Horsepwr

I dont get it .I bought my first Lexus Feb of this year ,and the previous owner (original owner)of the 98 LS had his oil changed every 5000 ,have the Lexus records to prove it .The car has 132,000 .As far as I know ,the dealer does not use a synthetic oil .What ever happened to the every 3000 miles ?I guess that I can wait every 5000 (although it's hard to) .It's just hard for me to grasp the fact the a stealership would not want their $$ every 3000 as opposed to 5000.Ill be changing mine myself anyways .SO I GUESS MY QUESTION IS ,IT DOESNT HURT THE ENGINE IN ANY WAY TO LET IT GO SO LONG ???KEEP IN MIND THAT I DRIVE HER VERY GENTLY I KNOW ,IM GETTING OLD THANKS FOR ALL THE PAST HELP .BY THE WAY I FINALLY INSTALLED THE WOOD WHEEL .HAVE PICS ON MY LAST POST.

hoonunya

I go by the recommended interval in the manual. For my 96 LS400 that is 7,500 miles. I don't use synthetic and I have not had a problem. It has ~145,000 miles on it and runs like a top. For the first 100,000 miles it was serviced by a lexus dealership, now by a toyota dealership which is closer by.
I've also had an LS430 for about a month and was somewhat dismayed that the manual calls for 5000 mile maintenance interval. Since it has it in the manual I'll do it.
My mileage is not predominantly in stop and go traffic however. Your situation may differ.
Have you ever heard of a Lexus with an internal engine problem?

Horsepwr

No ,I haven't .Seem to be a solid motor .Like I had mentioned ,this is my first Lexus ,and I love it .So I guess Ill just stick with what the servise manual calls for ,and if you have had no problems ,well...thats what I wanted to hear Thanks again for the response .

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

you'll be fine. i run 5000-7000mi. intervals on full synthetic on my car and it comes out nearly as clean as when i put it in.

hoonunya

Since Horsepwr has established himself as being receptive to revising his thinking, here are just a few links:

http://www.3000milemyth.org/

http://www.moneybluebook.com/the-300...ve-your-money/

http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/auto...l-change-myth/

Horsepwr

Thanks for the links hoonunya .That pretty much sums it up for me .It will actually be kinda nice saving alittle $$ not changing it so frequently .And thanks again PD .You guys are great !! By the way Im going to start running Castrol Syntec synthetic blend .

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

why run a blend, full synthetic ALL THE WAY!

Mobil 1 full syn, castrol full syn, RP or Amsoil.

Horsepwr

I went back and forth on that issue .I REALLY wanted to ,but was reading some forums about the engine leaking oil after switching from regular to synthetic .I guess there still is a chance that I could run it ,just dont want to have any leaking issues .The next oil change on it will be the first one that I do .The Lexus dealer in Idaho changed it before they put it on their lot ,that I bought it from .Yes I know I live in the out skirts of the Seattle area ,it was just to good of a deal to pass up !!Flew there ,drove it back .

1995LS400

Can i still run full synthetic in mine? It has only had dino oil its whole life, and is now at 106K..

Horsepwr

I have just heard conflicting stories some good ,some bad .Im still kinda up in the air on it .I have 2 thousand more miles to think about it . By the way ,I like the pic of the Enzo !!!

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

i switched my old LS at 130k mi and my current at around 100k.
no leaks=win.

JAndersson

Have an oil expert at work (I work as a developer of hydraulic systems) and I have asked him about the statement that changing to a fully synthetic oil from a mineral or a blend could be bad for the engine. His answer was that this is only true if the inside of the engine is extremely dirty and the new better oil dissolves some of the dirt, but not fully, so you get loose debris in the engine. But if the engine is that dirty it would probably happen independent of what kind of oil you are using. And a good fully synthetic oil can retains it's lubrication function better when it's dirty. If you get a higher oil consumption it's probably not because of it's fully synthetic. It's more likely that the viscosity is to low.

Have used Mobil 1 0w-40 supersyn in my car for almost a year now with no problem at all. The car has 205 000 miles on it an the oil consumption is not measurable. Don't know what kind of oil that was used in the car before I bought it. What I know is that the motor run more smooth after I have changed the oil the first time.

Hope this answers some of your question

Horsepwr

Thanks alot for the info .I may have to reconsider ,and just go full synthetic.I run Ams Oil full synthetic in my CRF450 Honda dirt bike ,and it runs great .Thanks for the input .

jeffls400

FYI, and not to sway you one way or another , but attached is a recent used oil analysis from my LS400 with 212,925 miles, using conventional oil and the OEM Toyota filter. Your engine can live a long life on conventional oil as long as the car is maintained according to the manufacturer's recommended schedule.

Jeff

atoyot

the old 3,000 mile oil change interval is so the dealerships can make money and the oil companies.

You should be fine running 5,000 miles on dino oil and at least 10,000 on synthetic.

If you are worried at all, you can send a sample of your old oil off to places like blackstone to have it analyzed. They will tell you if the additive package is still holding up, if there is aluminum or coolant in the oil. Good way to analyze the wear of your motor and it will tell you if you can continue the current oil change routine or go longer/shorter.

EDIT: i'll be damned. One post above mine tells the story i was trying to.