Brian11

Hi everyone,

I am new here and have a few questions for all you experienced Lexus owners.

Is it ok to use conventional 5w30 oil on 2008 Rx350? I have used synthetic 5w30 since I bought the car 2 years ago, but recently the toyota dealership used the conventional oil for my oil change.

Also, how often do I have to change the transmission fluid and Brake fluid?
I was told by the toyota technician that the rx350 uses World standard transmission fluid and it lasts a life time (no change needed)?

Any advice is greatly appreciated,

Thanks,

Brian

RX330inFL

Welcome to Club Lexus, Brian11.

Like many topics, these have been discussed in the past here. Take a few minutes to get familiar with the search features of the forum to find answers to many of your questions.

Dino oil is quite fine to use in your RX350. I believe if you search the forums here you will find a Toyota/Lexus oil chart which will show you can even use 5W20. Synthetic is always better and you can switch back at your next oil change if you choose to do so. Just pick one and stick with it. Unless you do an oil analysis of what is coming out of your engine I would stick with the regular 5K mile interval.

The tech is right about your transmission fluid. It is WS and it is stated as being lifetime. Some will debate that capability and they do a drain and fill to get some fresh fluid in there perhaps at 60K mile. Am sure others will chime in on that and you can search as well for those previous discussions. Needs to be at least checked and not forgotten about.

Brake fluid is every 3 years or 30K miles as stated in the Owner's Manual. Personally, I do that every time I replace pads which is about 40K-45K miles for the fronts with my driving here in FL.

http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/do...rx35008smg.pdf

RX330inFL

Here is that oil chart:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/mai...perthread.html

If it gets really cold there in BC you can even consider using a 0W synthetic oil in your RX350.

Brian11

Thank you for your detailed reply.

I will use the search function next time.

takeshi74

Experience with a Lexus isn't even necessary to answer. A vehicle's manual will state whether or not the given vehicle requires synthetic. If you don't have a manual you can find one on the Lexus owner's site.
https://secure.drivers.lexus.com/lex...-lexus/home.do

The 2008 RX 350 manual http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/do.../sec_04_03.pdf states
Synthetics do offer advantages such as longer oil change intervals and better protection at the extremes but whether or not a given vehicle will benefit depends on the vehicle, how it is driven and the intended oil change intervals. Typically, most people won't see any advantage -- especially if they're using shorter intervals. Some use synthetics anyway for added peace of mind.

Your scheduled maintenance guide:
http://drivers.lexus.com/t3Portal/do...rx35008smg.pdf

You won't void your warranty by not changing it but in my experience no fluid truly lasts forever.