Who Changes Their Own Oil/Filter?
 

After the free 6 and 12 month dealer check-ups who after that do the DIY oil/filter changes???

Technically, 6 month check-up does not include an oil change, that's why I skipped it.
I change my own oil. I prefer to work on my own cars. In the 10+ years I had my IS, the dealership changed oil in it once, by an accident, when the tech did not look at the work requested.

I do most of thr DIY Stuff on the RX. ( oil change, filters, etc)
It's actually easier vs a car ( Prius) which i have to put on a ramp.

And i follow the recommended 10,000 miles interval.
If i don't hit the magic number, i'd stick with 15 months regardless of milage.

why did you ask?

I have three cars and I do all the oil and filter change on them. I will not take my cars to a lube oil change place. No way. I have a '99 Miata and I do more than that. I replaced the entire air intake system, replace the exhaust manifold and downstream pipes, muffler, instrument panel, install a cruise control system, radiator, intake valve cover, wheels, sound padding, polished engine and many more.

Same here, I've been doing all the maintenace on my cars for as long as I can remember. I guess the story of those shady shops/dealers scares me..lol. I just recently did the 30k service on my wife's RX and it was pretty straight forward.

We also have three vehicles and I do all the oil & filter changes. By doing them myself, I can guarantee it was done properly at a fair price.

I will be. Dealer is to expensive and I don't trust others to use proper synthetic, not a blend.

reset maintenance message?
 

I used to take my 4Runners to the Toyota dealer since I could not beat the ~$25-30 specials :-)

I thought I had seen some specials for the Lexus ~(~$69) and may use that if they really using synthetic.

I hit the 5k mark recently and the "maintenance" light came on (I need to get my free checkup). Does that come on at 10k intervals too and if yes, how do I reset it if I do elect to change my own oil?

Thx

The light comes on every 5K miles for USDM model. This is across the board for Toyota vehicles, even though most are now rated at 10K oil change intervals.
FAQ got you covered:
https://www.clublexus.com/forums/rx-...ease-read.html

I've been replacing my own engine oil since BMW e39. It has been sold and replaced by 10 RX350 last year, which I also replace engine oil along with Porsche Cayenne. Noticed it only gets easier with SUVs.

Always change my own oil.....i use that as an oportunity to do a good visual on the undercarriage while im there. The absolute worst car i changed oil on was 97 camry.....the oil filter was accessed from the front top allowing for oil spillage when removing the filter. Poor design IMHO.

I change my own oil and always have unless there is a free one offered by the manufacturer. Have the famous custom wrench for the canister oil filter, a couple of floor jacks and jack stands. I usually rotate tires at the same time and inspect everything. Also change the engine air and cabin air filters. I have a vacuum brake bleeder so also do brake fluid flushes. I changed both front and rear differential fluids at 22,000. Probably do a coolant drain and fill next spring. I have a 2010 AWD with 28,000 miles. I buy the 0w20 and filters from the local Toyota dealer.

Just about every Asian car I have seen has a filter that dumps its oil all over the frame or other engine component when removed. Sometimes you can poke a hole in it and drain it before removing. Even my 2001 RX300 dumps all over the front cross member. The filter is sandwiched between the AC compressor and the front engine mount. When I change the oil I always have a can of degreaser to spay the frame with.
On my truck I used a remote filter mount kit to make things easier. But on these cars, there really isn't any place to move it to.

Our 2010 RX and our 2008 ES have a cartridge-type oil filter with a cast aluminum filter housing. The filter is just about in the middle of the front of the car, and oil does not "dump all over" when you remove the filter housing to change the cartridge. If you desire, you can remove this small plug on the bottom of the housing, then use the plastic drain pipe included with the new cartridge to drain the oil out of the housing & filter. I don't bother with that, and I still get no oil anywhere but in the pan. Easy as pie.