Im with you on a bit more frequent than 10k. Even if the oil lasts that long, I doubt the filter is performing optimally at that point. I go to the dealer and either eat a free breakfast there or ask for a loaner and come back a few hours later. Dealer is 10 minutes away from home for me.

 

In my opinion, if you have thick, black sludge clogging your oil filter after 5000 miles, you have a serious problem somewhere. I have never seen black sludge in any of my engines or oil filters no matter how many miles I put on them.

 

Nobody said black sludge. I'm no mechanic nor engineer but I guarantee that oil filter is not performing effectively after 5k miles. The extended oil change intervals is merely a marketing ploy - " maintenance free". Of course if you lease or plan to dump the car after a few years, really doesnt matter.

 

Apparently the guy I was replying to seemed to have deleted his post. That's why mine doesn't make sense. Sorry.

 

I didnt delete it. I think a moderator removed it.

 

If you are an occasional driver the fact you most likely drive short distances (not letting oil come to full temp and therefore burn off excess fuel and moisture should in itself warrant more frequent changes. Not interval duration.

 

Yeah i just saw that post in email. No worries.

 

I know only need 10k miles, but are 5k overkill? I have a 2016 rx450h.

 

Yep, pretty much -- especially if you use synthetic like I do. But don't take it from me:


https://www.aaa.com/autorepair/artic...nge-engine-oil

https://auto.howstuffworks.com/under...il-changes.htm

https://www.consumerreports.org/car-...-for-your-car/

 

Definitely overkill, but if you want some peace of mind, send an oil sample over to blackstone laboratories and they will do a full analysis of it and tell you everything you want to know about the oil life and the life of your engine. They'll send you a free test kit and the analysis is $28 and worth it, even just to see some cool techy stuff about your engine oil.

 

Do as above...oil analysis to give you peace of mind and knowledge.

 

My personal opinion is that yes, 5k oil changes are overkill, especially on a hybrid. A hybrid has far less idling time and is often off, so if you have 5k between changes, the gas engine has even fewer miles than that.

 

i change my 450h every 5k.

 

I imagine there are a bazillion mechanic shops that will service your beautiful GS.
I don't like extended OCIs. Your call.
Good luck!

 

Last fall I traded my 2008 RX400h for a 2020 RX350. I had changed the oil myself on my old car every 5000 miles and had the detailed records to prove it. I intended to sell my old car on my own thinking that the dealer wouldn't give me much for a trade in. As soon as I showed him my extensive maintenance records though he quickly came back with an offer that was at least $2000 more than I had expected and above what I had intended to sell it for on Craigslist. Since I changed the oil myself (cheap), the extra oil changes paid for themselves. The dealer just assumed the car had been well cared for based on my maintenance records. I will probably go to 7500 mile intervals on my new car and keep good records for resale.