Marqevans

Does anyone know what break-in procedures Lexus does to the RX 350 engine before it installs it in the car. I thought I read somewhere years ago that they run them on a stand with some sort of break-in oil. The reason I ask is I am wondering if I should still change my engine oil at 1,000 miles instead of waiting till 10,000. if Lexus does in deed run the engine and drains break in oil, I would be less concerned as draining that oil would indeed get most of the metal shavings, etc. out of the engine before we get our cars.

JDR76

I don't have the specific answer to your question, but when I was in engineering school they told us the 1,000 mile oil change isn't really necessary anymore. The reason being is that manufacturing techniques and tolerances are so much better now that you are not likely to get the shavings in your oil like you did when the 1,000 mile oil change was first suggested.

I won't try to sway you one way or the other, but I haven't done a 1k mile oil change in any of my new cars in over 10 years with no known side effects. Some people feel strongly about it one way or the other. YMMV.

drewcam888

iTrader: (1)

I completely agree early oil changes are a waste. Engines are built so much better nowadays.

jtrue28

You're good to 10K miles or 1 year...whichever comes first.

raylor4

My '64 Chevy engine required break-in oil in 1964. The car cost about $3,000.
Our 2011 RX did not require break-in oil in 2011. It cost about $50,000. The times have changed, especially the cost of things. We are paying for a tighter, higher quality engine, among other things.
However, I realize there's value in tradition, so if it makes you feel better, go ahead and change your oil at 1,000 miles and run the drain oil and the filter thru some kind of strainer so you can check for metal particles. I'll bet the oil is as clean as when it came out of the container. Still, you've done your thing and you can sleep better. BTW, the filter is the old-fashioned paper type in a fitted can, not the modern screw-on type, so you can easily inspect the filter for metal.
Ray A.

recycled

If it makes you feel better about purity of the oil then you should change the oil at a 1000 miles.
Coming off a Porsche Boxster I was forever checking for metal in the oil filter. Eventually I got lots of little green particles and sold it cheap coz it needed work. Peace of mind is important. I just took my 2011 RX to the dealer and got the oil changed. No charge for the 72k kilometre check (about 40k miles approx) and next due at 80K kilos.(50k miles). Short interval and am assuming regular oil and not synthetic with that time/distance. I have extended warranty and free oil changes.

This is one reason I have the Lexus RX350 and that is peace of mind. Somehow I just don't worry anymore as I have confidence and peace of mind with Lexus and dealership backup.

Enjoy your ride.
Guy

Marqevans

Thanks Guy, but I guess I still would like to know the answer to the first part of my question. How does Lexus test the engines before they install them ? Do they run them before they are put in to the car?

SteveCraig

Engines would be run on a test station immediately following assembly at the engine plant.
Station is a large computerized machine, purpose built.
Fuel, exhaust, computer inputs/outputs would be attached temporarily along with a temporary load.Measurements would include torque, temp., HP, exhaust gases etc..
Final results would be a pass or a fail.
Last thing any manufacturer wants is a problem that may come back & bite them.

Marqevans

So I assume some sort of oil would be in the engine for this test. Now if only we knew if this was drained before putting the engine in the vehicle and fresh oil was reinstalled. This would alleviate a lot of fears about contaminates because the initial particles would be drained out.

SteveCraig

Made a very quick on-line search.
Found a few assembly plants that run only a cold test i.e: rotate the engine only to ensure correct airflow in/out & compression. Not sure where Toyota fits in between this & a hot test as I described earlier.
As others here have said, modern technology is at the point where the engines are much better at build that they ever were. I wouldn't expect to have any initial wear issues similar to raylor4's '64 Chevy.

felix168

1 year from built date.

BertL

OP, While it does not answer your original question, I'll offer a couple of personal observations in case it's helpful...

First, to the point some are suggesting about current engine manufacturing processes are superior to those in the past, greatly reducing concerns about stray metal bits causing longer term problems with our vehicles... Consider how manufacturer warranties and suggested service intervals support that point. IIRC, my first new Ford I purchased in 1975 had a 3-year warranty, with oil changes every 6 months... It was a known fact that that first change would be an ugly one with all sorts of crud left over from the manufacturing process. OTOH, our Lexi have a 6yr/70K mi powertrain warranty which includes the "engine block and head and internal parts". That warranty far exceeds the basic vehicle warranty time and miles, and is better than what is offered by most Luxury European brands. Some Korean brands go as far as 10yr/100K mi with their powertrain warranties today. Second, Lexus eliminated the initial 6 month service and oil change years ago on our RX -- moving that out to a year unless you hit the mileage cap, using synthetic oil.

My point being, that a manufacturer isn't going to offer a warranty where they believe they are going to have excessive claims, as that will directly impact their bottom line. Similarly, they all want to create vehicles that are deemed "reliable" in the market. If you've ever read any history on the Lexus brand, you'll know how important reliability and resale value was (and is) to Toyota when they started creating the brand back in the day -- IMHO the combination remains a differentiator compared to other (especially German) luxury brands to this day. I'm sure Lexus and their dealers want to make money on service, but it's also not to their marketing advantage or cost of warranty, to create maintenance schedules for basics like oil changes that are done a lot more often than really necessary. Each mfgr has a complex balancing act to accomplish those objectives and what they recommend to their owners.

Given that logic, and that I am not an engineer that has enough specific knowledge to second-guess the people that design and build my vehicles, and are also responsible for backing up their warranties and long-term brand image objectives, I only do vehicle maintenance as called for by the manufacturer -- especially when it comes to oil changes and related mechanical preventive maintenance. In my many years watching threads on CL, I'm not aware of any pervasive engine issue -- even in much older vehicles still on the road today -- that more frequent initial oil changes would prevent. If it makes you feel better to have your oil changed early, as others have said, great -- go have it done for the piece of mind. Me? I only go beyond what my vehicle manufacturer suggests when it comes to things that are likely beyond what is covered by the warranty and cosmetically improve my ride while I own it and for trade-in time -- like hand washing and detailing my car more often than the owners manual says to , frequently hydrating the leather and wiping down the interior, and conditioning seals and gaskets around the doors and movable sections of my moonroof and convertible top.

jtrue28

Yeah, I buy new, so that's my experience. Since the OP asked about factory and new vehicles, it fit with the conversation.

jgr7

iTrader: (1)

Like raylor4 said years ago there was break-in oil that was a non detergent oil that let the rings and cylinder walls seat together to create a seal that would not have blow by. This oil would allow small metallic particles to be rubbed off the rings and cylinder walls without the slippery detergents doing their cleaning job inside the cylinders. These particles would remain suspended in the oil and needed to be removed that's why the 1000 mile oil change in times past.

rayaans

My RX brochure says each Lexus RX is given a 30 mile test drive by Lexus engineers to check everything is functioning as it should. Apart from that I dont think they do anything else with the engine itself.