Our 2025 NX350 is 6 months old with 1,600 miles. Should I take in for the 6 month oil change or wait until 12 months?
Thanks

 

Yes, you should change the oil now. But NOT because six months are up.

- Changing oil early in a motor is shown to really help with engine longevity on the back-end, reduced wear. This is shown in fleet studies scientifically. Get the original break-in oil, with wear materials in it, out.

- It is a myth that time decays modern oil. It is highly stabilized against that. Miles and use/wear/contamination from combustion by-products matter. We have massive amounts of data on this from lab analysis. The Blackstone data can be mined for incredible insight like this. Here’s a great summary:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/commen...interval_myth/

Once you do this oil change, then you can do the normal oil change interval you want to do, and not worry about time - just watch the miles.

 

Thank you Oro!

 

Yes first oil change for all internal combustion engines should be at 1,000 miles to help remove all the manufacturing debris. Always do an oil change every six months or 5,000 miles whichever comes first. The reason for the time is that engine oil absorbs condensation produced in the engine when it goes from hot to cold. 10,000 mile oil changes will serve you nothing but troubles as the engine ages. Oil sludge is the issue as oil left in the engine for that long length of time is too much to handle for modern engines that have plenty of small diameter oil passageways that can possibly get clogged with sludge.

 

The A25A engine has a bit of a history for being a bit more susceptible to excess condensation during cold weather or short trip situations. Gasoline dilution is also a potential concern depending on the driving characteristics (also especially in cold weather / short trip situations). Oil is a great lubricant, water and gasoline, not so much.

 

How is it all the scientific data (linked above) shows no damage from time?

Your theories are pertinent to 1950s through 1970s engines and oil formulations, but not relevant for decades at this point.

 

Why does the dealership not change the oil in the 2025 450h+ at the 5000 mile service? They say it isn't done till 10,000. I am a low mileage driver and have had my car for 10 months. I am just under 5000 miles on the vehicle. The 5000 mile check was done about a month ago. The dealership also says the 10000 courtesty check needs to be done by 12 months. Please advise me about concerns, if any, with this policy.

 

Likely, the dealership may not be reimbursed for the oil change by Lexus?

Also, as a low annual mileage driver with 5k, you need to change it based on either mileage or time. Our new NX and like our X3 that we replaced, I changed oil very year due to low mileage. With low annual mileage which is likely short trips, the engine does not always come up to temperature and burn off carbon, moisture, etc within it.

This is an inexpensive cost relative to potential longer term costs associated with low mileage, short trip engine issues.

 

If you bring it in to your dealership, they will likely do a "light service" and skip the oil change unless you request it. It will also count against your complimentary service.

 

Why? Because they are not at all concerned about your cars long term health, full stop. There is quite a lot of evidence that only changing your oil every 10,000 miles will over time aid in the creation of sludge in your engine as engine oil does not last that long providing complete coverage to your engine life. As I stated in my earlier post, engine oil degrades both over time and use. Modern day engines have many critical small oil passageways that are as narrow as the diameter of a toothpick or less. Sludge builds up in these small holes over time if the oil is not changed out at a regular frequency that is LESS than what the manufacturer recommends, which is 10,000 miles. They don't care because your car will probably be out of warranty by the time it causes engine failure so they won't be on the hook. They're hoping you will 'appreciate' the long oil change interval, saving you money but not your engines lifespan.

There are all kinds of threads on this site that will provide you with all the info you would need to justify when to change your oil.

My advice is this: Change your engine oil every 5,000 miles or 6 months whatever comes first, no matter what the dealer or Lexus will cover with your new car service plan. No matter if it's a hybrid, plug in or gas only. If you really don't give a heck about your car or it's leased then do what the dealer says. It's your money.

 

I did a change on my 2025 NX350h at 1200 miles. Dealer told me I would need to pay as it was not part of the scheduled service, and they had not expected to see the car before 5000 miles (which is now due). I knew that going in and paid for it without a worry. I'll do same at 5k when I do take it in for the routine check/tire rotation. While it seems to confuse the dealer, I consider it a small price to pay for peace of mind. Is 10k per change alright after this? I'm not sure either way but the early ones seem important enough for me to fund given you only get one window on a new engine.

 

The dealership is not interested in the longevity of your car. They would like to sell you a new car in a couple of years ,especially if you engine starts smoking burning oil.


YMMV,
MidCow3

P.S. - Safe: first oil and filter change 1,000 mile to remove manufacturing contaminants, then change every 5,000 miles.

 

I hope it didn't count towards any free maintenance service you are entitled to. Check with your service advisor.

 

If you care and want to keep your car for a very long time do it every 5k. I did mine at 1k, 5k, 10k, 15k etc.

 

As I have pointed out many times before, especially on the Corvette forums.

Oil is cheap
Engines are not.

FYI: I treat my lawn mower better than most car owners do to their cars.