celiothrkn

I drive ~5,500 miles per year on my '07 Lexus RX350. The owner's manual says to change engine oil & rotate tires every 5K miles OR every 6 months, whichever comes first. The maintenance light lit up yesterday, and I suddenly remembered that it's been exactly one full year since I've changed engine oil & rotated tires. Should I be concerned about engine damage?

My last oil change & tire rotation was Christmas 2012. It was for synthetic. My odometer currently reads ~84K miles. I have already made my next service appointment for tomorrow (January 2014).

I've actually had a Lexus service advisor once tell me not to exceed 7,500 miles with synthetic. But what's the maximum time period?

BDSL

The only true way to determine the oil life is by oil analysis (where you send an oil sample to a lab).
Most people have good result with 7500 miles on synthetic.

But what is more important is you should check the oil level. All engine burns oil, some faster than others. Because the oil change interval is extended, the oil level still be checked. Owners don't do this much these days....

celiothrkn

What happens if I have a dealership do my synthetic oil change and then a few months later I buy some synthetic oil - presumably a different brand - off the shelf and add it? Is mixing brands of synthetic oil a bad idea?

mitsuguy

iTrader: (2)

No, no worries mixing oil of any type...