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With your high mileage driving you could safely increase to 7-10k miles between oil changes. My preference is 5k/6 months, whichever comes sooner, because I like the idea of a varnish free engine and keeping the car in its optimal condition for as long as possible. If you increase to 7-10k, you may see some brown varnish inside the engine but it won’t hurt it. You’re driving a lot of highway, so the engine is barely being stressed.
To keep it simple, keep doing what you’re doing if you can afford it. 5k is the sweet spot recommended by a lot of mechanics who have seen the downside of longer intervals.
Most of the oil brands have an upper tier extended life synthetic. Like Valvoline's Extended Protection Full Synthetic or Amsoil's XL Oils designed for 12K Miles or 1 year Changes
If I was pilling up the miles pretty fast on my car I would do 10K or 12K mile oil changes with this oil. It cost a little more for the oil but you are still saving a lot in the end doing one oil change as opposed to two
I average 25-30 miles per day so I do 5K mile oil changes with the Valvoline Advance Full Synthetic (but I am considering doing the extended plan like I mentioned above.)
Toyota TRD offers a better filter to use but it's a little pricey at around $13 to $24 PTR43-00082
Per Toyota: Filter use 3 plies of 100 percent synthetic glass/polyester blend filtration media that is 98 percent efficient at 20 microns - that is smaller than pollen. Replaces Toyota part numbers: 04152-31090, 04152-YZZA1.
Just do cost/risk analysis. Pick a number like 250,000 or 300,000 and see how many oil/filter $ and labor (for me it is DIY) you end up saving over the expected life time. Pick a position that suits you.
You can probably find cheaper fully synthetic oils if you go for the 5W-30 viscosity oils, compared to the 0W-20.
According to Google, the average winter maximum is 72°F (22°C), and the minimum is 57°F (14°C) in Chile. So I really can't see the need for 0W-20 oil, because of your very mild winter. Also I expect 0W-30 is much harder to find compared to 5W-30 in Chile.
Our 2015 owners manual and service schedule clearly specify 0W-20 oil. I would not risk switching to anything else until the vehicle is beyond the Lexus drivetrain warranty period. You can bet that if you have an engine failure while running anything other than 0W-20 oil, Lexus will automatically deny any claim.
They use this same engine in the ES350 which specifies 5w30 for earlier model years although by 2015 they went with 0w20 in the ES to meet government CAFE standards.
Up until 2012 the ES took 5w30.
They went with 0w20 in the RX to increase gas mileage, which because it weighs more than the ES and sometimes has AWD, is worse than in the ES.
It also helps Toyota/Lexus claim a lower overall corporate average fuel economy which they must prove meets a certain number to the government.
You will not hurt anything running 5w30 and it may make the engine quieter and provide more protection from wear in the heat.
Last edited by Clutchless; Aug 13, 2022 at 06:40 AM.
Oil weight ["W" in the middle] discussion is a never ending discussion.
my 2c:
The manufacturer has to disclose certain specifications and the operating conditions. The published specs are using certain conditions and the oil being used for Lexus newer models is 0W20 [or as stated in the manual] and this typically covers the geographical areas that the vehicle is driven.
Although warranty can be denied for many/any reason, but as long as you are using quality oil [replaced frequently] with "W" range for the recommended ambient temperatures, the engine would not fail due to lubrication issues. I am certain that the warranty would be denied if the ambient temperature is out side the range [extreme cold or hot]. Trouble typically happens when the oil is not replaced within proper intervals.
So I follow manufacturers recommendation and am willing to step out based on ambient temperature range. Historically, I always kept the range as narrow as possible [seasonally changing oil] and life is much simpler with synthetic and 0W20.
My 2012 owners manual for Australia does specify 5w-30 in addition to 0W-20. I have used both viscosities, and not really able to discern the fuel savings of 0W-20. Anyway, it never gets cold enough in Australia to even contemplate needing 0W-20, and I am in one of the colder states at the bottom of the continent. I'd imagine the worst winters in Chile is even milder than in Melbourne, Victoria, hence my suggestion to go with 5W-30, which is the oil that has been used in the 2GR-FE for a very long time, prior to the latest models, where fuel economy may have taken priority over engine longevity.
If anything, my thinking is that 0W-20 is slightly more likely to develop an oil leak than 5W-30, given that it's a thinner oil. That's just a related engine oil consideration.
Hello all,
I'm new to this forum as well as a recent owner of a new-to-me 2010 RX 350, so this may be a dumb question but...I've read that some folks run their synthetic motor oil 10,000 miles or only change the oil once a year, but they change the filter after 5000 miles...I've not done my first oil change on this car ( I plan to do my own rather than visit the dealer) but I've been changing my own oil for many many many years...I always change both the filter AND the oil...but how can you change the filter and NOT the oil?...
