bam

We have a 2012 rx450h and I was curious to know what intervals everybody is using for service. We bought our car last March and we just passed 20k miles. In our previous rx300, we were using 7500 as our service intervals and from our free service at 10k, we went to 20k miles before doing another service.

One of the reasons why I'm asking is because by going every 10k miles, we kind of throw off some of the service recommendations. For example, the air filter should be replaced at 15k miles but since we skipped 15k miles and went to 20k miles, we just had the air filter replaced. Then at 30k miles, they'll replaced the air filter again.

Would you just stick with every 10k miles, every 7500 miles, or even stretch it to 15k miles? We wouldn't mind pushing it to15k miles for the reason of not having to bring it in so frequently, save a little money on the service, and to avoid the hassle of scheduling and visiting the dealer. On the flip side, I don't want to harm the car by stretching it to 15k miles. We pushed it to 10k miles on this last service because we drive the car so much that going at 7500 miles would be like every 4.5 months.

It seems that the major services are at the 15k miles intervals. So 15k, 30k, 45k, 60k, etc. Whereas the minor service of an oil change and some systems checks occur at the other intervals.

Your thoughts?

Sevn86

I drive my RX so much that in the past 11 months I have put more then 30k miles on mine. I go by the 7,500 interval for oil changes just because I drive so much. I passed on the 30k service and nothing happened. Im also now out of warranty as of 2 days ago since i passed 50k so it doesn't matter anymore. I recently had warranty work done and no one at Lexus said we won't help cuz u passed ur 30k service and now we will void ur warranty. So no need to worry about losing ur warranty. I plan on getting my passed up 30k service done at 60k since it's the same thing. I went online and read my cars service history and the previous owner had all the services done at a lexus dealer in Santa Monica, CA including air filter, cabin air filter and all that at 15k. So I plan on sticking with my 7,500 mile oil change interval for the life of the vehicle and major services will be skip one do one or as I see neccessary.

UCSB

About every 3,000 miles ... I use time instead of miles because I own several cars and each car does not get high use. Stick to the 7.5K or 10K mfg recommendation because you are building the service history of the car which will be brought up when you sell or trade the vehicle. 15K would be a red flag for neglect.

Sevn86

Oh I forgot to mention the only reason why I'm doing what I'm doing is cuz I don't plan on trading or selling it in the future. My family usually holds on to a car for an average of 10 years, and by the time we are done its pretty much dead or undesirable. Since 08 though we have gotten a new car every year. Even this summer we will be getting a new one. So idk.

ericsan13

I stick to 10k service since I drive roughly 10k a year. One full synthetic oil change once a year is pretty much all my 350 needs?

Coolant change as needed.
Cabin filter every 30k.
Air filter every 30k.
Brake fluid every 30k.
ATF - sealed system is supposed to be lifetime?

This is the lowest maintenance car I've owned...

vlad_a

I plan on doing oil changes every 10K miles, which I do myself. Replacing the air filter is a 2-minute job.
Don't have to be exact on the cabin filter. Tire rotations are timed with each switch of winter and summer sets of wheels.

For my IS300, I rarely go to the dealer. Mostly, I let them do alignment and tire balancing. When it comes to maintenance and long term ownership cost, IS300 has been superb. Granted, I do most of the things myself.
I expect RX450h to be the same.

BTW, being Hybrid in nature, RX450h puts less load on the engine and cruises at lower RPMs since there are electric components to help out. I did the first oil change at 4,600 miles and the oil came out really clear, with a healthy amber color. I see no issues changing it every 10K miles.

ericsan13

I change the oil, air/cabin filter, coolant on my own too. I wonder if lack of evidence for oil changes will affect the warranty or extended warranty though?

UCSB

Keep a log and the receipts to back it up or you are losing more than you are gaining doing your own oil changes. What knowledgeable Lexus buyer would buy a used Lexus without reviewing it's maintenance history? My Lexus dealer (Pleasanton Lexus) sent me an email today offering a full synthetic oil change on my 450h (plus tire rotation, multipoint check and car wash) for $79.99. I don't do the car wash at the dealership ... but, it seems hard to beat this deal doing it yourself.

GoGiantsNJ

I'm going to do the 7,500 miles interval,with the tire rotaion at the dealer. I'll put the filters in myself every 10,000 miles or in my case once a year.
$79.99 for the oilchg, tire rotation, checks and car wash is a good deal,I doubt I'll see that deal here in Jersey land. My dealers coupons are a joke.

MjThind

I actually do every 5K.... Plus I'm a firm believer in preventive maintenance rather than corrective maintenance. I Know Lexus service intervals are over-kills, like replacing the engine or air filter when it can cleaned out with air compressor but it's what keeps our RX's smooth and silky...

gs3tommyt

Every 10k mile service is fine, the its every 10k they recommend repacing your smart key batterys and every 15k to check your cabin filter and clean out the leaves and dust, not replace unless its really bad. The 30 mile service is replacing both your cabin filter and air filter plus brake flush. i wouldnt flush your brakes at home with a hybrid. but make sure since your cars still under warranty to check your rear shocks, there notorious for leaks.

kryten

My 2013 shows 5k/6months for it and that is where the first two free services are. I would normally rely upon the car telling me, but it appears the Lexus does not have this feature? (my BMW's and Acura's all have had)

Sevn86

Ur right about the leaking shocks. I had less then a 100 miles before I lost my warranty and went in to have a routine checkup and the dealership found both my rear shocks leaking on my 2010 Rx350. Glad I went in when I did. They took care of it under warranty.

gs3tommyt

it does have a reminder, have you watied all the way until the 5k mark and 10k mark? It also
has a maintenance reminder in your nav display under vehicle maintenance.depends some times during the pds the technician doesnt input the part.

UCSB

Replacing the smart key batteries is very easy and quick ... there are a number of videos on youtube. Batteries can be picked up off of ebay for cheap. I prefer doing mine myself.