i bought a rx330 at little over 30k miles from a pre-auction dealership, which was a previously leased vehicle by someone else. my question is about oil change...don't know yet, if i should do a 3k or 5k oil change, but am i supposed to follow the pattern of the previous owner? in other words, if the previous owner used synthetic oil, should i use synthetic, and if they didn't use synthetic, can i start using synthetic?

 

err...go to your local lexus dealer and have them print out a service history of your car. see if the previous owner went to lexus for services first.

 

janet, thats a great post. Are there any mechanics here, would synthetic oil have different properties from conventional oil, like smell, color? Also, is there a different oil filter with synthetic?

I happen to be looking for a lease return with same miles, if you dont mind me asking, what equipment yours has and how much you had paid?

 

Post pics if you can. What color?

 

I dont know how to tell if the oil on the dipstick is regular, synthetic or blend. Even the classifications used by manufacturers is not standard [what we call in USA as synthetic may not be called synthetic in Europe].

As you know, you can go longer between oil changes if you go synthetic. So the time in engine (miles as well as dates) are more important than the composition.

Can you switch to synthetic ... yes [The only problem faced by some is that the rubber seals swell up with regular and they shrink back with synthetic. If the swelling is providing the "seal" then when the rubber shrinks, you may spring a leak (more realistically a drip).

Synthetic does not need special filters.

Finally there is nothing wrong with regular oil, as long as you change it regularly. [3500 miles or upto 6 months]. Synthetic you can go upto 5000 miles but I prefer 3500 ... overkill].

Buying used vehicles (specailly with low milage makes all the financial sense, but you must get the maintenance history and make sure the accidents (if) have been repaired correctly. Stay away from Salvage title.
[I do not follow my own advice ... since I keep cars for many years, it is ok for me to buy new loss/yrs of ownership is small for me]

Salim

 

why does someone need to do their services at the lexus dealer? i feel bad for anyone who buys my car after the lease is up. haha

 

well you still are changing your oil and filter right? The only difference between $70 and $30 oil changes are loaner, "free" coffee, sodas, wi-fi in the waiting area, and a kiss in the ***. LOL

 

The Lexus dealer I use charge only $40 for a oil change and you get a free car wash.

 

$40 not bad at all

 

Janet, I don't think your question was directly answered yet. Can you switch to synthetic without worry? Yes. Mixing petroleum oils and 100% synthetics is not an issue anymore. In "the old days" some original synthetic compounds did not mix well with petroleum base oils. It caused problems when they mixed in the engine. Those days are long gone. Feel free to switch back and forth. Having said that, don't "top off" with a synthetic if there is petroleum in the engine and vice-versa. Mixing lubricants with different properties is not good.

 

From the Mobil oil FAQ:

Mixing Synthetic and Conventional Motor Oils

Can you ever blend synthetic oils and conventional oils? If so, what is the ratio?

Answer:

Yes, synthetic oils can be blended with conventional oils. Several companies, including ExxonMobil, market synthetic blends which are a combination of synthetic and conventional oils. In the case of ExxonMobil, the ratio of synthetic to conventional oil in these products is considered proprietary information.

 

When we had our 04 RX330, we sold it at 60K miles. I often switched between Mobile 1 synthetic and regular oil all the time. If I did the oil change myself, I used synthetic. If I took the car in for service, I let them change it with whatever the dealership stocks. I never had a single oil problem in the 60K miles I owned it. I sold the car to a friend and so far he hasn't had an issues either. Now, I've done this since I first switched to synthetic at about 10K miles. If you used regular oil for 80K miles than decided to switch, I might be a little more concerned and cautious, but otherwise no big deal.

 

I paid $29k at 30k miles, and it basically has all the features except navigation, i guess.

 

oops, i replied to the wrong person. I paid $29k at 30k miles, and it basically has all the features except navigation, i guess.