Conventional and synthetic oil are both that: oil. They're not two magically different things and you certainly wouldn't smell any difference unless the synthetic oil you use is loaded with detergents.

The reason that it can take several hundred miles is that build-up of gunk is not instantly cleaned out. It's like trying to wash a really filthy, moldy bathtub. It's not just cleaned off with a single spray of cleaner and some wiping. It requires time and repeated cycling.

And that's not even to say that this is your issue. The oil change and the issue may simply have a temporal relationship, rather than a causal-effect relationship.

 

What did you find out in the history regarding oil changes.

Was the oil changed at the dealer?
If they used synthetic oil it might be in the notes as customer requested synthetic oil.

As NickTee pointed out, a synthetic oil flush takes a long time to erode deposits as much as 30k miles to fully clean the engine however it's the safest way to clean a motor that has conventional oil deposits.
The initial cleaning of synthetic oil is a little more course because of the high detergent action but as it settles down it will begin to erode varnish deposits by liquefying and holding it in suspension.

 

It does state oil changes but it doesn't say what they used. I would like too think that Lexus would use synthetic but who really knows ?? I did read all of the link concerning the hesitation and even know it seems the consensus is the oil but its really a crap shoot, reset ECU, change trans. fluid and filter, run Toyota engine flush through motor ???!!! If this doesnt clear up in a couple of months im thinking of running some Marvel Mystery oil through it for a couple weeks then changing again. Its really disappointing considering who makes these things(Toyota) and how much you pay for them.

 

I hope im not overstepping here, but I don't think it has as much to do with the company who engineered this engine, but more so how the car was treated and taken care of.
Please don't take this the wrong way, but I believe that you stated that you noticed the car had a hesitation issue before you decided to make the purchase. Now, granted as a few trusty members have pointed out, it could be the oil. From the sounds of it, it will have to cycle through and you're now playing the waiting game. Its the situation your in for purchasing a car with an issue, be it large or small.
With the reading I've done regarding the hesitation issue, I don't think it'll be anything that will require some grand amount of attention from a repair shop, but who really knows.
All that to say, please don't begin to slander Toyota or the vehicle, when you purchased a used car with a known hesitation issue. Its simply not justifiable, as there are a myriad of reasons as to why this issue exist.
I do hope though, that you are able to resolve your issue with the cycling through of new oil.

 

Seems a bit premature to be disappointed in the manufacturer when all you've done is DIY, bought into what you've read on this site ( it's not gospel fact ) and not gone to a qualified dealer for diagnosis/repair. You did buy a warranty. Remember, I didn't say you're wrong, just a bit premature. Just my opinion, not meant as a judgement. I just want you to be fair to yourself before becoming disappointed. Good luck.

 

OP, swfl was able to communicate what I was trying to communicate in a much more polite manner...
By no means did I mean to come across brash or disrespectful, so it is my hope that it wasn't construed in that manner.
But do give it a little time and as swfl said, you do have a warranty...
I honestly believe the car will be just fine.
Good luck Sir!

 

CRowe.....go to Fizz Autosports in Chicago for all your LS needs.

 

Umm..HIJACK!!!!!
Jk!
Thanks Mark.
Just FYI, I have a thread active regarding my situation called "Upper control arms!"
Thanks again!

 

If you have a warranty with the car then don't do anything and just have the dealer deal with it.
I recall there were some that got a programming update which solved their problems.

Most all Lexus cars that come in for service only got conventional oil unless the customer requested synthetic oil and it's usually in the notes.
Since 2013 it might be different because Toyota is pushing synthetic oil.

There is nothing wrong with conventional oil changes for your Lexus however when switching to synthetic oil you may encounter issues but that is still speculation.

As I said before this may or may not be your issue. I would not run additives in your engine oil, the synthetic oil acts like a flush on it's own and if it's the issue one good indication is if the hesitation goes away after 1k miles.
Till then don't get overly exited about the thread linked as it's all speculation that may point you in the right direction.

 

One last thing. When you mention hesitation on acceleration do you mean down shifting hesitation ?
Does the car seem to bog down and then jerk to accelerate?

If you could describe the quality of hesitation it would help.

 

Don't worry, I have pretty thick skin. Im not taking anything as gospel it just seems like a lot of people are having these problems with a 70k car wheather you use conventional oil or synthetic, this should not happen. I bought my Honda Civic new in 06 and had zero problems and paid 20k for it. Don't get my wrong, I love the car and I'll see what happens in the next couple of months. If nothing changes I'll utilize the warranty and bring it in. Unfortunately I didn't feel the hesitation during the test drive but yes it boggs down while trying to accelerate around 2k rpm and if I keep the pedal down it clears up around 3k rpm and it doesn't down shift. I believe it's in second gear at that point.

 

You have to keep in mind that it's not a lot of people. Every car will have some minor quirks or issues that can be rectified. Internet forums can be deceiving as to the scope of the issue because the vast majority will not have that problem, only those few that scream the loudest because it's their issue.
A Civic is a great car but if you go to a forum you will find those that have issues as well.
Also keep in mind you bought a used car with 70k on the clock. You don't know how it was maintained or driven.

 

All true, thank you.

 

Please report back within a 1000 miles if the hesitation disappears. If it does then we would like to know about it.

 

Depends how you define "life". LOL. Life of the car? Life of the transmission? YOU'RE life??
Just make sure you have this done properly by a Toyota or Lexus dealer. They hook it up to Techstream when doing this job, ensuring that temps are met when adding fluid to proper levels, etc. I paid 150 bucks or so at my Toyota dealer.

As for the hesitation, I'll briefly describe my experience....

About a month or two after I purchased my used LS, I decided to do an oil change. I'm a staunch DIY'er, so I bought a filter and 5W20 Pennzoil Ultimate Durability, which was not only on sale, but also one of the highest rated oils on BITOG. I had all the service records from the Lexus dealer on previous oil changes and mistakenly assumed that the oil they used was synthetic. Regardless, about 50 miles after the oil change, I attempted to accelerate through an intersection and was startled by the lack of any response from the engine. It was as though a disconnect happened between the accelerator and the engine. It was not subtle to say the least. I ignored it and attributed it to a glitch or whatever. The next day, it happened again. Now knowing that the issue wasn't a one-off anomaly, I typed in a Google search of, "Lexus LS460 hesitation". As I typed this in, Google auto-completed "...after an oil change". I thought, "huh?" How is that possible? Anyway, as noted, this is an issue. In my case (as others), the issue disappeared after a few hundred miles. Four months or so later, I decided to try another synthetic - this time (I think) I used Quaker State. Once again, a few miles into the change, I was caught by surprise turning across traffic and getting no response from the engine (scary when cars are bearing down on you). Then a day or two later, accelerating up an on-ramp to a bridge, same thing. Again, the issue disappeared for the remainder of the 5k miles. On the third oil change, this time with Supertech synthetic oil, it happened yet again. This time, I was desperate and added a bottle of Rislone engine oil additive. I'm not a snake oil fan, but again, I was desperate and wondered if the anti knock sensor was at fault and retarding the timing aggressively. I thought maybe the Rislone would silence the engine and fool the sensor. Regardless, for whatever reason the hesitation stopped. On the next oil change, I used TGMO 0W20 preceded by a bottle of Toyota Engine Oil System Cleaner which specifically indicates on the bottle that it is designed to clean the VVT-I system. This was approximately three oil changes ago (about 20k miles) and have never had the hesitation return. As an added bonus, the engine is smoother and quieter.

The end.