jayclapp

I haven't used a non-synthetic oil since my first Lexus in 1992!

Jabberwock

Yep the motor can run just fine with a good conventional 5w-30 dino oil assuming a good filter and 5k oil change intervals (or less). I switched to full synthetic oil several years ago and run it in all our cars at 5k OCI. In my opinion the difference in cost between using dino and full syn for 2-3 oil changes a year is relatively small price to pay (I diy so cost is small) to use the best lubricant available on my car. I buy Penzoil platinum or Ultra, Mobil 1, Castrol Full Syn, basically - any brand name oil depending on what is on sale at Wally.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

thanks a lot jabberwock , I was actually worried I had put the wrong lubricant in.

Looks like id better get with the times though and switch too synthetic.

It was $40 for a regular oil change or $100 for a full synthetic, so I chose the cheap option.

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

One of the better elements of synthetic over conventional is its cold start protection. Particularly, up north where it gets much colder then down south. It's been pretty cold here in Atlanta lately though. Also, a lot of guys in the ls400 forum found that they could extend the mileage interval to 7000 because of how long it was taking synthetic to breakdown vs conventional oil. I think I will still stick to 5k - 6k changes but for the cost difference synthetic is worth the extra money. The way the 7000 mile number was come to was by sending oil samples to labs for analysis. Not by looking at it.

lsdude

Mobil1 EP says you can go up to 15,000 miles between changes. Do you guys think 10,000 miles is pushing it?

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

I think by 7k the filter has had enough. 10 - 15 is too much in my opinion. I had a friend with a Saab that has this same thing from the factory. Brand new from the factory with 15k changes. By 10k she really needed to change the oil. Even the Saab techs thought is was rather ridiculous and recommended coming in halfway. I would not push past about 7k on synthetic and 5k on conventional. Not worth it. Start building up sludge in the engine. And don't forget a premium filter. It does make a difference.

Jabberwock

I would not push more than 7k given relatively low cost of oil and filter change (but I don;t drive high miles).

Tom57

I've changed the oil and filter religiously with Quaker State 5W-30 and Lexus/OEM filters at or before 5K miles since I bought the 2001 CPO with 19K miles. The clock shows 236+K miles now. No oil usage between changes. Runs like new. Should I re-think my tradition of oil / filter choice with the 2006 just acquired, or is this mostly a matter of personal preference and convenience with extended life synthetic oil and premium extended life filters?

jayclapp

I take a conservative approach and use Mobil 1 with Lexus filter and change every 5,000 miles. This gives me peace of mind at very little extra cost.

Bocatrip

Same here. I get the oil filter and O ring for drain plug at Lexus for 6 bucks and change. Mobile 1 5W/30 (5 quart container) at Walmart for $26. $15 to my trusty local independent. A total of $47 every 6,000 miles and I'm good to go!

islove623

Sewell sells factory oil filters for $3.95 or a box of 10 for $35 for club lexus members. ( for the is250 Idk about other cars)

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

In my experience the Bosh filter keeps the oil looking cleaner vs oem. It has better filter ratings then the oem filter. LScowboysLS has a great thread on oil filters. Toyota filter is not bad but their also nothing to write home about. You can read up on comparisons on the oil forums.

StanVanDam

L-Tuned Parts (aka Carson Toyota) is a reputable dealer and several members here have purchased from them in the past. I informed them of that website issue and they corrected it.

Most dealers in North America will not be able to order in the 20004, or they will process the order and send you a superceded version. The new ones are YZZD3 (V8), YZZF1 (2.0-2.4L), YZZF2 (1.5-1.8L), YZZD1 (V6), 04152-YZZA4 (new Tundra V8), 04152-YZZA1 (new 2GR, 3GR V6s). I got my last (and first) case of 90915-20004 filters from L-Tuned Parts. I see they are now $14.96 before shipping. Elmhurst Toyota has them for $9.10/each in a case of 10, pre-shipping. Apparently Dan @ American Toyota 800-432-6668 will also get them for you.

An oil filter socket tool helps if you DIY - google "Toyota Lexus Oil Filter Wrench Socket Tool 73mm 14 flute A03"

Below is my aggregation of some info regarding the 20004 filter, but you should do your own research to determine your personal requirements for cost, quality, risk exposure, and benefits.

