Today I did my oil change, 6,000 miles after the last change. So out of curiosity I asked the mechanic to check the oil dipstick before performing the change. Shockingly the car has lost about half a quart of oil since the last change! He checked underneath and there was no sign of a leakage.

I do remember though right after the last oil change I noticed a small oil spot on the ground beneath the car. But it never happened again and I never thought about it.

What could be the cause?

LS460, 2008, 70K miles.

 

To be honest, that wouldn't really surprise me if that were the case. I'm going to take a look at that tonight when I get home.

 

Half a quart of oil usage between oil changes isnt uncommon. Most automakers consider anything up to a quart to be acceptable.

 

Like said it's pretty common. Usually performance engines are known to burn up more oil. My last G35 was horrible burning away so much oil.

 

G35? Performance engine not found. lol j/k.

Just took a look at my oil level, noticed that I was about a 1/4 qt down from my last oil change. Nothing too shocking.

 

Mine too!! I remember one of the things that prompted me to get rid of the car was when I was doing a little street racing and came into a light very fast the oil light on my dash turned on for a second. I remembered that my old 86 honda civic used to do the same thing. At that point I knew it was time to go. I used to drive that G35 like I was trying to break it. It was so much fun to drive though it wasnt as reliable. Never left me stranded but had plenty of dealership visits

 

LOL the VQ series engines weren't that great but sounded like secks
yeah man I had a similar experience. I was doing a few runs with a buddies e46 M3 and it had the x-mas tree effect on my dash. Long story short i drove a few miles with about only a qt of oil and it was game over. The REASON why i got rid of it; but boy was it a sexy lookin car

 

Possibly I can add something to help you. This same topic came up a few months ago. At that time, some people were talking about "1 qt of oil consumed per thousand miles with an LS460 is standard." So I tried to do a little credible research.

I spoke to several Lexus Senior Service advisers specifically about this - and here is a clear case where EXACTING DETAIL is important in solving problems.

Lexus EXACT "stand" on LS460 oil usage is this: Using a quart or so between 5000 mile oil change intervals is within Lexus' levels of acceptance. However, when you talk to LS460 owners who are **** about their cars, and Service Advisers who talk specifics with their techs, normality is that there is virtually little or no visible oil usage between oil change intervals.

However, to experience possibly half a quart between changes is something that IS acceptable. And also something that no Service Adviser I spoke with would be concerned with. Not unless the usage accelerates

By the way: The Lexus' RECOMMENDED Oil Change Interval is at 5000 miles on your 2008 LS460. REGARDLESS of what Type of oil you are using. Not 6000 miles.

Thanks for sharing with us ! And Good Luck your way.
Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

Remember this engine is precise at such close tolerances, it uses 0W-20 oil, which is very runny. It's bound to burn a bit, and what you noticed is not excessive at all.

 

Lexus recommends BOTH 0W-20 AND 5W-20 oil weights, for LS460's. In the South U.S, I know of two Lexus' ELITE dealership who both use AND recommend to their customers 5-20W. And that is the viscosity I personally use.

I do not find 5W-20 oil to be "runny," in my humble opinion. Whether the 5W-20 is dino type or synthetic in make-up.

Possibly IF JFNash is using 0W-20, he possibly might wish to consider a change to 5W-20 oil. Just a thought for consideration.

Best Wishes to all,
Mikey Lulejian - Lake Oconee, GA

 

I'm having problems with my 07 ls460l using oil, 92500 miles on car. Just got it checked out by the Lexus dealership and i used .6 of a quart at 1000 miles!! I was very upset when the service writer said the car could use 1 quart per 1000 miles. This is BS and i will not own a car that does. I have spoken with the dealership manager and he will be calling extra care. Now i have to tahe the car in ever 1000 miles to doucument this. I told him if a change oil over 5k then the car would burn 3 quarts in between oil changes. This is 33% of the oil capacity. I'll have to wait and see.

 

If I had to bet, I'd say that it is probably a measurement issue. Most likely you didn't have as much oil to start with as you thought. Let us know what happens now that you are tracking oil usage closely.

 

Usually if a car is burning oil you would see some type of indication out the rear exhaust.

 

all ls460's consume oil. this is normal. looser piston ring tension creates better power and fuel economy. also allows blow by. it's a good thing. also helps engine longevity. it's a lesson from the german playbook. 1/2 quart of oil out of 9.1 quarts of oil. you're good to go. your engine is healthy.

 

A one time low reading leaves too many measuring accuracy questions. I suggest checking it in the morning before starting, and than again at 1000 mile intervals until you reach the big 5K. On one of my vehicles I would have little or no oil loss until the oil became dirty and was approaching changing time.