Originally Posted by Davew77

My dealerships use synthetic too. Heck, the last time I went in for an oil change my normal service advisor wasn't there and a different one was handling my appointment. I actually got into an argument with him because he swore up and down my RC F took 0w 40 synthetic oil. I kept telling him it was 5w 30 conventional. Then he called the service dept and the manager there said it was 10w 30 conventional... So neither of them were correct.

I said it was in the owners manual too and he said it was just a standard call out. Standard huh? Standard Lexus oil is synthetic. I wonder if a high school diploma is required to get their job?

I wanted synthetic anyway. But the simple fact that they had no clue what type of oil it was supposed to have really made me question their competence to handle anything else related to my vehicle.

Originally Posted by Davew77

My dealerships use synthetic too. Heck, the last time I went in for an oil change my normal service advisor wasn't there and a different one was handling my appointment. I actually got into an argument with him because he swore up and down my RC F took 0w 40 synthetic oil. I kept telling him it was 5w 30 conventional. Then he called the service dept and the manager there said it was 10w 30 conventional... So neither of them were correct.

I said it was in the owners manual too and he said it was just a standard call out. Standard huh? Standard Lexus oil is synthetic. I wonder if a high school diploma is required to get their job?

I wanted synthetic anyway. But the simple fact that they had no clue what type of oil it was supposed to have really made me question their competence to handle anything else related to my vehicle.

Originally Posted by DekNgo

For a brand that was defined by setting standards in regards to the service "experience," I've been terribly disappointed with my local dealership. They broke the windshield in my wife's ES350 while replacing the A/C a couple years ago and either didn't notice or chose not to disclose it. Luckily my wife saw it when she got in the car and pointed it out before driving off. They also butchered her dash during the airbag recall. It's obvious to me that they used screwdrivers to pry the panels off instead of plastic pry tools.

I get the impression that they're just hiring kids with no experience and no pride in their work.

Makes me not want to ever bring my ISF there...

Originally Posted by flowrider

^^^^You may want to disclose the dealer's name so others can avoid it.

Lou

Originally Posted by Davew77

I sure wouldn't take my vehicle there anymore, unless I had to for warranty work. Then I'd thoroughly inspect my vehicle before I left. Luckily I've not had any bad experiences with my Lexus dealers other than the oil argument.

I'd certainly leave an unbiased and factual review online about those experiences (i.e. leaving out my feelings on the matter). If they get enough negative press they might make efforts to prevent things like that from happening.


Edit: Pictures also add a lot of credibility to a review.

Originally Posted by Spam89

Amsoil is good but why not use bio syn. Tested to last

Originally Posted by GunnyFitz

Yes sir. Not the first time someone's said same thing. I guess those who live up around the Metro DC area know the term. It was technically my First Service of Two (2) Free ones, but I read that many dont get their 10k mile one Free. Puzzles me but at this point, w all the money Ive put into this car - Ill pay for the Labor, but will definitely use my Signature Series Amsoil, which has also has data proving its worth. Thanks Spam!

Originally Posted by lexusrus

Sometimes I wonder too about what qualifications is needed to work at some of these dealerships? Maybe it is all a BIG FAMILY!!!

Originally Posted by ct6978

Officially (fine print in the manual) the RCF has a different service schedule, you are supposed to bring it in at 1K (inspection only), then 5K (oil change)..... Those are the Lexus USA official 2 "free" services. The other, non-F cars have their first services at 5K (inspection only) and 10K (oil change).

Some dealers throw in the 2nd change for RCFs as part of the sale, or by mistake, but Lexus' official position is only 1 oil change.

Here's part of the service schedule showing this:

Originally Posted by danielTRLK

Lance, that's awesome to see that you sent it to rat. can you test the HDMO? The SHP is the weak cheaper version of BioSyn. The HDMO version is like a Ferrari 488 with an aftermarket twin turbo to a bone stock RC-F. Now if you could run the straight HDMO and not the low ash, you would get even better results.

I would venture that the HDMO LA or the HDMO straight would be #1's on rat's testing results.

Does rat charge you for testing?

I have a lab source btw that charges me $40/sample with full testing so message me when you need results. The SHP wouldn't do 10,000 miles on your GS F but the HDMO Low Ash could probably net 18,000 miles before it would oxidize. I had 20,000 going on Amsoil 0W20 before I got rear ended though.

