forget the free wash, tell them dont wash your car, print out a paper that says 'NO WASH' and tape it to your dashboard... unless you WANT swirls in your paint and you want the lot monkeys driving your car around more than the bare minimum, drive into the bay/change oil/park it. You add in the car wash thats more driving around in the lot thus even more chance they can bump your bumper/curb your rims...

hell man,change the oil yourself...

 

http://is.sewellparts.com/oem-catalo...S350-2009.html

^ is that right ?

 

try SF toyota....I think they have a coupon for $3.85 each

edit:

City Toyota has it for $3.88.....

 

My dealer offers free washes just for stopping by and they have an army of handwashers who do not leave swirl marks.

 

My dealership has NO WASH signs on red paper that they made because of people like me. It's very true, at my dealership at least, that they treat the cars like ****.

I only let the shop foreman work on my car, and my service advisor is the only other person allowed to drive it. They've damaged our cars at least 5 separate times at my dealership.

And the Toyota filter is made in Thailand. Get a made in USA Mobil 1 filter.

 

The OEM filter has proven to provide safe protection well over 10K miles. I'm sure the Mobile 1 filter (Part # MO968) is as good or better but I am also sure it will cost more then double. As soon as my supply of OEM filters are gone I will be getting the Mobile1, unless Pure 1 comes out with a filter.

Koz

 

I've done a lot of research on oils, and the fact is that they are so good these days that you don't even need synthetic. If you're going to change at 5000 miles then you can use conventional. If you're thinking of going further, then go with synthetic to be safe. However, it is arguable that the latest conventionals can also go up to 10k now.

You're driving style matters. Mainly freeway, then the longer intervals apply. A lot of driving below normal operating temp (takes 20 mins to get there), then don't exceed 5000 miles. You can smell you oil for fuel to get an idea of what short trips can do. The fuel can wear out the additives in your oil that protect the engine. The only way to be sure is to send in for an oil analysis. Get into the habit of periodically shining a torch down your oil fill cap to get an idea how clean your engine is. And of course check your dipstick.

For conventional, the following oils are highly rated and run at half the price of synthetics: Pennzoil yellow bottle (get the new one as it exceeds the GF5 spec which is not even official yet, Motorcraft synthetic blend sells for less then the price of conventional oils. Some people say Valvoline's white bottle is great. Some like QS and Mobil5000. And of course theres Castrol GTX. Essentially all good oils.

For synthetic, the most liked oil seems to be Pennzoil Platinum which is $20 for 5 quarts at Walmart. Some people like Mobil 1, some go for Castrol Edge or Syntec. There is a loyal following of people who look for German Castrol which you can find only as 0w30 Castrol Syntec in autozones and it has to say made in Germany.

If you really want to score deal, go to Kragen and pick up two gallons of Valvoline synpower for $30 + tax. Then register your car for their engine guarantee and send in for a $25 rebate (you need a code that you can find on O'Reilly's website and in internet forums). This deal was around a few weeks back, and may still be on. I ended up getting a very highly rated synthetic (some say better than Mobil 1) for $1 a quart, about half the price of conventional oil.

Note that 0w will protect you more than 5w. Not such a big deal in California but if you go to the mountains in winter it will help. Many people are saying you can go fo xw20 instead of xw30. I haven't tried that yet but Lexus spec'd it a few years back and it's standard in Honda and Ford. Essentially, the oils have become so good, that the thinner oil protects more than enough and what actually happens is you get less engine wear because the oil flows quicker and cools your engine more.

Oil filter. Use the original part. It is proven to be of good quality and everything else has been designed with that filter in mind. I avoid the issue of having to source the original part altogether and have a Lexus independent dealer who supplies original parts and does my oil change with filter, without oil, plus all the top ups of fluid for $30 or $40. Be careful of taking your Lexus to someone who doesn't know what they are doing. The procedure for oil change is different from other cars. There are covers to remove and the filter goes into a housing. You need a new gasket and it should be oiled. You should get a new crush valve. You want a decent filter. Believe me, things can go wrong with an oil change.

Seeing you are in SF, go the Oakland Lexus site and you should see an oil change for $60. I know of people who have gone there and say it's ok, but honestly I don't really trust Lexus dealers that much. So if you have a Lexus dealer that you trust, then just ask them to match the Oakland coupon and you're set.

Hope this helps.

 

this is a HS250h loaner that is only 7-8 months old at best. look what the dealers have done to the paint. swirl central.

don't think your dealers are any better when the lot boy uses the same dirty rag and a pressure washer.

 

damn... i never see swirl marks on my car ... so i never knew the dealer did this ... but thanks for all the input guys ! =)

 

damn, the dealers aint gonna wash my car anymore, shoots.

 

So what if they are made in Thailand? Nothing is made in the USA anymore.

That's hardly unlikely. Free car washes for stopping by PLUS a army of handwashers? They might as well open a car wash.

 

^lol. Even if it was true, I doubt they will do a good job...might as well spend 2-3 hours yourself. Atleast you know it will be clean =)

 

Misconception about 0w oil. This rating with the “w” is a designation for winter. The misconception is that this rating also (And very importantly) pertains to how well the oil will flow during the most abusive time an engine can sustain wear damage (DRY starts). This is when starting an engine (Regardless the temp) after the oil has cooled and drained down. This involves filling all oil galleys, the filter, pressurizing the rod, main and cam bearing, entire valve train (filling the lifters and lubricating the cam lobe and rocker arms). Unfortunately, your engine is running while this lubricating process and is meshing metal against metal, hence massive engine wear takes place. Studies have PROVED up to 80/90 percent of your engine's life is consumed by cold/dry start ups. 0w rated oil usually has a lower (Temp) pour point. The lower the pour point, the faster the oil will provide maximum protection.

This said, if you want the best possible engine wear protection, use full synthetic (Not dino) with the lowest pour point (That is within the OEM viscosity recommendations). Dino oil is a whole other story when low pour point is concerned. For an engine that has a 5w-30 OEM recommendation, a 0w-30/20 is best. I only use Amsoil 0w-30 and change it once a year.

Koz