Don't do that. You don't save much money since you do it yourself. Change both at once. How many miles are on the RX? You may also want to change the transmission fluid if it has not been done, and if all wheel drive the transfer case and rear differential fluids.
It helps to have this Toyota oil filter removal tool. Not necessarily this exact one, but a similar 64mm 14 flute one.
Watch this video from The Car Care Nut on youtube. He is a Toyota Master Tech with a youtube channel. He has many videos explaining when and how to perform the maintenance on your Toyota/Lexus. He recommends a 5,000 mile oil and filter change if you want to preserve your car a long time. I think you could go to 7,000 depending on the type of driving you do.
This same engine is used in the Camry, Avalon, Highlander, Sienna, ES350, RX350 etc. The oil filter is sort of like a toilet paper roll inside a can that you open up and replace the roll. Due to its position on the V6 motor, not much oil is lost changing the filter.
Hello! I signed up for this forum a couple of years ago but really haven't used it much. I owned a 2015 that is aging and I have been getting oil change frequencies that my dealership recommended every 5,000 miles or 3 months. I finding from this forum and other sources that the synthetic oil does not need to be changed so frequently. I am retired now and don't put alot of miles on my car and want to know what would be the best frequency for me but also, is the dealership still making that recommendation to be frugal, following old standard or just plain want me in there sooner than I need to be?
If you only put 5,000 miles on your car a year, then change the oil once a year. That dealer is taking advantage of you because they want more of your money. That is what dealer service departments do as the service writers work on commission. They take advantage of car owners who know little about car maintenance or mechanicals and frighten them into spending excessive amounts of money on unneccessary services.
I have a 2016 Toyota Sienna which has the exact same engine as the RX. I barely put 5,000 miles a year on it. I only change the oil once a year. Given that Lexus recommends a 10,000 mile oil change interval, doing it at 5,000 or once a year is very safe and your engine will last a very very long time on that maintenance schedule.
I read your other post and Salim's excellent response. After this 70,000 mile dealer service is performed you may want to try and find a local independent repair shop that specializes in Toyota and/or Lexus vehicles. FYI your Lexus is mechanically identical to several Toyota models and any Toyota shop can work on it, even a local Toyota dealer may be cheaper.
If you are in the Chicago area, there is a Toyota Master Tech known as The Car Care Nut who has a youtube following of over 600,000 viewers because he posts very honest, informative videos on Toyota and Lexus maintenance. He left the dealer and opened his own shop last year. The address is below, along with a link to his youtube channel. I hope the shop is not far away from you, as he should be your new mechanic!
TCCN Automotive www.tccnautomotive.com
Mailing Address
15751 Annico Dr Unit 3
Homer Glen, IL 60491
thanks Clutchless...it has 168,000 miles...thanks for the link, I'm anxious to check the service history...is it much different than the Carfax, because I did check that before buying. It was an Ohio car originally, then spent the last 5 years in the South. It has some rust, but it also was formerly a Certified Pre-owned Lexus and has Rustproofing stickers in the door jamb, so I'm hopeful that will not be an issue. It runs so smoothly, I don't know why I never owned one before now. It is AWD, but I was under the impression that it's primarily FWD unless the front wheels slip, then power is sent to the rear...I see that it can be full-time AWD, but I've only owned it for a coupe of months, so no need for that yet, but we could be moving to the Northeast, and it will definitely will be needed there. I love the thing so far, and have plans for rear shocks, sway bar bushings, and front rotors and pads, all of which I've already purchased...I also have 0W-20 full synthetic and the canister-type filter too. I've been doing my own oil for a while now, but never had a vehicle with this type of filter. I've used 5000 mile oil change intervals with synthetic for many many years, so that's reasonable to me. I read about owners stretching to 10,000 or even more between changes, and that was the reason for my original question...how to change the filter without losing all the oil...I prefer to change both every 5000.
I've watched the Car Care Nut many times - he's excellent...and also Viktor G, another Master Lexus Technician with amazing videos of the 2010 RX in particular, but it appears that ALL of his YouTube content has disappeared...anyone on here have an idea what happened to Viktor?
Anyway, thanks again for your reply. Looking forward to a long enjoyable ownership experience with my RX.
Any tips or helpful info...I'm all ears!
btw, I created an account and entered my VIN on the Lexus site...but where do I find the build sheet and service history in detail? Any help is appreciated, and thanks in advance
At the risk of repeating.....
