I have a 2008 RX400h and wanted to know if I should have it serviced every 8,000km or every six months. I don't drive much so the six months will come first. Can I wait till I get to 8,000km instead of service it every six months?

Another question is how do I sort my results that come up in the navi search by distance?

 

I personally don't have a problem with leaving used oil in an engine a bit longer than 6 months, but some will go ahead and change. I think the oil manufacturers and the oil changing companies have us brainwashed into the every three month/3000 mile thing.

 

Follow the guidelines in your owners manual. If you don't drive the specified mileage in the six month period, abide by the six month time. Auto manufacturers are not tied to the oil companies and have nothing to gain by recommending overly frequent oil changes. If you plan on driving your RX for a long time, follow the guidelines.

 

I'm baffled by why Lexus didn't go to synthetic oil and an oil life monitor system long ago. I owned a 2003 Cadillac CTS whose not-the-most-modern V6 even had this, and gave me close to a year on oil/filter changes. Perhaps the dealers are resistant to giving up 2 shots a year to sell an overpriced oil change and some unnecessary services. When I buy a cpo RX next month, it will get a fill of mobil1 within a week. I'll stay on the maintenance schedule for the sake of the warranty, although I won't be happy doing so.

 

I've used nothing but Mobil1 for twenty years, the dealers certainly want you in their shop as frequently as possible. That's why they sell so many wiper blades, air filters, cabin filters, engine flushes, etc. Car owners get to the shop and buy anything recommended to them, it's a money pit for the dealers.

 

How do the Germans get away with long service intervals? My friend's BMW only need the oil changed every 24,000km.

 

There's no big secret to it. Synthetic oil does not degrade as quickly. Attention to major wear points like bearings and piston skirts, both in design and lubrication, reduces the amount of material the filter has to collect. Oil life monitoring software determines how much cold operation the oil sees and how often it does not get warm enough to eliminate condensation. Run a BMW on a lot of short trips and it will be asking for service well before 24000km.

It's not just the Germans. I had a 98 Corvette which saw a 20-minute back-roads daily commute to work, and went about 12000 miles before oil life was down to 5%. My 04 XLR went 13000 the first year, which included several trips up and down the east coast. Now that it's seeing shorter drives, it looks like it will need an oil change after about 9000 miles, if 1 year doesn't happen first.