Wife works at home, barely drives car.

Owners Manual says change oil every 6 months or 5K miles. Six months have passed and car only has been driven 1,500 miles;


Is it really necessary? Checked the oil in last gas fill up and it looks good.

thoughts

 

I would wait 9 months and get it changed if I had the same situation or 5K miles w/c ever comes first. The important thing is that the car runs periodically (like weekly), and not stagnant.

 

If you want to keep the warranty intact, I'd recommend getting the oil changed. I doubt any damage would result but you are giving Lexus an out in case there is an issue later on.

 

change it yourself, 45 minutes tops and will only cost you 25 bucks for quality oil and factory filter

 

You really need to make excuses to drive it a bit more. The worse thing for a vehicle is to not be driven. And, you need to get it up to speed for a bit on the Interstate to get the water that condensates out of the engine. Maybe you two can swap cars for a few days a month or take it on longer trips.

 

Yeah, what the heck, get it changed and sleep well at night, it does not take a lot.

 

Sometimes it takes me a year to put on 5k, so I usually do 5k or 12 months which ever comes first. I use synthetic though. Some new cars sit on the dealers lots for 6-12 months before being sold, so I don't think a years time is going to degrade the performance of the oil at all.

 

ftw: I'm with you. BMW uses full synthetic and advises once-a-year oil changes or 15K miles (!), whichever comes first. Like you, I consider that full synthetic will last a year if driven 5K miles during the period. If you have a warranty, though, that might void it - you have to follow the Lexus schedule whether you use synthetic or dino oil.

 

To keep it simple and documentation in order, change the oil ~ 6m months and be done with it.

 

You don't have to take it to the dealer ($$$) for this. A private shop or a Toyota dealer is fine, simply document the service. It's a good idea to also post the service on the "My Lexus" website.

 

^^ A must do. I update my Lexus Owner's profile every month and include all work done on my Lexus. I also keep a binder and all my receipts are intact. I record all my oil changes, including brand of oil and filter.

 

i don't care if the car is there for 3 or 5 year, 5k mile is 5k mile,

i will only change after 5k mile.

 

You really should spend a few minutes on Google researching oil. 5000 miles is NOT 5000 miles. Operating conditions have much more to do with it that just mileage. And, actually, low mileage, short trips mean that pollutants, such as fuel and water condensate do not burn off readily as the oil is at low temperature most of the time. This causes the formation of acides and causes the oil to degrade quicker than in vehicles that are drive a lot more miles in a given period.

If you are planning on keeping a vehicle any length of time change the dang oil. Arguing about it is not rational imo!

 

GREAT ANSWER, it says it all.

 

don't take me seriously, i was only joking,

5k or 3 months, that is what i do.


ps. i'm getting a new scion xd, hoho

again, toyota