Originally Posted by 540RAT blog

7. 5W30 Renewable Lubricants, HD Super High Performance, Bio-SynXtra motor oil = 125,250 psi
This biobased motor oil uses agricultural vegetable oil base stock. It has no Motor Oil Industry certifications, but claims to be formulated to meet the requirements for Diesel engines equipped with after treatment devices that require low ash. It also claims to be formulated for High Performance Turbocharged and Supercharged “DIESEL AND GASOLINE” engines that require API SN/CF, CF-4, CG-4, CH-4, CI-4, CI-4 Plus, CJ-4 and ACEA E2-96, E5-02 and E7-02.
zinc = TBD
phos = TBD
moly = TBD
This oil was tested at the very end of 2018.
The psi value of this oil, which came from testing it at the normal operating test temperature of 230*F, put it in the FANTASTIC Wear Protection Category.
I also went on to test this oil at the much higher temperature of 275*F. At that elevated temperature, any hotter and thinner oil is expected to experience a drop in Wear Protection Capability. This oil had only an extremely small 0.3% drop in capability. Even at that elevated temperature, it produced 124,901 psi, which still kept this much hotter oil in the FANTASTIC Wear Protection Category.
I also tested this oil for its onset of thermal breakdown point, which was a very disappointing 245*F.

Originally Posted by 540RAT blog

4. 5W30 Renewable Lubricants, Super High Performance Passenger Vehicle, Bio-SynXtra, motor oil = 130,436 psi
This patented biobased motor oil uses agricultural vegetable oil base stock, and is biodegradable. It claims to provide optimum performance in newer High Output Turbocharged and Supercharged “GASOLINE” engines. It also claims to have been formulated with the latest additive package components added to that base stock. It has no Motor Oil Industry certifications, but claims the formula passed the tests required for API SN. And it claims superior wear protection and high temperature stability, both of which proved to be true in my Engineering tests. In addition, it also claims to have a very high Viscosity Index value, which helps against fuel dilution concerns. The higher the Viscosity Index value, the less the oil’s viscosity is reduced as it heats up.
zinc = TBD
phos = TBD
moly = TBD
This oil was tested Summer 2018.
The psi value of this oil, which came from testing it at the normal operating test temperature of 230*F, put it in the FANTASTIC Wear Protection Category.
I also went on to test this oil at the much higher temperature of 275*F. At that elevated temperature, any hotter and thinner oil is expected to experience a drop in Wear Protection Capability. This oil had only an extremely small 0.7% drop in capability. Even at that elevated temperature, it produced 129,486 psi, which still kept this much hotter oil in the FANTASTIC Wear Protection Category.
I also tested this oil for its onset of thermal breakdown point, which was 275*F.
This was the first biobased motor oil I ever tested. And its performance was EXTREMELY IMPRESSIVE. These results probably surprise a lot of people, since this oil wasn’t even made from petroleum base stock. So it appears, there could be a very bright future for biobased motor oil, if they are formulated well.
And the test data produced by this biobased oil, further backs up what I have said about a motor oil’s “base stock” NOT being all that critical, it is the “additive package” that IS critical.

Originally Posted by lobuxracer

And the results are in. HDMO has two things disappointing - first, its load capacity is less than the PCMO. Not a big difference, but it didn't test out at the same number or higher as I had hoped (and I have half a 5 gallon bucket of HDMO remaining...). What was a lot more concerning was the 245F onset of thermal breakdown.


What this means to me is, this is a very good oil for NA engines. Not so great for turbo engines. Turbos are brutal on oil, even OEM designed systems like the 2JZ-GTE hammer the crap out of their oil because the return from the turbo bearings is almost boiling on exit. I won't be running this in my Supra for sure.

I just sent in my GS F sample from the PCMO oil and will post what I see, but I expect it will be stellar, especially since this engine has been so unusually slow wearing compared to everything else I have run.

For reference, here is how the PCMO tested:

RAT himself says any difference less than 10% can be ignored, so for all intents and purposes, these oils tested the same. It also means the Amsoil oils are within safe margins of error to say they are close enough to the RLI oils as to be indistinguishable. My biggest reason for choosing RLI is the stability the oil exhibits at elevated temperatures. You just don't see sub 1% losses at 275F, but BOTH of these oils showed remarkable stability at high temperatures. I just wish HDMO didn't want to start thermal breakdown at 245F.

Originally Posted by BossMoss

Thank you for resurrecting this awesome thread.