From what I've read, I think the 90915-20004 filters are superior in quality to most other aftermarket filters and were specifically selected/designed by Toyota/Lexus to be factory-installed on many of their V8 engines for good reason. If you use non-OEM, you may take on some/all liability when some sort of related catastrophic engine or filter failure occurs due to not using a filter meeting factory specs. But maybe your personal situation doesn't warrant such considerations. I just don't see any worthwhile cost savings, quality increases, or risk/liability reduction by using non-OEM.

You can see the various brands of oil filters disassembled at http://www.minimopar.net/oilfilters/index.html. The disassembly of the 90915-20004 is at http://mkiv.com/techarticles/parts/t...ter/index.html and at http://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-te...-cut-open.html

"The -20004 filter is produced in Japan. As the photos on mkiv.com show, the filtering media is different. If you were to compare the filtering media of the -20004 to the -YZZG1, you would most likely find that the 90915-20004 has better filtering capabilities. As a result, the material costs for the 90915-20004 are higher than that of the -YZZG1. The extra cost was once passed down to Toyota customers when they brought their vehicles in for service at the Dealer. But, many customers had a difficult time stomaching the +$50 charge for an oil change. As a result, Dealer service garages could not stay competitive with the $19.99 Jiffy Lube-type of places. A decision was eventually made to reduce the cost of the oil change service. The Japan-sourced filters were replaced with North American-sourced filters, which have much lower manufacturing and transportation costs. For most customers, the benefits of using the Japan-sourced filter were never fully realized anyway." -- http://www.supraforums.com/forum/sho...-MKIV-is-found!!!

"I've cut one up, I compared this filter with the mobil 1 and K&N along with some other Toy filters. All I can say is that this 20004 looks to be a better design than anything else so far. I would say the filtration of this filter is 5 to 10 microns.The media is very very fine.With a 100x microscope the media in this filter blocks more light than any of the others. A close second is the Mobil 1. the others fall way short." -- http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...&Number=319391

"if you had done any research on oil filters you would know about the 20004. the flow rate and particulate filtration of this OEM filter outperform just about every off-the-shelf filter you can name (mobil1, K&N (which are pure POS) and etc.)" -- https://www.clublexus.com/forums/clu...n-stock-2.html

"they use 90915-20004 on new cars because this filter has outstanding filtering capabilities compared to toyota/denso's other filters. When an engine is being broken in there are a lot more metal particles and other debris floating around, which toyota feels the 20004 filter will do a better job of filtering out of the engine." / "Amsoil or K & N might contain the best filtering media, but I don't think they are the best designed filters for toyota V8 and V6 engines. The Anti-drain back valve is one of the most important features on a toyota V6/V8 engine and I think that the 20004 filters do a much better when it comes to overal performance for those egnines. " -- http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...&Number=326468

"(20004 vs YZZB5) Both filters utilize a matted type of filter media instead of the traditional pleated paper type material. Overall size of the filter elements is approximately the same size. Both filters utilize an anti-drain back valve in the top of the filter. The -20004 filter has 12 raised ribs around its circumference whereas the -YZZB5 has 9 raised ribs of the same size. The -20004 has a metal/spring bypass valve in the bottom of the filter element whereas the -YZZB5 has more filter media there (maybe to compensate for the 9 vs. 12 ribs). The -YZZB5 has 3 bypass ports incorporated into the top of the filter media frame and anti-drainback valve. While I wouldn't consider this a true bypass valve, it will effectively function as one. There are three 1/8"x3/8" ports cut into the top of the filter element frame that are blocked off by the lip of the anti-drain back valve. With sufficient differential pressure across the ports, the rubber valve will yield to bypass excess pressure. While this isn't likely as precise as the -20004 spring loaded bypass valve, it apparently works just fine except possibly when there are excessive amounts of contaminants present (like on a new engine during the initial break-in period or after an engine rebuild)." -- http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...&Number=319669

Lavrishevo

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, that's the problem. All the dealer stock is the cheap one made in Taiwan I think. It's not Japanese.

Check out this link. These same filters apply to the 430 according to LScowboysLS. He is a Lexus master mechanic for many years. Retired now. His thread on older LS400 leaking capacitors is very interesting as well.

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/ls4...on-our-ls.html

pilot2

Whether Toyota has a filter made in Japan or Taiwan, do we really think Toyota does not have its historically high quality control standards in place? Would Toyota want the scandal of poorly made filters causing engine damage? I don't think so. Has there been any evidence that a Toyota filter made in Taiwan is of poor quality?