JimH2

For normal driving conditions, the recommended oil change interval is for 10,000 miles. What is the oil change schedule that you have adopted (to the nearest poll selection). I have chosen to go with changing at ~ 7500 mile intervals.

MEP7557

Since I don't drive 10k in a year I am going to change mine once a year regardless of mileage. Unless of course I go over 10k.

UCSB

+1. ... Depending on how much I use the RX this will be in the 2,500 to 5,000 ranoge.

LexRexBlue

Good point. I had mine changed after 13 months. Even though the odometer was still in the 6000 range the car seemed to need it. (MPG down and seemed sluggish) After the service MPG on the same roads better and car noticeably zippier.

djkidkris

My RX is my daily driver and I feel that a lot of research and engineering went into creating the RX as would any Lexus model so I trust Lexus's recommendation for oil changes every 10K miles. I believe that Lexus wouldn't give that recommendation if they didn't stand behind it.

sir1900

5000 miles. Only because I have to in order to keep the warranty.

Once the warranty runs out, I wouldn't hesitate to go 10k OCI.

cafpaf

I realize that there are special circumstances for everything, but it never ceases to amaze me that there are so many people, including dealerships, who are positive that they know better than the engineers who designed the car or the manufacturer who supports the warranty. Just read the manual and do what it tells you to do!!! In this case it is to change the oil every 10,000 miles.

jamiec

@sir1900..........I agree with you and will be doing the same. I only drive about 40-50 miles per week so I don't think my oil is getting too much of a work out.

BCRCornet

I assume you must be right about your manual - I don't have a U.S. manual.

For your information, my 2010 Canadian manual states:
"Your RX 350 requires the following regularly scheduled maintenance at the time and distance indicated in the interval chart."

The chart below that statement says:
"Lubrication - Every 6 months/8,000 km", and "Replace engine oil and filter"

kwbuggy

My 2011 manual reads the same as does the online recommendation at the Lexus Canada owners website when I type in my RX's VIN. I assume the difference is just one of the many differences between the Canadian market and the US market, the most notable being the $5,000+ higher prices Lexus charges those of lucky enough to live here in Canada.

kitlz

I never hit the mileage so I go with the time recommendation.

BCRCornet

Gathering from the results after three days of polling, this survey is being skewed by a number of people responding with "5,000 miles" (like me) - maybe, to get a poll result that means something to you, you'll have to exclude Canadian replies.

sir1900

I did read the manual. And the manual states that OCIs are 5k.

The problem is, manufacturers are grouping vehicles sold in certain countries into 2 categories -- vehicle sold in the US are considered "normal", vehicles sold in Canada are considered "severe". Many manufacturers do that.

I can speculate that the reason Canadians are "severe" is due to the harsh winters that are experienced here, but what about places like Minnesota, Wisconsin or Michigan where the climate from November to March is equally as harsh as many places in Canada?

With 0W-20 required, synthetic oils have additives that allow for it to last 10k with zero problems. Numerous used oil analysis on synthetic oils of various grades have proven that.

With 5K OCI, it is nothing more than another avenue to pad the profits of the dealerships. If anything, it makes good business sense. What I find most ironic with this practice is while manufacturers are promoting fuel efficiency and environmental initiatives with their products, they are also forcing owners to use these "precious resources" more by making them unnecessarily change oil more often or else they may deny any warranty claim.

Cruiter

Yep, but the precious resource is your money. What's still called oil in our situation is not 'dyno' oil anymore but as it say it's "synthetic". Maybe the more frigid climate in Canada requiring more time to warm up is why they went with the 5k though. Might be something to your schedule.

JimH2

You are correct as far as the survey being skewed by an apples and oranges type comparison (different manufacturer recommendations for the 2 countries). I did not realize that difference when I initiated the poll. In addition, some replace the oil at 12 months time. I guess the main take home message is that the majority of folks follow the manufacturer's recommendations to a large extent (no 3,000 mile changes ).