theglobalg

In how many miles - Oil should be changed?

Woogie

3000 to 5000. I usually go about 3500.

DesertRat

5,000 to 7,500. I usually go just a tad over 6,000 myself.

Woogie

I've never met a person who recommends 5-7.5. I was kinda raised on the fundamentals of changing your oil every 3000-5000 miles to let the car run at optimal levels and by doing that, you'll increase the longevity of the engine and the car.

DesertRat

I haven't met many people who recommend 5,000-7,500 either. But I read alot, and I've owned lots of cars that I've driven very hard. The 3k change is a scam, unless you're using really low quality oil. I use Mobil 1, but any good quality oil can easily do just fine for the 5-7.5k mile intervals recommended by the factory.

On the other hand, it sure doesn't hurt to change the oil more often than necessary, so if you can afford it, and it makes you feel better, go for it.

flipside909

The factory 5k intervals are fine.

mburnickas

It depends on your driving style, oil used , how oil performs and how the engine performs. I have gone over 12K miles in my 98 ES300 and the oil tested come out fine (for 1 oil change).

If you choose a cheap oil it will be less then a good basestock oil. If you engine has a bad MAF, for example, it will be less , etc etc.

mmarshall

Short-trip or stop-and-go driving at lower temperatures or dusty conditions...3 months/3000 miles.
Longer trips, higher temperatures, cleaner running conditions..........................5 months/ 5000 miles.

With most cars, the more often you drive them, the longer the trips, the higher the temperature, the cleaner the air, and the less stop-and-go driving you do, the further you can generally go between changes. However, IF you have an ES300...or any other Toyota / Lexus product with the 3.0 V6......change the oil frequently regardless. This engine is known for oil gelling and sludge if it is not changed regularly.

gcrim21

Depends on what kind of oil is used as to how often oil should be changed. Manuals on both Toyota and Lexus says 5,000 miles for severe service and 7,500 for 'average' operation. If oil should be changed more often the manual should state it. We have had two different Toyota Avalon's with the 3.0 V6 engine and never had a gelling problem. Always used Mobil 1and never changed oil and filter less than 12,000 miles. Also use Mobil 1 in our present 1999 RX300 and 2003 ES300. 86,000 miles on the RX, no problems and 20,000 on the ES300, no problems.

GCrim

flipside909

I agree with your summation of oil change frequency. I don't believe in extended oil change intervals for synthetic. There's a huge margin of error there and people rely too much on trusting "synthetic" properties. I've been through 2 1MZ-FE engines that have run perfectly with a good Toyota oil filter and Castrol GTX 10w30. The Avalon we parted with 110K miles no gasket leaks. And 92k currently on my 99 Solara 5spd Manual. No gasket leaks front or rear bank..and still runs smooth.

mmarshall

Yes, Castrol is good stuff...even non-synthetic. I was converted to it when I stopped using Quaker State years ago. Valvoline and Penzoil are are also good substitutes.