I'm just curious if anyone knows the kind of oil being used in the IS 250 stock. Is it just standard conventional? I ask because I would consider putting Synthetic in there since I will likely pour on more miles than the average person so I would prefer the extra protection and longer distance between changes.

Also, how long do you go mileage-wise inbetween changes. I see some say 5,000, and I believe Lexus said they wanted to see me for a change in 5,000. I know most could follow the 3mo/3000 miles rule.

What do people here do?

 

Factory fill is conventional dino juice. I use Mobil1 Synthetic and change my filter every 5,000 miles, and do a filter and oil change every 10,000. I have the used oil analyses to support this oil change interval, too.

Javier

 

I just do mine every 5,000 miles. That's what Lexus recommends, so thats what I do. The oil that they use at my dealership is Dallas is 5W20 Mobil One semi synthetic Oil. But I use fully synthetic oil. I was using Royal Purple for awhile, but I found that Mobil One works just as well.

 

OEM uses conventional oil. For the longest extended OCI (oil change interval) you could use;

http://www.amsoil.com/StoreFront/sso.aspx

I would recommend getting UOA (used oil analysis) at 10K miles and another every 5K until you find its longevity. Max interval is 1 year.

Koz

 

Amsoil here, been using 14 years in all my cars, change every 7,500-10,000 miles depending on heat (summer)/freeway percentage/how hard I've been hitting it. Have run 100K on coule of cars with nary an issue. At 5K miles, viscosity is still equal to most brand new oils. Not a sales pitch, just example of Synthetic over standard...

 

factory has dino 5w30

You can use 5w20 every 5K miles....

 

i dont really understand the oil analysis thing, seems like getting new oil is cheaper than to get an oil analysis??

 

I will switch soon to Mobil One after my next service. It works very well for cold weather and startup. I used it in my gen 1 and loved it.

 

OT: rdgdawg - your signature makes me laugh...

Javier

 

last time i asked, they said they use a synthetic blend, but not fully synthetic

 

can someone explain to me the idealness of the oil analysis. It cost as much as oil and filter. why not just change the oil.

 

el3ctone,

Beyond simply providing information on the longevity of your oil, an oil analysis can provide key information about the internal state of your engine, its condition, and how it is 'wearing' internally. The results of an oil analysis may be able to spot issues before they become critical, allowing for preventive maintenance to occur, prior to a catastrophic failure. (The particular reason I get them done. Well, that and I'm a nerd for analysis and stats )

Additionally, for some extending the cycle time between changes is an effort to reduce ones carbon footprint/reduce consumption.

Take a look at Blackstone's site, and perhaps a brief tour of the BITOG forums for LOTS of oil information:

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/index.html

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/whatisoilanalysis.htm

 

1. It lets you know how your engine is breaking in and wearing. High readings of different wear metals can give you a clue as to where your engine may be wearing abnormally.

2. You can use it to establish an oil change interval based on the type of oil used and miles driven.

3. It can tell you if you have too much fuel in the oil. This is an important one for a direct injected engine like our Toyota GR/FSE series engines (even more so for DI/Turbos).

4. It can tell you if you have coolant or silicone in your oil, which are also specific indicators of problems.

5. It can tell you your TBN, which is basically an indicator of how much reserve ability the oil has to neutralize combustion by-products. Or how much useful life it has left.

There may be more, but these are at least the major ones.

Mike

 

TAP4636,

After careful research, I went 4,600 on the factory fill dino oil. Then, I changed to Mobil 1 EP 5W-30 and changed every 5K miles per the Lexus maintenence schedule. I have since switched to Amsoil SSO 0W-30 and will continue to follow the Lexus maintenence schedule until the powertrain warranty expires, then I will go to 5K filter/10K oil changes.

Mike

 

SSO is capable of the longest change interval, of any oil, on the market (35,000 miles or one year with the right filtration). It is also one of the most expensive oils on the market. Changing this oil at 5K is a sin.

Lexus recommends 7500 mile change intervals using conventional oil (under normal conditions). The factory fill (which is conventional) has proven to still provide safe protection at 10K miles. The IS has a large capacity sump which also helps provide longer drain intervals. Any good synthetic will safely protect your engine for a minimum of 10K miles. With testing, I wouldn't be surprised if SSO could just be changed once a year and not even worry about mileage.

I will have 10K miles on the ASM 0w-20, in the spring and I will get the first UOA to see what’s up.

Koz