daryll40

Wondering out loud if I can go 10,000 miles on synthetic? And if so, do I use the 0-20W that many other Toy products use or do I use/do they make a 5W-30 as the oil cap calls for?

And please, no lectures on being cheap and how 5000 changes are not big deal blah blah blah. I know all that. Just wondering about this.

stunt66

Oil discussions are like the whole do i need premium gas debate, you'll get a bunch of different answers. I run amsoil synthetic in my truck and change it every 10,000 kms and it looks like **** even though the bottle says guaranteed for 25k. If the bottle states good for 10k miles i probably wouldn't let it get that far, oil changes aren't that expensive and if you consider how important it is to cars you'll see the importance of having good clean oil. I use the same weight as per manufacture even though it's synthetic. Oh I forgot to add, quit being a cheap ***!!! j/k

jfelbab

You might consider testing the oil if you plan to do this. Several pure synthetics have done quite well at 7,500 to 10,000 mile tests but every engine is slightly different and the same is true of synthetic oils or blends. I like Blackstone Labs http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

For my RX330, 7,500 miles is a safe range for Pennzoil Platinum. YMMV

Don't forget your warranty would be rendered void if it is still intact now.

Lexmex

I've run 7K on Castrol Syntec 0W30 and that was under rough conditions in Mexico. It depends on the oil and driving habits. Amsoil could do it for sure and the Castrol Syntec 0W30 could do it without a hitch, too.

I should caution that as the vehicle gets older, the consumption will go up. So mileage is another factor.

catdaddylo

I don't run synthetic in my RX as it comes with dyno oil from the factory but my BMW came from the factory with synthetic. With the BMW they recommend to change oil every 15K miles or once a year regardless of milage. A BMW Gen Mgr told me the reason to change after a year is that the oil filter starts to break down as the oil it's self will be OK with less than 15K miles on it. I just changed the oil a few days ago after one year (My Bimmer is a garage queen) and the oil still looked brown where as my filter was a tary black. My personal opinion is that if you go the synthetic route I think you would be defeating the purpose of running synthetic if you changed it before 10K miles and would be pouring money down a rat hole and I would run to at least 12k to 15k miles.
I use Castrol Syntec 5W 30

Cat

diverchris

This in an interesting question that I have asked myself as well. I agree with the other posts that an oil change is cheap. But I also think about carbon-footprint of not utilizing oil to its full potential.

But other arguments that are presented is that oil changes on European cars can go 150000 km to 20000 km per change. Yet Lexus oil change intervals are much shorter. My personal belief is the difference in duration is not based on oil breakdown but breakdown of the oil filters.

Most European filters are made with fleece, such as Mann filters. I believe this is why oil change durations are different. Unfortunately Mann and many other fleece-based oil filters are made for European cars.

So what I do is I use synthetic oil and use a filter designed for synthetic oils such as K&N, Mobile 1 or Fram synthetic filters. I change oil and filter at 10000km/6250miles as this is an idea time to rotate tires as well as this is when tires need to be rotated as well

mandyfig

Go 8K on syn, you will be good.

espressoRX

Most manufacturers have started using and recommending oils that meet two new testing standards, Dexos1 and GF-5. The biggest difference in the two standards are the types of testing they undergo. Google the names for specifics but generally speaking, Dexos1 meets testing standards of US, Asian, and European carmakers while GF-5 meets US and Asian standards. Anyway, the idea behind these standards is to ensure the oil can withstand much longer periods between oil changes and maintain better fuel economy.

Many oils already meet these standards. For example, Mobil1's 5w-30, meets Dexos1 and so do grades from other leading oil brands like Pennzoil. My point is, you won't have to look far for an oil that meets these standards and allow you to comfortably go much longer between changes. 10k miles is one of the goals of these new standards but the oil makers still use the disclaimer about changing the oil per the auto manufacturer's instructions.

One of the key factors is your warranty situation. If your RX is still under warranty, you better go by the schedule in the owner's manual. That way if something goes wrong, even if it isn't directly related to oil changes, you can't be found at fault for not following their directions. If no longer under warranty, you should be able to use one of the synthetics that meet these standards to stretch out the time between changes.

Lex2000TL

Oil looses its life mainly due to blow-by gases from combustion and oil residue that is scraped down by piston rings from cylinders walls exposed to combustion area.
I’m sure that you notice that more and more cars offer now oil change intervals 10K and 15K mile. (20 years ago 5Kmile oil change was unheard of) This is because engine manufacturers can make engines to much tighter specifications now days, thus reducing gaps between moving parts. But not all engines are made equal in terms of tight tolerances and piston/cylinder tight fit. Just because BMW recommends oil change every 15K miles, does not mean that Lexus can do it. Each engine is different.

The bottom line is that I would not double oil change intervals just because you use synthetic oil. I personally tried to stretch it in my old Acura using Mobil-1 and tested it at Blackstone Lab. I pushed it as far as 11K miles, and lab analysis showed that it could go about 4K miles more, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing so.
As for our RX-s, I use dino oil with 5K between changes and will switch to synthetic with 7.5K intervals later, after warranty is up. This is not about money, as saving is insignificant, I just hate to waste time on car service.

lexus114

If the RX had a larger oil sump i.e 7 qts. or more,and a filter that I knew for sure could handle it. (With out going to by pass mode) I`d consider it. However,as Lexmex mentioned,you can safely go 7-8,000 on GC,or Mobil-1 Especially the EP Mobil-1. I`m using the Motorcraft Synthetic blend 5W-30 (ConocoPhillips oil) and the rated 5k oil changes with the Denso filter,and it runs very good.I did clean out the inside with a few oci`s with Pennzoil Platinum. That stuff really cleans out the motor! But it felt like it was holding back on power,Hence the swith to Motorcraft. Then I have a jug of Valvoline Synpower 5W-30 I`m going to try later down the road. I experiment too much I guess,but thats how I find out which oil runs the best. BTW so far it runs the best on Mobil-1 0W-30 afe. Most throttle response,etc. Anytime you want to know more about motor oil,just head over to bobistheoilguy web site. Anything you ever wanted to know about it is over their.

kickin8

iTrader: (1)

definitely go with the oil analysis before you do that....

you can go 0W30 syn with the cold weather

vg1134

I would not go over 7,500 on full synthetic.
dont forget that Toyota(lexus) V6 engines are well known for running above normal inside temperatures so I would not push it. it can be a costly bill if you do.

mandyfig

Interesting statement on normal operating temperatures. What are they ad how did you conclude that Toyota's V6 is running high?

lexus114

The head temps are high,even worse on regular unleaded because it has to retard the timing,which makes the motor run hotter/work harder.

mandyfig

Like in what F degrees? K degrees? Or C degrees?