moe47

Hi guys. I moved to the United Arab Emirates recently and had a year 2000 imported here. Having gone through threads about what oil to use on them, Mobil's 10W-30 would have been the right choice and was recommended by most. However, I checked with almost all mobil retailers in this country and they don't stock that product. So I mailed Mobil US and this is the reply I got:
They forwarded my issue to the middle east department and this is the mail I got from Mobil Egypt:

Edit: forgot to mention the temperatures are really soaring over here. 115° and it's not even peak summer. Don't know if this should affect the oil choice. I'd really appreciate some help on deciding which oil I should go for. Cheers!

fastegg

Why are you wanting to use 10W-30.... Factory recommends 5W-30 doesn't it ?
I don't think outside soaring temperatures matter... the motor still runs at the same temp no matter where you are ?...... I dunno, I would be using 5W-30, that's all Ive ever used and as far as I know everyone I have spoken to... And the Mobil guy is right, the 5W gets to where it wants to go quicker than 10W. If I could get 0W-30 over here I would use that but it isn't for sale in Australia.
PS: I use the cheapest full syn (or semi syn if its on special) I can get.... As long as its API.SN or at least SM... SN is the highest oil spec on the market... $35-$39 for 5L... Mobil 1 is like $100-$120 and its SN so as far as I'm concerned its no better. ... Now I know there's lots of guys who'd want my head on a stick for saying that but hey, proofs in the pudding... My motor is 290,000km, still has same oil pressure as when it was new, doesn't use a drop between oil changes, runs like a dream. Taxi's over here are getting 750,000km using the cheapest crap dino oil they can find so.... I change mine when it gets dirty on the dipstick, about 6-8,000km (10,000 MAX).... I'm gunna keep driving my baby until it drives no more... my guess ?.. 650,000km... got an oversize tranny oil cooler (with Nulon full syn ATF) and a 7 row cooler for the power steering fluid (full syn)... the theory is if nothing gets hot it will last forever !!!! Well, we'll see......

moe47

I read through quite a few threads here and on LOC on this topic and most recommendations for high milesge cars and for hot summers were for the 10W-30. Moreover, the Mobil One 5W-30 isn't available in this country as well.

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

time for a lesson (and worth the read):
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/

moe47

Thanks Timmy, that looks really resourceful. I'm sure that'll help confused people in the future. But me, all I want to know is which oil to use, really. I do not have the time to go through the entire article, but I'm guessing the gist of it is that I should stick to the factory recommended 5W-30? Cheers!

dicer

I've skimmed through that blog above. Lots of viscosity vs temperature comparisons, if they are even correct, I don't have the time to research it now. I can tell you there are various industrial equipment manufactures that spec a high viscosity oil for a reason. The viscosity is what holds the load, the blog is correct about low viscosity for a high speed bearing, but I don't think he gives the reason why. And yes low viscosity will help improve gas mileage, but it does not improve the load capability of the oil film.
For moe47 how many miles on it? Here we don't get as warm as where your at, I have a 90 LS that a brother inlaw used to have, and it had less miles than what it has now, when he clams he ran mostly always 20W-50 in it, a few years ago we did the same for summer time, and not that I wanted to it was the wifes wanting to follow what was done before we got it, since it was at the time the step sons car. So the moral of this story 20W-50 is tested in a 1UZFE in temperatures ranging from I'd guess 40 to 95 F and at the time miles were 220,000 ish I think. Its a do what you wish I guess but since an oil like 5W-30 starts out as a 5 and is filled with chemicals that are suppose to make it act like 30 at operating temperature personally I would in those temps not use anything under 10W-40, I have a car I've had since new and its not an LS, the recommended oil was 5W-30, from its first oil change to this day it has always had 10W-30 and gets 42 mpg it is a gas engine.
I just thought of one small detail, with engines with VVT the viscosity can be very important because of the small screens they have to feed some of the actuator system, but again with the temps so high the low number can be much higher. You may want to stick to an xxw-30 due to the VVT stuff, going higher would be an experiment, it may have been determined that for vvt to work right at operating temps it needs the correct viscosity. No matter what was said in the blog deal, thicker lube will take more load.

GasBuggy

I've been a member of that oil forum linked for a long time, and I have learned quite a bit there.

I would run any name brand xW30 synthetic you can find. I personally just filled my new to me 94 LS up with Mobil 1 0W30 AFE synthetic, I plan to run it for 7500 miles. That may be the ideal 30 wt Mobil for your high heat application. Mobil's 0w30 has a higher viscosity index as temperature increases than 5w30 M1, and 10w30 M1. 10w30 is actually the thinnest at operating temp of all three. Though 10w30 is usually a more robust oil, which won't matter unless you plan to go for ultra long distance changes. (like 10,000 miles)

moe47

Dicer, the car has done 270k miles. All this is so damn confusing. So I should ideally look for a xxW-30, synthetic and just stick to it.

Thanks dicer and gasbuggy!

dicer

It's the vvt that can be sorta recalibrated with thicker oil. If It was mine in hot 100 plus F summer time, I would try straight 40 or 10W-40 and see how it goes as long as the temps are not going below 40 at night. At operating temps it still will pour like water. Going with a good 10W-30 synthetic should not hurt a thing, and is likely the better choice to give.

dicer

After a bit of studying since the XW-30 oil is suppose to behave like 30 at op temps. In a climate that doesn't go below freezing by too much a mono grade 30 would be the better choice than a multi grade 10W-30. I've learned the viscosity index improvers are not a lubricant, and are more of a rubber of sorts to make the first number before the W that is the base oil, to act like its a thicker oil when its hotter. So its not what everyone thinks as far as lubricity. Yeah this oil topic is a greasy subject.

Almasy

10w30 is absolutely neccesary for high mileage Lexus engines. I have an is300 at 232k miles , few years ago my alternator went bad and the car was down for a few days due to parts . When I cranked it up , it sounded like the engine was going to shatter the first minute. Switched to 10w30 and now I can leave my car out for 2 weeks and it cranks up with no knocking or ticking.

Sin1UZFE

Been using walmart 6 qt jug of havoline 10w30. This stuffs awesome 3k miles does not consume any.

YODAONE

10W- anything has no place in these engines.

0W-, 5W- synthetic improves cold start characteristics and oil flow over 10W- ..which explains why it is not recommended in contemporary engines.

"-30" whether it be in 0W-30 or 5W-30 is the full warm rating. (One forum member tried using 0W-40 in his VVTi engine and caused issues with VVTi actuators.)


A quote from engine oil producer Mobil. :
"Moe,

Your inquiry has reached the Mobil help desk for US market oils in US market vehicles. I know that here, we would be recommending a 5W-30 rather than a 10W-30 for your Lexus. Typically, when dealing with hot environments, that second number on a multi-viscosity oil is the primary concern.

Whether 5W-30 or 10W-30, once the engine is up to operating temperature, they're both being measured as a 30. The main difference between the two will be the flow characteristics during a cold start first thing in the morning. A 5W is going to flow faster than a 10W, so your bearings and valve train which have been draining oil over night will receive a new coat of oil faster with a 5W.

I will be happy to refer your original question to our UAE desk for recommendations on locally available products.


Thank you for choosing Mobil,
Jim
Mobil Help Desk Team


If I can help further with this inquiry or with any other questions, please respond to this email or phone us 1-800-ASK-Mobil"
If you would like to provide feedback on your experience with us today please email feedback@orderquestions.com

fastegg

I'd agree 100%... 0W30 if you can get it... 5W30 for the entire life of the car... I'm up to 350,000km and runs like new and doesn't use a drop... Any brand so long as it's API-SM or SN whatever is on special