about every 3rd morning start....is hydraulic lifter leak-down. After i mile or two, it disappears. I wouldn't blame Syn. base oil for this problem as some PAO and ester based syn. stocks can cause shrink or swelling of o-rings and rubber seals. I`ve noticed this same problem on some vehicles I`ve driven in the past. My 350 does`t burn oil either as there is no change on my dipstick between oil changes which I do myself. I`m very happy with my es350.

hisstojay

I know by Lexus recommendation, ES350 oil grade 5W30 syn