which motor oil, Toyota or Mobil 1?
 

Hi,

will do my first oil change soon for my 2012 LS.

Is the Toyota synthetic oil(around $7/q) worth it or Mobil 1(around $4/q at costco when on sale) will just do fine? I will bring the oil and filter to let my local shop do it.

Thanks,

You can't go wrong with either, and FWIW, Mobil makes the Toyota (TGMO) 0W20 synthetic oil. However, keep in mind that Toyota specifies that Mobil produce their oil with a much higher level of Moly than would otherwise be added to Mobil's own branded oil. My local Toyota dealer sells me their TGMO synthetic in bulk for 6 dollars/qt. All I do is bring on my own jugs and they refill them. If the prices are similar...go Toyota. It truly is a superior oil to many. BITOG has a ton of info about it. It is excellent stuff

Go with the cheapest option which would be the Mobile 1. No need to pay the extra money if your going to change the oil every 5k.

I plan to change oil every 10K or one year, whichever comes first.

Either oil will go the distance. I went 10k miles once and my Blackstone Lab report stated that the oil was still good for another 2k miles at least. Again, my preference for the TGMO is it's superior additive package tailored by Toyota - specifically, molybdenum.

https://www.ebay.com/p/OEM-TOYOTA-0w...7150212&chn=ps

12 Quarts - free shipping - $38

It is 5 pack as per the ebay listing.

Get Mobil 1 or Pennzoil Platinum every year form Walmart.

If you are into rebates then get two of each every year for additional $10 rebate per 5 qt jug.

I personally like Pennzoil platinum a lot. I haven't tried Ultra but that must be even better if you want to do longer change intervals.

From 2011 Manual

Engine oil selection

“Toyota Genuine Motor Oil” is used in your Lexus vehicle. Use Lexus approved “Toyota Genuine Motor Oil” or equivalent to satisfy the follow- ing grade and viscosity.

Oil grade: ILSAC multigrade engine oil Recommended viscosity: SAE 5W-20 or 0W-20

SAE 5W-20 or 0W-20 engine oil may be used. However, SAE 0W- 20 is the best choice for good fuel economy and good starting in cold weather.

Tech Tip L-TT-0001-10

Starting with the 2010 Model Year, Lexus began a gradual transition to the use of synthetic 0w-20 viscosity engine oil. There are multiple benefits of this oil, including:

•  Reduced friction and wear on engine surfaces
  
•  Improved fuel economy
  
•  Reduction in waste oil stream (in vehicles approved for 10,000 mile oil change intervals)
  
•  Reduced maintenance cost (in vehicles approved for 10,000 mile oil change intervals)
  
  Due to the improved performance and durability of 0w-20 synthetic oil, Lexus has extended the oil change intervals to 10,000 miles for vehicles that require this oil. With this change, the following should be noted:
  

•  Only Lexus vehicles in which 0w-20 oil is mandatory have been approved for extended oil change intervals.
  
•  Vehicles in which 0w-20 is an option to 5w-20 (or 5w-30) will continue to require 5,000 mile change intervals, even if 0w-20 oil is used.
  
•  In the case of vehicles with 10,000 mile oil change intervals, the 5,000 mile service interval has not been eliminated. The traditional 5,000 mile maintenance procedures (such as tire rotation) will continue to be required, and the fluid levels (including engine oil) will need to be checked and adjusted at this time.
  
•  If the vehicle operation meets the standard criteria for “Special Operating Conditions” such as: driving off-road, on dirt roads, towing a trailer, making repeated short trips under 32 ̊ F, or extensive idling; the engine oil must be replaced at 5,000 mile intervals, regardless of oil specified.
  

My comment

For LS460, 0w-20 is an option to 5w-20 and will continue to require 5,000 mile change intervals as per Lexus.

I am personally planning to use Pennzoil platinum 0W-20 and follow 7500 miles interval which will be around 1 year interval.
Several forum members from Texas are using 0W-20 with no issues therefore I feel comfortable using this thin oil. I assume Lexus tolerances are very tight making this thin oil no problem.

I sent my Mobil 1 in to Blackstone, and they said it had at least another couple thousand miles in it. That was with 11K on it. I'm going to go 15K on this change and see how much is left. 3K of those miles are easy, as they are road trips while the engine is turning a whopping 2K RPM.

FWIW, I also sent my transmission oil in as well, I think it had around 110K on it, and they said, in no uncertain terms, it was used too long by "a while". I'm guessing about 20K miles, maybe 30K. Being as I changed all of it, which wasn't difficult, or all that messy, once I thought it through (and quite-literally, diagrammed it out so I could build a system which had a five gallon capacity). I'm going to take a sample at 50K, probably, and see what it looks like. I don't tow, have a mostly-highway commute, it's warmer here (Fort Worth) much longer and more intensely than it's cold (but not Phoenix or Vegas), so it'll be of somewhat limited use for others, but at least we'll see how much better synthetic transmission oil does against the factory fill.

I used Castrol fully-synthetic multi-vehicle oil, which is "suitable" for all Toyotas, and it's not protested after the first 5K miles, or so. Shifts are less 'slurred', but that's the only difference I've noticed.

The only concern I have about high molybdenum content is that it can kill catalytic converters sooner than you'd expect.

The nice thing about this car, is I didn't worry about a transmission rebuild between 85K miles and 115K miles. I understand some of these have over 200K on them, and are still OEM. That'd be a nice change.

Did you DIY flush all of it it? Did you post your system on this board before? If not, do you mind sharing it? What does 5 gallon capacity mean?

Well in a sense some components have been changed in late 09 models . This taken from the service guide for mechanics https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...ab270eda93.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...f3a8563a89.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...4758dbcaa5.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...9c647655f5.jpg
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...7b6b104d60.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...2ae9393239.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...a6b2f78bff.jpg

With all respect, your SA is wrong. Not sure what he showed you, but it's completely inaccurate.